Never read either. My local Goodwill has a ton of hardcovers by each. Which ones would you buy and why?

I am not talking about the Cussler books with guest authors. I have heard those stink.

Clive Cussler has a great imagination and a knack for cool adventure stories.  He is a shit writer.  His technical skill is on par with a middle schooler.

Vince Flynn is an excellent writer with good technical skill and good imagination.

FPNI

Cussler is great for middle/high school readers.

Nothing wrong with that, I read him a ton when I was that age. As I matured, I gravitated towards Flynn.

Unfortunately we lost Flynn.
Start with Term Limits and follow the series.

Flynn by far.

Another writer did pick up the Mitch Rapp character and plot line.
Haven't read any of his yet though.

V Flynn, No doubt about it!

I can finish a CC book in a single reading and have all his books from each series, I find them entertaining but Flynn is a better writer.

A CC book is like a movie you have seen a thousand times and always want to read /see it again no mater how corny it is

Flynn is your man for fast paced thrillers. One of the GOAT.  RIP, Vince.

Not really comparable - different genres.  That said, both are (were) formula writers.  Read any two by both authors and you've essentially read everything.  Same as with the Child (really Grant) brothers, Mary Higgins Clark, Jo Nesbo, Robert Heinlein, Jack Higgins, Ian Fleming, Michael Connelly, Isaac Asimov, John Grisham, Scott Turow, John Sandford, and almost every other author living or dead.

MHO, YMMV, et cetera.

they are umm a tad formulaic

If you want to read some CC start with Raise the Titanic.  The next four or five after that are good. When he gets into the co-writers and branches off into other series, cut him loose.

I've read many of Cusslers books and enjoyed most of them, but Vince Flynn was a much better writer, imho. RIP Vince, you left us much too soon!

Flynn was a much better writer.

I read CC in high school and enjoyed it (41 now)

I picked up a Flynn book from a box somewhere in Afghanistan. Fucking garbage. Mitch Rapp is the worst fucking two dimemsional flawless man horseshit character I've ever read.

Try Clancy, Griffin, or Silva

Have read numerous Cussler books going back 30 years. Vixen 03 and Raise the Titanic is still my favs. They're not the best written books but they are entertaining.

The problem I have with many of Cussler's books is they are almost always the same plot line where he just changes the vintage cars, a few characters and the locations where things take place.

Have only read a few Vince Flynn books. His first, Term Limits, is still my fav. Just couldn't get into some of his later book characters for some reason. They're good books though.

I just wish Cussler would stop being an ass and let several of his books be made into movies. From what I've read the guy is a major pain to work with on varies things. Which is too bad as several of his books, if properly done, would be very entertaining movies. Only two have been made into movies, Raise the Titanic and Sahara. While I enjoyed both (Penelope Cruz ), neither did all that well (OK its a stretch they tanked) in the theaters.

THIS/

Only a few characters from TL go on but. This is the way to do VF

7mm

All cussler's books at the same, "dirk diggler bangs the chick and saves the world while doing some grand adventure"

Fixed it for you.

Cussler's books tend to be wash rinse repeat for the plot lines. Been that way since his first book. On the other hand he is credited with discovering the remains of the C.S.S. Hunley... and then in typical Cussler fashion a bunch of derp ensued which included at least one court case.

He just wants to make sure the filmmakers stay true to his story lines and characters. Raise the Titanic had such potential but that movie sucked badly, Sahara had potential, but casting Steve Zahn as Al Giordino was brutal. He was in no way, shape, form or fashion that character from the book but Hollywood had to have a comedic foil in this movie. Toned down a bit, this could have been a Bond/Star Wars type role for Matthew McConaughey.  There was a whole series of action blockbusters here if Hollywood hadn't screwed this up.

Alistair MacLean ( Where Eagles Dare, Guns of Navarone, Ice Station Zebra, Puppet on a Chain) was just as hard on Hollywood in the 50's and 60's as Cussler. Script control is the reason we have not seen Rogue Warrior/Red Cell made yet. Marcinko has a death grip on the script, as he should. Do you want to see Dwayne Johnson as Demo Dick and Jack Black as Rodent or any of his other shooters?

Underwater.