Tom Clancy is known for his novels exploring various possible international conflicts. In ’Clear and Present Danger’, Tom Clancy has targeted the Colombian Drug Mafia threatening to overrun Colombia and become a law onto itself. American youth were the ones most adversely affected by these drugs. As it was an election year and the President had promised a crackdown on drugs, the problem of drugs was labelled as ’Clear and Present Danger’ and FBI & CIA given a go-ahead to control it. The problem begins when the drug cartel hits back killing three important US officials and FBI, CIA go berserk. Rest of the novel consists of CIA & FBI operations against drugs and how election considerations overweigh one’s duties and conscience.
Once again, the protagonist is Jack Ryan but his role is more of a side role. The novel shows one more step of his illustrious career and the only reason why anyone should read this novel.
Frankly speaking, this book let me down after the brilliance of ’Debt of Honor’ and ’Sum of All Fears’. As much as I am against drugs, America’s shady war on drugs fail to interest me. This novel is more of a Robert Ludlum novel than a Tom Clancy one, if you get my meaning.
Tom Clancy has used his protagonist, Jack Ryan in a way similar to Harry Potter by JK Rowling. Ryan has the same friends, same associates throughout the series starting from ’The Hunt for Red October’ and ending with ’Executive Orders’ with new characters being introduced now and then. I would recommend this book only to Tom Clancy/Jack Ryan fans as it is similar to reading Harry Potter V . There is no major connection to the actual story but still you have to read it. Thankfully at 660 pages, this has been the thinnest Tom Clancy book I’ve read so far