Praise for the Jack Ryan seriesGreaney...imbues his prose with the same gusto and sheer conviction that Clancy did.BooklistA page-turner true to the Clancy legacy: informative, insightful and thrilling.Fredericksburg Free Lance-StarA taut storyline with familiar characters facing new challenges.Kirkus sAn A+, a touchdown...Greaney has once again done fans proud, putting forth a thrilling plotline with the ultimate twists and turns, and some good, old-fashioned espionage to keep everyone on their toes...There have always been die-hard Clancy fans, but Mark Greaney, the fantastic writer of The Gray Man series, deserves a huge standing ovation for putting together yet another unforgettable Jack Ryan thriller!Suspense MagazineAbout the AuthorA little more than thirty years ago Tom Clancy was a Maryland insurance broker with a passion for naval history. Years before, he had been an English major at Baltimores Loyola College and had always dreamed of writing a novel. His first effort, The Hunt for Red October, sold briskly as a result of rave reviews, then catapulted onto the New York Times bestseller list after President Reagan pronounced it the perfect yarn. From that day forward, Clancy established himself as an undisputed master at blending exceptional realism and authenticity, intricate plotting, and razor-sharp suspense. He passed away in October 2013.Mark Greaney has a degree in international relations and political science. He is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Tom Clancy Support and Defend, Tom Clancy Full Force and Effect, Tom Clancy Commander in Chief, and Tom Clancy True Faith and Allegiance. WithTom Clancy he coauthored Locked On, Threat Vector, and Command Authority. He has written six books in his own Gray Man series: Gunmetal Gray,Back Blast, Dead Eye, Ballistic, On Target, and The Gray Man. In his research for these novels, he traveled to fifteen countries, and trained alongside military and law enforcement in the use of firearms, battlefield medicine, and close-range combat tactics.Excerpt. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.PROLOGUEJohn Clark didnt give a damn what anybody saidthis was still Saigon.He knew history, of course. Forty years ago the communists came down from the north and they took the place. They renamed it Ho Chi Minh City in honor of their conquering leader. To the victors the spoils. They executed collaborators and imprisoned unreliables and they changed the politics, the culture, and the fabric of the lives of those who lived here.It looked a little different now, but to John it felt the same. The cloying evening heat and the smell of exhaust fumes mixing with the pressing jungle, the incense and cigarette smoke and the spiced meat, the buzz of the stifling crowds and the lights from the energetic streets.And the sense of pervasive danger, just out of sight but closing, like an invading army.They could name this city after his sworn enemy from the past, they could call it whatever the hell they wanted, but to the sixty-six-year-old man sitting in the open-front caf in District 8, that didnt change a thing.This was still fucking Saigon.Clark sat with his legs crossed, his shirt collar open, and his tan tropic-weight sport coat lying across the chair next to him because the slow-moving palm-frond fan above him did nothing more than churn the hot air. Younger men and women swirled around him, heading either to tables in the back or out onto the busy pavement in front of the caf, but Clark sat still as stone.Except for his eyes; his eyes darted back and forth, scanning the street.He was struck by the lack of Americans in uniform, the one big disconnect from his memories of old Saigon. Forty-odd years ago hed trod these streets in olive drab or jungle camo. Even when he was here in country with the CIAs MACV-SOG (Military Assistance Command, VietnamStudies and Observations Group), hed rarely worn civilian clothing. He was a Navy SEAL, there was a war going on, battle dress was appropriate for an American, even one in country working direct-action ops for the Agency.Also missing were the bicycles. Back then ninety percent of the wheeled traffic on this street would have been bikes. Today there were some bikes, sure, but mostly it was scooters and motorcycles and small cars filling the street, with pedestrian throngs covering the sidewalks.And nobody wore a uniform around here.He took a sip of green tea in the glow of the votive candle flickering on his bistro table. He didnt care for the tea, but this place didnt have beer or even wine. What it did have was line of sight on the Lion dOr, a large French colonial restaurant, just across Huynh Thi Phung Street. He looked away from the passersby, stopped thinking about the days when twenty-five percent of them would have been U.S. military, and he glanced back to the Lion dOr. As hard as it was to divorce himself from the past, he managed to put the war out of his mind, because this evening his task was the man drinking alone at a corner table in the restaurant, just twenty-five yards from where Clark sat.The subject of Clarks surveillance was American, a few years younger than Clark, bald and thickly built. To Clark it was clear this man seemed to be having issues this evening. His jaw was fixed in anger, his body movements were jolting and exaggerated like a man nearly overcome with fury.Clark could relate. He was in a particularly foul humor himself.He watched the subject for another moment, then checked his watch and pressed down on a button on a small wireless controller in his left hand. He spoke aloud, albeit softly, even though no one sat close by. One-hour mark. Whoever