Kinda Sorta

Since Kyle Mills began writing the late Vince Flynn's signature character, Mitch Rapp, with 2015's The Survivor, he's managed to bring some positive contributions to the on-edge assassin's story that helps keep the books from turning their familiar path into a rut. In his third book, Enemy of the State, Mills even made a Rapp version of a buddy movie, teaming him with characters from earlier books. Sure, those characters were definitely not prizes and the team less stable than hyped-up plutonium, but Mills somehow managed to bring the word "quirky" into the Rapp universe in a way that worked.

But Mills' most recent spin with Rapp, Lethal Agent, seems to have fallen into the rut side of things, using a lot of standard Rapp and thriller motifs in pretty tired ways. Mullah Sayid Halabi, thwarted by Mitch Rapp in his plans to stir up chaos throughout the Middle East and export it to the West, has come to believe his own pride caused Allah to desert him and allow Rapp to succeed. His new plan won't involve armies or combatants but weaponized viruses. The disease may even spread back into his own homelands, but those who do not die will be the true believers, servants of Allah who can rebuild society along his desired lines. Halabi's plan will use deception and misdirection to bring death to the unbelieving West. And after a disastrous attempt to kidnap Rapp fails, he decides he will even leave his revenge up to the will of Allah himself.

For his part, Mitch Rapp finds himself operating in the unfamiliar world of Mexican cartels, expert in neither the language nor the culture of his enemies. The sketchy clues which point him in this direction could be a part of Halabi's plan or another layer of deception -- with Rapp hung out to dry while a ruthlessly ambitious senator uses the nation's own enemies as stepping stones in her bid for the White House.

Despite the interesting characterization that Mills gives to Sayid Halabi, Agent is really not much more than a series of action set pieces strung together without a lot of organic reasoning behind them. Mills even offers up a segment of Rapp as the quarry in a version of the Most Dangerous Game trope that's nearing its centenary year. Rapp shoots these guys, then he shoots those guys, and in between he grouses about politicians, even the best of whom are just a little bit better than no good. Mills' commentary on our nation's modern divided political landscape comes in didactic diatribes, either from one character or another or extended speed-bump musings.

Mills' own work showed enough mediocrity to make the decision to sign him to continuing Mitch Rapp stories an iffy proposition. Unfortunately Lethal Agent is pretty much what they might have feared they would get from a Kyle Mills version of the hero. But since Mills had done well until now, there's good reason to hope he will be back in the swing next time.

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There's something fun about reading stories set in places that you know and have seen, so Bryan Thomas Schmidt's first "John Simon thriller," Simon Says, has some neat features for folks who know Kansas City and the surrounding area. Schmidt references known streets, locales and landmarks in his story of a police detective operating in KC as the 21st century's third decade bleeds into its fourth. Electric cars, some autonomously driven, and other day-after-tomorrow tech clues the reader that we are not dealing with today's world but doesn't make things so weird that we can't relate.

Simon and his partner stake out a warehouse based on a tip from a snitch -- and find themselves in a gunfight over containers of stolen tech and art. Both belong to a wealthy and well-connected gallery owner and the pressure to make the case perfect comes quickly and heavily. But before the pair can even start the investigation,  Simon's partner is kidnapped and witnesses go missing as well. Because of his personal involvement, Simon is frozen out of the investigation and finds himself with only an artificial android, Julian, as help in digging where he's not supposed to.

Schmidt has edited a number of books and anthologies and his first novel, The Worker Prince, earned an honorable mention in Barnes & Noble's science fiction awards for 2011. As you'd expect from an editor, he has a good command of pacing and keeping his narrative on track. He doesn't commit too much exposition although sometimes he could have done with some more showing than telling. And he lets the sense of place he builds with the Kansas City streets, suburbs and neighborhoods give his story flavor without overwhelming it.

But the story itself and its characters are very much paint-by-numbers echoes of other work. Even the artificial person is just another interchangeable "fish out of water" partner to the gruff Simon. To some degree every crime procedural uses lots of the same elements: Harassed superiors, stifling bureaucracies, corrupt and powerful people ruthlessly covering their tracks, strained family relationships, heroes whose connection to past days and simpler ways mystifies and embarrasses their "modern world" co-workers. You could also say, though, that every painter uses the same three primary and three secondary colors and blends they create; but some produce masterpieces and others produce advertising. Both Schmidt and the Simon series could grow into something, but the former will have to work more into his potential in order for the latter to do so.