Gathering Five Storms: A Dangerous Clique Novel

by Jim Geraghty

Storms are brewing. Is it too much for the Dangerous Clique to survive?

Few within the US government know that the Dangerous Clique – a wisecracking, ragtag bunch of rogue CIA operatives operating outside the lines exists. But over the years, the team has made dangerous enemies – and now someone knows exactly who they are and is bringing the fight to them.

After a foiled strike on CIA headquarters and a threatening note that hints that those behind the attack have an axe to grind against the Clique, Katrina Leonidivna, her husband Alec Flanagan, and the rest of the team reexamine their old case files to determine who wants them dead. The chase leads them down memory lane and around the globe as the crew reminisces about the chaotic first days of their partnership.

As if grappling with a world spinning off its axis and being hunted by a mysterious foe weren’t enough, Katrina and Alec are also unexpectedly on the cusp of parenthood. And as they work their contacts to uncover who is hot on their trail, they realize that an alarming number of their former associates have hunkered down in anticipation of more storms in the offing – a series of interlocking global crises – suggesting the world will never return to normal. As they strive to right the wrongs of the world their children will inherit, the descendants of an old foe have other plans that threaten to plunge the world even further into chaos.

As storm clouds gather on the horizon, can the Dangerous Clique evolve before it’s too late?


Extraordinary Praise for Jim Geraghty and The CIA’s Dangerous Clique

“Geraghty has hit another homerun! Hunting Four Horsemen is an absolutely electrifying thriller. Fantastic plot, pacing, and characters. Bravo!”
—Brad Thor, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Near Dark

“A thoroughly researched thriller [Between Two Scorpions] with a threat vector I wish I’d come up with—and a bite of humor rarely seen in the genre.”
—Brad Taylor, author of Daughter of War and the New York Times-bestselling Pike Logan series, retired U.S. Army Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel

“Powerful, real, and relevant, Jim Geraghty's Between Two Scorpions is a well-written and dynamite page turner and a welcome addition to the thriller genre.”
—Mark Greaney, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of Mission Critical

“Jim Geraghty is one of the most insightful and cutting writers in the country.
—Ben Shapiro, author, The Right Side of History and founder of The Daily Wire

359 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 23, 2022

About the author

Jim Geraghty is a conservative blogger and regular contributor to National Review Online and National Review, and a former reporter for States News Service.

Reviews

[Jonathan Den Hartog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Geraghty keeps improving as a novelist. This is a great improvement from the last installment. Good plotting, and great reflections on parenthood. The call-backs to Geraghty's -Heavy Lifting- are both explicit (in a funny line) and implied. A good beach or rainy day read.

[Paul Sand · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Imported automatically from my blog. Some formatting there may not have translated here.]

This is the third novel in Jim Geraghty's series about a small cadre of CIA employees who are assigned the riskiest and most covert of assignments, ones that often result in considerable violence and wisecrackery. I recommend that you read the first two in the series (my reports are here and here) before attempting this one.

Here, the Dangerous Clique seems to be the target of an insidious plot, apparently based on a long-standing grudge someone's held from the group's early days in 2003. But who? Especially since just about all their adversaries from those first missions are pushing up daisies? The flashbacks to those early days describe the group's initial chemistry and motivations, set against the days when we were about to invade Iraq.

Problems abound, especially when the group strenuously objects to actions demanded by an (unnamed) Joe Biden, carried out by the (fictional) CIA director. Things get pretty rowdy, and imperil the Clique's continued existence. This sets up for (yet another) showdown with the bad guys at Nakatomi Plaza One World Trade Center, with what is described as a "luxurious and ludicrously overpriced observation deck".

The book's right about that: as I type, tickets go for $58

The flaws here are the same ones I noticed in the previous books: clunky/didactic dialog, a ludicrous plot, some minor typos, too many pop culture shout-outs. But Jim (I call him Jim) is clearly having a lot of fun writing these novels, and I've had a lot of fun reading them.

Oh yeah, the ending is kind of a setup for the next book. And (small spoiler) the identity of the long-discussed CIA "mole" is revealed, and … well, it's the character who's basically been sporting an "Hey, I'm the Mole" button all along.

[Carl Palmateer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good yarn just beware of whiplash as to go back and forth over the years. On a less favorable note while the teaser at the end was fine I dislike having a spoiler tacked on. What is this, Marvel?

[JK Bitting · Rating 5 out of 5]

great read

Highly recommend
Fast paced but easy to follow.
I look forward to future adventures. Great continuation to the previous two books in the series.

[terrence · Rating 2 out of 5]

Do not quit your day job, Jim!

[JustEvan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! An excellent continuation of the series. (A big improvement on the previous one).

[Tyler Hurst · Rating 3 out of 5]

First one was better. Feels like it is trying too hard and the plot felt a bit weak.