American author Vincent Joseph Flynn, popularly remembered as Vince Flynn, was an interesting enigma of a man. After plowing through several different careers and failing at them, Vince decided to make his last shot at writing. Amazingly, unlike his previous efforts, his writing career blossomed – even helping him manage his dyslexia.
Flynn began his journey as a full-time writer in his mid-twenties – working as a bartender by night and as a writer by day. A few years later, luck smiled upon him, and he decided to publish a book he titled Term Limits. The book was an instant bestseller and soon launched him into the ranks of the top American thriller authors of the early 2000s.
How Many Books Has Vince Flynn Written?
The New York best-selling author wrote a total of 13 books before his demise. He was well known in the crime and thriller genres, especially after he started the Mitch Rapp series. His first book was published in 1997. However, it was not a Mitch book, even though it was set within the same timeframe as the series. Flynn’s last book was published in 2012, a year before his death.
Upon his demise, the burden of continuing the series then fell on Kyle Mills, who had carried on the duty of the Mitch Rapp series in the absence of the original author. Presently, Kyle has written 8 additional books, bringing the total number of books in the Mitch Rapp series to 20. Another book, also written by Kyle, will be released sometime in September 202.
List of Vince Flynn’s Books In Order
Vince Flynn officially has 21 books in total, and this list includes the ones written by Kyle Mills. Below is a list of all his published works in the order in which they were released to the public:
- Term Limits (1997)
- Transfer Of Power (1999)
- The Third Option (2000)
- Separation Of Power (2001)
- Executive Power (2003)
- Memorial Day (2004)
- Consent To Kill (2005)
- Act Of Treason (2006)
- Protect And Defend (2007)
- Extreme Measures (2008)
- Pursuit Of Honor (2009)
- American Assassin (2010)
- Kill Shot (2012)
- The Last Man (2012)
- The Survivor (2015)
- Order To Kill (2016)
- Enemy Of The State (2017)
- Red War (2018)
- Lethal Agent (2019)
- Total Power (2020)
- Enemy at the Gates (2021)
List of Vince Flynn’s Books in Chronological Order
The above list details Vince Flynn’s books in order of published dates. However, Vince Flynn’s novels can be arranged in chronological order, that is, listing the series according to the order in which the events in the series occurred. The reason for this slight disparity is mostly due to Vince’s death because, after his passing, Vince’s successor decided to go back to the beginning of the series.
The attempt to tell the late author’s story chronologically was Kyle’s way of acquainting himself with the characters in the books, as well as with the original author’s writing style. The chronological route Kylie used proved to be a very brilliant idea, and all the books written by Kyle have landed atop the best-selling lists and have been critically lauded as very similar to Vince’s pattern. The two books by Kylie, in chronological order, include American Assassin and Killshot, which were released in 2010 and 2012, respectively.
Below is the list of Vince Flynn’s books in chronological order:
- Term Limits (1997)
- American Assassin (2010)
- Kill Shot (2012)
- Transfer of Power (1999)
- The Third Option (2000)
- Separation of Power (2001)
- Executive Power (2003)
- Memorial Day (2004)
- Consent to Kill (2005)
- Act of Treason (2006)
- Protect and Defend (2007)
- Extreme Measures (2008)
- Pursuit of Honor (2009)
- The Last Man (2012)
- The Survivor (2015)
- Order to Kill (2016)
- Enemy of the State (2017)
- Red War (2018)
- Lethal Agent (2019)
- Total Power (2020)
- Enemy at the Gates (2021)
- Oath of Loyalty (2022)
All Vince Flynn’s Books in Order
1. Term Limits
- Genre: Thriller
- Paperback Volume: 640 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 1997
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd
- ISBN: 978-1849837675
Term Limits remains the only Vince Flynn book that does not feature the character of Mitch Rapp. However, this standalone book was set in the same universe as the Mitch Rapp books, and it shared a few similar characters as well. In the book, three powerful American politicians are assassinated in cold blood and their killers are making some really tough demands – they want the American government to abolish political parties and create a socialist country.
More so, it seemed like the assassins were for the people, and they kept to their words with well-delivered threats. In the end, this highly skilled elite group was discovered to be ex-militia and a certain congressman named Michael O’Rourke realized that this violence was closely connected to some traumatic experiences that had happened in his past. It is now up to him to figure out how to save his country from doom.
