The book is based on an actual list prepared by very secretive government agencies enlisting the enemies of the United States for the eyes of the president and a few of the top brass.
The Kill List focuses on telling us how lethal terrorists are tracked down from unimaginable corners of the world. It is centered on a Colonel who is a part of a government agency known as TOSA which tracks or ‘hunts’ down the enlisted individuals. He has to track down a man whose name, face or even his origin is unknown to the agency. The man however, only known as The Preacher, is responsible for radicalizing several individuals to conduct terrorist acts around the world.
Tracking a terrorist is not a walk in the park. They work in groups and have links with anonymous individuals of groups to keep them hidden and funded. An agency has to collaborate with other foreign agencies by sharing intelligence or even sharing resources with something in turn. A lot of politics is also involved when the agency has to use foreign resources. The book gives us an elaborate example of each of these variables.
The book also follows many radical events which all ultimately lead to the Preachers death.
The Kill List is  an epic thriller that tells us how complex tracking a ruthless terrorist can be. The legitimacy of the book and the ideas and tactics mentioned in the book are authentic which makes it an exceptional war based thriller.