Extreme Measures is the first book I've read from author Vince Flynn, and I liked it. The author comes across as being very conservative, and his main character in this story is like a cross between Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan and Dirty Harry. After reading this one, I'll definitely be checking out Flynn's other novels. It was published in 2008.

Mitch Rapp, who is the main character in many of Flynn's novels, is back at work fighting terrorism in this novel. The story begins with Rapp going into a military base posing as an officer so that he can get to a prisoner there. This prisoner is a high ranking Islamic extremist who Rapp knows has information on an upcoming attack on U.S. soil. Rapp beats the guy up pretty good, and finds himself in a lot of hot water with Washington. While he is on trial trying to justify his action, a terrorist cell is preparing to unleash a firestorm on the nation's capitol.

This book basically makes the case for the torture of terrorists. The title, Extreme Measures, has to do with the means necessary to extract information from captured enemy combatants. If you were to boil down the plot to just one point, it would be that American lives could have been saved if politicians hadn't stepped in to stop the interrogations of known Islamic extremists who were planning a bombing in the United States. This book is quite critical of overzealous politicians who are more concerned with strictly limiting laws against American service men and women when our enemy abides by no rules of their own. There's also a character in it that reminded me quite a bit of Nancy Pelosi. Or maybe it was Hillary Clinton.

I liked the Mitch Rapp character, although at times he was a little over the top in his behavior. Stories like this thrive on unrealistic tough guys like Rapp, but it works. He's smart, tough, and likes to mouth off to people that deserve it. He's also nearly invincible, a little too smart, and a major hothead. With stories like this, the character teeters on the border between James Bond and Rambo.

In addition to the American side of things, the author actually made the terrorists into characters instead of just nameless, faceless enemies. Some time was devoted to their behavior and feelings, and I thought that was fairly interesting. Either way, all of the characters in this novel seemed to be extremes in one way or the other. You have Rapp playing the hardest of the hardcore, while the terrorists are all super high ranking explosive expert types, and the politicians are all extreme right or left wing.

Some of the reviews I read of this book said this one has more talk than action, and I agree that there was an awful lot of banter going back and forth. It does have some action and intrigue, but if this were ever made into a movie it would probably be a little on the boring side. Either way, it makes for an interesting read and presents a moral dilemma facing the real world today - What kind of acceptable Extreme Measures should be allowed if it means saving innocent lives? Is it a moral or political question, or both?

Recommended: Yes