Capture or Kill Review & September Spy Book and TV Guide

Here are the upcoming thriller and espionage books and shows to look out for this September!

September is prepped to continue treating us to an array of thriller, espionage, and military media from books to shows. 

Here are three books that are must reads!

Capture of Kill by Don Bentley

Release Date: September 3rd

Mitch Rapp is back! The counterterrorism operative and assassin made famous by Vince Flynn has the 23rd book in the series hit store shelves!

The untimely and unfortunate loss of Vince Flynn in 2013 created a void that has thankfully been filled by Kyle Mills over the years. The world was not without Mitch Rapp for long, just as Flynn would have liked it. 

Now in 2024 and after nine novels, Kyle Mills decided to pursue other projects and pass the baton to another incredible thriller author Don Bentley. Having written the Matt Drake thrillers (‘Without Sanction’ to ‘Forgotten War’) and navigating the realm of estate novels with several Tom Clancy Jack Ryan Jr. novels under the belt, the change made sense! Bentley is the type of author for natural progression. 

Aside from Ian Fleming and James Bond, Vince Flynn and his Mitch Rapp book series has always been near and dear to me in a personal way. Vince Flynn was my introduction to modern day thrillers. But it was more than just books. Beyond the Minnesota connection, beyond the books themselves, Vince Flynn was the type of person worth admiring and an author to dream of becoming. His writing advice shared with me when I met him has never been forgotten and in fact I utilized the advice to this very day. Thank you Vince Flynn for all of your work and the creation of an amazing character and series. Readers alike are quite blessed to have had Kyle Mills and now Don Bentley continue the legacy!

With Capture or Kill, Bentley decided to take us back in time. The question… What was Mitch Rapp doing around the time of the Bin Laden raid? This propels the character and story.

Capture or Kill surprised me as Bentley steps back to reconnect with Flynn’s earlier works. While I enjoyed the progression forward penned by Mills, which felt like a natural progression, Bentley harkens back to Flynn in an unique way. Going back to Rapp’s earlier door kicking days to pre-raid on Bin Laden. Reading Capture or Kill made me feel like myself fifteen years ago reading a book directly from Vince Flynn. While there is no true replacement for Flynn, Bentley strikes the iron so close that it surprised me. 

Capture or Kill by Don Bentley is an absolutely must-read! Honestly, it may be my book of the year and we are only in September. There have already been multiple amazing books of 2024 and I have to reread this and several others before I can make that determination for K.B.’s book of the year, but Capture or Kill is absolutely in contention!

CAPTURE OR KILL: A Mitch Rapp Novel by Don Bentley Synopsis - 

April 2011: On a remote mountaintop overlooking the remains of the Iranian nuclear weapons program, Azad Ashani witnesses a Quds Force demonstration of a capability meant to upend America’s war in the Middle East. Ashani, director of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security and Irene Kennedy’s former back channel to the Iranian government, recognizes the demonstration’s true significance, and the nation-ending conflict it will provoke. Alone, Ashani stands no chance of preventing this rush to madness.

But with the help of one man, he just might.

In Washington, DC, CIA director Irene Kennedy briefs the president that the operational window to kill or capture Osama bin Laden at his recently discovered compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan is rapidly closing. But before he’ll authorize a commando raid on Pakistani soil, the president demands irrefutable proof of bin Laden’s presence.

Proof he trusts just one man to provide.

Preventing a looming war in the Middle East while delivering justice for the nearly 3,000 Americans killed on 9/11 would be a big ask for anyone.

Mitch Rapp isn’t just anyone.

Order your copy now!

Cold Trail by Taylor Moore

Release Date: September 17th

Thanks to a friend of mine, he helped me discover Taylor Moore earlier this year. Sure glad he did because not only is Moore a fantastic author, but Garrett Kohl is one of those characters you love to read and even wish to be.

