American Assassin: A Thriller (Mitch Rapp Book 1)

Mitch Rapp was a college athlete living without concerns until tragedy changed everything. Terrorists killed his girlfriend and 269 other innocent Americans in a December attack. While others sought comfort, Rapp pursued retribution. CIA Operations Director Thomas Stansfield recognizes that partisan politics have weakened the agency and the nation faces growing vulnerability. He determines that America must confront Islamic terrorism with full force. Stansfield tasks his protégée Irene Kennedy and Cold War veteran Stan Hurley with forming a clandestine group of operatives working outside normal command structures—operatives who officially do not exist. After six months of intense training, Rapp begins his first assignment. He travels to Istanbul to assassinate the Turkish arms dealer who supplied explosives for the terrorist attack. He then moves to Hamburg and across Europe with his team, leaving casualties in his wake. His path leads to Beirut, but Rapp is unaware that his enemy has learned of him and set a trap. In the war-ravaged city, the hunter becomes the hunted, and Rapp must rely on all his skill and cunning to survive against various terrorist factions.