BookPath

Mitch Rapp Reading Order.

Quick Answer

Start with Transfer of Power (1999), the first Mitch Rapp novel, and read in publication order. The prequels American Assassin and Kill Shot work best once you know Rapp.

The complete reading order for the Mitch Rapp series by Vince Flynn. Below you'll find the authoritative guide on how to read the books in order, including publication dates and chronological timeline placements.

Where to start

Start with Transfer of Power (1999), the first Mitch Rapp novel, and read in publication order. The prequels American Assassin and Kill Shot work best once you know Rapp.

  • •American Assassin (2010) and Kill Shot (2012) are prequels set earlier in Rapp's career. Denied Access (2025) and Double Tap (2026) are also early-career stories, and Capture or Kill (2024) is set in 2011, between Pursuit of Honor and The Last Man. The Chronological view slots them accordingly.
  • •Vince Flynn died in 2013. Kyle Mills wrote the series from The Survivor (2015) through Code Red (2023), and Don Bentley took over with Capture or Kill (2024).
  • •Term Limits (1997), Flynn's first novel, is not a Mitch Rapp book: Rapp does not appear in it, so it is left out of this list.

Complete Series Reading Order

Publication Reading Order25 Titles

Why Publication Order?We recommend reading in Publication Order (default). This follows the author's release schedule, ensuring you experience plot twists, character growth, and world-building exactly as intended without spoilers.
Best Start Here
1

Transfer of Power

Pub: 1999

On a busy Washington morning, the stately calm of the White House is shattered as terrorists gain control of the executive mansion, slaughtering dozens of people. The president is evacuated to an underground bunker, but not before nearly one hundred hostages are taken. One man is sent in to take control of the crisis. Mitch Rapp, the CIA's top counterterrorism operative, determines that the president is not as safe as Washington's power elite had thought. Moving among the corridors of the White House, Rapp makes a chilling discovery that could rock Washington to its core: someone within his own government wants his rescue attempt to fail.

2

The Third Option

Pub: 2000

Plot details hidden until you finish "Transfer of Power".

3

Separation of Power

Pub: 2001

Plot details hidden until you finish "The Third Option".

Newly appointed CIA Director Dr. Irene Kennedy is the target of an inside plot to destroy her and end the American President's term. Even worse, Israel uncovers an Iraqi plan to enter the nuclear arms race. Now, Rapp has two weeks to beat the clock--or watch the world go up in flames.

4

Executive Power

Pub: 2003

Plot details hidden until you finish "Separation of Power".

Mitch Rapp's cover has been blown. After leading a team of commandos deep into Iraq to prevent Saddam Hussein from joining the nuclear arms race, he was publicly hailed by the president as the single most important person in the fight against terrorism.

5

Memorial Day

Pub: 2004

Plot details hidden until you finish "Executive Power".

7

Act of Treason

Pub: 2006

Plot details hidden until you finish "Consent to Kill".

When a presidential candidate wins the election through sympathy votes two weeks after a terrorist attack kills his wife, CIA operative Mitch Rapp investigates dangerous allegations about the attack's hidden agenda, a case that threatens the government's stability.

8

Protect and Defend

Pub: 2007

Plot details hidden until you finish "Act of Treason".

In the aftermath of an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, CIA director Irene Kennedy and operative Mitch Rapp are dispatched to the Middle East to diffuse Iran's sworn retaliation against the United States.

9

Extreme Measures

Pub: 2008

Plot details hidden until you finish "Protect and Defend".

The CIA has detected and intercepted two terrorist cells, but a third is feared to be on the loose. Led by a dangerous mastermind obsessed with becoming the leader of al-Qaeda, this determined and terrifying group is about to descend on America. Mitch Rapp needs the best on this assignment, and Nash, who has served his government honorably for sixteen years--first as an officer in the Marine Corps and then as an operative in an elite counterterrorism team run by Rapp--is his choice. But on this assignment Rapp and his protege may have met their match.

10

Pursuit of Honor

Pub: 2009

Plot details hidden until you finish "Extreme Measures".

Mitch Rapp comes up against a new and deadly enemy when he is unofficially ordered to find three terrorists by any means necessary. They've attacked Washington D.C., killing 185 and wounding hundreds. So far, however, his investigation has been painfully complicated and has yet to yield a single solid lead--and the last thing Rapp expected was to be in New York City to decide the fate of a man that could be his cover.

11

American Assassin

Pub: 2010

Plot details hidden until you finish "Pursuit of Honor".

Follow Mitch Rapp, as he takes on his first, explosive counterterrorism assignment.

12

Kill Shot

Pub: 2012

Plot details hidden until you finish "American Assassin".

13

The Last Man

Pub: 2012

Plot details hidden until you finish "Kill Shot".