Set on the high plains of Texas, DEA agent Garrett Kohl has a rich familial connection that pairs well with the small town conspiracies while throwing plenty of villains towards Kohl’s direction to battle! The stakes are high with tension that keeps readers turning each page! guessing while providing that 

Official Synopsis:

In the fourth pulse-pounding thriller in the series, DEA Special Agent Garrett Kohl must find out what’s truly tainted in the energy industry and uncover a deep-rooted plot in order to protect his new business, beloved ranch, and family. Perfect for fans of C. J. Box and Jack Carr.

On leave from the DEA, Garrett Kohl is ready to settle down and build a stable foundation for his family. But that’s easier said than done. In order to give his girlfriend, Lacey, and adopted son, Asadi, the life they deserve, and get out from under crippling debt, some risks have to be taken. And shocking alliances have to be formed.

First, Garrett partners with an old nemesis to form his new energy venture: Savage Exploration. Then his estranged, aloof sister, Grace, reemerges, keen on brokering a contract to connect the Kohl Ranch energy play to a pipeline on the Texas coast. But the company’s earlier success is endangered when an explosion at a nearby natural gas plant injures several workers. Garrett begins to suspect foul play and embarks on a winding investigation, teaming up with his old war buddy, Kai Stoddard, and reaching out to his CIA contacts, uncovering a sinister conspiracy overseas.

From an ex-CIA intelligence officer and consultant for the Department of Defense, this exhilarating thriller follows a man’s turbulent journey to fight for his family and hold on to the land that he calls home, culminating in an explosive final showdown that he never could have expected.

Order your copy now!

Targeted: Beirut: The 1983 Marine Barracks Bombing and the Untold Origin Story of the War on Terror

Release Date: September 24

Jack Carr is back! Yes, this is book number two this year. June saw the release of Carr’ seventh (and final?) James Reece Novel in June with Red Sky Mourning. Now Carr is back with Targeted: Beirut: The 1983 Marine Barracks Bombing and the Untold Origin Story of the War on Terror written with James M. Scott. 

Official Synopsis:

The first in a new in-depth nonfiction series examining the devastating terrorist attacks that changed the course of history from #1 New York Times bestselling author Jack Carr and Pulitzer Prize finalist James M. Scott, beginning with the 1983 Marine barracks bombing in Beirut.

1983: the United States Marine Corps experiences its greatest single-day loss of life since the Battle of Iwo Jima when a truck packed with explosives crashes into their headquarters and barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. This horrifying terrorist attack, which killed 241 servicemen, continues to influence US foreign policy and haunts the Marine Corps to this day.

Now, the full story is revealed as never before by Jack Carr and historian and Pulitzer Prize finalist James M. Scott. Based on comprehensive interviews with survivors, extensive military records, as well as personal letters, diaries, and photographs, this is the authoritative account of the deadly attack.

Order your copy now!

September Spy Thriller Shows - 

Slow Horses

Season 4 is here! If you haven’t watched Sloe Horses, you are missing out. Unfortunately it is locked behind an Apple TV subscription, but trust me this show is worth the subscription. Not to mention the other awesome content like Severence, Ted Lasso, and others that are on Apple TV. 

Starring the great Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb, he leads a group of downtrodden MI5 operatives at Slough House while navigating the corruption, conspiracies, politics of the cloak and dagger world in the U.K.

Slow Horses is based on a series of novels by Mick Herron. Each season adapts a book from the series. Slow Horses also stars Jack Lowden, Kristen Scott Thomas, Rosalind Eleazar, with this season’s newcomer, the electric Hugo Weaving!

Season 4 kicks off on Apple TV September 3rd!

The Old Man

Finally the Old Man returns to kick butt! Season 1 released in 2021. After some time, the series returns with the cast intact and ready to deal with the repercussions of the characters’ past. The Old Man stars Jeff Bridges as the titular Old Man aka Dan Chase. The show also stars Jonathan Lithgow, Alia Shawkat, and Amy Brenneman. 

The show is based off of the novel of the same name, The Old Man by Thomas Perry, which was released in 2017.

The Old Man Season 2 premieres on FX September 9th!