Kill Shot is the second book chronologically in the Mitch Rapp series from Vince Flynn, later continued by Kyle Mills and Don Bentley.

In this instalment, Mitch Rapp steps fully into his role as a CIA assassin. He’s no longer the volatile rookie we met in American Assassin. He’s composed, capable, and deadly. There’s no real sense of internal struggle. Rapp seems to have accepted the job for what it is. If anything, he’s learning that the biggest threats may come from the people around him, not the enemies he’s sent to eliminate.

The book’s tone is colder and more methodical than its predecessor. Rapp is still deadly with a gun, but now he has to navigate the equally dangerous world of bureaucratic betrayal. That distrust creates a compelling tension, especially as shadowy figures inside the government work to undermine him. The plot balances explosive action with a quieter, more insidious kind of threat: politics.

The takedown of Victor was a truly satisfying moment because Victor was such an asshole. Watching Rapp put multiple rounds in him, slowly and deliberately, was just… cathartic. In my head I was screaming, “Finally!”

One of the more interesting threads is Rapp’s relationship with Greta, which offers a glimpse into his capacity for tenderness. It hints at the man he was before loss turned him into a weapon, and suggests that, under all the blood and discipline, there’s still a heart shaped by grief and love.

If there’s a weak spot, it’s Stan Hurley. The grizzled mentor role has its place, but Hurley’s blind spots and hot temper make him feel more like a liability than a mentor. His dislike of Rapp follows the same arc as in American Assassin, and at this point, he’s starting to feel like dead weight. I hope I’m in for something different as the series progresses further.

Overall, Kill Shot was more more enjoyable than American Assassin for me. Rapp was just a more solid character here. He carried the story better and offset my frustrations with other characters. Rapp is becoming something more dangerous and more interesting: a man who can’t be controlled.

As I’m reading the books chronologically, I’m now waiting (and very much looking forward) to Don Bentley’s upcoming release Denied Access, coming in September.