2. American Assassin
- Genre: Thriller
- Paperback Volume: 544 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 2010
- Publisher: Atria and Emily Bestler Books and Media Tie-In edition
- ISBN: 978-1501180491
This book saw the introduction of CIA agent Mitch Rapp to the world. He was a threat to the elite politicians in the USA and was known to trigger both admiration and hatred in them. The story began after a tragedy and Mitch found himself at the heart of a terrorist attack on a cold December night. This spurred him into joining the CIA and training himself to be fit enough to pursue his enemies.
Beyond just being written down as a good read, American Assassin has also been made into a feature film. This Mitch Rapp story is currently a Michael Cuesta-directed film featuring Dylan O’Brien, Michael Keaton, Sanaa Lathan, Shiva Negar, and Taylor Kitsch. The film was released in 2011 to the public.
3. Kill Shot
- Genre: Thriller
- Paperback Volume: 436 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 2012
- Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books
- ISBN: 978-1501187025
This is the second official book in the Mitch Rapp series and in this story, he began to take his job as an assassin seriously and he is capturing all the top goons that were involved in the December killings. After taking down quite a good number, his next target happens to be a Libyan congressman who is obese and an alcoholic.
Mitch tracks his target down to France, where he quickly takes him out with a single shot. However, he is immediately surrounded by hostile armed men and manages to escape the ensuing gunfight. Mitch immediately becomes a fugitive and he seeks to clear his name. To do that, he must remain alive, but considering the type of men looking for him, it is not an easy job.
4. Transfer Of Power
- Genre: Thriller
- Paperback Volume: 672 pages
- Original Publishing Date: 1999
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd (UK edition)
- ISBN: 978-1849834735
In this book, Mitch is sent to take control of a situation at the White House. It turns out that the presidential building had been attached with over 100 people being held hostage by unnamed terrorists. Mitch is sent in to clean up the job and rescue the hostages, but someone seems to be thwarting his efforts. Mitch suspects that a close ally of the president is responsible, but who is it? He intends to risk his life once again to find out who it is.
5. The Third Option
- Genre: Thriller
- Paperback Volume:
- Original Publishing Date: 2000
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd, UK
- ISBN: 978-1849835619
In The Third Option, a silent war ignites in the CIA after Dr. Irene Kennedy is appointed as the next CIA Director, succeeding Thomas Stansfield. This hereby means that many people are not supportive of the transition and will stop at nothing to take her out, including framing Mitch Rapp. Our favorite CIA field agent isn’t one to be toyed with, and he embarks on a mission to find out exactly who set wants to shut him up and deliver justice to them. Follow Mitch as he and Irene battle it out for their futures in the CIA.
6. Separation Of Power
- Genre: Thriller
- Paperback Volume:
- Original Publishing Date: 2001
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd., UK
- ISBN: 978-1849835633
Despite the power games, Irene is elected into power and Mitch is tasked with the double responsibility of looking out for her safety and helping the President if the United States thwart Saddam Hussein’s ploy to join the nuclear arms race. More so, time is running out for the CIA operative, as he has only 2 weeks to deactivate all of Libya’s nuclear weapons.
7. Executive Power
- Genre: Thriller
- Paperback Volume:
- Original Publishing Date: 2003
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd., UK.
- ISBN: 978-1849835626
This book sees Mitch Rapp get caught again in a tough situation involving top-class authorities. Before this, the CIA super agent had just returned from a mission and is invited to receive an award from the President for his contributions to the fight against terrorism. It was due to this event that he was put in the spotlight, making him the target of basically every terrorist in the world.
More so, this man-hunt comes just after Mitch decides to quit playing in the field and settle down at a desk in a nice office. Subsequently, there are suspicions of a mole present in the U.S. State Department as a Navy SEAL team is attacked in the Philippines. These and more are effects of the strings pulled by powerful oligarchs in the Middle East. Mitch is determined to stop their prized assassin and in turn, avert a world war.
8. Memorial Day
- Genre: Thriller
- Paperback volume:
- Original Publishing Date: 2004
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd.
