Clear and Present Danger (Jack Ryan) [Mass Market Paperback]

Tom Clancy (Author)

Book Description

Release date: July 1, 1990 | Series: Jack Ryan (Book 4)

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.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

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.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 704 pages
• Publisher: Berkley; 1 edition (July 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425122123
• ISBN-13: 978-0425122129
• Product Dimensions: 4.3 x 1.7 x 7.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (177 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #57,132 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tom Clancy is America's, and the world's, favorite international thriller author. Starting with THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, all thirteen of his previous books have hit #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. His books, THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, PATRIOT GAMES, CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER and THE SUM OF ALL FEARS have been made into major motion pictures. He lives in Maryland where he is a co-owner of the Baltimore Orioles.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#10 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Action & Adventure

#21 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure

#37 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers

#47 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction

#54 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

#10 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Action & Adventure

#21 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure

#37 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers

#47 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction

#54 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Covert Operations in Friendly Country: Ultimate Suspense April 23, 2005

By Erika Borsos VINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback

The book begins like modern headlines and top stories in the news: a Coast Guard boat discovers several dead bodies on a drifting boat out at sea ... piecing together the scenes ... the Captain and his crew understand the grisly details which became all too clear. Before the discovery, they announce their intention to board the boat, only to find two Columbians who speak little and look guilty as sin. The Captain and crew have the presence of mind to record on film permanently what the encountered. They nearly gag at what they find. Contrary to usual procedure, they create a "justice at sea" bogus trial based on some ancient mariner's manual. It is just the right scenario to create fear in their prisoners which extracts a confession from them that the Coast Guard believes will stand up in court and get them prosecuted.

In Washington, DC clandestine operations are executed for a secret American plan to use the most talented night warriors the US Army has ever produced to fight the drug cartel in Columbia, on their own turf. The select group all have Spanish roots and were salvaged from a life on the streets, where they would surely work against the system, to build a clean life in the Army ... the better alternative.

This book shows how power politics, secret hand-shake decisions, and behind the scenes operations occur which could shake up the core values of a country. Clandestine activities work outside the boundaries of national and international law. If they were made public, there would be a huge outcry from USA citizens and of the world judgement. It is at this time that Jack Ryan becomes Acting Director of the CIA. The CIA Director is in the hospital with a terminal illness ... The current president has not a clue of how the drug war is being fought and won. He is only aware of the results: drug cartel airplanes are being shot down and the US is winning. It is an election year, his main concern is gaining a positive standing in the polls and with world opinion. He knows very little of reality ... Meanwhile when the second in command of the drug cartel is discovered to have acted on *highly* classified information, known only to a *select* few, the accusations in Washington, DC fly. An insider investigation begins to discover where the leaks occured ... This book is nonstop action and difficult to put down. Each chapter reveals another complex episode which adds another layer of under-handed deals and shady activity, all of which make this a most satisfying reading experience.

Although at times this novel is difficult to follow, the subject matter is contemporary and the unfolding events are highly plausible, making it one unstoppable page turner. The planning and execution of the ninja-styled warrior commandos is superb, the covert operations highly ingenious, the political subterfuge and communications are labyrinthine, shocking in their believability. Expect only the best from Tom Clancy ... you will never be disappointed.
Erika Borsos (erikab93)

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Clancy's best August 10, 2000

By J. Seifert VINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback

I'm a huge Tom Clancy fan, so I won't mind if you think this review is a little biased. I do want to mention, however, that, having read all of his works of fiction, that Clear and Present Danger is one of my favorites. There's lots of action, intrigue, and plotlines in this one, just like his other fine books, but at 650 pages, he's put it all in a tighter package. (For the unintiated, Clancy books have been known to exceed 1000 pages.)

Two of my favorite characters, John Clark and Ding Chavez, get a good amount of airplay (readplay?) here. Other books with the characters, including Without Remorse and Rainbow Six, were lackluster, but they really shine here. One can't help but feel a sense of loyalty between these two after reading their stories here.

This was the first Clancy book I re-read...it's really that good!

(I could also add at this point how the movie didn't do justice to the book....but you knew that already, didn't you?)

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Timeless application February 15, 2000

By Quena Gonzalez

Format:Mass Market Paperback

"Clear and Present Danger" explores the ramifications of leaders who use their office as a platform for personal agenda: This is a fictional account of the lives lost as a result, and the moral courage neccessary to counteract cowardice at the highest level of government, which finds its corallary in the countless historical accounts of leaders who's moral failures led to massive destruction.

The book also raises some good questions about covert international intervention, and fleshes out the personal character-centered nature of such endeavors. Similar covert action is present in many of Clancy's other novels, but here the crucial nature of motive is most clearly presented.

This is a good study in leadership, as well as an excellent patriotic thriller and an entertaining read.