Vince Flynn

{{Infobox writer

| name = Vince Flynn

| image = VinceFlynnByPhilKonstantin.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Flynn in San Diego, California on October 31, 2008

| pseudonym =

| birth_name = Vincent Joseph Flynn{{Cite web|url=https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VC8G-JYD|title=FamilySearch.org|website=FamilySearch |accessdate=28 September 2023}}

| birth_date = {{birth date|mf=yes|1966|4|6}}

| birth_place = Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|mf=yes|2013|6|19|1966|4|6}}

| death_place = Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.

| resting_place =

| website = [https://www.vinceflynn.com vinceflynn.com]

| occupation = {{flatlist|

Writer
novelist
television consultant

}}

| language = English

| period = 1997–2013

| subject = Political thriller, techno-thriller, action thriller

| education = University of St. Thomas (BA)

| spouse = Lysa Flynn

| children = 3

}}

Vincent Joseph Flynn (April 6, 1966 – June 19, 2013) was an American author of political thriller novels featuring the fictional assassin Mitch Rapp. He was a story consultant for the fifth season of the television series 24. He died of prostate cancer on June 19, 2013.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/mn-author-vince-flynn-dies-at-47/|title=Minnesota Author Vince Flynn Dies At 47 - CBS Minnesota|date=19 June 2013|website=www.cbsnews.com|accessdate=28 September 2023}}

Biography

=Early life and education=

Flynn was one of seven children born to Terry and Kathleen Flynn, and a graduate of Saint Thomas Academy (1984) and the University of St. Thomas with a B.A. in economics (1989).

=Early career=

After graduating, Flynn went to work for Kraft Foods as an account and sales marketing specialist. In 1991, he left Kraft to pursue a career as an aviator with the United States Marine Corps. One week before leaving for Officer Candidate School, he was medically disqualified from the Marine Aviation Program.{{cite web|last=Flynn|first=Vince|title=Goodreads Author Profile|url=http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14989.Vince_Flynn|access-date=19 June 2013}}

In an effort to overcome the difficulties of dyslexia, Flynn forced himself into a daily writing and reading routine. His writing influences included Leon Uris, Tom Clancy, Ernest Hemingway, John Irving, Robert Ludlum, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Gore Vidal.

=Writing and media career=

Flynn's newfound interest in fiction motivated him to begin work on a novel of his own. While employed as a bartender in the St. Paul area, he completed his first book, Term Limits, which he self-published.{{cite web|title=Film and Publishing Deal Announced between CBS Films and Simon & Schuster|publisher=CBS Corporation|date=February 14, 2008|url=http://www.cbscorporation.com/news/prdetails.php?id=2983|access-date=September 16, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080420054456/http://www.cbscorporation.com/news/prdetails.php?id=2983|archive-date= 2008-04-20}} Of the book, Flynn said: "I had just finished reading The Government Racket: Washington Waste from A to Z, by Martin L. Gross. It is without a doubt the most disheartening and enlightening book about politics that I've ever read. I was out jogging one day wondering what it would take to really change Washington, when my thoughts turned to a friend who had been shot and killed in Washington, D.C., several summers earlier. As I continued running, a story started to unfold."{{Citation needed|date=September 2017}}

Pocket Books published the hardcover edition of Term Limits in 1998, and a mass market paperback in 1999, which spent several weeks on The New York Times bestseller list. Subsequent works, including Flynn's 1999 novel Transfer of Power, his 2000 novel The Third Option, and his 2001 novel Separation of Power, also appeared on the New York Times bestseller list, with Separation of Power rising as high as No. 7.{{Citation needed|date=December 2010}}

Flynn's fifth novel, Executive Power, was published in hardcover by Atria Books in 2003, followed by his sixth novel, Memorial Day in 2004, his seventh, Consent To Kill, in 2005, his eighth, Act Of Treason, in 2006, his ninth, Protect And Defend, in 2007, and his tenth, Extreme Measures, in 2008. Except for Term Limits, his books centered around counterterrorism agent Mitch Rapp.

