Jack Flynn Books

This is the second Flynn novel that I have read, and I had higher hopes with the introduction of Mitch Rapp. The first novel was a bit better, mainly because this seems a little drawn out. The dialogue is weaker, and character development is minimal. The action sequences are pretty good, but they make up a small portion of the book. My favorite authors are Lee Child, and Barry Eisler. True, neither writes a political thriller, but the character development is far superior, and the action/violence is well choreographed.

I first heard (or read, rather) about Flynn while browsing on Amazon. I found this book in a used book store and decided to give it a try. I was thinking maybe it would be overly patriotic and flag waving, and it's certainly no doubt that Flynn's loyalty is with Israel when it comes to the middle east, but it didn't make the novel less enjoyable.

Becusue enjoyable it is. Flynn combines great action with political intrigue and despite being almost 550 pages (paperback edition) the pace never slows down. The book has good characters but there's not really any character development. Mitch Rapp is a good hero and I wouldn't mind reading more of Flynn's books. Recommended

What a horrible book! I tried to read it but I just couldn't take it anymore. I stopped in the middle of what this writer considers action, and I don't even care how it ends.
There are just too many unjustified descriptions obviously put it to make the book long. Thus writer must want long books like Clancy but is going about it the wrong way. I don't care to know what color a lady's fingernails are when she points at something. I don't care what kind of shirt someone is wearing. I don't care about this book nor Vince Flynn's other books.
Way too many incorrect references. One example is MP-5's are used not MP-10's unless you want to kill everybody including the hostages. Also at the beginning why even bother with a SEAL team if the "hero" of the book does all the work. I know that writers want to show their character as a bad to the bone but even James Bond always called in help and even let them do some of the fighting.
If this is the standard of writing to expect from todays writers then I am missing out, because I have some stories that I wrote when I was 5 that are better than this. Heck I could even start writing now. It seams that no research is required anymore to get the mass public to make a star out of a writer like Vince Flynn.
There is no way that I will ever pass this book onto someone else. I won't even donate it, I will just burn it.

Unfortunately, I read Flynn's thrillers in reverse sequential order, but it made no difference. Rapp is some guy and I am sure we have men of his caliber today, who can't be utilized due to the politicians. Realistic picture of our political leaders today and presidential candidates. We need more people in positions of power like Stansfield. Rapp knows the enemy and knows what to do with them. Take them out before they have the chance to destroy you and your country. Great read and wish more would realize the truth in Flynn's fiction(?). Okay, so you can still get rid of the girl, but the courage and quick thinking of Rapp makes up for her. Highly recommend all of his books to anyone.

After jumping on the Mitch Rapp (Vince Flynn) bandwagon several years with one of the later books, I think it was Memorial Day, I've been hooked! I found Transfer of Power to be one of the best in the series! I love the multiple antagonist story line, especially the slimy politicians!

Jack Flynn takes us back to a time when children played outdoors and televsisions and refridgerators were rare. Buddy Reardon is a charming young boy eager to follow the good moral practices of the Lone Ranger. The author effectively captures the emotions and drama of a twelve-year-old boy as he grows into puberty and adolescence. His characters are charming, realistic and well presented. I look forward to reading more of the adventures of Buddy Reardon. I highly recommend this enjoyable book.

Buddy Reardon is everybody's younger brother who just happens to be trapped in the 50's. I couldn't wait to sit down to read the book and as I read, the descriptions felt very familiar. The book was humorous, sad, thought-provoking, and very well-written. A book to be savored. Thank you to Jack for remembering!

In this character driven political murder mystery, hero Newpaper reporter Jack Flyn comes of as an introspective and often funny guy. This is a well written story with a few problems. One is that I sorta knew in the right beginning who the bad guy was. If I tell you why, it will be a total spoiler for anyone who cares to read this book.

Jack connects the Mayor's son is involved in the heist of several priceless paintings from the Gardner Museum with the murder of a young woman winds up dead in a parking garage. His fear is that beautiful Hillary Kane's untimely death was caused by the story he wrote about the heist.

