Weapons Grade

Jack Ryan, Jr. #17

by Don Bentley

Penned by a gifted author hailed as “a worthy successor to Tom Clancy” (Publishers Weekly), this action-packed New York Times bestseller follows Jack Ryan Jr. as he uncovers dark secrets in a small Texas town — secrets that end up having catastrophic global implications…
✳Narrated by an AudioFile Golden Voice!

The quiet of a Texas night is shattered by the sounds of screeching brakes, crumpling metal and, most shockingly, rapid gunfire. The auto accident Jack Ryan Jr. thought he witnessed turned out to be a professional hit. Jack may be too late to save the victim, but he’ll be damned if he’s going to let the hitters escape justice.

He’s got just one lead—a meeting the victim was going to. When Jack shows up instead, he’s drawn into the seedy underbelly of a small, Texas town and the cold case of a college student who vanished from its streets.

Jack is left with nothing but questions. Who wants it to look like the victim was drunk? Why does someone want an innocent witness killed? And most of all, what’s a team of South African hitmen doing in the Lone Star State?

His quest for answers will take Jack from a quiet Texas road to the middle of an international conspiracy and may just cost him his life.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Spy Thriller, Action

499 pages, Hardcover

First published September 5, 2023

About the author

Don Bentley is the NYT bestselling author of FORGOTTEN WAR, Tom Clancy WEAPONS GRADE, and Vince Flynn's MITCH RAPP series (2024). Former FBI Special Agent and Army Apache pilot. Learn more at www.donbentleybooks.com

Reviews

[Scottsdale Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since I’ve been tracking hypersonic aircraft over the last decade, this book’s cover grabbed my attention; yeah, an image of a hypersonic plane.

Jack Ryan Senior and Junior are key characters. If you liked Clancy’s early books, you will love both these guys. Mary Foley does her usual herding the bureaucratic cats in DC making things happen.

Bad actors attempt a nearly impossible mission to steal a very secretive plane by coopting a brilliant engineer to allow them to get access of the AI that runs the hypersonic plane with a new weapon that could be used against our nation.

The plot twists and turns and the denouement is all Clancy. Jack Junior with the help of his fellow workers saves the day.

I do love it when the good guys win, so I am a sucker for Clancy.

You will love it. -Tom L.

[Jeremy Peers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don Bentley closes out his Tom Clancy run with Weapons Grade, featuring the coolest plane ever built –the SR-71– and an indestructible Jack Ryan, Jr. While in Texas to watch a football game and relax with Lisanne, Ryan witnesses a devastating car wreck. Being the standup guy he is, Ryan stops to help. And walks right into a gang hit or an assisination. Wanting to learn more, Jack is thrust into a conspiracy involving dirty cops, kidnappings, a stolen hypersonic prototype plane, an SR-71 Blackbird and Iran being on the cusp of building a nuke. That’s a big weekend to-do list. Bed, Bath, and Beyond will have to wait.

The end of a relationship is a sad time. But, I know at least one person who isn’t sad this is Bentley’s last Clancy book. Jack Ryan, Jr. himself Bentley has kicked the living shit out of Ryan during his tenure which is fine because he’s apparently immortal. A little ridiculous but highly entertaining.

All I knew prior to reading Weapons Grade was the SR-71 Blackbird was heavily featured and was excited to see how Bentley used the platform. What I discovered was the Blackbird wasn’t featured as much as I would have liked but what was there was A+. I actually think the plane was overshadowed by the rest of the goings on. There’s a lot going on. A lot. Too much. I’d have to read the book three or four times to catch everything or take copious notes. Even then, loose threads would remain. I think losing any one of the background storylines would make for a better story and reading experience. But, what do I know? It took me four weeks to write this review.

One thing I’m certain of: The Jack Ryan, Jr. series is better off for having Bentley at the helm. He has breathed new life into the series. He created new storylines and introduced new characters (Jad and Cary) readers love. He’s leaving the series better than when he took over and has given the incoming author a plethora of options moving forward.

Thank you to G.P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Weapons Grade.

