[hinckley buzzard]

Rush went on and on about this guy, of whom I have never heard a thing. He never actually said what the man had done for the world besides write some readable novels. What is he famous for and why worthy of all the hoopla?

[rhema]

He was one of us.

Flynn's books popular from O'Gara's Pub to Baghdad

. . . Flynn's Rapp series was sometimes criticized for leaning to the right politically, with Rapp described in one book as "a modern-day assassin who lived in a civilized country where such a term could never be used openly."

But Flynn made no apologies for Rapp's commitment to national security.

"Prior to 9/11 reviewers said that my plots were implausible, over the top," he said in 2004. "A fair amount of people doubted a menace was out there. Since then, people figured out that it's a war. My viewpoint is that you have to go on the offensive and take these guys out. A lot of people cringe hearing that, but the people we are up against are not meek."

Flynn's publisher said his novels "have been praised for their extensive research and prescient warnings about the rise of Islamic radical fundamentalism and terrorism. His books have been read by current and former presidents, foreign heads of state and intelligence professionals around the world and are admired for their versimilitude and imagination."

His tough books also resonated with troops serving in the Middle East.

When "Memorial Day" was published in 2004, Flynn told the Pioneer Press how elated he was when a CIA chief of operations said "you can't get into a Humvee in Baghdad without kicking a Vince Flynn paperback."

"That director is a former Marine responsible for operations in all the bad spots, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran," Flynn recalled. "When he jumped up, starts pumping my hand and tells me he's a huge fan of my books, I almost fainted. He'd just gotten back from Baghdad, where the guys sat around a bonfire, drinking beer, arguing about who should play Mitch Rapp in a movie."

[Ann Archy]

Oh man....watching on TV was something.....you just KNEW he was a GREAT person!! ANd a HUNK of a guy.

[Hot Tabasco]

He never actually said what the man had done for the world

Is it necesssary for someone to have been a world changer for Rush to talk about them? How about just honoring a friend as Rush did, it that such a big problem for you? Sheesh!

[arasina]

I guess you didn’t read the article that is the source of this thread, eh?

[4kids dad]

Read his books and you will see why all of the hoopla. You can’t put them down until your finished with them. I was waiting for the next one to come out in November. He will be missed.

[4integrity]

perhaps what he did for the world was to be a good, honest human being who loved God, his family and his country. We could use more like Vince Flynn. God rest his soul and give his family and friends strength and comfort.

[Lurkina.n.Learnin]

“What is he famous for and why worthy of all the hoopla?”

Could ask the same about Zane Grey, Jack London and Samuel Clemens but it would be pointless.

[rabidralph]

Because in all of his books, the good guys won and the books usually ended with a lot of dead terrorists. And he had impeccable instincts for what was happening in the world. I only started reading his books last year but the terror events and government responses to them mirrored what was happening after 9-11, even though the early books were written in the late 90s. His character, Mitch Rapp, is a CIA assassin and Vince made me believe that America would be great again if we would only unleash 1000 Mitch Rapp's to clean up the problems in this world. He is my favorite author.

[rabidralph]

Also, Vince Flynn is the reason you see so many movies now with the trendy White House-under-siege-by-terrorists. In fact, he helped shape that season of 24 where that same plot took place, because he first wrote it in his novel Transfer of Power.

[Valin]

Do yourself a favor, if you like political/techo thrillers, he was one of the best.