Search - Clear and Present Danger (Jack Ryan, Bk 4)

This is the first Clancy book I have read. I was afraid it was going to be too technical (the reason I had not read any of his other books) but found it a pleasure to read. Clancy has a way of keeping you into the story line.

I read this Ryan book first and had to go back and read them all.

"Clear and Present Danger" is a different then some of Clancy's others books. It features Jack Ryan, not as the main character, but one of the major ones. There is a lot of emphasis put on the perspective of the special forces units behind enemy lines. As usual the book is better than the movie. The movie didn't capture the intense feeling of being both predator and prey that the soldiers experienced. If you liked the movie you will love the book.

Tom Clancy, the all-time master of worldclass suspense, present his most controversial bestseller. Its theme: America''s war on drugs. Its subject: the assassination of three American officials in Colombia... and the covert-and shocking- US response...CIA man Jack Ryan, hero of Patriot Games, finds that he will probably never have a boring summer: The sudden and surprising assassination of three American officials in Colombia. Many people in many places, moving off on missions they all mistakenly thought they understood. The future was too fearful for contemplation, and beyond the expected finish lines were things that, once decided, were better left unseen. Tom Clancy's new thriller is based on America's war on drugs... and the covert--and shocking--U.S. response.

Theme: America's war on drugs.
Subject: The assassination of 3 American officials in Colombia and the covert and shocking U.S. response.

A great story. Clancy is a master of the suspense novel. The theme of this one is the assassination of three American officials in Colombia.

This is not what the cover looks like

a great Tom Clancy thriller

Great book. Made into a Harrison Ford movie.

Amazon.com
At the end of the prologue to Clear and Present Danger, Clancy writes, "And so began something that had not quite begun and would not soon end, with many people in many places moving off in directions and on missions which they all mistakenly thought they understood. That was just as well. The future was too fearful for contemplation, and beyond the expected, illusory finish lines were things fated by the decisions made this morning--and, once decided, best unseen." In Clear and Present Danger nothing is as clear as it may seem.

The president, unsatisfied with the success of his "war on drugs," decides that he wants some immediate success. But after John Clark's covert strike team is deployed to Colombia for Operation Showboat, the drug lords strike back taking several civilian casualties. The chief executive's polls plummet. He orders Ritter to terminate their unofficial plan and leave no traces. Jack Ryan, who has just been named CIA deputy director of intelligence is enraged when he discovers that has been left out of the loop of Colombian operations. Several of America's most highly trained soldiers are stranded in an unfinished mission that, according to all records, never existed. Ryan decides to get the men out.

Ultimately, Clear and Present Danger is about good conscience, law, and politics, with Jack Ryan and CIA agent John Clark as its dual heroes. Ryan relentlessly pursues what he knows is right and legal, even if it means confronting the president of the United States. Clark is the perfect soldier, but a man who finally holds his men higher than the orders of any careless commander.

Along with the usual, stunning array of military hardware and the latest techno-gadgets, Clear and Present Danger further develops the relationships and characters that Clancy fans have grown to love. Admiral James Greer passes the CIA torch to his pupil, Ryan. Mr. Clark and Chavez meet for the first time. Other recurring characters like Robert Ritter and "the President" add continuity to Clancy's believable, alternate reality. This is Clancy at his best. --Patrick O'Kelley

From Publishers Weekly
When a U.S. president decides that drug smuggling has become a "clear and present danger" to national security, the response is a complex and covert military campaign against the "Colombian Cartel." "The dean of techno-thrillers demonstrates once again his mastery of the genre," stated PW. Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Tom Clancy, theme: America's war on drugs, assassination of three American officials in Colombia, America's shocking response

Tom Clancy, the all-time master of world-class suspense, presents his most controversial bestseller. Its theme: America's war on drugs. Its subject: the assassination of three American officials in Colombia...and the covert-and shocking-U.S. response. Its title: Clear and Present Danger.

Back cover: Tom Clancy, the all-time master of the techno-thriller, is back with his 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.

typically clancy...good read

Excellant book.