hes meeting is making him wait for the honor of their company.Three stories above and directly behind Clarkon the roof of a mixed-use colonial-style office buildingthree men, all lying prone and wearing muted colors and black backpacks, scanned the street below them. They were connected to Clark via their earbuds, and theyd picked up his transmission.Domingo Ding Chavez, in the middle of the three, centered his Nikon on the man in the restaurant and focused the lens. Then he pressed his own push-to-talk button and answered back softly: Subject is not a happy camper. Looks like hes about to put his fist through the wall.Clark replied from below. If I have to sit here in this heat and sip this disgusting tea much longer, Im going to do the same.Chavez cleared his throat uncomfortably, then said, Uh, its not too bad up here. How about one of us take the eye at ground level, you can make your way to the roof?The reply came quick. Negative. Hold positions.Roger that.Sam Driscoll chuckled. He lay on Chavezs left, just a few feet away, his eye to a spotting scope that he used to scan to the north of the restaurant, watching the road for any sign of trouble. He spoke to the men around him, but he didnt transmit. Somebodys grumpy.Several yards to Chavezs right, Jack Ryan, Jr., peered through his camera, scanning the pedestrians on the sidewalk to the south of their overwatch. He focused his attention on a leggy blonde climbing out of a cab. While doing so he asked, Whats wrong with Clark? Hes usually the last one of us to bitch, but hes been like this all day.There was no one else on this rooftop other than the three Americans, but Chavez had been doing this sort of thing for most of his adult life. He knew his voice would carry through the metal air-conditioning duct behind him if he wasnt careful, so he answered back as if he were in a library. Mr. Cs got some history around here, is all. Probably coming back to him.Right, Ryan said. He must be reliving the war.Ding smiled in the darkness. Thats part of it. Clarks down in that caf thinking about the shit he saw. The shit he did. But hes also thinking about running around here as a twenty-five-year-old SEAL stud. It probably scares him how much he wishes he was back in the groove. War or no war.Ryan said, Hes holding up for an old guy. We should all be so lucky.Driscoll shifted on his belly to find a more comfortable position on the asphalt mansard roof, though he kept his eye in his optic, centering now on the man at the table. Clarks right. It doesnt look like this meet is going to happen, and watching this guy through a ten-power scope while he drinks his liver into oblivion is getting old.While Sam focused on the subject, Ryan continued following the blonde as she pushed through the foot traffic heading north along Huynh Thi Phung Street. He tracked her to the front door of Lion dOr. Good news. I think our evening just got interesting.Chavez followed Ryans gaze. Really? How so?Jack watched the woman as she turned sharply into the restaurant from the sidewalk and moved directly toward their subjects table. The meet has arrived, and she is hot.Chavez saw her through his own binos now. I guess its better than watching another fat dude slurp gin. He pressed the push-to-talk button again. John, weve got aClarks voice crackled over Chavez, because he had the command unit on their network and could override other transmissions. I see her. Too bad we dont have any fucking audio.The men on the roof all laughed nervously. Damn, Clark was grouchy tonight.1Colin Hazelton made a show of checking the time on his mobile phone as the woman sat down. She was an hour late and he wanted to indicate his displeasure, even if only passive-aggressively.She fixed the hem of her skirt and crossed her legs, and only then did she look up at him. She seemed to notice the phone and his focus on it, then she lifted the sweating water glass in front of her and took a sip.Hazelton dropped his phone back into his pocket and drank down half of his gin and tonic. He had to admit she was every bit as attractive as advertised. It was virtually all his control had said about his contact tonight. Statuesque and blond, with mannerisms that transmitted refinement and poise. Still, Hazelton was too pissed to be impressed. Not pissed at her, exclusively, but generally angry, and he certainly wasnt in the mood to ogle his contact tonight.That shed made him wait a goddamned hour took even more of the luster off her splendor.Before either spoke the waiter appeared. It was that kind of place, not like the dive bars and tea shops that populated the rest of this part of Huynh Thi Phung Street.The woman ordered a glass of white wine in perfect French. Hazelton could tell it was her native tongue, but his control officer had mentioned this fact as well, between breathless comments about her almond eyes and her lithe body.He assumed she was a former French spook, either DGSE or DCRI, although she also could have been from DST, which became DCRI in 2008. Virtually everyone Hazelton met with in the course of his work was a former intelligence officer, so this was no stretch.She did not introduce herself, though he wasnt surprised by this. He had, however, expected some contrition for her late arrival. But she didnt mention it at all. Instead, she opened with, You brought the documents?Hazelton did not answer her directly. What do you know about the circumstances of the operation?The circumstances?The client. Have they read you in on the client?She showed a little confusion now. Why would they do that? The client is not relevant to my brief.Well, let me fill you in. The client isThe woman held a