Book #38–Extreme Measures

Another re-read, though I don’t see it in my list. Extreme Measures introduces Mike Nash, recruited and trained by Rapp (I assume we’ll read this at some point), and in Afghanistan to interrogate prisoners. The politicians have gotten in the way and made the Air Force and CIA respect the Geneva Convention. Rapp doesn’t like it and impersonates an Air Force officer to interrogate the prisoners in the middle of the night. He’s found out, and arrested, but not before he gets some information that confirms a third terrorist cell (two have been caught).

While Rapp deals with Senators that want to arrest him, Nash struggles with his home life and the job. This is a great piece of writing as we read lots from Nash’s perspective and his struggled with life while trying to keep going on the job. you can feel the pressure build as there are Rapp’s (and the CIA’s) troubles with Senators over torture, his wife and family pressures, including his son getting into a fight at a prep school, and there’s his operative that infiltrated a mosque in DC.

A thrilling end and the terrorists score one, setting off bombs in DC and then attacking the Counterterrorism Center. It’s a scenario I’m surprised hasn’t happened in real life.

This is really part 1 in a two part book series.