With the help of obsessive compulsive editor Martin and slobish, overeating reporter and collegue Mongillo (who turns out to be an art lover - surprise, surprise) Jack begins investigating while in the throes of being dumped by his reporter girlfriend as he tries to outrun the ghosts of his dead wife and new born daughter.

I'd say the novel was heavy handed with the guilt and introspection. Jack has a pension for examining his emotional navel. It slowed the story down. Also some of the law enforcement officials and routines were not very believable. But it was well written and a good read.

Not as good as the 1st two books in the "Jack Flynn" series by McGrory, but still better than most.

Keep in on the shelf. This book is filled with weak writing, cliches, non-sequitors, the whole gamut. And the plot is weak--we all know McGrory is talking abt Whitey. I much prefer McGrory's columns--and think he should stick to non-fiction.

Dead Line is the third entry in Brian McGrory's Jack Flynn series. It's every bit as good as the two earlier novels, The Incumbent and The Nominee, and that's saying a lot.

This time out the extremely likeable Mr. Flynn finds himself embroiled in a very interesting case that pushes his skills as a newspaper reporter to their limit. Early in the narrative, a young attorney named Hilary Kane is murdered, presumably because she has uncovered new information about a brazen, 13 year old multimillion dollar art heist that has remained unsolved. The case assumes political undertones once Toby Harkins, the son of Boston's mayor, Dan Harkins is implicated in the theft.

There's plenty of action as Jack's frantic search to find Hilary Kane's murderer takes him to Rome and Paris and subsequently back to Boston. His devotion to the case makes him a target and on more than one occasion, he finds himself in mortal danger. No matter how harrowing the situation, Jack never abandons his very appealing, largely self-deprecating sense of humor.

Dead Line also contains a number of interesting subplots which serve to add substance to Jack's persona by exploring his relationships with other characters. Three such characters are his girlfriend Elizabeth, his pet dog Baker and his coworker Vinny. Their presence helps the reader appreciate Jack Flynn in all his three dimensional complexity.

Another solid 4 star effort featuring the thoroughly entertaining Jack Flynn. Dead Line is an engaging thriller written with plenty of good natured wit. Read it.

Dead Line is a decent novel. It is not great and not very original.

The hero in this book is a reporter, Jack Flynn. He is not a particularly credible hero who is in a story that is pretty much run of the mill.

I bought this in a bargain book bin, for which I was thankful. I would not have been too happy had I paid full price for this hardback. It is much more suited to pick up as a used paperback.

Mr. McGrory is clearly a good writer. The book is well written; it is just not particularly interesting or exciting. Although billed as a thriller, I would say that description is overly generous.

If you are interested in a fast paced, exciting novel, I would not recommend putting this book at the top of your list.

Jack Flynn, ace reporter, finds himself once again embroiled in turmoil - he's got dirt on the state's governor who's just been nominated by the President to be the next US attorney general, his newspaper, (the bedrock of Massachusetts and New England), is in the midst of a hostile takeover by the Wal-Mart of the publishing world, his boss/mentor is brutally murdered which may tie back to his former boss/mentor being murdered 5 years earlier, there's a crazed gunman following him up and down the east coast and his ex-girlfriend won't leave him be. It all sounds confusing and defies belief but Mr. McGrory is able to juggle these many sub-plots coherently ... really. Here's where I got lost, to get to the bottom of all this evil-doing Jack publishes a story in the paper, actually several stories. Jimmy Olsen with a big red "S" on his chest saves the day and gets the girl... I think. My frustration here is that this author is truly able to construct plots and sub-plots with the best of them, he spins a great yarn, but then seems stuck as to how to solve them. Writing a news article/expose just didn't work for me.
(As an aside, Jack's sense of humor/joke telling is reminiscent of an old uncle's at Thanksgiving dinner, extremely tiresome - tongue in cheek or not.)

