Clear and Present Danger

Jack Ryan #5

by Tom Clancy

Tom Clancy, the all-time master of the techno-thriller, is back with his newest, most controversial bestseller. Its theme: America's war on drugs. Its subject: The assassination of three American officials in Columbia ... and the covert --- and shocking --- U.S. response. Its title: CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Espionage, Military Fiction, Mystery, Action, Suspense

704 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 17, 1989

About the author

Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. was an American novelist and military-political thriller pioneer. Raised in a middle-class Irish-American family, he developed an early fascination with military history. Despite initially studying physics at Loyola College, he switched to English literature, graduating in 1969 with a modest GPA. His aspirations of serving in the military were dashed due to severe myopia, leading him instead to a career in the insurance business.
While working at a small insurance agency, Clancy spent his spare time writing what would become The Hunt for Red October (1984). Published by the Naval Institute Press for an advance of $5,000, the book received an unexpected boost when President Ronald Reagan praised it as “the best yarn.” This propelled Clancy to national fame, selling millions of copies and establishing his reputation for technical accuracy in military and intelligence matters. His meticulous research and storytelling ability granted him access to high-ranking U.S. military officials, further enriching his novels.
Clancy’s works often featured heroic protagonists such as Jack Ryan and John Clark, emphasizing themes of patriotism, military expertise, and political intrigue. Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, he became one of the best-selling authors in America, with titles like Red Storm Rising (1986), Patriot Games (1987), Clear and Present Danger (1989), and The Sum of All Fears (1991) dominating bestseller lists. Several of these were adapted into commercially successful films.
In addition to novels, Clancy co-authored nonfiction works on military topics and lent his name to numerous book series and video game franchises, including Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, and Splinter Cell. His influence extended beyond literature, as he became a part-owner of the Baltimore Orioles baseball team and was involved in various business ventures, including a failed attempt to purchase the Minnesota Vikings.
Politically, Clancy was a staunch conservative, often weaving his views into his books and publicly criticizing left-leaning policies. He gained further attention after the September 11 attacks, discussing intelligence failures and counterterrorism strategies on news platforms.
Clancy’s financial success was immense. By the late 1990s, his publishing deals were worth tens of millions of dollars. He lived on an expansive Maryland estate featuring a World War II Sherman tank and later purchased a luxury penthouse in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.
He was married twice, first to Wanda Thomas King, with whom he had four children, and later to journalist Alexandra Marie Llewellyn, with whom he had one daughter.
Tom Clancy passed away on October 1, 2013, at the age of 66 due to heart failure. His legacy endures through his novels, their adaptations, and the continuation of the Jack Ryan series by other writers.

Reviews

[Jason Koivu · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a clear and present danger that I wasn't going to finish this.

I don't watch soap operas. I used to. I'd get home and General Hospital would be on (Mom was heavily invested in the Luke & Laura saga,) so I got stuck with it. Consequently I know a soap opera when I see one and Clear and Present Danger is a soap opera.

How so? It jumps from character to character, from scene to scene. Some of it's nearly as melodramatic as a soap, but I won't go that far in my analogy. Mainly the issue is in the episodic nature of the storytelling. The scenes are big-time ADHD in how they flitter back and forth.

This has an adverse affect on character development. In fact, it seems as if Clancy attempts to counter this with info dumps. Often he introduces a brand new character, who may not even be particularly important, with a mountainous info-dump… This is Joe Schmoe. Joe was born in Eastbumfuq, IL, went to school at… and a minute later Mr. Schmoe is dead. I know it's a writer's attempt to instill an instant reader-connection to the character so that his death means something, but it doesn't work for me. I don't give a shit if a thousand such Joe Schmoes die at the hands of the baddest of bad guys. Nice try, but perhaps the issue is that you're trying to pack too much stuff into an already chunky book. Emotional bonds take time to develop.

Okay, I've been too nasty those far. Let's look at Clancy's good points...

