Denied Access

For years I've wondered what went on in the dark, untold backstory that transformed Mitch Rapp from the raw assassin of American Assassin and Kill Shot into the moody, focused force of nature of Flynn's later novels such as Transfer of Power. There's always been a hole in the Rappverse, one that's been missing a piece. Now, Denied Access finally fills it up, delivering a brutal, no-holds-barred adventure. Bentley does not just step into the world; he owns it, and the Mitch Rapp novel is a familiar yet brutally fresh creation.

The book is a sequel to Kill Shot, where Rapp is trying to keep a low profile and find a moment of peace with Greta Ohlmeyer. But calm is fragile for him. Their silence is violently shattered when Greta is put in danger; a shadow from her grandfather's Cold War past drags her into present-day danger. Meanwhile, the CIA is nearly doomed: a key asset has been captured in Moscow, the station is in ruins, and a congressional inquiry is imminent. The agency is a time bomb, and only one spark is required to set off another international war. It is up to Rapp, the man who exists in the shadows, to get these desperate pieces together before the world falls apart.

What really worked in my favour, being a longtime fan, was the fact that Bentley never wavered on Rapp and his journey. Bentley does not simply imitate Vince Flynn; he embodies his spirit in Mitch Rapp, Stan Hurley, Irene Kennedy, and Thomas Stansfield, as I would have imagined them developing out of the first three books. The actual reward, however, is Mitch Rapp himself. We get to see how he continues to descend into darkness, his struggles to determine what he is and how he finally accepts his brutal nature. It is an act that makes him an unbeatable killer, with an aggressive personal sense of justice in a world that does not necessarily follow any rules. Bentley's personal style certainly comes through, and the story is even more action-driven and accelerating, a nonstop, high-speed pursuit where each step is a life-or-death roll of the dice. Where Capture or Kill was a kind of experiment into the waters, Denied Access is Rapp in all his unapologetic glory.

Nevertheless, even though the book manages to provide the fan service and high-speed action that the readers expect, the fast pace of the book sometimes comes at a price to the richness of some of the supporting factors. The very number of impending perils, the background of Greta, the Moscow asset, the congressional investigation, a possible world war, is thrilling, but it can be hard to see each strand working with that wind, not always to give the thread time to draw a full breath before the next crisis sets in. Though the emphasis on Rapp's inner life is outstanding, there are instances when other characters, even the most favorite ones like Stan Hurley and Irene Kennedy, are placed as important chess pieces that have been relocated to establish the development of Rapp instead of being well-developed characters, which is somewhat disappointing since some of them have a long and rich history in the Rappverse. Additionally, for readers unfamiliar with the emotional beats of fan theories that have been circulating for decades, the results of some of the conclusions feel less impactful.

I give Denied Access a 5 out of 5 stars. It is an exuberant, essential conclusion to Mitch Rapp's first years - a relentless thriller that respects its legacy yet infuses it with new life. It's for everyone who wants a masterfully plotted, relentless plunge into the world of espionage, where the lines between good and evil are indistinct, and a man must embrace his darkest self to save the world. Clear your schedule: once you open this book you won't be able to put it down until the explosive, final page.