Flynn wrote six New York Times bestsellers for Atria Books, and had a contract for four more. He remembered deciding between following the path that was the most uncomfortable—continuing with what looked to be a promising career as a commercial real estate leasing agent—or taking a big risk and starting a new career as a writer: "I look back on it now and I couldn't be happier with my decision, but at the time I remember a lot of people thought I was nuts."{{cite web|title=Meet Vince Flynn|publisher=MarthaZoller.com|date=November 3, 2009|author=Martha Zoller|url=http://www.marthazoller.com/meet-vince-flynn|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130624221840/http://www.marthazoller.com/meet-vince-flynn|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 24, 2013|access-date=February 28, 2012}}

In February 2008, Flynn agreed on film and book projects with CBS Corporation units CBS Films and Simon & Schuster/Atria Books. Lorenzo di Bonaventura was negotiating to produce Mitch Rapp films. The first film, American Assassin, was released in 2017. Atria Books got worldwide rights to four of Flynn's books.{{cite web|title=Film and Publishing Deal Announced between CBS Films and Simon & Schuster|publisher=CBS Corporation|date=February 14, 2008|url=http://www.cbscorporation.com/news/prdetails.php?id=2983|access-date=February 14, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080219042552/http://www.cbscorporation.com/news/prdetails.php?id=2983|archive-date= 2008-02-19}} In August 2010, Flynn signed a two-book deal for a new series that he would have co-written with Brian Haig, a retired Army lieutenant colonel.{{cite web|title=Vince Flynn to Co-Write New Series with Brian Haig|publisher=Publishers Weekly|date=August 5, 2010|author=Andriani, Lynn|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/book-news/deals/article/44069-vince-flynn-to-co-rite-new-series-with-brian-haig.html|access-date=January 5, 2011}} He was a frequent guest on The Glenn Beck Radio Program on the Fox News Channel, and on Dan Barreiro's radio program on Twin Cities station KFAN.

=Personal life=

Flynn lived with his wife, Lysa, and their three children in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis-St. Paul) area. He was Catholic.{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/general-news-c6e5fc99e5194240a29e4282897a466f|title=Best-selling author Vince Flynn dies at age 47|date=19 June 2013|accessdate=2 November 2024|author=Karnowski, Steve|work=Associated Press}}

=Illness and death=

On February 1, 2011, in his fan newsletter, Flynn announced that he was being treated for advanced Stage III prostate cancer.{{cite news|title=Vince Flynn has cancer|work= Minneapolis Star Tribune|date=February 1, 2011|author=Tillotson, Kristin|url=http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/blogs/114957104.html|access-date=February 1, 2011}} He died of a rare form of aggressive prostate cancer in Saint Paul, aged 47, on June 19, 2013.{{cite web |url=http://catholichotdish.com/embracing-life/our-friend-vinny |title=Notice of death of Vincent Flynn |website=catholichotdish.com |access-date=2013-06-19 |archive-date=2013-06-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130623035252/http://catholichotdish.com/embracing-life/our-friend-vinny/ |url-status=dead }}{{cite news|url=http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/books/212135191.html |title=Best-selling Twin Cities author Vince Flynn dies of cancer at 47|newspaper=Star Tribune|date= June 19, 2013}}

Bibliography

=Novels=

;Mitch Rapp series:

Mitch Rapp is a fictional undercover CIA counterterrorism agent. Rapp's primary focus is to thwart terrorist attacks on the U.S., and he is presented as an aggressive operative willing to take measures more extreme than might commonly be considered acceptable. His constant frustration with procedures and red tape is a major theme in the series.{{cite web|url=http://www.vinceflynn.com/vinceflynnchronologicalorderbooklist.pdf|title=Chronological Booklist|website=vinceflynn.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130115204553/http://www.vinceflynn.com/vinceflynnchronologicalorderbooklist.pdf|archive-date=2013-01-15}}

From 2015 to 2023, the Mitch Rapp series was continued by Kyle Mills. Starting in 2024 with Capture or Kill, the Mitch Rapp series has been continued by Don Bentley.