Action is his strong suit. He puts you right in it. Whether it's firing a gun from a helicopter or stalking an enemy in the jungle, you're in the shit with the characters.

However, if you were to debate that his strongest point is his research and application of military technical details within his books, I would concede. Guns, ships, helicopters, military rank and decorum, wartime politics, spy craft, covert missions, etc etc etc phew-eee! This book grunts and oozes the stuff! I can see how military buffs, special ops fanatics, and "gun nuts" would go gah-gah over a book like this. We've all got our little fetishes and Clancy provides the porn for violent techies. (Before you start calling me a liberal, hippy, pussy, tree hugger or any of that shit, just shut the fuck up. I've owned guns since I was a kid.) I just don't get a woody over firearms anymore. I shot that load when I was pre-teen and moved on. But I guess if reading a Clancy novel satisfies the sort of person that gets off on that shit and it helps them get it out of their system, well then I'm glad these books exist.

Okay, back to the nasty…

Where the F is Jack Ryan? He's barely mentioned in the first half of the book and then when he does show up it's only to look around and ask, "what's going on?" And that is really his only purpose in the book, and it's purposeless. Sure, the main character fumbling about trying to figure out what's going on works great for murder mysteries, but that's because we the reader also don't know what's going on. We're finding out the truth with them. But here we already know what's going on because that's what's being related in the main story. That's the more interesting part! Every time Clancy cuts to Jack the book bogs right down into a full-on snorefest.

Like I said at the top, I almost didn't finish this. After about the midway point the whole freakin' thing turned into one of those snorefests for me. The writing was only adequate, the storytelling too jumpy, the spot-lighted details not my cup of tea. Perhaps if I spiked my tea with testosterone? Nah. I'd only end up inadvertently ripping the book in half out of sheer excitement.


Rating: 2.5 stars. I generously gave it three stars only because I'm in a good mood and GR's rating system is ridged.


* * * * * * * * *

(Note upon the author's death)
Seems like it's becoming a thing where if an author's book sits on my nightstand waiting to be read for more than a couple weeks, the author is doomed to die. Yikes.

[Igor Ljubuncic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just re-watched the movie last night, and I thought about the book. While Han Solo did pull off quite a few of Clancy's movies with great flair back in the early 90s, Clear and Present Danger notwithstanding, the book is still better. Mostly because it portrays Clark and Chavez in a more profound, emotional light than they are shown onscreen. As a techno thriller, it's relatively low on materiel details, but the action is still solid. It's also a beginning of The Fellowship of the Oval Ring, get it, get it, and we see the trio (Ryan included) in several books later on.

Overall, it's a decent read, so if you are into dramatized, Gung-ho books that mix politics with action with honest Republican values with a simple, carefree approach to resolving world troubles through luck and Chucknorrisness and heavy caliber guns, then this is pretty good entertainment. Don't expect tears or any soulwrenching chapters, though.

Now, can we limerick Clancy? Yes we can!
Anything can be limerickized. It's Rule 34d of the Internet.

When Chavez and Clark to Bogota flew
The ire of drug lords they drew
With the company's check
Ryan saved their neck
And so they became a damn good crew

Regardsomely yours,
Igor

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another highly entertaining early Jack Ryan novel.

Compared to the other books so far in the series, this adventure is set a little closer to home as the U.S. President starts a war on drugs with the Colombian cartel.

It's been years since I'd seen the subsequent movie adaptation, so I came into this rather fresh.
I must admit that I preferred the Cold War setting of the earlier books, though Clancy's detailed descriptions of the high tech military procedures alongside plenty of action certainly made this another worthwhile experience.

[Lyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book about clandestine operations and some also good details about South American intrigue.

Clancy also does a good job describing action scenes and putting together plausible, while still entertaining scenarios.

Compared to the book, the movie was stupid.

Well researched.

