Good news, Rapp fans! Our hero is set to return on September 5th in Enemy of the State, the latest Mitch Rapp novel from Kyle Mills.

Before we jump into the plot details, we know what you’re thinking, and yes, Enemy of the State is available for pre-order here.

Now onto the juicy details…

Following Order to Kill, last year’s bestselling novel, Kyle Mills deserves (in my opinion) our complete and total trust moving forward. Mills, without question, has shown that he understands Flynn’s characters and, on top of that, he’s demonstrated a knack for understanding what us fans want out of a Rapp novel, then delivers it.

Order to Kill was phenomenal on multiple fronts. First and foremost, the plot was brilliant.  The whole idea of Russia manipulating the world’s oil supply to boost their economy definitely read like a future news headline–so Mills obviously understands the world and has an above-average feel for geopolitics and how to apply real-life events into his novels.

But more importantly, Mills finally gave us what we’d waited many, many years to see in a Rapp book: a bad guy who is a legitimate threat to Mitch because he can match him step-for-step with his lethal skills and abilities.

That man, Grisha, easily became one of the more polarizing antagonists Rapp has faced off with throughout the entire franchise.

So, to me, it’s no question–Mills is the perfect author to continue this franchise. He’s already delivered two #1 New York Times bestsellers, and there’s every reason to expect that Enemy of the State (which, by the way, is the first four-word title of the entire series!) will continue that trend. Don’t believe me? Check out these freaking awesome plot details:

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 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? America can’t be seen moving against an ally. Rapp will be on his own. Forced to make a decision that will change his life forever, Rapp quits the CIA and assembles a group of independent contractors to help him complete the mission.

They’ve barely begun unraveling the connections between the Saudi government and ISIS when the brilliant new head of the intelligence directorate discovers their efforts. With Rapp getting too close, he threatens to go public with the details of the post-9/11 agreement between the two countries.

Facing an international incident that could end his political career, the President orders America’s intelligence agencies to join the Saudis’ effort to hunt the former CIA man down.

Rapp, supported only by a team of mercenaries with dubious allegiances, finds himself at the center of the most elaborate manhunt in history. It’s only a matter of time before he’s caught or killed. Will it be enough to turn the tables on the Saudis and clear his name?

I’ll give you a second to catch your breath, but I’ll also remind you to pre-order Enemy of the State now!

Okay, so as I was saying…

Perhaps more than anything, Mills has tried to stay true to Vince Flynn, his fans, and his characters, while at the same time doing new things and taking these characters places they haven’t been before–both physically (like Rapp going to Russia in the The Survivor) and emotionally (like Rapp visiting the house he and Anna shared, then breaking down as he remembered his late wife).

Obviously, and I can say this as someone who’s gotten to know Kyle Mills over the past few years, he cares about the small details and getting everything right. But he’s also willing to challenge the characters and allow them to grow. He couldn’t just continue to have Rapp take on the same enemies over and over again. That, no doubt, would get old fast.

Consider this: Vince Flynn died having never heard of ISIS, as their rise to prominence occurred after his death. Times are changing, and Mills has allowed that to carry over into his novels. That, by the way, is easier said than done when you factor in that an author’s novel comes out roughly a year after they write it.

Think about it, what’s relevant at the moment isn’t always relevant a year later. Vince Flynn was known for beating headlines and being able to read the geopolitical tea leaves. He was, after all, one of the first authors to make radical Islamic terrorists the bad guys in his books, at a time when most thriller writers were still focused on Russia.

Kyle, though, both benefits from and is hampered by the abundance of potential enemies he could use in his novels right now.

Obviously, most writers are keeping an eye on Russia, which Mills already touched on in Order to Kill. ISIS is another obvious one (also touched on in Order to Kill), but after that it’s a roll of the dice. Several authors (Mark Greaney, David Poyer, etc.) have written the Chinese into their plots. Others (Joel Rosenberg, Ben Coes, etc.) continue to keep tabs on Iran, working them into their novels. Mills, though, has written about Pakistan (The Survivor) and now, it appears, he’ll focus on the Saudis in Enemy of the State.

In addition to the Saudis, it seems as though Mills has come up with a creative way to potentially bring back characters from earlier in the series. Like everyone else, I’m super excited to read Enemy of the State, and can’t wait to be able to report back with my thoughts once the advance copies go out for review.

Lastly, I’ll just remind everyone that this is the final novel on Mills’ initial three-book deal, which he signed back in 2014. As of right now, there’s been no new contract announced, which means Mills’ future with the series is still unknown.

So, how can we help force the publisher’s hand and hopefully get a new deal done? Buy, buy, and buy some more.

No, seriously. The best way to voice ourselves, as the Rapp fan base, is to pre-order Enemy of the State, and keep buying and encouraging others to buy it, too! Pre-orders count for the first week of sales, which is crucial to an author’s chances of making the New York Times list. More than just that, money talks! If we let it be known we’ll shell out to buy more Mitch Rapp books as long as Kyle Mills is writing them, then maybe a new deal gets done in the near future.

I’ll be sure to post again once we get a look at the cover art for Mills’ next novel, but in the meantime, head over and pre-order Enemy of the State now!