Vince Flynn

Vince Flynn was an American author who helped define the modern political-thriller CIA operative with his Mitch Rapp series, following a black-ops counterterrorism agent who operates well outside the normal rules of engagement in the name of protecting American interests. Flynn began the series with Term Limits in 1997, self-publishing it before a traditional deal followed, and Mitch Rapp — introduced properly in Transfer of Power — became one of the genre's most recognizable recurring protagonists, praised (and sometimes criticized) for his unapologetically hawkish, no-compromise approach to fighting terrorism.

Flynn wrote the series for over a decade, publishing roughly one entry a year and building a reputation, alongside authors like Brad Thor and Daniel Silva, as a leading voice in post-9/11 American thriller fiction. He died in 2013 from complications related to prostate cancer, leaving the Rapp series unfinished from his own hand. Fellow thriller author Kyle Mills was subsequently selected by Flynn's estate to continue the series, both completing Flynn's final manuscript and writing new entries that carry Rapp's story forward to the present.

New readers have two common entry points: publication order starting with Term Limits (a standalone that predates Rapp's full introduction), or chronological order starting with American Assassin, a prequel Flynn wrote later in the series showing Rapp's recruitment and training. The series was adapted into the 2017 film American Assassin, based on that prequel novel.