Neil Cake’s Reviews > Red Rabbit > Status Update

How come we're not being kept up to date with developments in this plot to assassinate the Pope? I get the feeling that once Zaitsev reveals what he knows, the CIA are going to go, "aw, who gives a shit about that!?"

"Jack Ryan rolled out of bed, got his paper, and switched on the TV. CNN also carried the fire story from Boston..."

Wait. We didn't get CNN in the UK in the early 80s... don't get it now...

Clancy's Americans effortlessly predicting what he's told us the Russians are going to do and how he's told us they're going to do it.

A whole lot of talking, not a lot of... anything else. Except wondering. There's lots of parts where it's just people wondering about what's going on, what to do, wondering what other people a wondering... Kinda boring but kinda gentle.

"I must insist that none of you speak about this to anyone. Not your wives, not your private secretaries, not your political advisers. In that way, we can ensure against leaks."

That's careful. Smart.

Smart.

"For these men, secrecy came as naturally as urination." Lol

Bit of a contradiction; on p228 Zaitsev "did not really have the ability to frame the question properly, much less consider the answer seriously" about whether the Western powers would be interested in information he is privy to. Then on p260 he's a man of intelligence, has a university degree and is an excellent chess player.

P230-234 Jack Ryan suddenly starts acting like a boorish know-it-all

Don't tell your intuitive intelligence officer that you're intending to assassinate the Pope, but do tell him you want him to track the Pope's movements... for no discernible reason. Good plan.

P123-4 That strategy on Goderenko makes no sense