I can’t believe it, but I’ve reached the end of an era. One of the best of my life.

As many of you know, I’m currently finishing up Code Red, Book 22 in the Mitch Rapp saga. After a lot of thought, I’ve decided that it’s going to be my final contribution to the series.

The first thing that comes to mind as I write these words is gratitude. It was incredibly intimidating to be offered an opportunity to take on one of the most iconic thriller series in the world. Not only because I was afraid that I might not be able to pull it off, but because I wasn’t sure anyone would want me to. 

How wrong I was. 

Less than an hour after the announcement, I began receiving emails from Vince’s fans saying how much Mitch Rapp meant to them and how excited they were that he would continue. Vince’s family, who I’ve since had the privilege of getting to know, also reached out to express how happy they were that Vince’s legacy would live on. I was overwhelmed by the warmth of my reception and without it I’m not sure I ever would have finished The Survivor.

So why now? Why leave the best job I’ve ever had, the best team I’ve ever worked with, and the best fans in the genre? It may be that I’m just nuts.

But the other reason is that I’ve had a character bouncing around in my head for years now and I can’t seem to shut him up. When I wrote the last page of Fade in 2003, I left my SEAL protagonist bleeding out on a tile floor. I thought he was gone forever, but I could never completely shake him. Eventually, I came to see him lying in a coma—a hazy image that, instead of diminishing, became increasingly sharp. He’s been silent for almost twenty years, and now feels like the right time for him to wake. The world has changed radically since I wrote that novel but, ironically, the eponymous character is the perfect person to take it on. Check out the blog on my website if you’d like more details on what I have planned for the series but, for now, I think I know the question burning in your mind:

What will happen to Mitch Rapp?

The answer is very, very good things. 

Appropriate drum roll, please…

I’ll be passing the baton to my good friend Don Bentley. For those who haven’t read his Matt Drake series or his contributions to the Tom Clancy universe, you’re missing out. He’s an exceptionally talented writer with a background in both the army and FBI, making him perfect for the job. Further, Emily Bestler—Vince’s editor and the keel that’s kept the series on track since the beginning—will continue running the show. So readers will get the best of all worlds: fresh ideas and perspectives, but ones that are still anchored to the foundations that have proven themselves time and time again.

And, of course, I’ll continue to be there for everyone involved—Don, Emily, and readers.

I have to admit that I’m kind of excited. After all this time as the master of the Rappverse, I’m looking forward to being a fan again. There’s nothing quite like rushing out to a bookstore on pub day, clearing my calendar, and plopping on the sofa to join Mitch on his latest adventure. Until now, I didn’t realize how much I missed it.

Thanks to everyone. It’s been both an honor and one hell of a ride.

Man, I am so excited for this opportunity. Vince Flynn is my all-time favorite author, and I am humbled at the chance to continue his legacy. I don’t remember when I read my first Vince book, but I remember how it felt—like biting into a live wire. Discovering Mitch Rapp forever changed me both as a reader and a writer. Vince took the genre that Tom Clancy invented and adapted it to the Global War on Terror. Mitch Rapp was the protagonist that all of us who served at the pointy end of our nation’s spear wanted to be. 

When I was stationed in Afghanistan, there was a little lending library a short walk from my b-hut, and it was chock full of dog-eared Vince Flynn paperbacks. I mainlined those suckers, and judging by their worn condition, I wasn’t the only one who lived vicariously through Mitch. I would have never believed back then that seventeen years later I’d be entrusted by Vince’s family and his incredible editor, Emily Bestler, to take the reins from Kyle Mills. I am so excited to get started, and I CAN’T WAIT to get my hands on Code Red to see what Mitch, Irene, and Scott are up to now!