Kyle Mills has done it again! Enemy At The Gates is a tension-filled, action-packed, conspiracy-laden masterpiece with a stunningly ruthless twist that will have you doubled over in pain like you’ve taken a body blow from a heavyweight boxer.
Enemy At The Gates picks up where Total Power left off. Life in America is returning to normal, there’s a new President in the Oval Office and Mitch is at a crossroads trying to figure out what he wants to do next. He feels a strong draw to a quieter life with Claudia and Anna, getting out of the CIA and diving back into the world of competitive triathlons to provide him with the challenge his goal-oriented mind requires. However, it’s never that easy to leave and there are several things that reluctantly keep him in the game – trying to figure out the new president’s agenda and if he should have a role with the administration, a missing immunologist being hunted by an African terrorist organization, a mole infiltrating CIA databases, attacks against the world’s first trillionaire whose lofty philanthropic pursuits are poised to change the course of humanity and, last but not least, loyalty to Irene Kennedy as she asks for his involvement. And as Mitch Rapp is wont to do, he goes all-in. And with the help of Scott Coleman and a few other friendly faces, Mitch devises an intricate and exquisite plan to solve multiple problems with one operation, leading to a final showdown of epic proportions.
While the book stands up on it’s own, the big takeaway is the transitional nature of the storyline. And this isn’t unique in the genre right now. There are several beloved characters of long running series that are advancing in age – Mitch Rapp, Gabriel Allon and Scot Harvath to name a few – that are at a transitional point in their lives/careers where they can’t operate the way they used to. That presents the authors with a massive and risky challenge to figure out where to take the characters and storylines. Which is what Kyle Mills attempts to do with Enemy At The Gates and I applaud him for focusing a good deal of the plot around Mitch contemplating and exploring that next step with opportunities that go beyond the obvious CIA management track. Time will tell where Mitch lands and what will fulfill him going forward, but this is a solid step in that direction. Additionally, there are a few unsettled plot lines as the book concludes which, while frustrating to those who like things wrapped up neatly in a bow by the last page, is actually great news as it keeps Mitch Rapp in our lives and gives us another Rapp adventure to look forward to next year. Which is all we can ask for.
Finally, Enemy At The Gates is another brilliant example of how Kyle Mills has made Mitch Rapp novels his own while still reverently staying true to the foundation and legacy set by Vince Flynn. It’s a great mixture of what long time fans love about Mitch combined with Kyle’s unique anything goes, dark humor, expletive-laden, action-packed, conspiratorial style. This novel is guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser and on many best books of the year lists. Don’t miss it!
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