Separation of Power

Rating:
Summary: Lives up to previous work
Review: Seperation of Power is a fast paced read that delivers what it promises. To fully appreciate it a new reader should read the book preceeding it in the series or the plot will not come together.

Rating:
Summary: No master of the political/espionage thriller
Review: Follows `The Third OptionEthat has already put the protagonists in place.

In the prelude "Dr. Irene Kennedy stood over the fresh mound and wept,Esets the scene for her position as the new director of the CIA at the "windswept cemeteryEthat ominously foretells of the dark deeds ahead. Mitch Rapp the CIA super-agent is a comic hero of bygone days, for boys who loved Superman, Batman and Robin. Mitch Rapp has been called upon single handedly to save the Presidency from insider intrigue, take out nukes all in two weeks. This story badly needs a dose of reality.

Despite some good passages, as in the meeting in the steam bath (Ch.8) between Rudin (Democrat) and Clark (Republican) prior to the confirmation hearings of Dr. Irene Kennedy as the new Director of the CIA, Mitch Rapp is a flawed hero for today's serious reader of this genre. The story lacks knowledge by the writer of fieldcraft, weaponry and gizmos out there in the real world, in short-details. Vince Flynn needs to do a lot more research on the type of people spy agencies around the world hire, train, command lines and how they go about their work.

Vince Flynn is not a master of the political/espionage thriller in the class of John le Carre, Tom Clancy or John Forsyth despite what book critics are saying; using the same superlatives and comparisons is selling Vince Flynn way above what he is delivering in Separation of Power.


Rating:
Summary: Mitch Rapp gets the job done
Review: Mitch Rapp is the young, athletic, brilliant and charming hero beloved by Vince Flynn's reader everywhere. In Separation of Powers, he is all set to retire or at least gear down from the fast and furious life of a CIA assassin.
Before he does that, he needs to know who tried to kill him in Germany. Coincidentally, it appears Senator Hank Clark wants him dead. Now the senator is the kind of villain one loves to hate. He is powerful and he owes his tenure in Congress to all his friendly contributors. These constituents don't ask much, just provide them with the CIA's ability to intercept competitor's cell phone calls and data transfers; they'll be happy in silicone valley and they'll keep Clark's reelection fully funded.
But all that is about to change; both Mitch Rapp and the new director-designate of the CIA-Irene Kennedy frown on such misappropriation of government resources...not that the old director approved. The new team just have more energy and they know how the new technology works.
But Mitch can't unravel this trail full-time. Not when he is America's answer to the threat of terrorism. A CIA operative, when Mitch sees a terrorist threat, he kills (eliminates) the terrorist threat. The hardest working man in espionage, Mitch makes it look easy. Having good fortune smiling on you and the President's ear doesn't hurt either. For instance, there was the small matter of acquiring a small motorcade of white Mercedes limousines to infiltrate Iraqi defenses. What do you know, it just so happens, the boys over at ATF have just appropriated such vehicles from a Columbian drug lord. Yes, that's right, not one but three armored Mercedes limousines. Fire up the GPS, the extraction of the weapons of mass destruction is underway. No wonder the Marines couldn't find them. Mitch beat them there and his mission was classified.
While Flynn has been compared to Robert Ludlum and Tom Clancy, I would lean more toward Jack Higgins. There is just something ingenuous and Saturday matinee clever about Flynn that hits `wondrous' on the button. So how does Rapp corner Clark, how is the scoundrel brought to justice? How many gorgeous women faun on Rapp? Sorry, you'll get no answers here. National security comes at a price. To aid reader comprehension, I will however provide a heads up on three frequently used terms in the book that may be helpful; katsas- Isreali intelligence agent. kidon- Israeli assassin. Pavelow- a highly advanced helicopter that can fly low and fast under radar, delivers the goods and makes change.

Rating:
Summary: Third Option, Second Part
Review: Separation of Power is for all intents and purposes a continuation of Third Option. Author, Vince Flynn, left a number of unresolved issues in Third Option and uses these issues as a launch point for Separation of Power. CIA Director Thomas Stansfield has just died. Senator Hank Clark's veiled attempt to discredit Dr Irene Kennedy has failed; and she succeeds her former boss as CIA Director. Mitch Rapp, this country's best counterterrorism operative, has decided to leave CIA wet work and start a family.

Meanwhile, Col Friedman the head of Israel's Mossad, provides President Hayes with disturbing information that North Korean scientists are aiding Iraq to produce 3 nuclear bombs. They are ahead of schedule and the Mossad Chief vows Israel will not let the weapons be deployed. Hayes knows that an Israeli attack on Iraq will spark a major war and that the US must get involved. Before Rapp can lead a special operations mission to counter Iraq's nuclear aspirations, he must first put to rest lingering question surrounding a failed mission. This tale conjoins political power, international double crosses, and former liaisons into a worthy book.

Without being too repetitious, Flynn provides enough background from Third Option to allow a new reader to jump in at this point. However, compared to Flynn's previous books, I thought Separation of Power was flawed and a little flat. The conflict between Rapp's work and his desire to start a family is stale. It began in Third Option and drags throughout Separation of Power; please address it so we can move on. Minor errors detracted from the story. In two quick examples, Flynn inaccurately has US SOUTHERN Command responsible for enforcing post-Gulf War Operations when it should have been US CENTRAL Command and lists the 48th Fighter Wing at Holloman Air Force Base when it should have been the 49th Fighter Wing. The book's significant inaccuracies are a concern. Flynn has the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff employ F-111 and C-141 aircraft as part of a strike against Iraq. The F-111s haven't been part of the US arsenal since the middle 1990s and the C-141 is generally only used as a medical transport in the Air Force Reserve. Artistic license and plausible embellishment is expected; minor mistakes and missed keystrokes are understandable; but, passing antiquated weapons as modern-day stalwarts in a major plot line of a book is inexcusable, insulting, and causes the reader to question every single detail. This is especially egregious considering we read techno-thrillers for their exacting detail and futuristic drama.

This is not Flynn's strongest work and average in comparison to his peers. High-energy action only partially makes up for the inaccurate and tired excerpts. My hope is this effort was an abnormality. I do look forward to his next Rapp book, but will read it with a more critical eye.

A worthwhile read.

Rating:
Summary: great book for flynn readers
Review: I admit this is the first book of flynn that I have read but what a great book it was. I see other readers did not like Mitch Rapp girlfriend in the book, neither did I, but it is a minor point and it is not bad enough to hurt it all that badly. I liked the parts in Washington D.C with Congressmen Rudin and Senator Clark the most but the parts involving Iraq was great to. If you like political or action books then this is the book for you. Also as I said before this is the first book I have read of his, so if you want to read this book and you have not read any others in the series you will still be able to enjoy this book for what is worth. You will be able to understand what is happening in this book if you have not read any of the past books in the series.