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the last Tom Clancy novel I absolutely loved. With this one, I felt like he was at peak performance, generating a focused, plausible storyline that could stand on its own, rather than just being an installment in an increasingly outlandish saga. Clear and Present Danger is a grand techno-thriller, and a fine outing for Jack Ryan, Clancy’s all-American CIA analyst turned reluctant field operative. The story is lengthy, but moves at a brisk pace. There are a great mix of supporting characters, settings, and plot-developments.

As I said above, this was the last Clancy novel I completely enjoyed. After this one, he felt to me like he started trying to outdo himself. I lost interest after Executive Orders .

[David Lucero · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book after I saw the movie with Harrison Ford.

The President of the United States finds himself between a rock and a hard place. A prominent businessman and his family connected to him have been found murdered. Turns out they are victims of the drug cartels. With things getting out of hand, he wants something done, but politics and red tape prevent him from doing so. With the help of his security advisor, they devise a plan of using armed troops to take on the cartels in the heart of South American jungles. But is this legal?

Jack Ryan is a CIA Analyst who finds himself caught in the middle as he watches the FBI chief get himself killed along with a score of agents while trying to negotiate with Columbian officials over how to deal with the cartels.

Meanwhile, someone in the cartel plots to takeover the entire organization by having them fight each other. With American troops blowing up secret cartel sites in the jungle, people getting killed in the streets, and the President screaming for an end to this crisis, Jack finds himself in the crosshairs of the most dangerous situation imaginable.

I was glad the movie followed the book. Clancy was known for his detail, although most of his other books I chose not to read because they were simply too long. I certainly appreciate the research he did for this book. Action thriller fans will not be disappointed. The book is better than the movie, which is how it should be, and that's saying a lot considering the movie was top class!

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 to 4.5 stars. Excellent Tom Clancy novel in which Jack Ryan and the Mr. Clark take on the Columbian drug cartels. This was a terrific read from beginning to end and confirmed by opinion of Tom Clancy as a master of the political thriller.

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, more like 4 1/2 stars but I'm being generous because this is my favorite of Tom Clancy's novels. I'm not a big fan of "Dad Fiction" in general but it's hard to deny the influence of the father of technothrillers in the modern day. He's a guy who also was a master of marketing and created, directly or indirectly, some of my favorite franchises like Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, and Splinter Cell. Mind you, his contributions were mostly an ethos but they had a massive effect and I intend to read all of his novels someday.

CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER is notable for the fact it's a prediction of what turned into reality. Written in 1989, it was written when Pablo Escobar was an infamous drug lord but before he became an infamous narco-terrorist. It was also well before the United States would, under Bill Clinton, reinforce the Columbian military with massive amounts of money as well as equipment to fight the drug cartels protected by FARC. In short, turning the War on Drugs into a literal war. It would also predict the fact corrupt (?) officials in the United States would ally with shady individuals to combat these drug lords while said individuals were taking over the drug trade themselves.

The premise is the President of the United States (unnamed but implied to be George H.W. Bush) has decided to send U.S. Special Forces into Columbia to directly fight against the cartels. Ironically, it's due to a bunch of overzealous Coast Guard officials that the FBI manages to deal a much bigger blow to the cartels by confiscating half a billion dollars of their money. This results in Ernesto Escobedo (a stand in for Pablo) and his Cuban intelligence officer ally, Felix Cortez, conducting a terrorist attack against the United States. The Director of the FBI is killed and the initial plan to damage the cartels is drastically increased before it becomes public and the President pulls the plug. Pulling the plug ends up stranding a bunch of US Special Forces behind enemy lines, though, and it's up to Jack Ryan to extract them.

This is a surprisingly nuanced book by Tom and well before his stories became ridiculous jingoistic gung ho propaganda for the American Right. Despite Without Remorse depicting drug dealers as just shy of subhuman, this book generally depicts the War on Drugs as an ambiguous conflict. While its leaders are evil and they employ some vile people, it's shown the average Columbian involved in the drug trade is no more worse than anyone else. The attempt to combat the cartels with military force is also portrayed as ludicrous for a variety of reasons. In the novel, for example, one of the Special Forces operators points out blowing up a few processing plants will not put a dent in cartel operations while another instance has collateral damage they think is excessive for what amounts to criminal activity.