[Pierre (Enjoying Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This seemed like a great ride and opened so many vivid sceneries in my head. A refreshing novel with all sorts of adventures. Read it…you don’t have to read the other 35 books, but it’ll make it more complete

[Jeremy Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent novel. This book read as part Jack Reacher part Pike Logan. Jack Ryan Jr finds himself in a small Texas town and thrown into the middle of a situation where he has to investigate, protect innocent and get his butt kicked a time or two while other big worldwide consequences take place. I haven’t caught up yet to the Jack Ryan books but this was easy to read and understand and I thought that President Jack Ryan still felt like the man Tom Clancy wrote almost 40 years ago. Go check it out!

#TomClancyWeaponsGrade #NetGalley

[Emir · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do Jack Jr going to the football game, Super duper secret squirrel airplanes, South African mercenaries and MS13 have in common. Nothing, yet Mr Bentley once again creates a master piece with his last and final Jack Jr novel. Action from the start, this book leaves you wanting for more. What an ending. What?? What is next in Jack Jr’s world. Who can top Don? Only one way to find out…keep reading.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not in the habit of reading ersatz authors but I’d heard there was a SR-71 in this one. There was. Your typical military techno thriller with Texas and Iran as settings and characters with indefatigable energy reserves, unbelievable luck, muscle memory, and Olympic level field skills that both awe and become tiresome after awhile.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best page turner the author has written. The plot showed knowledge of guns, flying, without delving into the electronic technobabble that some authors like to pretend they understand. The plot was a page turner, wild escapes (normal), and "fly in the pants" action scenes. A fun read.

[Marty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe Don Bentley is going to stop writing the Jack Ryan Jr series. He's done a fantastic job with this franchise and the latest (his last) is great.

Jack once again finds himself drawn into an improbable scenario that somehow connects to a situation half the world away. Nevertheless, Bentley connects the dots while bringing in the various aspects that have made the series great.

Plus, Bentley has locked VanHagar as the superior VanHalen into the series forever! 👍

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

The latest entry in the famed Tom Clancy series was a very big surprise. Gone was Jack Jr.'s dweebieness and he is finally coming into his own as a paramilitary operator. I enjoyed the book, but was let down by a couple of its facets; I felt the Israelis could have been involved in more detail. Also, the Campus' other operators play almost zero role in the story. Other than that it was a very good book.

[Greg Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan series continues to roll on, Another great edition with an exciting and suspenseful plot.

[Madeleine - Bokdjungeln · Rating 4 out of 5]

Även i den andra delen i serien om presidentens son bjuds läsaren på en intensiv resa fylld av action, militära operationer och tekniska detaljer. Don Bentley visar återigen sin förmåga att skapa ett högt tempo och en spännande berättelse. Det ska dock nämnas att vissa delar kändes utdragna och i överflöd till resten av handlingen.
Denna bok kan så klart vem som helst läsa och uppskatta, men jag hade särskilt rekommenderat Konspirationens vittne till den som uppskattar militärteknologi och strategiska inslag i sina thrillers. Samtidigt har boken som sagt en bredd som gör att även andra läsare kan finna den intressant.
Personligen fann jag den första boken i serien snäppet starkare, men Konspirationens vittne är fortfarande ett gediget tillskott till serien.
Sammanfattningsvis vill jag säga att detta är en välskriven thriller för den actionintresserade, med en tydlig känsla för detaljer och en handling som levererar.

[Nancy Cook Lauer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5. This fast-moving thriller features a Clancy-level attention to the techie aspects of the SR-71 Blackbird and a prototype UCAV Corvair as the secretive agency Jack Ryan Jr. works for tries to thwart operation of an enriched uranium factory in Iran. Throw in a bunch of Green Berets, kidnappings and a lot of shooting and you have a book. Author Don Bentley is a decorated Apache helicopter pilot who served in Afghanistan before joining the FBI as a specialist in foreign intelligence and counter intelligence, lending a certain heft to the story.

[Denny · Rating 5 out of 5]

KINDLE

[Susan J McDuffie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ryan Jr the story continues!

