Extreme Measures was published by Atria Books in 2008. Rapp’s protégé Mike Nash — a family man struggling to reconcile his violent profession with his domestic life — becomes the focal point of a political conflict over interrogation methods. A Senate committee targets the CIA’s enhanced interrogation program while terrorists plan attacks on American cities. The novel argues explicitly that the political establishment’s squeamishness about interrogation endangers American lives.
The novel is Flynn’s most directly engaged with the real-world debate over “enhanced interrogation techniques” (a euphemism for torture) that defined the post-9/11 era. Flynn’s position is clear: he believes these methods save lives and that politicians who oppose them are naive.
Mike Nash
Nash represents a new generation of Rapp — a man who shares Rapp’s skills but not his emotional armour. Nash has a wife and children; Rapp lost his. The contrast between the two men’s approaches to the same work gives the novel its psychological depth.
Collecting Extreme Measures
First edition (Atria Books, New York, 2008): Boards with dust jacket.
Approximate market values:
- Fine in dust jacket: $20–$35
- Signed first edition: $40–$120
Projected values (2026–2036): Modest appreciation.