In real life, the War on Drugs has killed tens of thousands of people while doing almost nothing to actually reduce the amount of cocaine or other stimulants available to Americans. Many of the points made by Tom Clancy's fictional characters are spot-on and predict terrible real life errors in judgement. Tom is no bleeding heart but the fact he's a Right Wing conservative makes the ambivalence of the book to the conflict all the more interesting. It's one of the rare Tom Clancy books which imply there's no easy solution or magic bullet. At one point, Felix Cortez bluntly states America will never solve its drug problem because people want drugs so it's paying money against itself.

The book feels a bit naive in the post-9/11 world as the President authorizing a military incursion into an allies' territory is treated as a shocking overexertion of his authority. Not necessarily illegal, let alone an impeachable offense, but morally wrong. This is now a day when the power of the Executive to order drone strikes, Special Ops missions, and operate with impunity on allies soil is taken for granted. A major theme of the book is the difference between (as John Clark would say) "****ing Armchair Military" like Admiral Cutter and the individuals on the ground who have to implement their orders.

Tom's usual assortment of good upstanding men are on display with all of them reading like Lawful Good paladins. You know, except when they go off script to do something shocking like hiring two hitmen to eliminate rapists in prison. Special Forces operative John Clark plays a much bigger role in this book than Jack Ryan, who is mostly irrelevant until the end of the book. John is a bit of a crazy character as he's an ex-Punisher style vigilante recruited by the CIA but the book portrays his backstory with a calm reasonableness. Sort of like, "hey, yeah, he killed like a hundred gangsters once but he's cool now."

The book's best character is Felix Cortez, ostensibly the book's antagonist but arguably an anti-villain. Yes, he's a would-be drug lord but he's a charming and engaging character throughout. Felix just wants to be a billionaire and would happily help the United States out with the War on Drugs if they'd just let him do his business quietly. The fact he seduces and drives to attempted suicide a character shows his actions have consequences. Even so, I actually felt bad for him at the end.

My favorite subplot of the book is Domingo "Ding" Chavez's walking narration of how he feels about going from a kid from an L.A. ghetto to someone fighting drug lords in Columbia. He's more nuanced than your typical middle aged white Clancy protagonist and gives a "boots on the ground" view of the operations being conducted. At one point he accidentally kills an innocent worker and has to deal with the fact that sort of thing will happen in combat. Cortez and he never meet but are more or less complete opposites in their worldview and causes. My second favorite plot is the tragic tale of Moira Wolfson, who Cortez runs a honey pot operation on that gets the director of the FBI killed. Her story is treated as a romance right up until Cortez utterly rips her life to shreds.

If you're ever going to read one of Tom Clancy's books, I'd argue this is probably the best one. It's relevant to the conflict currently wrecking much of South America and Central America. While the characters can be a little broad at times, there's enough big personalities and interesting subplots to keep the story entertaining for a thousand pages. It's also fascinating to see how a work of fiction can show how things go utterly off the rails in a government operation--and how tragically an author saw all of the potential pitfalls that the real US government fell into.

9/10

[Thomas Stroemquist · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Jack Ryan in which we see quite little of Jack Ryan. It's about the US war on Colombian drugs and it's quite long. And honestly, that's about all I can remember about this particular one. Because this was one that I did not re-read and I'm guessing that also says something. As a recommendation to anyone who hasn't and wants to experience the Jack Ryan series, I'd say stop at book 8. For the non-completist I would say read The Hunt for Red October, The Cardinal of the Kremlin & The Sum of All Fears.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ME I FINISHED IT.

Next time, someone tell me to just watch the movie.

For the Pop Sugar Challenge, this was "a book you started but never finished."