slender hand up. Her nails were perfectly manicured, and her skin glowed with lotion. When they dont brief me, I take that to mean I am not supposed to know. She looked Hazelton over. You dont appear to be new to this work, so surely you understand this. Her French accent was thick, but her English was flawless.He took another gulp of gin. Sometimes its best to know.Perhaps that is your philosophy. It is not mine. She said it with an air of finality. She wanted to move on. So... do you have them or not?Hazelton spoke slowly and softly, but stressing every word through a slur from the alcohol hed been consuming all day, both here and in the lobby bar back at his hotel. North... Fucking... Korea.No response from the Frenchwoman.He said, You did know, didnt you?She did not answer. Instead, she replied, You are very emotional, arent you? This surprises me. I know you were given a rush assignment, someone took ill and they pulled out and then you were called over, but New York should know better than to send in an emotional traveling officer. Below the table, Hazelton felt the tip of her high-heeled shoe as it ran along his leg, just next to his ankle. There was a time in his life when this would have excited him, but that was long ago. This was work; he knew she was just feeling around to see if he had a briefcase. Soon he heard her toe thump his case, next to his leg.She said, Slide it to me, please.The big American just sat there. He drummed his fingers on the table. Considering.He expected to see frustration on her face, but she was oddly cool about his delay. After several seconds she repeated herself with no change in tone. Slide it to me, please.He didnt know what he was going to do tonight. Would he pass the items or shred them and dump them in a river like fish food? The ramifications for each course of action had been weighing on him all day. But now a sense of composure came over him, and he heard himself say, You know what? I didnt sign on to this job to be an errand boy for a bunch of murdering psychos. Then, There is other work to be had without stooping this low.I dont understand, the woman said, and while speaking she glanced into the street, a casual gaze. She looked bored, but Hazelton knew she was simply keeping an eye out for surveillance.Hazelton waved his arm in the air angrily. To hell with this. Im out.The woman, by contrast, displayed no emotion. Out?Im not passing the documents on to you.She sighed a little now. Is this about money? If so, you will need to talk to New York. I have no authorization toIts not about money. Its about good and evil. Thats completely lost on you, isnt it?My job has nothing to do with either.Hazelton looked at the woman with complete derision. His decision had been made. Tell yourself that if you need to, but youre not getting these docs. He kicked the briefcase loud enough for her to hear it.The woman nodded. A countenance of calm. Her detachment was odd to Hazelton. Hed expected screaming and yelling. She just said, This will complicate things. New York will be angry.Screw New York.I hope you dont expect me to join you in your moral crusade.Doll, I dont give a damn what you do.Then you wont give a damn when I walk out of here and make a phone call.Hazelton paused, the strain of his work and the travel evident on his face. Call him.He will send someone to take that case from you.Hazelton smiled now. He might try. But like you said, Im not exactly new at this. I have a few tricks up my sleeve.For your sake, I hope you do. The Frenchwoman stood and turned away, passing the smiling waiter approaching the table with the wine on a silver tray. are there apps that recommend books Tom Clancy Full Force and Effect (A Jack Ryan Novel)
34 of 34 people found the following review helpful. Greaney Continues The LegacyBy Michael HicksAs is expected with a Tom Clancy novel, the strong geopolitics on display mimic a lot of recognizable real-world influences with deft shades of fictionalizing. Here, we see a North Korea that is attempting to extract an estimated 12 trillion dollars worth of rare earth minerals, a huge amount of hard capital that would allow them to buy nuclear weapons, as well as friends with influence in the UN. The ambitions of Choi Ji-Hoon, the young supreme leader of North Korea who has inherited the nation from his recently deceased father, is clearly influenced by real-life ruler of North Korea, Kim Jong-Un, right on down to the actions taken against his uncle. Author Mark Greaney, in true Clancy fashion, is playing in a very recognizable modern world to craft a superb of-the-moment technothriller.Although I enjoyed Greaney's first solo outing in the Clancy franchise with this past summer's release of Support and Defend, I found the climax of that book to veer off into waters more typical of a James Bond story. In Full Force and Effect, though, we see Greaney, who co-authored several Jack Ryan novels alongside Tom Clancy, prior to that author's death late last year, back on solid footing and delivering exactly what is expected with the Clancy brand. This latest is a thick volume (but not quite as large as some previous installments) filled with ripped-from-the-headlines politics, espionage and spy-craft, and brisk action, along with the usual cast of characters in the White House and The Campus operators.Greaney displays a solid command over his characters, and the story itself is a slow pot-boiler. When the action kicks in, to deliver an energetic centerpiece that puts President Jack Ryan himself in the cross-hairs, it's tense and perfectly executed. There's the usual deft, chess-like maneuvering of nations and their leaders, along