I had never heard of this book or author before. I just happened to run across it and decided to check it out. It turned out to be a pretty good find.

The story features a Boston reporter, Jack Flynn, who gets involved in a wide range of happenings including the following: the murder of his publisher, the suspicious death of the previous publisher of his paper, the alleged false reporting of one of his colleagues, and the nomination of his state's governor to be the U.S. Attorney General.

Brian McGrory wove these various elements into a well done thriller. One annoyance I encountered was the author's propensity to switch between first and third person during the course of the story. It wasn't a major distraction, but is an area that he might want to work on in future works.

I would recommend this. It will keep the reader's attention engaged quite well.

Few fictional characters score as high in the category of likeability as does Jack Flynn, The Nominee's main character and sometime narrator. Jack is an investigative reporter for The Boston Record, New England's most respected daily newspaper.

Two major storylines dominate the narrative of The Nominee. Lance Randolph, the governor of Massachusetts, has just been nominated to be the next U.S. Attorney General. Jack has reason to believe Randolph has a secret in his background that will scuttle his Senate confirmation and is waiting for the right moment to go to press with what he knows. Secondly, when Jack's close friend Paul Ellis, the Record's CEO, becomes a homicide victim, Jack takes it upon himself to identify the murderer, thereby placing his own life in jeopardy.

This highly readable novel has many interesting subplots which serve to flesh out Jack's persona. Like his on again, off again relationship with the lovely Elizabeth Riggs, a reporter for a rival Boston paper. Furthermore, author Brian McGrory's writing style is quite engaging, consistently displaying an unselfconscious brand of wit throughout.

A solid 4 stars for this second novel in the Jack Flynn series. It's a great follow-up to McGrory's equally engaging first effort, The Incumbent.

For those that don't know there is a maxim that the majority I would say of people who have ever thought about or aspired to write are quite familiar with: "Write about what you know."
Brian McGrory, a Boston newspaperman did just that in "The Nominee". McGrory a Boston newspaperman, has written another novel where his protagonist is newreporter Jack Flynn.
Jack Flynn can be described as a sardonic, witty, and articulate wordsmith leading me to suspect there is a lot of McGrory in his lead character. Who by the way is quite likable due to above traits, yet Flynn is human in the angst he carries with him throughout the plot and subplots of the story.
This book is a fun read, and the alternating viewpoints from first to third person, while offputting to some, rather appealed to my tastes.
McGrory not only describes life at a newspaper through the novel, but also has managed to write a fun and fast paced thriller to boot. Highly recommended. (Hope that wasn't a dangling participle Flynn would kill me haha.)

Brian McGrory knows newspaper reporting, and writes pretty good thrillers about the world of journalism. The continuing main character in these novels is Jack Flynn, a reporter for the Boston Record, who is not only involved in the action, but is continuously fighting off murderers determined to end his life. I've only read two of these books, but it seems iffy if poor Jack can survive much more abuse. This tale involves a Massachusetts governor about to become the U.S. Attorney General. Woven into the story is an attempt by a Murdoch like mogul who is trying to take over the newspaper. Jack's role is to stop the takeover, find out more about the governor's past, and deal out abuse to his girl friend. When it comes to his personal life our hero seems spectacularly thick headed. He believes people he should question, and disbelieves those he should trust, such as his girl (or ex-girl)friend.

McGrory puts enough action in the story, but also spends a lot of time venting about the sad decline of journalism brought about by profit minded owners who turn their newspapers into McPapers. This may bore some folks, but I looked at it as an interesting insider essay on the topic.

Warning. The author has the world's worst sense of humor. His jokes are so bad that he actually apologizes for them from time to time. And even more appalling is his total inability to write a meaningful simile or metaphor. They are so bad that they are unintentionally hilarious. Here's a few examples:

1." (her) cheekbones (were) so high and firm they looked as if they required a zoning variance."
2. "with hair so thick he all but needed a John Deere tractor to brush it."
3. "(his forehead) ..accentuated by a line of brown hair receding faster than a Kennebunkport tide."