[Bob Mayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

An old book with a new cover.

Hunt for Red October broke a mold and was an intriguing book. The first fiction published by Naval Institute Press. The second was Flight of the Intruder.

While Clancy wrote fast-paced action stories well, his facts left a lot to be desired especially after the technical expertise of Hunt. He started buying into the narrative of the military PAO office rather than the people on the ground. His descriptions of Colombia are rather poor. Also, he never really understood the way special operations worked.

He came to Fort Campbell, home of 5th Special Forces, 160th Nightstalkers and the 101st Airborne, to speak one time and his attitude was a real turn off. Rather full of himself in the face of men and women who'd done the things he writers about for real. One of those instances of where its better not to meet the author and just enjoy the books.

[Jay Pruitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite Clancy novels. A bit on the long side for my fleeting attention span, but the story is fantastic. The book is about a covert war between US special ops and the Columbian drug cartel. The main character in most Clancy novels, Jack Ryan, plays a relatively minor part in this book. Instead, the focus is on some badass marines, including the lethally-skilled John Clark and the up-and-coming youngster, "Ding" Chavez. Definitely a high intensity, fast moving, book. One of the best action novels I've read.

[Asghar Abbas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, I love this one!

The movie too was fanfuckingtastic .

[Carl Alves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2020
When the president of the United States declares that drug smuggling has become a clear and present danger against the country, a covert military campaign is launched in Columbia against the drug cartel. The rules regarding these covert campaigns are a bit murky, and when they get uncovered and it all begins to unravel, the response is to abandon the mission and the men who were part of the mission. Enter Jack Ryan in the picture, who won’t allow this to happen. Ryan starts a rescue mission deep in the Columbian danger zone to get the men out of there.

This is one of the better thought out Clancy novels. He tends to get a little outlandish, not only in his premise but also his execution of the stories. Here, the premise is good, and the execution is well developed. The conclusion was satisfying and compelling. There were some definite plot holes and spots that are hard to get through, but this remains a solid read.

Carl Alves – author of Blood Street

[Andrew Nettleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tom Clancy never disappoints. I have decided to go back and go through the Jack Ryan series in the Chronological order of the story's events, rather than the order they were released and it is like I am getting to know an old friend all over again.

When Columbian Drug Lords assassinate the director of the FBI on the street of Bogota,the CIA and the president (without the knowledge of Acting CIA Intelligence Chief Ryan) decide to take extraordinary action.

Chavez, Ryan and Clark take center stage for portions of this book and whenever all three are featured at the same time you know you are in for a ride.

[Maria Fledgling Author Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say about Tom Clancy? He denies the details of his books com from real life. And considering he used to work for the (XZJ) corporation, it's a good thing he doesn't use "facts" from his past experiences.

But, every single book he writes keeps you on your last nerve throughout the whole book. I love the feeling of being on the edge of a razor that this story provokes.

I know some people criticize Clancy's books as being too technical. I find that just adds to my enjoyment.

[Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to really like this book because I've heard such good things about it. Also, I like action and military stories, etc. So I went in very excited. But, I got a bit more than 200 pages into it when I just had to stop. I probably could have made it, had it not been for the massive amounts of swear words; specifically F-words. I really, REALLY hate swearing. Maybe it's the father in me, or the saint lurking somewhere within, but it just grates on me. I used to work in a factory making styrofoam, where people would swear like that, so "hearing" swear words like that again brings back some unpleasant memories. Futhermore, as a writer, I've always felt that a person who swears a great deal is not intelligent or creative enough to think of anything better. Now, I know he probably is trying to reflect the real world, and the fact that soldiers mostly do use that kind of language. But in the story, EVERYONE, including Jack Ryan and the higher-ups, had the same dirty mouths. Maybe my circles are cleaner than others, but I know that not everyone swears. Quite unrealistic, and it heavily detracted from the story.

