Vince Flynn

Vince Flynn, whose fourteen novels tapped into the worst-case anxieties of a post-Cold War world and sold fifteen million books in the process died in his native Minnesota June 19 at the age of 47. At times employed as a marketing specialist, commercial real estate operator and bartender, Flynn self-published his first novel "Term Limits" after sixty rejection letters and won through local salesmanship a contract with Simon and Schuster plus national paperback best seller status. This was all the more remarkable given Flynn's lifelong battle with dyslexia. His next novel "Transfer of Power" introduced counterterrorism operative Mitch Rapp who would in later books ally with the Secret Service, Special Forces and national security officers. Rapp's adversaries were often Islamic radical fundamentalists out front and politicians and bureaucrats in the background. Vince Flynn won a legion of fans among which were actual members of the intelligence community and leaders of many nations including former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Other admirers numbered such talk show hosts as Joe Scarborough, Don Imus, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck. Flynn's passing comes at a time when CBS Films is planning a movie adaptation of the 2010 novel "American Assassin" featuring Bruce Willis as Stan Hurley, mentor to Mitch Rapp.


The following books by Vince Flynn can be found at Merrick Library:

Act of Treason
American Assassin
Consent to Kill
Extreme Measures
Kill Shot
The Last Man
Memorial Day
Protect and Defend
Pursuit of Honor

An untitled final novel, cowritten by Brian Haig, will appear on Merrick shelves later this year.