By the way if you want to read books with main characters that actually are witty try books by Brian Haig, and Sheldon Siegel.

The ending is a bit preposterous, but all in all not a bad read.

The author grabs the reader's attention and satisfies the need for more. The surprises kept on comming and I found myself truely engrossed in the story of these three teens and their love afair. I was surprised to find the parents had even more secrets to share.

This book really draws you back into adolesence. It made me feel like I was in the book. I couldn't put the book down after having read only the first page. This is a book for everyone.

That DeSalvo isn't the strangler, is not hard to swallow. But that senators and police commissioners and mayors conspire to keep it a secret, chokes the reader.

This mystery/suspense novel did not hit its stride for me until I was more than halfway through the book. Up to that point, I found the writing very uneven and mostly mediocre. Nor was there pace or rhythm.

About midway through the book, it did pick up pace, stride, rhythm, voice, suspense, and technique, and thus I enjoyed this last as a suspenseful page-turner. As a matter of fact, the latter part of the book was well worth having to read the first part. If you love susspense and mystery, I recommend the reader do the same.

Author Brian McGrory certainly has had help in holding the reader's attention, in that the Boston Strangler case is one of the most fascinating crime cases. Not only is the orignal solution to the mystery of who the serial killer is, and its investigation, totally absorbing, but the subsequent revelation that the man charged by the media and the State with the crime (notwithstanding the fact that the serial killings ceased when he was behind bars) appears to be not guilty, and that the guilty parties may, in fact, be members of the criminal justice system, is something that people will be talking and thinking about for years to come.

This latest in McGrory's Jack Flynn series is the best to date. The story offers a fresh, fictional look at the puzzling real-life Boston Strangler serial murders when, forty years later, Boston "Record" reporter Flynn is chosen as spokesperson for the perpetrator of a similar series of murders and becomes the traget of someone who wants him out of the way. Is the Strangler back? Was now deceased Albert DiSalvo not really the serial killer he claimed to be? Who doesn't want the truth revealed?

"Strangled" is a fast-paced shuttle between Boston and Vegas that conveys the strikingly different energy of both cities. I loved it.

Forty years ago, someone killed Albert DeSalvo, the self-confessed "Boston Strangler", in prison; case closed. Until now that is. Boston Record reporter Jack Flynn, on the verge of marrying his beloved Maggie Kane, ignores his upcoming nuptials to investigate a new string of homicides that eerily parallel that of the Strangler. The press dubs the new killer the "Phantom Fiend".

Jack begins his investigation by scanning the 1960s record to determine whether he agrees with officialdom that DeSalvo was the original killer. However, not surprisingly at least to Jack who used to work the DC beat (see THE INNOCENT), several Massachusetts' prominent citizens especially those in law enforcement today and in the 60s want him to leave the past buried with DeSalvo. His first police contact FOJ (friend of Jack) Leo Goldsmith tells him for his own good to back off from that approach. Pressure to cease and desist comes especially from supporters of Stu Callahan, the State senior Senator who prosecuted the DeSalvo conviction. Ignoring everyone including his fiancée, Jack receives correspondence from the apparent killer who forces him into a contest in which not playing or failure means women will be STRANGLED.

Though an exciting journalistic investigative thriller, STRANGLED is one of those tales that could have been a classic, but chooses the modern day cat and mouse action over the more fascinating look back at the DeSalvo confession. The story line is fast-paced as Jack knows he cannot ignore the deadly contest even if every politico law enforcement type demands he does as he believes the serial killer must be stopped and he has the insider track though the cost on his personal life might prove expensive. Reader will enjoy this murder mystery, but once done wonder about DeSalvo.

