Denied Access

A Mitch Rapp Novel

De: Vince Flynn, Don Bentley

Narrado por: Steven Weber

“[A] callback to what makes Rapp such a special character, and a white-knuckle reminder of why this series remains the gold standard of the political thriller genre.”—The Real Book Spy

Don Bentley completes the trilogy begun with American Assassin by taking Mitch Rapp back to his fledgling assassin days, picking up where Kill Shot ended, on a mission to save the woman he loves amid a CIA showdown with the Russian intelligence services in a new thriller from the author of Vince Flynn’s #1 New York Times bestselling series.

The Central Intelligence Agency is in crisis.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Congress is questioning the organization’s necessity. Interim CIA director Thomas Stansfield must fight for his agency’s survival while explaining why the previous candidate for his job was found murdered in a French hotel—surrounded by booze, cash, and dead men. Worst yet, a brilliantly run sting operation in Moscow has resulted in the arrest of America’s most prized Russian asset and the expulsion of his CIA handler.

With the CIA’s Moscow Station now paralyzed by the catastrophic intelligence failure, Stansfield seeks help from Mitch Rapp, a newly minted assassin in the secretive Orion program. But Rapp has problems of his own: when his Swiss girlfriend Greta’s grandfather receives a box containing the head of a former Cold War comrade along with a note promising that Greta’s head will be next, Rapp finds himself on the frontlines in a war between the American and Russian intelligence services. To protect the woman he loves and save the CIA from destruction, Rapp must be willing to risk everything.

©2025 Vince Flynn, Don Bentley (P)2025 Simon & Schuster Audio

Finished the story and started the new season.

It was good to finish the trilogy, but also to get the new series started. I went back in time from the last published book to listen to this. Filled in some gaps.

Engaging....

The non-stop action. Another well thought out thriller. At first, it took a min to identify where in the series book 24 belong . Nevertheless, Mitch Rapp novels are an interesting

A very average Mitch rap novel

The story was very slow moving; not enough action. Also, the author used the same voice for multiple characters, so it was hard to figure out who was speaking.

Least favorite of all Mitch Rapp

It’s almost like you knew where the story was going a few pages into it. There was not a lot of depth or substance to the book. Certainly not my favorite Mitch Rapp novel. In fact it was my least favorite.

A young Mitch Rapp, well done!

This was a good trip back to the Stan, Mitch, Irene and Stansfield world and Cold War Russia, done in a way that made it all seem fresh and new. I’m glad it’s not fresh and new but who knows what it could become again. Thanks for a very good listen!

A great plot idea -- a disappointing execution

I've read and listened to every Mitch Rapp book; they're all in my library. The last two have been a little under the standard. Maybe it's time for Mitch to retire from action.

The idea of the third prequel in the trilogy had me excited enough to have a reminder set to buy it the minute it was posted to Audible. The book did not deliver the same punches as American Assassin and Kill Shot.

First, there is a significant amount of repetition in the book--to the point of annoyance. I believe it's only necessary to extoll the virtues of Thomas Stanfield's history once. I think I counted a repetition (using different words) four times. There were other examples of repetition as well: Rapp's background, Irene Kennedy's background, and some others. If I hear about the Rafik scar one more time, I'll scream.

Second, some of the dialogue was far to drawn out and whiny. Kennedy and Rapp do not whine, but they did numerous times in this book. I would expect the dialogue to follow Vince Flynn's crispness and power.

Third, scene descriptions were very good. I could picture exactly where the action was taking place. That level of detail is much appreciated.

Fourth, Irene Kennedy's hair color keeps changing. In some booksit's auburn, in some, it's brown.

Finally, I miss George Guidall. Some of Weber's characters have the same voices and inflections. Other times, as he is narrating the drawn out dialogue, he sounds bored.

Overall, it was a great plot idea, but not crisply executed. At one point before the halfway mark, I was considering returning the novel to Audible.

Not quite the Mitch Rap I have become accustomed to

Stay with one writer and have that person continue ; too many writers is why I quit listening to the Tom Clancy series

Great story and narration

I loved sth storyline, but I wish there would have been more Mitch Rapp.

Mixed Feelings About Both Story and Narration

I liked the idea of setting Denied Access in the past. It has been so long in the Mitch Rapp series that I had forgotten what led up to where this story begins. At first I found Don Bentley’s writing style a bit too verbose, but he seemed to find his rhythm as the book went on. Strangely, I found myself not really enjoying the Mitch Rapp parts this time around and actually preferred the sections that did not focus directly on him.

As for the narration, I was disappointed. Steven Weber did not do Stan Hurley or Thomas Stansfield any justice in his interpretation. Their voices just did not fit, which pulled me out of the story more than once.

Insite into Mitch Rapp and the main character in the series!

I tweeted that Don was running a big risk writing this book. If he did it right it would payoff big! He did it right you should own this one!

The narrative surrounding Mitch Rapp provides a humanizing perspective often absent in his other accounts. As the quintessential operative, Rapp's daring and decisive actions introduce the reader to the realm of international espionage and illicit financial practices. The storyline effectively concludes the Cold War era while simultaneously establishing the origins of Rapp's character. The action is fast-paced and mostly credible, resulting in a satisfying conclusion to the Rapp prequel trilogy.