I like the continuing story of Ryan Jr. I’m glad to see the prospects there for him to be happy with Lisanne.. The story was action filled and left you on the edge of your seats. Enjoy all those who are Jack Jr and Jack Sr…

[Martin Duquette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting story, sometimes it was hard to follow, but once I got in the flow of the story it was ok.

[Venkat K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat remarkably, United Airlines had this book in their mobile "library" Dulles Airport, DC. I picked it up and managed to finish it over a long flight. I remember reading Tom Clancy when I was much younger and enjoying them, although I used to like Robert Ludlum quite a lot better.

Don Bentley has done a decent job of taking the Jack Ryan Jr hero stories further. It is somewhat anachronistic in this day and age to read about someone pursuing a course of action purely due to their "honor". I suppose in some ways, it is comforting to think that there are individuals and teams out there motivated purely by that complex emotion "honor".

What it does do is to make the novel a rather simplistic saga of good against evil where good is defined as the great American President helping out the great Israelis engaged in a fight over some weighty things against Iran. It is a nice story, and eminently readable and dare I say enjoyable in parts as well. To be fair though, the author's aviation chops are easily discernible and the way he describes the SR-71 in all its glory is awesome!

all in all, a great way to ward off the boredom of 5 hours on a flight!

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I admit up front to being a fan of this series (as well as other Jack Ryan novels) because they are fast paced, entertaining, and I always learn a little something. And the storytelling is great. In this latest, our hero Jack Ryan Junior just wanted to go to the game, not get tied up in a mess involving college students, South African hit men, and conspiracies but that's life when you're a Ryan. Trust that his sense of humor will help him immensely in dealing with the bad guys (and the good guys) even as his father, the President, has his own set of problems. Yes there's military tech, yes, there are a lot of characters, yes it zooms around the world, and yes, some of it is implausible but still.....Bentley has done well by JRJ, especially in distinguishing him from JR- he's got his own voice. This is a good addition. Those who haven't read Bentley (or any of the preceding books) will still enjoy this page turner. Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC. Looking forward to the next one.

[Joni · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay. Bit too many fighting scenes for me.

[Dave B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent read, first 2/3’s I found dragged on, almost felt like filler, but the last 1/3 totally redeemed it with the all out, Jack Ryan action we’ve come to know and love.

[Mike Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was shocked when I heard there were going to be two Jack Ryan Jr books this year. I was worried that two in the same year might lead to one or both of the books being hastily written and thrown together on a deadline. I was pleasantly surprised when this wasn’t the case. Don Bentley doesn’t disappoint with Weapons Grade. It is a fitting addition to the Jack Ryan Jr. Series.

It starts out with Jack driving back from a Texas A&M football game when there is an accident, that turns out be a hit. Jack is drawn into the mystery which includes corrupt cops, small towns, a missing college student, and South African killers. While Jack is digging for the truth his father, President Ryan, is dealing with a hated enemy about to gain nuclear capabilities. As far apart as these two problems seem, they all come to a head in Texas, and it is up to Jack Jr to save the day.

I really like the grittiness of Don Bentley’s Jack Jr. He is a Boy Scout just like his dad always trying to do the right thing, but in doing so he brings great harm and danger on himself. Jack Jr. isn’t an invincible super hero. He takes a beating as he saves the day. I also like how Jack Jr is growing in the series. He is learning from previous missions and has the credibility now that he didn’t have earlier in the series. There are also lots of changes in his personal life, which can make for some interesting storylines moving forward.

This is a solid five star thriller, and well worth the read. Thank you to NetGalley, Don Bentley, Penguin Group Putnam, and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for a free advanced copy for an honest review.

[Mark Easter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find it hard to write that I found a Clancy/Jack Ryan Jr./Don Bentley book disappointing, but it was for me. The whole "Jack traipsing through Texas and coming across a hyperspace UAV hijack plot while helping one poor bystander victim after another" just seem contrived and awkward from the get-go. I am glad I read it in the sense I take some weird pride in having read every Clancy universe book. But, my favorite book in the collection it was not.

[Kerry Mann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Talk about a guy who trouble literally finds him everywhere!! Jack,jr is the man! I loved this book and I really like how other members of the Campus are being given a bigger part of the story.
Seriously Jack can't go on vacation!!

