Flynn, Vince 1966(?)-

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FLYNN, Vince 1966(?)-

PERSONAL: Born c. 1966; married; children: three. Education: University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN, received degree.

ADDRESSES: Home—St. Paul, MN. Agent—Sloan Harris, International Creative Management, 40 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.

CAREER: Writer. Has also worked in marketing, corporate real estate, and as a bartender.

WRITINGS:

THRILLER NOVELS

Term Limits, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 1997.

Transfer of Power, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 1999.

The Third Option, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Separation of Power, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Executive Power, Ballantine (New York, NY), 2003.

Memorial Day, Atria (New York, NY), 2004.

Consent to Kill, Atria Books (New York, NY), 2005.

ADAPTATIONS: Several of Flynn's novels have been adapted as audiobooks, including Term Limits; Executive Power, Recorded Books, 2003; and Separation of Power, Sound Library: BBC Audiobooks America, 2003.

SIDELIGHTS: In 1997 Vince Flynn made his publishing debut with the political thriller Term Limits. The author self-published the novel and it became a bestseller in his native Twin Cities before it was picked up by Pocket Books for re-release nationwide. The plot revolves around a fledgling Minnesota congressman named O'Rourke and an out-of-control assassin who kills three corrupt congressmen. Then the assassin delivers demands to Congress and the threat of more killings. When O'Rourke, a former Marine, realizes the identity of the killer, he is forced to act. Critical reaction to the novel varied dramatically. For example, in Publishers Weekly, a critic called Term Limits "repetitive, simpleminded, and overwritten"; yet the critic predicted that it would appeal to thriller enthusiasts. In the view of Booklist contributor Gilbert Taylor, Flynn's "techno-bombast" is successful as long as he keeps the plot moving at a rapid pace.

Since his debut book, Flynn has written a steady stream of thriller novels. In Transfer of Power Flynn introduces CIA agent Mitch Rapp as he sets out to free terrorist hostages, including the President of the United States, as they are held in the White House. "Flynn delivers a riveting espionage thriller that will satisfy action fans," wrote Mary Frances Wilkens in another Booklist review. A Publishers Weekly contributor noted that the author's success at "creating dynamic tension between the main players, especially between military leaders and politicians." Rapp is again featured in The Third Option, in which the agent sets out to investigate Iraqi purchases of nuclear weapons, and defend himself from becoming a scapegoat because of political infighting. Patrick Wall, writing in the Library Journal, called the novel "an old-school spy story," while Booklist contributor Wilkens felt that with The Third Option the author "hits his stride."

Rapp heads to Baghdad to stop Saddam Hussein from using nuclear weapons in the novel Separation of Power. Commenting on the book, a Publishers Weekly contributor noted that "Flynn knows his politicians and pits his characters against impossible odds with nonstop action and suspense." In Executive Power, Flynn has Rapp married to the news anchorwoman he met in the previous novel. Although the CIA's top assassin finds himself with a desk job, he inevitably finds the action in a plan to assassinate terrorist leaders. A Publishers Weekly contributor commented that the novel is "packed with likable characters and undergirded by an in-depth understanding of the tangled politics of the 21st-century Middle East." Memorial Day features Rapp trying to stop a group of terrorists who have brought a nuclear bomb into the United States. A Publishers Weekly contributor noted the author's "skillful use of converging plots, particularly the panic created by having a nuke on the loose."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, April 15, 1998, Gilbert Taylor, review of Term Limits, p. 1382; May 15, 1999, Mary Frances Wilkens, review of Transfer of Power, 1643; November 1, 2000, Mary Frances Wilkens, review of The Third Option, p. 520; October 15, 2001, Mary Frances Wilkens, review of Separation of Power, p. 385.

Library Journal, September 15, 1998, Mark Pumphrey, review of Term Limits, p. 130; October 15, 2000, Patrick Wall, review of The Third Option, p. 101.

MPLS-St. Paul, August, 1999, Adam Platt and David Brauer, "From Anti-Lit to Literary Hit," p. 28.

Publishers Weekly, September 22, 1997, Judy Quinn, "Bookbytes," briefly discusses author book contract, pp. 23-24; March 30, 1998, review of Term Limits, p. 68; June 21, 1999, review of Transfer of Power, p. 53; October 1, 2001, review of Separation of Power, p. 39; May 12, 2003, review of Executive Power, p. 45; May 10, 2004, review of Memorial Day, p. 35.