Harriet Klausner

I admit that I was a little skeptical about the idea of fictionalizing the real life horror of the Boston Strangler case. However, after reading Brian McGrory's fine novel, my fears were put to rest. McGrory brings the strangler case back to life by offering enough true & disturbing details about the original crimes to make one wonder; could it happen again?
McGrory also tells his story through a multi-layered hero with flaws and steely eyed determination that would make even James Patterson proud.
Good Job Brian!

Casey Sherman, author of Search for the Strangler: My Hunt for Boston's Most Notorious Killer

The scenario : an extremist pro-Israel terrorist group has access to the most sensitive Intelligence of the UK and the US, and also the US President's secret - an illegitimate daughter. They kidnapped her to force the President to launch surgical nuclear strikes against Israel's primary adversaries in the Middle-East.

Then, the plot just went on a completely wrong angle. They kidnapped Sean Dillon to act as their messenger to the President. Though what happened later were not bad for an action thriller, I keep wondering why did they want to get a man like Sean Dillon, and more importantly, Charles Ferguson, involved. They could have convinced the President they got the girl and they mean business without involving people who eventually caused their downfall.

I have been a Higgins fan for a long time, but I am somewhat mystified as to why I still read him at this point. I think it's because I was so enthralled by "The Eagle Has Landed" years ago, and some of his other older books and the quick read that you get. However that being said, Higgins follows the same formula for every book and if you have read at least 3 of his books, then you know what is coming at every stage of the game. "The President's Daughter" is no different from a dozen other Higgins novels I have read. What I do appreciate is it's a quick read that's entertaining and doesn't make you think hard. If you want to give one Higgins book a shot, then read "The Eagle Has Landed", this was when he was at his best and is a quality novel. If you are a Higgins fan, then you'll read this book regardless, just don't be surprised that it doesn't stand out from many of his other books.

So what's the recommendation overall. If you are looking for a quick mindless read with adventure, then this is for you. If you want a book with a lot more substance and a believable adventure tale, then you need to look elsewhere.

In 1969, Jake Cazalet saved the life of a Frenchwoman in Vietnam, and a brief passionate affair ensued. Years later in Paris, he was introduced to another beautiful young woman, his daughter. For many reasons, their relationship remained a secret. Some of these reasons include that fact that Cazalet is now the President of the United States. The American populous does not take kindly to illegitimate children when it comes to politicians. As I said before, Cazalet is now the president of the United States. Somehow, someone has discovered the truth about his daughter, and she is seized by a vicious extremist group. This group of men call themselves Macabees. They believe they are going to free Israel from its oppressors as Judas and his Macabees did in the fifth century. If the president does not comply with the kidnappers' demand, or uses any of America's security agencies to track them down, they will execute her. This forces Cazalet to make the toughest decision of his life. However, he only has ten days to decide. Desperate he turns to British operative Sean Dillon and Brigadier Charles Fergesun. If these two men cannot find hi daughter, the president will have to make the toughest decision of his life. He must choose between his daughter, whom he loves more than anything, and doing his duty to his country and not complying with terrorist demands. This is a great book for anyone who likes action and suspense. I would recommend this book to anybody, the reading is very easy and the story is never dull. This book forces you to keep reading.

Ever since I read "The Eagle Has Landed" in the 70's, I have been a fan of Jack Higgins. Sean Dillon returns in "The President's Daughter". The President of the United States, Jake Cazalet, fathered a child during a brief affair while he was in Vietnam. Only he and the child's mother knew her true paternity, or so they thought. Almost thirty years later, the president's daughter, Marie de Brissac, is kidnapped by Israeli terrorists who hope to get Cazalet to support an effort by the US government to bomb Arab countries like Syria and Iraq. Cazalet opposes the initiative, and calls on Sean Dillon, ex-IRA enforcer now working for the British to try to find Marie and rescue her. In the meantime, this group kidnaps Dillon's colleague, Chief Inspector Hannah Bernstein. After finding out where the women are held, Dillon and American Blake Johnson stage a daring rescue. The suspense is taut, and I found it impossible to put down this excellent novel by the master of the thriller, Jack Higgins.