- ISBN: 978-1849835817
In this story, Mitch is in Afghanistan, where he leads an attack against a terrorist stronghold. However, another terrorist attack is looming on the horizon and Mitch Rapp is away from his country. Although Mitch’s team has been successful in other terrorist attacks, he doesn’t relax as his instincts tell him there is more. He eventually uncovers some very disturbing details about the upcoming Memorial Day, and the CIA managed to prevent the attack.
9. Consent To Kill
- Genre: Thriller
- Original Publishing Date: 2005
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd., and POCKET STAR BOOKS; Pocket Star Premium Edition
- ISBN: B002J321Y4
In Consent to Kill, Mitch Rapp’s bravery saves many Americans but this has nonetheless placed him in a precarious situation. Sadly, he experiences the worst kind of betrayal from his folks and he wants revenge, but he must save his life first. More so in this book, he battles against a terrorist patriarch and finds himself in the middle of an international crisis.
10. Act Of Treason
- Genre: Political Thriller, Thriller
- Original Publishing Date: 2006
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd.
- ISBN: 978-1849835770
A motor convoy is ambushed and attacked by bombing during a presidential campaign. The convoy was Josh Alexander’s, a presidential candidate. After the elections are concluded, he emerges the winner, and all is well except for the fact that he was attacked and the attackers have not been found.
All clues point to the involvement of a Jihadist group, precisely Al-Quaeda. However, Director Irene and Agent Skip have stumbled upon new evidence that alters their understanding of the incidents of that day. Mitch Rapp is called upon to get to the root of the conspiracy.
11. Protect And Defend
- Genre: Espionage, Thriller
- Original Publishing Date: 2007
- Publisher: Pocketbooks
- ISBN: 978-1416505037
In Iran, there is an ongoing secretive multi-billion project involving nuclear weapons. Israel would go on to declare war upon Iran, launching a dreadful espionage attack that left much of the environment in shambles. Iran is angry at both Israel and the USA, and the CIA director intends to step in and mediate on behalf of her country.
Irene was scheduled for a meeting with the Director of the secret service in Iran, Azad Ashani. However, the meeting turns out to be a setup, and this causes Mitch to step in and go head-to-head with notorious terrorist Imad Mukhtar. As the negotiation goes awry and turns into a rescue operation, Mitch must find a way to save the Director and himself.
12. Extreme Measures
- Genre: Political Thriller, Thriller
- Original Publishing Date: 2008
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd., UK
- ISBN: 978-1849835794
In this book, Mitch is seen training Mike Nash to be a superagent, and together they are a formidable team. However, the pair seem to be encountering much bigger problems, chief among which is terrorism—again. The Jihadist group wants to unleash terror upon America, but not on Mitch Rapp and Mike Nash’s watch they are facing serious opposition from powerful men in the American government, and they will need to be brave to overcome these vicious foes.
13. Pursuit Of Honor
- Genre: Thriller, Espionage
- Original Publishing Date: 2009
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd
- ISBN: 978-1849835800
In this book, the United States is beleaguered by a series of bomb explosions targeted at the National Counterterrorism Center in Washington, D.C. About 185 people end up dead, including top public officials and some CIA agents. Mitch is called upon once again, but the elite politicians are in his way however, he is doing not seem to relent as he decides to take matters into his own hands to prevent the terrorist attacks from spreading.
14. The Last Man
- Genre: Thriller
- Original Publishing Date: 2012
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd
- ISBN: 978-0857208736
Mitch needs to save a colleague in Afghanistan, where a gruesome crime has happened and the head of an illegal Afghanistan outfit has been kidnapped. Mitch must find Joe Rickman, leaving behind his organization in shambles. However, in the course of his work, he discovers he is being trailed and realizes that he is being suspected of having a hand in the crisis.
For the suspicion around him, Mitch needs to prove himself to his people at the CIA and that includes leveraging information that could cause a potential war. More so, this revelation includes information that has to do with the disappearance of the black operation master.
15. The Survivor
- Genre: Thriller
- Original Publishing Date: 2015
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd
- ISBN: 978-1471142017
In this book, Joe Rickman, a rogue CIA agent, dies, but before his death, he had stolen classified information and sold it to Pakistan. Mitch was sent to take him out, but the aftermath was worse than he could have imagined. He must get to the files where Rickman stored the information or watch his organization and country go up in flames if the Pakistani get there first. This novel is the first in the series that was posthumously authored by Vince Flynn and written by Kyle Mills.