14

The Survivor

Pub: 2015

Plot details hidden until you finish "The Last Man".

Top secret data has been stolen from the CIA, and the only man who knows its hiding place is dead. CIA operative Mitch Rapp must race to find the classified information in this blistering novel that picks up where The Last Man left off in Vince Flynn's New York Times bestselling series.

15

Order to Kill

Pub: 2016

Plot details hidden until you finish "The Survivor".

CIA operative Mitch Rapp finds himself chasing false leads from continent to continent in an effort to keep nukes from falling into the hands of terrorists. Working with friend and colleague Scott Coleman, Rapp soon becomes aware that forces in Moscow are hell-bent on fomenting even more chaos and turmoil in the Middle East. Rapp must go deep into Russian territory, posing as an American ISIS recruit, to stop a plan much more dangerous and insidious than he ever expected.

16

Enemy of the State

Pub: 2017

Plot details hidden until you finish "Order to Kill".

After 9/11, the United States made one of the most secretive and dangerous deals in its history. The evidence against the powerful Saudis who coordinated the attack would be buried. In return, King Faisal would promise to keep the oil flowing and deal with the conspirators in his midst. When the king's own nephew is discovered funding ISIS, the US president suspects that the Saudis never intended to live up to their agreement. He decides that the royalty needs to be sent a message and that Mitch Rapp is just the man to deliver it. The catch? Rapp must do it entirely on his own.

17

Red War

Pub: 2018

Plot details hidden until you finish "Enemy of the State".

Mitch Rapp races to prevent Russia's gravely ill leader from starting a full-scale war with NATO. When Russian president Maxim Krupin discovers that he has inoperable brain cancer, he's determined to cling to power. His first task is to kill or imprison any of his countrymen who can threaten him. Soon, though, his illness becomes serious enough to require a more dramatic diversion--war with the West. Upon learning of Krupin's condition, CIA director Irene Kennedy understands that the US is facing an opponent who has nothing to lose. The only way to avoid a confrontation that could leave millions dead is to send Mitch Rapp to Russia under impossibly dangerous orders. With the Kremlin's entire security apparatus hunting him, he must find and kill a man many have deemed the most powerful in the world. Success means averting a war that could consume all of Europe. But if his mission is discovered, Rapp will plunge Russia and America into a conflict that neither will survive.

18

Lethal Agent

Pub: 2019

Plot details hidden until you finish "Red War".

A toxic presidential election is underway in an America already badly weakened by internal divisions. While politicians focus entirely on maintaining their own power and privilege, ISIS kidnaps a brilliant French microbiologist and forces him to begin manufacturing anthrax. Slickly-produced videos chronicling his progress and threatening an imminent attack are posted to the Internet, intensifying the hysteria gripping the U.S. ISIS recruits a Mexican drug cartel to smuggle the bioweapon across the border, but it's really just a diversion. The terrorist organization needs to keep Mitch Rapp and Irene Kennedy distracted long enough to weaponize a deadly virus that they stumbled upon in Yemen. If they succeed, they'll trigger a pandemic that could rewrite the world order. Rapp embarks on a mission to infiltrate the Mexican cartels and track down the ISIS leader who he failed to kill during their last confrontation. But with Washington's political elite increasingly lined up against him, he knows he'll be on his own.

19

Total Power

Pub: 2020

Plot details hidden until you finish "Lethal Agent".

20

Enemy at the Gates

Pub: 2021

Plot details hidden until you finish "Total Power".

21

Oath of Loyalty

Pub: 2022

Plot details hidden until you finish "Enemy at the Gates".

22

Code Red

Pub: 2023

Plot details hidden until you finish "Oath of Loyalty".

23

Capture or Kill

Pub: 2024

Plot details hidden until you finish "Code Red".

24

Denied Access

Pub: 2025

Plot details hidden until you finish "Capture or Kill".

25

Double Tap

Pub: 2026

Plot details hidden until you finish "Denied Access".

Prefer Listening?

Best if you commute

Get the professional narration of "Transfer of Power" free with an Audible trial.

Try Audible →

Own the Physical Copy

Best value option

Add "Transfer of Power" to your library in print or Kindle.

View on Amazon →

Frequently Asked Questions

What order should I read Mitch Rapp in?

Start with Transfer of Power (1999), the first Mitch Rapp novel, and read in publication order. The prequels American Assassin and Kill Shot work best once you know Rapp.

How many books are in Mitch Rapp?

25 main books, published 1999–2026.

Can I read Mitch Rapp out of order?

It's best not to. The books build on each other, so reading out of order spoils earlier twists.

Is there a chronological order for Mitch Rapp?

Yes. In story order the series begins with "American Assassin" rather than "Transfer of Power". Switch the list below to Chronological to see the full timeline.