Hey fellow readers, this is another of Jack Higgins action-packed thrillers. It is not Tolstoy and it was never intended to be. How do you think Higgins got so many of these things published? He sure doesn't spend a lot of time on them. These books are to action adventure fans what popcorn and Coke are to theater goers.

In this action adventure thriller, Higgins reprises former IRA enforcer Sean Dillion, Brigadier Charles Ferguson and Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Hannah Bernstein. Later on in the book, the author also recalls from retirement that old IRA legend Liam Devlin. His cunning, wit and skill (despite his advanced age) were a welcome intrusion into the story line as it moved toward its conclusion.

The President's Daughter is another one of those Higgins stories that really requires a major suspension of disbelief. The plot's premise is that the US President, as a young Army officer in Vietnam, met a beautiful French woman who was searching for her husband thought lost when ambushed by the NVA. It just so happens that the woman is married to a French Foreign Legion captain who retains a noble title and significant wealth. Thinking her husband dead, she has a one night affair with young Lt. Jake Cazalet. The very next morning, she finds out that her husband, Captain (Count) de Brissac is alive and out of a sense of duty, returns to him. Jake is heartbroken but the two of them agree to part. What neither one knows is that the one night liaison has resulted in the conception of a child. After the child's birth, the Comtesse de Brissac convinces her husband that the child is his and life goes on.

As the years pass, Jake Cazalet returned to Harvard where he completed his doctorate and law school. He enters politics and eventually becomes a Senator. Later, he is elected President. After he becomes President, Jake finds out that the Count de Brissac, a former French general, has passed away. He eventually meets his long-lost love and she tells him a secret, her daughter was not 'the general's daughter,' but his own. Jake's wife, who had died years earlier of leukemia, had never been able to bear children and now the POTUS has one 28 years old, who he cannot acknowledge.

Enter the complication. Someone else finds out Marie de Brissac's identity and they kidnap her. The kidnappers are not the usual PLO, IRA or former Communist thugs Higgins has employed in these roles in the past. They are Israelis who want to force the President to sign an order that will result in the nuclear destruction of Syria, Iran and Iraq. They give him a time limit and with that clock ticking, the tension also starts to build.

In his own way, Higgins chooses to involve Sean Dillon, Brigadier Ferguson and Hannah Bernstein. He also introduces a new character, Blake Johnson, an FBI agent who runs "The Basement" in the White House. He is the President's special action team and as a result of the kidnapping, he and Dillon join forces. Readers will meet him again in THE WHITE HOUSE CONNECTION.

While the entire premise for this book is truly far-fetched, the way in which Dillon and Blake Johnson resolve the crisis is what makes for the most interesting reading. It is in the problem solving stage where Higgins provides most of the action, tension and enjoyment. That is why he has so many fans around the world. This is not great or memorable literature. What it is is an enjoyable, mindless, escapist way to pass some time.

Higgins is spare with his wording and his details. That is also another factor in why his books are so quick and fast paced. If you're looking for a quick way to escape your everyday existence, then Higgins (and this book) is a good place to start. Sean Dillon and the rest of the characters in these books have become like old friends. It's always good to visit with them every once in a while.

Higgins fans will like this installment. It's full of everything they expect from this extremely prolific author. Cast aside the critical eye. Sit back, put your feet up and visit with old friends.

While I only took Texas Government as it is required to graduate, my professor required me buy this book, ostensibly as a favor to his friend, the author.
This is not a good textbook. While I did learn about Texas government, the materials for the chapters are interspersed and requires a great deal of searching to find. Additionally, much of the information presented in this book is irrelevant to the section title. In many of the sections, for example, the one in the Executive Branch chapter, attorney general section, most of the paragraph simply talks about attorney generals who have recently won elections in Texas. A more generalized overview on the Attorney General's powers and responsibilities was more lightly covered. Because of the lack of substantive material in this book, a good third of the text could be excluded and it would retain its effectiveness.