16. Order To Kill
- Genre: Thriller
- Original Publishing Date: 2016
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd., Export and Airside
- ISBN: 978-1471163630
Mitch Rapp’s mission to stop Pakistani nuclear weapons from falling into the hands of terrorists is about to come to an end as he finds out that he has been deceived and has been chasing false leads all the while. More so, he is fighting Russia for the weapons and with a crisis looming in Russia and Moscow, he is forced to go undercover to understand why the Russians are so interested in the Middle East. This novel was the second in the Mitch Rapp written by Kyle Mills.
17. Enemy Of The State
- Genre: Thriller
- Original Publishing Date: 2017
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd
- ISBN: 978-1471157776
Enemy of The State was staged after the 9-11 attack. In the book, the United States decided to hide all evidence of the terrorists who were involved in the attack. Saudi Arabian monarch King Faisal cut a deal to keep oil prices stable whilst internally wiping out the perpetrators. The US soon learns that they had been double-crossed as the king’s nephew was a major stakeholder in the ISIS group.
Mitch quits his job as a ruse to be able to work without bringing suspicion upon his country. To further complicate the situation, he finds himself in unfriendly and unfamiliar territory, which makes it quite difficult to stay out of trouble.
18. Red War
- Genre: Thriller
- Original Publishing Date: 2018
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
- ISBN: 978-1471170690
The Russian president, Maxim Krupin, has been diagnosed with malignant brain cancer that will take his life. He still intends to remain president, however, and has ordered the mass killing of those he perceives to be his enemies. Soon Krupin instigates war with the West, but they are onto him.
Mitch is sent on one of his most dangerous missions yet and is tasked to kill the most powerful president in the world. The fate of America, and the world at large, rests in his capable hands.
19. Lethal Agent
- Genre: Thriller
- Original Publishing Date: 2019
- Publisher: Emily Bestler Books; Canadian Export edition
- ISBN: 978-1982136604
A very volatile country conducts its presidential elections among very serious internal crises. The Islamist terrorists – ISIS, take advantage of this chaos to cause even more chaos. A French microbiologist has been abducted and is being forced to create a deadly bioweapon.
ISIS then creates a diversion into Mexico, sending Rapp and his team on a wild goose chase. Mitch must be smarter than usual, as he is up against many enemies, and there is nobody he can trust.
20. Total Power
- Genre: Thriller
- Original Publishing Date: 2020
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster
- ISBN: 978-1471170799
After Mitch captures a top technology expert of ISIS, he learns that he is about to meet a man who claims to be able to bring down America’s power grid. Rapp tries to ambush this person, but they evade the trap. Amid all the chaos in the aftermath of the cyber terrorist’s escape, the country’s grid collapses.
The confusion doubles immensely as the whole country summons its best technicians to restore the power. Rapp, on the other hand, has to find the culprit, but everything is down, and there is total darkness in the country. How will he fare on this unexpected prehistoric manhunt?
21. Enemy at the Gates
- Genre: Thriller
- Original Publishing Date: 2021
- Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books
- ISBN: B08VBS7RZX
An expert snitch is within the CIA ranks, and this one is powerful enough to cause chaos by upsetting the normal world order. Mitch Rapp is summoned to the President’s office after a total power blackout sweeps the nation. The new president has finally emerged, and things are different from how they used to be in the past, most especially for Mitch.
The star CIA agent decided to take time off, but this angers the president, who begins to wonder about Mitch Rapp’s true allegiance. This CIA mole is stealing valuable data from a trillionaire named Nicholas Ward. Mitch is the only one qualified for this job, and he must protect Ward, as well as find out who the mole is. This is the last book in the series for now and was written by Kyle Mills.
What is the Best Vince Flynn Book?
According to public reviews, the top-rated Vince Flynn books are ‘Separation of Power’, ‘Term Limits’ and ‘Transfer of Power’ with 5-star reviews of 74%, 69%, and 74% of total reviews, respectively.
On the website bestthrillers.com, the top 3 books are ranked in the order ‘American Assassin’, ‘Enemy of the State’, and ‘Transfer of Power’. According to consensus, the best and most popular Vince Flynn novel remains the ‘American Assassin’, released in 2010.
