Back in November I wrote an article listing everything we already know about Kyle Mills’ next Mitch Rapp book, taking place after The Survivor. Specifically, I wrote out six individual things that we already know – which you can read by clicking here.

While the next Mitch Rapp novel doesn’t have a title or release date yet, though I’d expect both to be announced soon, we do know that it will be the fifteenth book in the series and that it will come out sometime next fall.

On top of that, we now know the name of the villain that Rapp will face off against in 2016.
First, here’s an except from an interview I did with Kyle Mills for The Life Sentence back in October:

The big thing that I’m doing in the next book is that Mitch has a nemesis that is really close to being his equal. That’s something that hasn’t been done in the past. Mitch is always on top. Gould would probably be the closest that Vince ever came to that. In a lot of ways, Gould was the inspiration. What if someone like Gould, but pumped up a couple of notches, went at it with Mitch?

That guy lives in Costa Rica. So that’s why a lot of the scene and setting is on Costa Rica and I’m heading over there in January so I can get all the location stuff right.

Kyle, of course, is right. Mitch has always, always been on top in the past. He’s never truly had an adversary that was his equal.

Just quickly think of the many action movies that end with the hero giving the bad guy a shot at him. It’s a cheesy, overplayed cliche that is all too common.

Off the top of my head, I can think of several movies where the hero had the upper hand, only to abandon his weapon and fight the man in front of him just to prove he’s the best of the two. It’s done in Lethal Weapon, The Expendables 2 and 3, Jack Reacher, and many others.

Now think of the Rapp universe, and try to apply that overused concept to the bad guys Mitch has already faced.

Who the heck is honestly going to stand up to Mitch that could give him a run for his money?
Senator Hank Clark?

Nope.

Rafique Aziz?

No way.

Stu Garret? Not a chance!

Without question, the closest person that fits this bill is Louie Gould. So to think that Rapp is going to be taking on someone superior to him is, well, exciting!

I remember when the movie Fast Five came out and Vin Diesel said that the role of Luke Hobbs, which ultimately ended up going to Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, was originally written with someone like Tommy Lee Jones in mind.

Now, no disrespect to Mr. Jones, who is a fabulous actor, but the best part of that movie (in my opinion) is the fight between Diesel and Johnson’s characters.

There is always something entertaining about seeing two elite heavyweights slug it out. Mitch is, without question, an elite heavyweight. But he’s never really been tested by someone that possessed his same unique skill set and physical abilities as him.

This time around, he will be.

So we know the new villain is awesome, we know that he lives in Costa Rica, and now we know his name!

In the the October fan Q & A on Vince Flynn’s website, Kyle Mills answered what he’s currently reading by saying:

El Misterio de Salem’s Lot. Still brushing up for my location-scouting trip to Costa Rica. It’s the home of Mitch’s new nemesis, Grisha Azarov. Plus, I love Stephen King. It’s amazing how vivid some of the scenes from this book still are in my mind. The last time I read it, I was nine years old!

There it is, GRISHA AZAROV!

According to the website First-Names-Meaning, Grisha is of Russian origin and, among a ton of other information they list, say this in reference to that particular name:

Grisha is an individualistic person who likes to be in the driving seat where his destiny is concerned while he also likes to be in charge of others. Ambitious and idealistic, he wants to shine, to be the best at what he does and influence people

Now, I don’t normally put a lot of stock into these types of websites, but in this case they might be onto something. To take on Rapp, Grisha will most definitely need to be ambitious, and have the desire to be the best at what he does.

So to recap: His name is Grisha Azarov, he lives in Costa Rica, his skill set is very much similar to Mitch’s, and this dude is unlike anyone Rapp has ever gone up against before.

The only think I can think of to say is… I CAN’T WAIT!