Those in the mood for an intense, action-packed spy thriller should check out the latest book in the long-running Mitch Rapp series, Capture or Kill, written by new author Don Bentley.

Over the last few years, I have become a massive fan of the classic Mitch Rapp thriller series. Following a dark and deadly operative who specialises in killing America’s enemies, the Mitch Rapp books are an exciting and compelling series that always scratch my action itch each year. Originally written by Vince Flynn, since his death, the series has been taken over by other talented authors continuing his story. I personally have only read some of the books written by Kyle Mills, which includes Red War, Lethal Agent, Total Power, Enemy at the Gates, Oath of Loyalty and Code Red, and I appreciated the cool scenarios that Mills pitted the protagonist against. This year saw an interesting change to the series with the introduction of new author Don Bentley. Bentley, an established thriller writer himself, is the third author to contribute to the Mitch Rapp series, and his new novel, Capture or Kill, was an excellent throwback to some of Flynn’s original storylines.

Capture or Kill was an awesome and action-packed read that took the series protagonist back to basics by setting him against an array of Middle Eastern foes in a compelling thriller narrative. Bentley weaves together an ambitious plot that seeks to continue storylines from the classic Vince Flynn novel, Protect and Defend, while the protagonist also gathers intel for the raid on bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan. This results in a great array of intense scenes, as Rapp tries to counteract a dangerous collection of Iranian assets and plots, as well as help to recover a missing American soldier in Afghanistan. There is some great back and forth as Rapp and the antagonists try to unravel their respective plans, and I loved the fantastic overarching plot of the book’s antagonists. At the same time, Bentley cleverly works in real-life details of the events leading up to the bin Laden raid, which helped to give the story a much-needed sense of realism and higher stakes. This proved to be a gripping Mitch Rapp narrative and readers will find themselves getting drawn into the compelling and fascinating plot.

I liked the writing in Capture or Kill, especially as Bentley did an amazing job of emulating the over-the-top style of the Mitch Rapp series. The narrative is a lot more grounded than some of the Kyle Mills narratives I previously read, which I felt brought it back to Flynn’s original style a bit better (although I honestly loved some of Mills’s outrageous scenarios). Moving the scenario back to the early 2010s was also a sensible move from Bentley, as it allowed him to fit his narrative amongst existing series story threads, while also putting the protagonist in a unique position to impact an historically important espionage event. Bentley continues to set the tone perfectly by ensuring that the well-known excessive action and badassery of the protagonists is on full display, and those readers who love a ton of combat and exciting espionage escapades are in for a great time with Capture or Kill. As such, there was a very classic feel to Capture or Kill that I think long-term fans of the series will appreciate, and I felt it captured the flow of some of the other Mitch Rapp books extremely well.

Aside from ensuring that Capture or Kill matched the typical tone of the series, Bentley also did a really good job of portraying many of the classic Mitch Rapp cast. I felt that the author successfully captured the best parts of many of the protagonists in this new book, and I liked the fantastic storylines that he wove around them. Series protagonist Mitch Rapp was his over-the-top self as always, and Bentley really ensured that the readers got the full blast of his intense aura and savagery. It was a little jarring to see how intense Rapp got at times, mainly because I’m more familiar with the Mills version of the character, who is older and more family orientated, but I appreciated how Bentley was trying to get the rugged, active agent version of the protagonist down. Other recurring characters came across in a similar manner, and I particularly enjoyed seeing more of CIA director Irene Kenedy, especially as much of this book deals with the aftermath of her kidnapping in Protect and Defend. I also enjoyed seeing Mike Nash trying to fit into his new role as a CIA executive, especially when you consider where his character is going in the extended canon. All this, and more, proved to be an awesome take on these established characters, and fans of the series will appreciate the care and attention Bentley took with them.

Don Bentley is off to a very strong start as the new author of the Mitch Rapp series. Capture or Kill is an awesome addition to the series that presents readers with a dark and powerful action-packed narrative. I look forward to seeing how the Bentley continues the Mitch Rapp books in the future, but it appears that this series is in safe hands going forward.

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This is a book that is part of a series of which I have read some but not all of them. But this one was quite interesting in the fact it goes back in time to the Middle East where war and a manhunt is front and centre. This is an intriguing and gripping story but it just didn't capture my attention like I thought it would.

There is a lot of detail that made the book drag on a bit and at times I just wanted to jump through and get to the next exciting part. Overall an okay read but not one I would rave about.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster (Australia) for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.