Publication year	Storyline order	Title	ISBN	Author
class="wikitable sortable"
1999	4	Transfer of Power	{{ISBN\|0-671-02319-5}}	rowspan="13"\| Vince Flynn
2000	5	The Third Option	{{ISBN\|0-671-04731-0}}
2001	6	Separation of Power	{{ISBN\|0-671-04733-7}}
2003	7	Executive Power	{{ISBN\|0-7434-5395-6}}
2004	8	Memorial Day	{{ISBN\|0-7434-5397-2}}
2005	9	Consent to Kill	{{ISBN\|0-7432-7036-3}}
2006	10	Act of Treason	{{ISBN\|0-7432-7037-1}}
2007	11	Protect and Defend	{{ISBN\|978-0-7432-7041-0}}
2008	12	Extreme Measures	{{ISBN\|0-7432-7042-8}}
2009	13	Pursuit of Honor	{{ISBN\|978-1-4165-9516-8}}
2010	1	American Assassin	{{ISBN\|978-1-4165-9518-2}}
2012	2	Kill Shot	{{ISBN\|978-1-4165-9520-5}}
2013	14	The Last Man	{{ISBN\|978-1-4165-9521-2}}
2015	15	The Survivor	{{ISBN\|978-1-4767-8345-1}}	rowspan="9"\| Kyle Mills
2016	16	Order to Kill	{{ISBN\|978-1-4767-8348-2}}
2017	17	Enemy of the State	{{ISBN\|978-1-4767-8351-2}}
2018	18	Red War	{{ISBN\|978-1-5011-9059-9}}
2019	19	Lethal Agent	{{ISBN\|978-1-5011-9062-9}}
2020	20	Total Power	{{ISBN\|978-1-5011-9065-0}}
2021	21	Enemy at the Gates	{{ISBN\|978-1-982164-88-1}}
2022	22	Oath of Loyalty	{{ISBN\|978-1-982164-91-1}}
2023	23	Code Red	{{ISBN\|978-1-982164-99-7}}
2024	24	Capture or Kill	{{ISBN\|978-1-668045-83-1}}	rowspan="2" \| Don Bentley
2025	3	Denied Access	{{ISBN\|978-1-6680-4590-9}}

Related book

Term Limits is not part of the Mitch Rapp series, but takes place in the same universe.{{cite book|author=Flynn, Vince|title=Term Limits|isbn=0-671-02317-9|date=1997|publisher=Pocket Books |url=https://archive.org/details/termlimits00flyn_0}} Scott Coleman from the Mitch Rapp series appears in the book, which takes place after the events of Kill Shot.

Adaptations

American Assassin (2017), film directed by Michael Cuesta, based on the novel American Assassin

References

External links

[http://www.vinceflynn.com Official Vince Flynn website]
[http://www.vinceflynn.co.uk Vince Flynn website (UK)]
[http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/f/vince-flynn/ Fantastic Fiction Author Page]
[http://www.iblist.com/author14747.htm Internet Book List Author Page] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306100044/http://www.iblist.com/author14747.htm |date=2014-03-06 }}
[http://www.thethirdoption.net/ The World of Vince Flynn - TheThirdOption.net]
[http://www.blogtalkradio.com/DrBlogstein/2008/10/22/Vince-Flynn-Olivia-Wilde-House/ Audio Interview with Dr. Blogstein's Radio Happy Hour]
[http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/talkradio/transcripts/Transcript.aspx?ContentGuid=07888b09-54b2-4d67-9d75-b79cfb5bf213 Transcript of interview with Hugh Hewitt] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090817174708/http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/talkradio/transcripts/Transcript.aspx?ContentGuid=07888b09-54b2-4d67-9d75-b79cfb5bf213 |date=2009-08-17 }}
[http://www.hughhewitt.com/transcripts.aspx?id=3cd8b018-0ca1-4060-aeb7-45983feec900 Audio interview with Hugh Hewitt - part 1 of 3]
[http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/TalkRadio/Show.aspx?RadioShowID=5&ContentGuid=7e622568-3b92-47ac-901c-f92011bc1e81 Audio interview with Hugh Hewitt - part 2 of 3] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090218004403/http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/TalkRadio/Show.aspx?RadioShowID=5&ContentGuid=7e622568-3b92-47ac-901c-f92011bc1e81 |date=2009-02-18 }}
[http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/TalkRadio/Show.aspx?RadioShowID=5&ContentGuid=1b731f00-a5ac-4c6c-8312-dac8caff0f68 Audio interview with Hugh Hewitt - part 3 of 3] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215061245/http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/talkradio/show.aspx?radioshowid=5&contentguid=1b731f00-a5ac-4c6c-8312-dac8caff0f68 |date=2009-02-15 }}
{{IMDb name|2064770}}