with some smooth interplay between industry leaders, the Mexican mafia, and an Iranian bomb-maker for hire. The Campus operatives, which includes Jack Ryan, Jr., his cousin Dom, John Clark and Domingo Chavez, get their moments to shine and are well-integrated into this political thriller in a more street-level eyes-on capacity than we've seen from them in the past, yet they never feel ancillary to the plot.For his first time at bat solo (or at least publicly), Mark Greaney proves to be the natural heir apparent to the Jack Ryan franchise, and a trusty steward to these characters. After Clancy's passing, I was rooting for Greaney to continue on with the Ryan family, and I now find myself eager to see how he moves these characters forward with future installments now that the baton has officially been passed. Now that he's charged full speed ahead with this latest installment, the big questions are, What comes next? and How soon can I read it?116 of 124 people found the following review helpful. Greaney writes a novel worthy of the Clancy name; another great Jack Ryan storyBy outwestThough it is difficult not to compare Greaney's novels to original Clancy works, he has done a surprisingly good job of reinvigorating the franchise. They hit on many of the Clancy trademarks: thrilling writing, plot twists, espionage, and some good old fashioned butt kicking.That said, this is not Tom Clancy's work, Tom had not written a single book in a decade before he died. This is a franchise book, albeit a good one. Mark Greaney is a talented writer, which he showed in his work in the prior "Clancy" novel Support and Defend. Greaney keeps the trend going with this book, evoking the Clancy style and keeping the franchise alive.In this novel, the plot revolves around a North Korean ICBM which crashes into the Sea of Japan. A veteran CIA officer is murdered in Vietnam, and a package of forged documents goes missing, a puzzle which Jack Ryan, both Sr. and Jr., needs to unwind. In this story, North Korea is headed by a young, untested dictator who is determined to prove his strength, and who like his father before him, hangs his plans on the country's nuclear ambitions. Fiction? In the novel, the dictator, who previously has been hampered by a lack of resources which resulted in the present stalemate of power, has now found valuable mineral resources in his own country which might irreparably change the balance of power. President Ryan calls on all of his resources to avoid this power change, which might give the unstable protagonist nation access to arms which would threaten the USA. Very much the plot of any classic Clancy novel.The writing is tight and well paced, even with an over 600 page book. Btw, the phrase "full force and effect"? It applies to a presidential executive order, which carries the full force and effect of law, aside from Congress, and relates to President Jack Ryan's challenge to North Korea.If you liked Greaney's other Clancy interpretations, you will certainly like Full Force and Effect. For those who have not given Greaney a chance, you should, at least to see if you like his take on Clancy works.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. President Ryan verses the North Korean's -- Doesn't that sound like today's headlines?By William D. CurnuttI have become a fan of Mark Greaney and enjoy reading the books that he has written under the Tom Clancy syndicate. Most of his books up to this point have been middle range books that have had good intrigue and lots of action. This is what I would consider a more daunting longer read epic in the style that Clancy made famous.The story is well conceived and well written. It has that overarching epic feel of a huge political situation that has multiple fronts and threats that have to be analyzed an dealt with. The main gist of the story is that North Korea has a new leader, the son of the previous dictator. This son wants to accomplish what his father started by getting ICBM missiles with nuclear warheads that can reach the west coast of the United States and thus push the U.S. to listen up to North Korea and consider them a world power.To do this they need cash. To get cash they have to find a new way to produce income. Lucky for them the worlds largest deposit of rare earth minerals is found in their own back yard. This mining operation could produce 12 trillion dollars of income for the regime. That is enough money to buy everything they need to go nuclear.Thus the Campus is on the trail of what is going on as well as the CIA and DNI Mary Foley. All the characters are coming together to try and determine the best way to stop North Korea from getting this funding online. President Ryan wants this stopped. Thus he is willing to step out on a limb and handle sanctions against North Korea even against the wishes of other nations.This epic tale is current to todays political climate. It is ripped right from our front pages. Maybe the only stretch is the rare earth mining issue, but that just adds to the intrigue of the book.Greaney does a masterful job of weaving this story together and providing plenty of little sub-plots to help you learn more about the characters involved and the dynamics of how espionage works in todays corporate and political world.You will enjoy every once of the book. So, why did I only give it four stars you ask? Well, because I think that as a larger epic piece under the Clancy name it still didn't have the gripping power of the Clancy style for this longer work. It's close and with more time of development Greaney will get there, just not completely this time. BUT, that doesn't detract from a great story.Enjoy!