Vince Flynn, the prolific and best-selling author of many political thriller novels, has died. He succumbed to prostate cancer after a two-year battle. Flynn was just 47 years old. Flynn announced in 2011 that he was fighting Stage 3 metastatic prostate cancer. A statement from Flynn’s publisher, Simon & Schuster, Inc., said he died Wednesday . Flynn self-published his first book, Term Limits , in 1997, then got a publishing deal. Term Limits became a New York Times bestseller, as did other works of his, many centering around the character Mitch Rapp, a counterterrorism operative. His long-time agent Sloan Harris, the co-head of publications at ICM, said, “Vince Flynn was an incredibly talented storyteller and a true pioneer in publishing.” “Despite his extraordinary talent and success, Vince never lost his common touch. He was a warm, generous and charismatic friend to everyone.” Motion picture rights to the Mitch Rapp character have been optioned by CBS Films with the intention of making an action-thriller movie franchise. Bruce Willis had signed on to an adaptation of American Assassin to play Rapp’s mentor and the hope had been to get Chris Hemsworth to play Rapp. He often rooted Rapp in real events. Rapp’s motivation for fighting terrorism originally sprang from the death of his high school sweetheart in the 1988 bombing of the Pan Am flight 103. One year later, the character was recruited into the CIA as an unconventional operative who is willing to push the envelope to accomplish his goals. Flynn’s novels have been praised for their extensive research and prescient warnings about the rise of Islamic radical fundamentalism and terrorism. His books have been read by current and former presidents, heads of state and intelligence professionals and are admired for their verisimilitude and imagination. R.I.P.
Original post:
Vince Flynn Dies; Best-Selling Author Was 47
