TOM CLANCY ENEMY CONTACT

The latest in the
action-filled series of thrillers based on characters created by the late Tom
Clancy (Oath of Office, 2018,
etc.) and continued here by Maden.

Malign forces are
trying to steal America’s vital secrets, which it keeps in the highly secure IC
Cloud. Naturally, a security breach would be catastrophic. China is the biggest
cybersecurity threat by far, and it may have American allies. Sen. Deborah
Dixon, who wants President Jack Ryan’s job, says in a speech that “the future
belongs to America and China,” and a Ryan aide speculates that she may be in
league with the Chinese. Meanwhile, Jack Ryan Jr. is a financial analyst at
Hendley Associates who is sent to Poland to see if there is a connection
between China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Poland. In Warsaw, he is assigned
a Polish assistant, Agent Liliana Pilecki. She’s good-looking, of course, and
exceptionally brave. There’s an unrequited sexual tension between them that
reflects especially well on Jack Jr. as a heck of a decent guy. Early on, his
cancer-stricken friend, Cory, makes a deathbed request that Jack feels
honor-bound to keep. “A man keeps his word,” he thinks, and he goes to heroic
lengths to do so. Jack Ryan Jr. is definitely someone you want on your side,
and not because he’s the president’s son. He is the quintessential good
guy—tough, smart, honorable, unafraid. Handcuffed with his hands behind his
back atop a Peruvian mountain and saying he needs to pee, he asks a captor for
help. “If you’re nice, you can hold it for me,” he wisecracks. “Of course,
you’ll have to use both hands.” Now that’s a red-blooded
American. Author Maden’s style meshes perfectly with the classic Clancy yarns,
with global action, struggle, suffering, and formidable foes who get what they
deserve.