Otherwise, the story is intelligent and interesting, and very well researched. TOO well researched in many parts. The story is bogged down, when not riddled with F-words and other curses--with a lot of detail about military weapons, vehicles, military operations. Some detail makes it feel real, but sometimes Mr. Clancy goes on for pages and pages of endless details, until it seems almost pointless. Like many fantasy novels, he gives feasts of technical details when a small, conservative meal here and there would feel better.

These two things ruin the story for me; especially the swearing. Because of this, I'm getting rid of my Tom Clancy collection, and not reading anything else from him. I don't want my kids to be reading such things, so therefore I should be reading them; got to set an example, right. Anyway, I really feel that such filth brings a bad spirit into the home.

[Eddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has to be among the Clancy classics. I recommend this to any military or political buff. Clancy definitely rocks the house with this one.

[Fred Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to follow

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

The discovery of the murder of an American businessman, Peter Hardin, and his family, outrages U.S. President Edward Bennett, Hardin's personal friend. When Hardin is found to have been connected to a Colombian drug cartel, from which he skimmed over $650 million, Bennett tells James Cutter, his National Security Advisor, that the cartels represent a "clear and present danger" to the United States, tacitly instructing him to use force against the men responsible for his friend's murder. Jack Ryan uncovers an illegal operation against drug cartels within the CIA. Caught in a web of conspiracies, he must now risk his life and his career in order to bring the perpetrators to justice.

With an amazing and well-written storyline, Clear and Present Danger still retains a decent pace, just like The Hunt for Red October and Patriot Games, though it can be a bit cheesy at times. There are some awesome badass moments, such as a group of soldiers bombing a base in the jungle, and bombing the Cartel house. Colonel Felix Cortez is an amazing villain that he attempts to retrieve the funds for Escobedo. There are even many awesome action sequences, such as the motorcade ambush, and Jack and John rescue the surviving soldiers, and escaping Columbia with one of a few prisoners.

The film stays faithful to this novel, while it does have some differences from the novel itself. Once again, Harrison Ford as always, still gave a nice performance as Jack Ryan, and he is still the most entertaining character in the Jack Ryan series. Aside from Harrison Ford's performance, the acting is pretty good, especially for Willem Dafoe, and James Earl Jones. Despite being back to PG-13 rated, the suspenseful, and exciting tone of the movie is well-handled. Even though it does take place in Colombia, there are some European-style Doppler sirens are heard. All Latin American police uses American-made klaxon sirens, which didn't fit the country of Colombia. Also, when Ryan gets to South America and is riding in the SUV, he puts down the window but is told to leave it up because it's bulletproof. Bulletproof car windows cannot roll down due to their thickness.

This is possibly the greatest of TC I have ever read in my life.

[Kestrel · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've never read Tom Clancy, this could be a difficult book to get into, as it was in my case. however, once past trying to remember what person fit with what name it became the greatest book i've read in my entire life. i've read it twice just to make sure. this book makes you feel things you lead a somewhat bland existence. I actually raged at some of the characters because they were so human and so despicable in what they were capable of. from the ratings, you know it's a good book if there is no middle ground. people either love or hate the book, and you just have to take the chance that you might hate the book or you might miss out on one of the best thrillers in existence. It puts the movie to shame. If you have never read Clancy, I suggest this one. If you have read Clancy before, but haven't read this, read it!! You don't know what you're missing!!

[Adam Light · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book. It was full of Clancy's trademark political and military knowledge. He certainly researched his books very well. I rated 4 stars because it was so steeped in tech language and jargon that it literally took me six months to read it. This one was a great thriller, though. Check it out!

[Tanabrus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clancy alle prese con elezioni presidenziali, guerra al cartello colombiano della droga e scontri interni tra agenzie e ambizioni personali.

Un inizio assai lento, e uno svolgimento che non mi ha convinto appieno con questa operazione clandestina e ipersegreta, abbastanza raffazzonata e che incredibilmente riesce a funzionare per buona parte del tempo.
Ma dall'altra parte abbiamo la super spia cubana, addestrata dal kgb e poi fuggita per vendersi al miglior offerente, che si dimostra assai valida.

