Vince Flynn has been filling in the early, or hidden, years of Mitch Rapp, the covert CIA agent in the earlier books like American Assassin and Kill Shot. Although they told the story of Rapp’s origin, Flynn’s now places him very much in the here and now. Rapp is an uncompromising force capable of knocking any object in his way off its pins. The Last Man finds Rapp in his 40s, still capable, but physically if not emotionally vulnerable as he faces enemies from within and without in pursuit of a security breach that threatens to expose CIA assets to America’s enemies throughout the world.
The novel begins in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, with Rapp in the middle of the aftermath of carnage. But he is not the cause of it. The situs is a safe house set up around Joe Rickman, the head of CIA clandestine operations in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, the house has been compromised, with Rickman’s bodyguards murdered, his all-important computer gone, and Rickman himself missing, apparently kidnapped.
Irene Kennedy, the director of the CIA, has tasked Rapp with investigating Rickman’s abduction and finding him, no matter what it takes.
Rapp is disturbed by what he finds - there are some things that simply do not add up at the scene. He is uncertain of what has actually occurred. Unknowingly, Rapp is slowly being drawn into a trap, where he will be confronted with one of his deadliest adversaries. Events conspire to make the two men uneasy allies in a firestorm where they are confronted with almost overwhelming odds. But the question remains: Who is orchestrating these events, which include Rickman’s disappearance and the attack against Rapp?
Matters become even more dangerous when a shocking video is posted on the Internet that leaves Kennedy scrambling and Rapp looking for answers. The trail Rapp follows leads from the violent streets of Afghanistan to the twisted hallways of power in Washington, DC, where a corrupt politician conspires with a power-hungry bureaucrat to bring Rapp down and Kennedy with him, even at the cost of the lives of CIA intelligence sources working behind enemy lines. Rapp has a good idea as to who is pulling the strings, and as the twists and turns of the plot against the CIA are slowly uncovered, he will need to utilise every element he possesses in his considerable skill set to come out alive.
Surprises abound here. These are not limited to plot change-ups; events conspire to reveal a couple of hitherto unknown sides of Rapp’s personality. Additionally, he does something that is totally necessary but undoubtedly will have a number of readers screaming in exasperation.
Certainly, The Last Man is one of Flynn’s most complex installments in the Rapp canon to date. And Flynn, master storyteller that he is, skillfully navigates the reader through the twists and turns of the tale to a conclusion that puts the main plot elements to rest.
Written with a better script and plot, this thriller offers an exciting and provocative adventure for both Rapp and the readers.
Unfortunately, The Last Man would be the final novel that Vince Flynn completed on his own before his death.