[Will · Rating 5 out of 5]

SUBJECTIVE READER REVIEW WITH PLOT SPOILERS FOLLOWS:

If this was Don Bentley's last contribution to the Clancy Universe before taking over the Vince Flynn Universe, he went out with a bang! Though not as action packed as 'Target Acquired,' 'Weapons Grade' avails itself quite nicely with a storyline with more twists and turns I had to read it twice to catch everything! I don't ever do that either. For once, Jack Ryan Jr. is innocent by standards when trouble lands in his lap.

Escaping their Campus world for a little privacy and relaxation, fiancés Jack and Liseanne Robertson head down to Austin, Texas, to meet up with her college roomie Karlie Dills, and after getting bombed at a bar that's the last we hear about Karlie. Jack heads off to College Station for a football game and on the way back stops to assist a driver whose vehicle was crashed in small town Briar Woods. Oops, that did it, Jack pissed somebody off and there will be hell to pay!

From this inauspicious beginning it takes about 250 pages to finally get the 25,000-foot view of the terrain, but Jack has stumbled across a very complex conspiracy to snatch a top secret unmanned aerial vehicle, the Corvair UCAV, by having it fly to Cuba as its interim stop from the Skunkworks Fab Plant in Palmdale, California. Jack becomes the center of the 'ground' battle to stop the heist, while a retired USAF Colonel Bob, call sign Lorenzo, is called back for a final flight in his old bird, the SR-71 Blackbird, and becomes the center of the 'air' battle. By way of explanation, the SR-71 is the only aircraft ever built that can 'shadow' the Mach 5 UCAV during its prototype acceptance flight, but things go very badly.

The ground battle is being pursued by mercenaries hired by Iranian spy Yebo, the leaders of which are former South African Recces out for their last big merc job before retiring. Little do they know it will be permanent retiring until it's way too late. As Jack gets snatched in Briar Wood, awaking on railroad tracks with a train charging towards him, he endures the first of the beatings which finally leave him a bruised and partially broken human in the end. In the middle he sets up the mercs and gets off a mayday to the Campus, resulting in a worldwide Mayday for all operators to converge on Texas. His Ranger buddies Carey and Jad are the only ones who can get to him, and they turn out to be just enough to make it out alive.

After making the Mayday call to Gavin Bierry, he purposely alerts the mercs to his location by turning on one of their phones, then hires Isaac and Kyle and their Texas Hog Hunters helicopter to tail the bad guys when they come to snatch him a second time at a seedy rural Texas motel. To Jack's good fortune, Issac and Kyle are former SPECOPs operators, so there's four seasoned veterans plus Liseanne to fight the ground battle.

Much to Colonel Bob's surprise, the UCAV doesn't head due east per its mission profile, but turns south, ultimately doing slow circles in the sky above Widow's Peak, Texas, which has become the mobile command post for the mercs. Using a back door in the systems comms maintenance feed, the mercs send a huge ballon up with a controller's cab that links up with the UCAV and downloads the new mission profile. Just as it nearly completes transmission, Jack, riding in the Hog Hunter's chopper, shoots up the balloon antenna that's making the link to the UCAV.

In what had to be the longest National Security Council meeting in modern history, Colonel Bob is saved from intercepting the UCAV with the Blackbird only when Jack Junior disables the mercs illicit transmitting capability. Bentley seems to think that Jack Jr. must be black and blue and on death's doorstep at the conclusion of any Jack Ryan novel, but let me tell ya, it's not one you wanna miss!

[Frida Hemborg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detta är den första boken jag läser i Tom Clancys serie om Jack Ryan, och jag är så glad att jag äntligen gjort det! Detta är utan tvekan min pappas favoritserie, tror han har läst de flesta, så jag har ju vuxit upp med att se dessa böcker i bokhyllan hemma. Känns lite cirkeln sluten att jag nu börjat läsa dessa med. I denna bok får vi följa Jack Ryan Jr., son till Jack Ryan som numera är USA:s president (petition för att ha Jack Ryan som president i verkligheten istället…? 🙏🏼) Det är action och hög fart direkt från första sidan, och det fortsätter så genom hela boken. Det händer så mycket, och det är så jäkla spännande. Du sitter på helspänn genom hela läsningen, och det är en otroligt intressant och engagerande handling. Det är svårt att ana sig vad till vad som skall hända härnäst, oförutsägbar, vilket jag verkligen gillar.

