“I’m fine, honey,” she murmured into his sweaty hair. “Just fine.”
She wasn’t.
Not yet.
But she would be.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I AM eternally grateful to have been afforded the opportunity to tell stories in Vince’s universe. The list of people to whom I owe a debt of gratitude for making this happen is long and distinguished. I cannot thank them all, but I will try.
This would not have happened without Lysa Flynn, Sloan Harris, and Emily Bestler. These three are the stewards of Vince’s legacy, and the guardians of the world he created. Thank you all for welcoming me to the family.
My agent, Scott Miller, was also instrumental in pulling this deal together. I once confessed to Scott that writing Mitch Rapp stories would be my dream job. Rather than laugh along with me, Scott said that he would try to make that happen. He did and I am forever in his debt. Thank you, Scott.
Kyle Mills and his lovely wife, Kim, have been among my biggest supporters throughout the transition process. Like all Flynn fans, I’m beyond thankful that Kyle agreed to step in after Vince’s untimely death and continue Mitch Rapp’s adventures. Rather than just tread water, Kyle expanded the series and took the characters in new and exciting directions. During our overlap, Kyle could not have been more generous with his time. From responding to every single social media post to reassure fans that I was up to the job, to sharing his final book tour with me, to fielding countless emails, texts, and phone calls, Kyle has been the consummate professional. Thank you, Kyle and Kim.
Bringing a book to life truly takes a village, and the village at Emily Bestler Books is populated by rock stars. Thank you all for welcoming me to the Fox Den and for your tireless work on Capture or Kill. One of the many benefits of joining the greater Simon & Schuster team includes the opportunity to finally work with master publicist and marketer David Brown. Thank you, David, for shouting about this book from the rooftops.
As my wife will tell you, I’m not a terribly interesting person. Fortunately, I have friends who fit that bill, and many of them graciously lent their expertise, technical or otherwise, to this novel. Colonel Kelsey A. Smith, USA, Retired, has been my friend and fellow gunship pilot for more than twenty years. Aside from his cameo in this novel, Kelsey helped me with the finer points of conducting an aerial area reconnaissance in eastern Afghanistan. Thank you, Kels.
Commander Jack Stewart, USN, Retired, used the aviation knowledge he’s garnered in the cockpits of commercial airliners and FA-18 fighter jets alike to guide me through some of my trickier aviation conundrums. In addition to being a graduate of the Navy’s Top Gun fighter school, Jack is also one heck of a thriller writer. If you haven’t already, check out his debut novel, Unknown Rider. Thank you, Jack.
Though he now pens his Matthew Redd books by day while managing the Real Book Spy website by night, Ryan Steck was once known as Ryan the Rappologist due to his exhaustive knowledge of the Vince Flynn universe. In this capacity, Ryan graciously lent me his expertise by answering more than a few vexing Mitch Rapp questions. Thank you, Ryan.
The thriller-writer community is incredibly supportive, and I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the following authors: Mark Greaney, Brad Taylor, Brad Thor, Connor Sullivan, David McCloskey, Simon Gervais, Taylor Moore, Tosca Lee, May Cobb, Samantha Bailey, Nick Petrie, Bill Schweigart, Brian Andrews, Jeff Wilson, Chris Hauty, Jack Carr, Joshua Hood, and Tessa Wegert. Thank you, all.
As always, I need to thank my family for supporting me as I chase my writing dreams. Angela, Will, Faith, and Kelia—I love you dearly. Thank you.
Finally, I would like to thank my fellow Mitch Rapp fans. Your warm welcome to the Flynn Family and your palatable excitement about Capture or Kill were a source of constant encouragement to me. I hope you love this book.
Don
More from this Series
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Book 4
Book 5
Book 6
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
#1 New York Times bestselling author VINCE FLYNN (1966–2013) created one of contemporary fiction’s most popular heroes: CIA counterterrorist agent Mitch Rapp, featured in thirteen of Flynn’s acclaimed political thrillers. All of his novels are New York Times bestsellers, including his stand-alone debut novel, Term Limits.
DON BENTLEY is the New York Times bestselling author of multiple books in several series, including the Matt Drake novels, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan Jr. series, and now Vince Flynn’s Mitch Rapp series (2024). Don is a former FBI special agent, SWAT team member, and army Apache helicopter pilot. Learn more at www.donbentleybooks.com.
www.SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Vince-Flynn
www.SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Don-Bentley
@EmilyBestlerNOVELS BY VINCE FLYNN
The Last Man
