Book Review – Vince Flynn’s “Term Limits”

Is it scary when political thrillers are so easily inspired by real life events?

How about it when the issues discussed in said thriller are not only present and more complicated today, but still on that path of spiraling dangerously out of control?

The root problem discussed in Vince Flynn’s 1997 thriller, Term Limits, is with out-of-control spending by the politicians in Washington, D.C.  Another issue is at cause, but it’s the continued spending and more spending that’s the focus factor in this novel.

Term Limits begins with President Jim Stevens trying to pass his latest budget, a budget full of pork spending and unnecessary burdens and taxes on the American taxpayers.  At first he’s still a few votes short of passing the budget, but thanks to his phone calls and White House Chief of Staff Stu Garret’s threatening, they find enough votes to pass the bill.

One of the Congressmen who intends on voting against the president’s budget is Michael O’ Rourke, a junior Congressman from Minnesota.  A former Marine, O’Rourke is fed up with the endless spending by his fellow politicians.  He doesn’t care if he doesn’t get re-elected in the next election.  O’Rourke is determined to do stick with his values and vote down the reckless spending.

As we quickly read, Congressman Michael O’Rourke isn’t the only person fed up with the politicians in Washington, D.C.

A night or two before Congress is to vote on the president’s budget, a team of terrorists using commando techniques make their strike.  Within a matter of hours, Senator Daniel Fitzgerald, Congressman Jack Koslowski and Senator Robert Downs are all assassinated with chilling precision.  The three members of Congress were some of the worst of the worst when it came to spending.  As we later find out, the killing of Senator Fitzgerald was also more of a personal matter.

The following morning, one of the news stations receives a letter from the terrorists stating their demands.  The demands include the cutting of wasteful government spending along with requiring Congress to pass a balanced budget.  Sadly, we’re still facing those same problems fifteen years after this book was first published.

FBI Director Brian Roach teams up with CIA Director Thomas Stansfield team up to solve the mystery of the assassinations.  With the help of Dr. Irene Kennedy, a terrorism expert at the CIA, it’s determined that the assassins are most likely military commandos, probably former American soldiers.  It’s explained that international terrorists generally don’t care about collateral damage and kill everybody around their targets, whereas the assassins that struck the previous night took great care to avoid additional casualties.

The assassination investigation continues, and the FBI is concerned with investigating former members of U.S. special forces.  While this is taking place, the terrorists strike again.  This time Speaker of the House Thomas Bassett is cleverly assassinated with a sniper shot while under full protection of the Secret Service.  Chaos follows and the assassin slips away.

The terrorists place a phone call to the FBI and offer a momentary cease fire for Washington to bury the dead members of Congress.  The funerals commence and the president makes another television appearance, assuring the American public that they are standing tall and not bowing down to the terrorists.

A few days later, the president and many of the Congressmen on both sides of the aisle hold a meeting at nearby Camp David.  The Secret Service isn’t taking any chances transporting the elected leaders, and they use an elaborate system of many helicopters to fly everybody from the White House to Camp David.  Some of the helicopters are decoys, others are flying in place to take the hit should a missile be launched at them.

When the president boards his helicopter, the terrorists strike again.  They use a sophisticated system of radar installations to trigger the helicopters’ threat warning systems and force them to take evasive action.  More radar systems are triggered, and the president’s helicopter and his escorts are forced into a valley.  A mock missile is launched, scaring the president and everybody on board his helicopter.  They safely make it to Camp David, but the mental damage is done.  President Jim Stevens is thoroughly fed up with the terrorists and the investigation into their identification and capture.

Congressman O’Rourke has a suspicion about who may be carrying out the terrorist attacks.  His hunch takes him to his old friend Scott Coleman, a former Navy SEAL.  Coleman doesn’t admit anything, but he warns O’Rourke to tell his friend, Senator Erik Olson, to stay away from the president.

O’Rourke meets again with Senator Olson and he learns more about Coleman’s history.  The two of them fly down to northern Georgia to meet an old friend who spills even more secrets not only against Coleman, but Arthur Higgins, the retired CIA Director of Black Ops.

After returning to Washington, Senator Olson is killed by a terrorist attack.  O’Rourke watched in horror as two men on a motorcycle tossed a bomb onto Olson’s limousine, killing the senator and his escorts.  O’Rourke initially blames Coleman for the attack, but Coleman convinces him that he had nothing to do with it.  The previous assassinations, yes, but Olson, no.

As the FBI and CIA are still digging deeper into the attacks, another congressman is killed.  A team of commandos killed not only Congressman Burt Turnquist, but also the four lawmen who were guarding his house.

It’s now apparent that two separate groups are responsible for the killings in Washington.  While the first group used precision to kill only their targets, this second group is less concerned for the innocent and kills everybody in their way.

It turns out that the second group of killings is part of a plan hatched by National Security Advisor Mike Nance, Chief of Staff Stu Garret and former CIA Director of Black Ops, Arthur Higgins.  Higgins is taking advantage of the previous assassins and he has his assassins take out a few people in Washington.  As we learn, his killings are more for personal reasons.  The logic here is that with a few more people out of the way, it’ll be easier for Higgins to be confirmed as the next director of the CIA.

The problem for Nance and Higgins is that Michael O’Rourke and Scott Coleman stand in their way.  The last parts of Term Limits is a thrill a minute as Higgins is captured and interrogated, and O’Rourke and Coleman use the FBI to help take out Mike Nance and Stu Garret.  The thrills keep going as just when everything seems finished, Mike Nance uses a hitman to capture and beat Michael O’Rourke.  The FBI races against time to find and rescue O’Rourke before Nance finishes his personal mission.

As a whole, Term Limits is a fantastic novel that takes a fantasy look at solving some of Washington’s problems.  This is a must-read for everybody else fed up with our politicians and their out-of-control spending.

Back in June I read Vince Flynn’s second book, Transfer of Power.  When I picked up his first book, Term Limits, and began reading it, I was expecting to see Flynn’s main star, Mitch Rapp.  That character is his main star and dominates the rest of Flynn’s books.  As it turns out, Mitch Rapp does not appear in Term Limits.  His first appearance wouldn’t be until Flynn’s second book, Transfer of Power.  A few recurring characters are in Term Limits, but not Vince Flynn’s main star.

That being said, Term Limits is a great standalone book that is right on the money for issues that still plague our government today.  Parts of the story seem a bit simplistic and repetitive, but as a whole this is a pretty good book.

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This article was originally published at www.chamberofreviews.com on September 4, 2012.