Reading order · 25 books · 1999 to 2026 · Set in Washington, D.C.
Mitch Rapp Books in Order
Mitch Rapp is the CIA’s top counter-terrorism operative, recruited after his girlfriend died in the Lockerbie bombing and trained by the brutal Stan Hurley. Fast, violent political thrillers set in Washington and the Middle East. After Vince Flynn’s death in 2013, Kyle Mills continued the series.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Series facts
- Books
- 25
- Published
- 1999 to 2026
- First book
- Transfer of Power
- Latest
- Double Tap (2026)
- Setting
- Set in Washington, D.C.
- Order
- Story order differs from publication order
The reading order
Every Mitch Rapp book in publication order, with the story order a switch away. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
25 books · Set in Washington, D.C.
- 1Transfer of Power1999With Mitch RappTerrorists seize the White House, and the President is trapped in a secret bunker beneath it.Buy on Amazon
- 2The Third Option2000With Mitch RappMitch Rapp is sent to Germany to kill a businessman who has been selling weapons to Saddam Hussein, but the operation is a set-up, and he is betrayed by people on his own side.Buy on Amazon
- 3Separation of Power2001With Mitch RappThe CIA learns that Saddam Hussein is close to a nuclear weapon, and Mitch Rapp is sent to Iraq, while a new director takes over the CIA.Buy on Amazon
- 4Executive Power2003With Mitch RappMitch Rapp rescues an American family held hostage in the Philippines, and then discovers that someone is leaking information about his missions.Buy on Amazon
- 5Memorial Day2004With Mitch RappMitch Rapp learns of a plot to set off a nuclear bomb in Washington on Memorial Day.Buy on Amazon
- 6Consent to Kill2005With Mitch RappThe father of a terrorist Mitch Rapp killed puts a price on Rapp’s head, and a professional assassin takes the job.Buy on Amazon
- 7Act of Treason2006With Mitch RappA presidential candidate’s motorcade is bombed and his wife killed, and Mitch Rapp is drawn into a conspiracy.Buy on Amazon
- 8Protect and Defend2007With Mitch RappIsrael strikes at Iran’s nuclear programme, and in the chaos that follows, Irene Kennedy is kidnapped.Buy on Amazon
- 9Extreme Measures2008With Mitch RappMitch Rapp and his colleague Mike Nash face a congressional investigation into the CIA’s methods, just as a new terror cell sets out for America.Buy on Amazon
- 10Pursuit of Honor2009With Mitch RappAfter an attack in Washington, Mitch Rapp hunts the terrorists who got away, while politicians in Washington want to put the CIA itself on trial.Buy on Amazon
- 11American Assassin2010With Mitch RappHow it began.Buy on Amazon
- 12Kill Shot2012With Mitch RappA young Mitch Rapp is in Paris, working his way through the men behind the Lockerbie bombing, when a mission goes wrong and he finds he has been set up.Buy on Amazon
- 13The Last Man2012With Mitch RappJoe Rickman, the CIA’s station chief in Afghanistan, disappears, along with the secrets he knows, and Mitch Rapp has to find him.Buy on Amazon
- 14The Survivor2015With Mitch RappThe secrets Joe Rickman stole from the CIA are being released, and Mitch Rapp has to stop the leak before agents die.Buy on Amazon
- 15Order to Kill2016With Mitch RappMitch Rapp hunts a Russian plan to destabilise the Middle East, and meets Grisha Azarov, a brilliant assassin.Buy on Amazon
- 16Enemy of the State2017With Mitch RappWhen a Saudi prince is found to be funding terrorists, Mitch Rapp leaves the CIA so that he can deal with it himself.Buy on Amazon
- 17Red War2018With Mitch RappThe Russian president, secretly dying of a brain tumour, prepares to go to war with NATO, and Mitch Rapp has to stop him.Buy on Amazon
- 18Lethal Agent2019With Mitch RappMitch Rapp hunts an ISIS leader planning a biological attack on the United States, and the trail leads into Mexico’s cartel country.Buy on Amazon
- 19Total Power2020With Mitch RappTerrorists attack the American power grid and plunge the country into darkness, and Mitch Rapp hunts the man behind it.Buy on Amazon
- 20Enemy at the Gates2021With Mitch RappCalled back from a break, Rapp is sent to protect Nicholas Ward, the world’s first trillionaire, as he funds medical work in Uganda, and must expose a mole inside the CIA.Buy on Amazon
- 21Oath of Loyalty2022With Mitch RappRapp agrees to leave the country while President Cook is in office, but when the truce collapses and his partner Claudia is targeted, he must stop a new breed of assassin.Buy on Amazon
- 22Code Red2023With Mitch RappRapp agrees to help crime lord Damian Losa stop a powerful new drug being made in Syria, and finds that it is a weapon designed by Russia to strike at the West.Buy on Amazon
- 23Capture or Kill2024With Mitch RappIn 2011, the President wants proof that Osama bin Laden is in Abbottabad before he orders a raid, and he trusts only Mitch Rapp to get it.Buy on Amazon
- 24Denied Access2025With Mitch RappEarly in his career, as the CIA fights for its future after the Cold War, Rapp is caught between American and Russian intelligence when a deadly threat is made against his girlfriend Greta’s family.Buy on Amazon
- 25Double Tap2026With Mitch RappOn his first deep-cover mission, a young Mitch Rapp must penetrate a jihadi cell that has kidnapped a chemical weapons scientist from the streets of Verona.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read in publication order, starting with Transfer of Power. American Assassin and Kill Shot go back to Rapp’s early career and can also be read first.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Mitch Rapp | Irene Kennedy | Scott Coleman | Stan Hurley | Claudia Gould | Anna Rielly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Transfer of Power | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | |||
| 2 The Third Option | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ||
| 3 Separation of Power | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | |
| 4 Executive Power | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 5 Memorial Day | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | |
| 6 Consent to Kill | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | |
| 7 Act of Treason | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ||
| 8 Protect and Defend | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ||
| 9 Extreme Measures | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ||
| 10 Pursuit of Honor | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ||
| 11 American Assassin | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ||
| 12 Kill Shot | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ||
| 13 The Last Man | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ||
| 14 The Survivor | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 15 Order to Kill | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 16 Enemy of the State | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 17 Red War | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 18 Lethal Agent | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 19 Total Power | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 20 Enemy at the Gates | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 21 Oath of Loyalty | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 22 Code Red | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 23 Capture or Kill | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 24 Denied Access | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 25 Double Tap | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
Characters in the Mitch Rapp books
6 characters from Vince Flynn’s chart, with the number of Mitch Rapp books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Mitch RappCIA counter-terrorism operative | 25 | Transfer of Power 1999 |
| Irene KennedyCIA counter-terrorism chief, later director | 25 | Transfer of Power 1999 |
| Scott ColemanFormer Navy SEAL and Rapp’s ally | 24 | The Third Option 2000 |
| Stan HurleyRapp’s brutal trainer and mentor | 23 | Separation of Power 2001 |
| Claudia GouldRapp’s partner in later books | 12 | The Survivor 2015 |
| Anna RiellyWhite House journalist and Rapp’s wife | 6 | Transfer of Power 1999 |