Clear and Present Danger (Jack Ryan Novels) (School & Library Binding)

~ (Author) "YOU COULDN'T LOOK at her and not be proud, Red Wegener told himself..." (more)
Key Phrases: trial judge advocate, legal attaché, flight quarters, Tom Clancy, Captain Ramirez, Coast Guard (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

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. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

In his fifth novel, the dean of techno-thrillers demonstrates once again his mastery of the genre. A 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." Clancy presents the technology of special operations and the details of light infantry warfare with his usual facility. Superior even to his descriptions of tools and techniques, however, is Clancy's analysis of the legal and moral problems of operating in a twilight zone, where the rules are ambiguous and an open society makes secrecy impossible. As the project unravels, Clancy's protagonist Jack Ryan tries to avert a total debacle and to rescue the men who have been hung out to dry. Clancy's scenario is plausible and its development compelling. His characters are nicely drawn--particularly a Cuban intelligence officer who has "gone private" and now works for the drug lords--and his conclusion is unusual and provocative. Clear and Pres ent Danger is, in short, the author's best work since The Hunt for Red October. BOMC main selection.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• School & Library Binding: 704 pages
• Publisher: Turtleback Books: A Division of Sanval (October 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785758941
• ISBN-13: 978-0785758945
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.3 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (160 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,454,144 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 4 in The Jack Ryan Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	J. Seifert (Indianapolis, IN USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Clear and Present Danger (Jack Ryan) (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?)

8 of 9 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 "pepper flower" (Gulf Coast of FL, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Clear and Present Danger (Jack Ryan) (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)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Timeless application, February 15, 2000

By	Quena Gonzalez (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Clear and Present Danger (Jack Ryan) (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.