As an American in London on vacation with his family,
Jack Ryan never imagined his quick thinking would prevent an assassination
attempt on Britain's royal family and earn him the gratitude of an entire
nation—and the scorn of an ultra-left-wing faction of the IRA. Irish terrorist
Sean Miller and his followers in the Ulster Liberation Army intend to make sure
Ryan pays for his interference in blood. But he's not the only one they're
after...
With the lives of his pregnant wife and young daughter in
mortal danger, Ryan accepts a role as a CIA analyst in order to find Miller and
shut down the ULA. Going head to head with a ruthless terrorist is a fool's
errand, but Jack Ryan is the kind of man who will do whatever it takes to
protect his family.
This was a reread of a book I read when it first came
out, and several times since then. It starts with a bang as Jack, on a working
vacation in London with his family, witnesses a kidnapping attempt on the royal
family. His instinctive reaction stopped the attack and put him in the bullseye
of revenge.
One of the things I enjoy most every time I read this
book is the deft mixture of action, darkness, and humor. The opening attack
sucks me into the story immediately, on the edge of my seat as Jack rushes into
action. Clancy's descriptions are vivid enough that I can picture the events as
they happen. The confusion at the scene felt realistic, and I could feel Jack's
worry that he'd end up "stuck like a pig" when the good guys showed
up. I always laugh at the scenes in the hospital as Jack deals with the doctors
(including his wife) and other medical personnel. The scenes with various law
enforcement personnel show Jack what he inadvertently got involved in and reveal
his razor-sharp mind as he processes what he learns. The scenes with multiple
members of the royal family are good, but my favorite is when he helps the prince
work through his feelings about what happened. Though not particularly
realistic, it is still a great scene.
As the book continues we get the viewpoints of both the
bad guys and the good guys. Jack and his family return home, secure in the
knowledge that the bad guy is in jail and terrorists have never attacked on American
soil. But the tension ramps up as the bad guy escapes and assorted good guys
get a bad feeling about what might happen. Jack is lured into the CIA's sphere
as he tries to get a handle on the group behind the attack. Their fears are
realized when Jack's wife and daughter are nearly killed in an attack, and only
luck prevents Jack from being attacked too. I ached for Jack as he dealt with
his feelings of guilt and fear by getting more involved in the case. Jack goes
through a lot of self-examination as he tries to reconcile his need for justice
with the anger and desire for revenge that he also feels.
The tension continues to build as the book follows the
terrorists as they make plans for their next attack. The attention to detail
was intriguing and as were the insights into the various players' motivations.
At the same time we see the good guys as they try to assemble the pieces of the
puzzle in time to stop whatever is planned.
The final confrontation was a nail-biter. It started
easy, with the royal visit and some amusing banter between Jack, Robby, and the
prince. The chaos of the attack was described so vividly that I felt as though
I was there. The escape by boat was exciting, and their arrival at the Academy
was tense but also had a few lighter moments. The pursuit of the last of the bad
guys had me on the edge of my seat until it was all over. Jack faced a
crossroads in his life, and it was interesting to see how he handled it. I
loved the ending.
One of my favorite lines is as the Superintendent asks Robby
who is aboard the ship: "Chief Znamirowski and the duty boat section,
Captain Peters and some Marines, Doctor Ryan, and, uh, Captain Wales, sir, of
the Royal Navy" "Is that where he is?..."
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