Book Review: Executive Orders (or the first book where in I did not find a single line worth mentioning)

Uh oh. Note the title. This is not good. There are two reasons I write these book reviews. First so I can remember what I read. The second reason. . . whenever I find what I believe is a well written line, a worthwhile analogy, or a clever turn of phrase, I like to share it with you and write it down for future reference. Executive Orders by Vince Flynn had none of those aspects that would fulfill reason two.

I read a spy/thriller novel every now and then. They're fun to read, and my indispensable brother Dave has given me several great miltary thriller ideas that I hope to one day write. I've read most of Vince Flynn's books. They fall into a category I like to call neo-con porn. The hero Mitch Rapp is an caricature of a CIA assassin and the politics that Flynn describes are complete fantasy. But, fun to read.

Disappointing in that i believe I now like Barry Eisler's books more (keep in mind I've only read one from Eisler). Where Flynn has a broader scope that include world-wide movements and plot developments, Eisler focuses on the main character more and the locales are more manageable.

The one redeeming part about Executive Orders was the description of the hostage rescue operation in the Philippines. The jungle, the rain storm, the misery, all served to remind me of our Ranger operations in Panama. My question . . . what with all the man love for SEALs. Fun to read but I'm glad it only took me two days to finish.