Elise Cooper, who provides some of our book reviews as a special service for BlackFive readers, wrote the following and I couldn't agree more with the sentiment. We lost a great one in Vince Flynn. Vince Flynn was a prolific political thriller writer. His main characters were no-nonsense CIA officials Mitch Rapp and Irene Kennedy. These characters have the same qualities the readers have grown to love: Mitch Rapp is unabashed, fearless, and cantankerous. Irene Kennedy is analytical, cunning, and supportive. Through these characters words and actions he is able to get his point across, that America better wake up and stop being soft on terrorists. Not only was he able to touch the minds and hearts of his readers but he also affected his fellow writers. Some New York Times best-selling authors wrote dedications to Vince Flynn for BlackFive.net. Nelson DeMille, the dean of thriller novelists whose main characters are John Corey and Kate Mayfield wrote, “Vince was a fan of my writing and we exchanged correspondence over the years. He was a really excellent writer and craftsman plus of course he was politically mature. We kept in touch for years before I finally met him about two years ago on Glenn Beck’s radio show. He was a gentleman, a down-to-earth guy, and a good family man. Everyone in the writing community will miss him.” Glenn Beck whose main character is Molly Rose wrote, “Vince was an incredible entertainer to many, a good friend to some, and a great husband and father to just a lucky few—but to me he was something else: a true American hero. Vince did more in a single novel to spread the truth and engage average Americans than most people do in a lifetime. I know that his family, friends and readers will miss him, but his country will miss him, too. Vince, I hope you’ll rest in peace knowing that the millions of people you influenced and inspired will not let you, or your message, ever be forgotten.” Alex Berenson whose main character is John Wells wrote, “I am sorry to say I never met Vince, but we ran in the same circles, and whenever his name came up, people always said the same thing: "He's a really good guy." Not in an over-the-top way, just a statement of fact: Vince is a really good guy. He was way more conservative than I was, but I never had the sense that his stances were opportunistic or meant to help his sales (something I can't say about every conservative spy novelist). He came by his beliefs honestly, one of seven kids, a graduate of a Catholic high school and a Catholic college. He was by far the most commercially successful of the new generation of spy novelists, a sleeker, more believable Clancy, but he carried his celebrity modestly and loved to blurb new novelists. His word carried weight, too -- I've lost count of the number of readers told me they bought The Faithful Spy because he endorsed it. Sometimes readers asked me if Mitch Rapp and John Wells would ever team up, and I told them the truth -- both men were too alpha to coexist. Wells would see Rapp as a knuckle-dragger, and Rapp would wonder about Wells' conversion to Islam and tell him to put his big-boy pants on and get going. They'd both be right. I'd like to think my novels are more sophisticated than Vince's -- but -- and I hate admitting this -- his are probably more entertaining start to finish. In our genre, the latter is really what counts, as Vince's sales prove. Over the course of his career, Vince entertained millions of readers. They -- and I -- are sorry that he and Mitch Rapp have left us behind.” Ben Coes whose main character is Dewey Andreas wrote, “It is truly difficult for me to write this, much less even believe it, but Vince Flynn has died. It just doesn't get any sadder than that. Like many authors who came after Vince, I owe a lot to him. He created a new standard, a new definition, of the modern thriller. His best quality if you ask me was his kindness. Even though he didn't have to, even though he had his own books to write, he took the time to help out many, many unknown first time authors, including me. I'm sorry you had to go so soon, Vince. We lost a great American today.” Jeffery Deaver whose main characters are Dr. Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs wrote, “As a reader, I've been a huge fan of Vince's books over the years. I always looked forward to spending time with Mitch Rapp, who's about as good an action thriller hero as you can find. As an author, I admired him even more. On the occasions when we had a chance to talk about the business of writing, I was struck by the way that he put his readers first, crafting every book with them in mind. For him, writing his novels was a way to both entertain his audience and talk about values that have made this country great. I will miss him greatly.” Jim DeFelice whose main characters are Danny Freah, Brenna and Zen Stockard wrote, “While we have several mutual friends, like most people I knew Vince Flynn best through his books - tautly plotted thrillers that kept you on the edge of your seat while making you think at the same time. Most people know how entertaining he was as a storyteller; those of us lucky enough to have spent even a small amount of time with him know he was maybe even better in person. But what struck me about Vince was how generous he was to other writers, most especially those just starting in the field. I once witnessed him give upwards of an hour to a "newbie" at a gathering when other famous authors would surely have ducked out. And...
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Posted
Jun 26 2013, 12:04 AM
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