Jack compare solo nella parte finale, quando incappa bella verità e funge da coscienza per le Agenzie facendogli mostrare un sussulto di orgoglio.

Si vede di più mr. Clark, oltre ovviamente agli altri comprimari di sempre.
Tranne il direttore delle Informazioni, che intravediamo nel letto di ospedale e che non vedremo più... Chissà chi ne prenderà il posto, per la gioia di Jack.


Comunque, un piano dubbio e parecchio caos, in compenso quando si entra nel vivo l'azione e il ritmo sono buoni e ci sono diversi personaggi ben fatti.

[Ifsad Shadhin · Rating 3 out of 5]

বইয়ের প্রথম তিন চতুর্থাংশ বেশ ভালো লেগেছে। কিন্তু এন্ডিং কেমন একটা যেন হয়ে গেল।

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must confess, I am on the Clancy jazz now. Clear and Present Danger the novel blows away C&PD the movie just like a Pave Low lll helicopter firing miniguns on bad guys (scene from the book). Well perhaps not quite that dramatic as there are some fine correlations with the movie, yet there is so much more. The terrain is familiar to me as our heroes fly in and out of Eglin AFB, Hurlburt Field, and the Pensacola Naval Air Station….soaring out over the white sands and emerald waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Having left the women and children at home (sigh of relief), a now mature and seasoned Jack Ryan choppers into danger with my new favorite character, Mr. Clark, to save Americans from clear and present dangers. The political intrigue is thick, it’s an election year in this story too, and the stakes are high as in any election year, especially this one. Honor, service, a willingness to put Country first, these are the makings of a true National Hero, a leader of men. I am thankful for the Jack Ryans, (the Jack Bauers…anticipating the return of 24), and the John McCains of our Nation’s government and military. And I am thankful that Tom Clancy has the intelligence (emphasis on a two-fold meaning here) to spell it all out for us.

[M.L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seven stars******* if I could. Exciting, big plot, some poetic justice due and received. A big plot where, the author knows everyone-they all have 'bios.' Many heroes and villains, John Clark being one of the main good guys, and my favorite, he walks the talk. The nice thing about 'discovering' Tom Clancy is his huge body of work, long involved novels. Looking forward to the next one. This is a favorite

[Vichy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Εξαιρετικά λεπτομερείς περιγραφές σε εξοπλισμό και μιλιταριστικά techincalities. Αν καταφέρει κάποιος να ξεπεράσει με στωικότητα τις σελίδες αυτές αν δεν το ενδιαφέρουν όπως εμένα και καταφέρει να ξεχωρίσει ονόματα και θέσεις, ποιος διευθυντής, υποδιευθυντής, σε CIA, FBΙ και δε θυμάμαι καν πού αλλού μένει ένα εξαιρετικό θρίλερ δράσης, υπόγειας ίντριγκας, με εξιλεωτικό τέλος. Η ταινία που την είδα κι αυτήν κόβει και αλλάζει πολλά πράγματα αλλά παραμένει στην ουσία.

[Erth · Rating 5 out of 5]

now i am hooked. This was such a great, easy and creative book. i was hooked after the first page.

The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.

i would highly recommend this author and this book.

[Brett C · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story follows the CIA covert ops into the South America to combat the drug trafficking problem. Recruiting Spanish-speaking soldiers, training, the whole Special Operations bag, and then deploying into the highlands of Colombia. Action packed and suspenseful. I enjoyed reading this one.

[Alexa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was dull. Here’s my summary:
Blah blah blah helicopter - Ryan doesn’t know
Blah blah blah boat - Ryan doesn’t know
Blah blah blah guns - Ryan doesn’t know
Blah blah blah politics - Ryan doesn’t know
Ryan finds out and saves the day in the last 50 pages. The end.