Spioner, legosoldater, korruption, kärnvapen, och otroligt coola plan. Ja det är helt enkelt mycket i denna boken som är ”coolt”. Jag förstår hur så många runt om i världen har förälskat sig i denna karaktär, då han helt enkelt är just, sjukt cool 😅 Förstår att dessa böcker gett upphov till så många filmatiseringar och tv-produktioner, för vilket filmvärdigt pangslut. Har faktiskt börjat titta på serien, John Krasinski är ju bara såååå bra, passar perfekt i rollen (Jack Ryan Sr. vi får följa där). Kan absolut se mig själv läsa fler i denna serie, får väl gå hem och rota i pappas bokhylla! 😎

[Stuart Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hypersonic thriller

Don Bentley carries on the Jack Ryan, Jr. saga with another spell-binder. Even when taking a break, Jack Jr. manages to get himself entangled in a tale of violence and intrigue. The seemingly unrelated threads of the story are unpredictable and don't get tied together until after many twists and turns that kept immersed in the plot. No spoilers. If you leave ke to try to anticipate how the story will go, good luck with this episode. I have read all of the books in the Tom Clancy universe and this one does not disappoint - trouble certainly follows Jack around,and how he gets into it is sometimes as interesting as what he comes up with to get out.

[Steven C Runo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intricacies of Covert Operations Make Great Read

Not all operations go exactly to plan or evolve as the participants expect, and this multi- faceted adventure describes the twists and turns of what seems like a very complex scenario ripped from recent headlines as the various entities, both Google and bad, scramble to act to shape the outcomes. at times you may think you reading multiple books, as the perspectives change radically with the evolving story. No boring minutes here. As the fascinating pieces fall into place. A great story very well-told and a continuous suspenseful cliffhanger that maintains interest with every paragraph. more big picture focus, like RedOctober, with the struggles of the individual, like Clear and Present. Great fast- moving read.

[Jim McCulloch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, maybe a 3.5

This was my first Jack Ryan Jr. book written by Mr. Bentley. I had also never read any of Don Bentley's work. I thought the writing was excellent and enjoyed the story. I appreciate the author's accuracy with weapons, tactics, and close combat scenes. However, I did not bond well with Jack Ryan Jr. and that is the only reason my rating isn't higher. I had tired of Jack Ryan books years ago so perhaps that influenced my perspective.

I do look forward to reading some of Mr. Bentley's non-Ryan books. I may have found an author I really enjoy in Mr. Bentley.

[Lenore Alfonso · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a true Tom Clancy novel written by Don Bentley, which made Jack Ryan Junior, one of my favorite characters of all time. I listen to it because I highly appreciate the voice of Scott Brick because he is my true Jack Ryan, Junior, I look forward to every single one of Tom Clancy‘s books. I read every book he ever wrote and have read every book that his authors have taken on to keep true to the legend. Looking forward to my next Jack Ryan Junior, and please don’t ever take Jack Ryan Senior out of the White House. I’ll be very disappointed.

[Neal Carris · Rating 5 out of 5]

a little unbelievable and that’s what I like

A person cannot incur that amount of sustained abuse and still function, but the writing is so good that it easy to suspend disbelief. True to the Clancy style there are several or I should say multiple storylines that coalesce beautifully. I would have liked an epilogue to wrap up a few things, but since there isn’t I’m expecting them to be picked up a dealt with in book 12, DON.

[James Winchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don has done a great job carrying on the Tom Clancy franchise Jack Ryan Jr books. Solid book from start to finish. Jack is starting to take on his role as the true main character, the Campus operators are always busy somewhere else. The biggest draw back to the books ending. It was good but I felt this just dropped off the cliff. Here one moment gone and then the end. It’s hard to write different style stories after 30 books.