American Assassin

By: Vince Flynn

Narrated by: George Guidall

Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Before he was considered a CIA superagent, before he was thought of as a terrorist's worst nightmare, and before he was both loathed and admired by the politicians on Capitol Hill, Mitch Rapp was a gifted college athlete without a care in the world...and then tragedy struck.

Two decades of cutthroat partisan politics has left the CIA and the country in an increasingly vulnerable position. Cold War veteran and CIA operations director Thomas Stansfield knows he must prepare his people for the next war. The rise of Islamic terrorism is coming, and it needs to be met abroad before it reaches America's shores. Stansfield directs his protégé, Irene Kennedy, and his old Cold War colleague Stan Hurley to form a new group of clandestine operatives who will work outside the normal chain of command - men who do not exist.

What type of man is willing to kill for his country without putting on a uniform? Kennedy finds him in the wake of the Pan Am Lockerbie terrorist attack. Two-hundred and seventy souls perished that cold December night, and thousands of family and friends were left searching for comfort. Mitch Rapp was one of them, but he was not interested in comfort. He wanted retribution.

Six months of intense training has prepared him to bring the war to the enemy's doorstep, and he does so with brutal efficiency. Rapp starts in Istanbul, where he assassinates the Turkish arms dealer who sold the explosives used in the Pan Am attack. Rapp then moves on to Hamburg with his team and across Europe, leaving a trail of bodies. All roads lead to Beirut, though, and what Rapp doesn't know is that the enemy is aware of his existence and has prepared a trap. The hunter is about to become the hunted, and Rapp will need every ounce of skill and cunning if he is to survive the war-ravaged city and its various terrorist factions.

Includes the first chapter from Vince Flynn and Kyle Mills' latest thriller, Enemy of the State!

©2010 Vince Flynn (P)2010 Simon and Schuster Audio

Maybe the best one yet!

The story starts out fast, and has a quick pace throughout. Mitch Rapp fans, get ready to find out how it all started, who trained him, and nurtured his natural abilities. Some real insightful stuff for Rapp fans everywhere. Worst thing about it is, now I am going to have to wait another year to get my next fix! Great read, well worth the listen! If you never listened to or read a Vince Flynn novel, this is a great place to start. It will get you down the path and should have been the book he started with, but having followed the Mitch Rapp career, it makes this listen all the sweeter! Get it you won't be disappointed!

How it all began! Wow!

From the moment I heard Vince's customary first interview with Joe Soucheray on Garage Logic last week, I had a feeling this would be an interesting view of the early life of Mitch Rapp. I was NOT disappointed. American Assassin is fantastic! Great insights into the past of some of the key characters in the Rapp series. A gripping storyline that was intense!!! If you are already a Flynn fan, you will love this book. If you are new to Flynn's work... give it a shot, BUT be prepared for some intense action! ...Hopefully none of you ever have to play "20 questions" in the Middle East.

As I sit here in Middle America, I am hopeful that there are "real life" Rapp's and Hurley's in the field with Kennedy's and Stansfield's supporting them stateside.

George Guidall does a great job bringing Flynn's story to life! My only complaint is related to production issues of the audiobook. First version of Part 1 did not play on iPod Touch (had to download the high quality version to listen). Chapter breaks were too long and were not synchronized with the book. Made it slightly inconvenient to navigate, but quality of the story FAR outweighed any production concerns.

Enjoy!!

Really good book.

Good narrated and story line is good. I enjoyed listening to. Ready for the next one

One of Our Best

Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp series has always been a favorite of mine, particularly his books in the early to mid part of the series. Guidall is one of the very best narrators out there. I have read all of the books before but now I'm listening to them while gardening, working in the house or walking the dog. Flynn's early passing has not only left a hole in the lives of his family and friends, but also it is has meant a grieving period for the loss of Mitch Rapp as well.

Average Story-Horrible Narrator

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I personally found the story average, not too many plot twists. The language is really filthy at times and the writer could have conveyed his story with out the foul language.

What didn’t you like about George Guidall’s performance?

George has absolutely no business reading books. He had no voice inflection, didn't change his tone for different characters. He consistently read in a monotone voice. It's hard to get into the story when it feels like the one reading it, is bored out of his mind.

Great story!

I loved this book,but could we PLEASE ask Armand Schultz to read the unabridged versions as well as the abridged versions? George Guidall's voice sounds like that of a 70 year old man. I just couldn't stand listening to him anymore so I stopped after Book 1, which is a real shame.

Nothing to do with the book....

I hopefully can speak for all Mitch Rapp fans out there and Vince Flynn fans..... Please change the artwork back to the original. This movie was a horrible portrayal of the story. That's it.

Fantastic and intense

Don't miss this one. Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp picks up where Tom Clancy's Clarke left off.

fast moving action.

Enjoyed this one. I was looking for a companion story for the Jack Reacher novels. I think Rapp fits the bill.

Fast paced and typical.

This was a good listen with a fast action story. Does follow formula of these type of books: super talented rebel, bang bang, torture, sex with beautiful woman, more bang bang, miraculously winning in the end. A bit to much gore for me. But narration was good and I did enjoy it.- By the way I listened via an iPod and Apple oh Apple what a POS.