The Third Option
Binding : Mass Market Paperback
ProductGroup : Book
Manufacturer : Pocket Star
Label : Pocket Star
Publisher : Pocket Star
Studio : Pocket Star
ReleaseDate : 2001-08-28
Lowest Used Price: USD $1.14
Lowest New Price: USD $4.30
When diplomacy has failed and military intervention is deemed inappropriate, our leaders sometimes take THE THIRD OPTION.
CIA counterterrorism operative Mitch Rapp falls prey to government forces with an agenda of their own after Dr. Irene Kennedy is named the successor to dying CIA Director Thomas Stansfield -- a choice that enrages many inside the world's most powerful intelligence agency. Her detractors will resort to extreme measures to prevent her from taking the reins -- which makes Rapp an expendable asset. But Mitch Rapp is no one's pawn, and he will stop at nothing to find out who has set him up.
Amazon.com Review
Rancorous political infighting surrounds the selection of a successor to the dying head of the CIA just as Mitch Rapp, the agency's top operative, embarks on a dangerous mission to take out a well-known German industrialist believed to be supplying Middle East terrorists with highly sensitive equipment critical to constructing a nuclear bomb. When Rapp's ultimately successful mission is compromised from within, ailing CIA director Thomas Stansfield puts his imprimatur on the efforts of his chosen successor, Irene Kennedy, director of the agency's Counterterrorism Center, to identify the powerful interests both inside and outside the agency that wanted Rapp to fail.
The motive soon becomes clear; there are people who'll stop at nothing to remove Kennedy from the helm of the agency after Stansfield dies. One thing they didn't count on was Rapp's survival, and now he's a lethal weapon whose sights are fixed directly on the most powerful among them. This is a strong, swift thriller, a bit predictable (the senator in the black hat has dogs named Caesar and Brutus) but nonetheless involving. Author Vince Flynn sustains the dramatic tension from the opening paragraph to the last; in Mitch Rapp, he's got the makings of a promising series hero. --Jane Adams
Great Book (2009-06-05)
Excellent book and delivery time was acceptable. Highly recommend this read and all the other Vince Flynn/Mitch Rapp books.
Wrong version (2009-05-28)
I received an abridged version of the novel versus the full one. Perhaps I did not read the description fully. However, this is the second time that I have purchase an audiobook on Amazon that was not clearly identified. Reading/listening to an abridged version of a novel is a little like kissing your sister. Something is missing.
Must read if you like the series (2009-05-18)
This is the third book in the Mitch Rapp series and Vince Flynn continues to keep us reading into the night to find out how the plot unfolds. However, this book lacks some of the intensity that others in the series have. The ending is very weak, but I have already downloaded the next book in the series, Separation of Power. I like the series very much so now I will end this review and start reading.
I recently became a fan of Vince Flynn (2009-05-08)
Good, but not great. I started reading Vince Flynn a few months ago and I am going in order. This is the 3rd in the series and so far, the least impressive. I still liked it, but it lacked some of the excitement of the previous two. I bought the 4th so I will certainly continue. This book sort of just ends and I guess is continued in the next.
Good Character, Good Read (2009-04-28)
When I purchased The Third Option, I did not know that it was part of a series of books that feature Vince Flynn's main character Mitch Rapp. It should be pointed out that it is not crucial if you have not read prior books in the series before reading this one.
While the book offers nothing outside the ordinary for a book of the super operative genre, I enjoyed it for what it did not include. Mitch Rapp is a character who is not absurdly elevated above mere mortal (i.e., he is not an ultra-superhuman terrorist killer). At least that is true in this book though I get the impression it may not be true in others. He does not hang from planes, jump on to speeding trucks, or survive multiple gun shots to the body (at least not without a kevlar vest). I also liked the idea of assassins tracking each other's work and either respecting or despising their competition's style. Classic.
Overall a good read with a good character that can offer multiple other books to read if you enjoy the character. The only negative is that Mr. Flynn's attempt to be current at the time of writing (1999-2000) does not always translate well. Certain points seem silly given our knowledge today.
