This time around, things aren’t looking so good for North Korea’s Supreme Leader, Choi Ha-guk, following a devastating accident that quickly proves to have unthinkable consequences for his country. While watching a next-gen Russian nuke test launch in a North Korean facility and following an accidental explosion, Choi is left injured and missing from the public. That paves the way for a power-hungry member of the Politburo party to take control, creating all kinds of issues for South Korea, which, in turn, has numerous implications for the United States.
Coincidentally, as the chaos unfolds, Jack Ryan Jr. is in Seoul alongside Lisanne Robertson to recruit an asset for the Campus, landing him right in the middle of the action yet again.The situation becomes especially dire when North Korean operators launch an attack on South Korea’s capital, prompting Jack to act. Also in action are a pair of Green Beret snipers, Master Sergeant Cary Marks and Jad Mustafa, a Libyan who are in Seoul for an assignment. As alliances are formed and sides are drawn, Jack must weigh a possible solution from an unusual counterpart in North Korea, who claims to know how she can stop the impending battle in the Korean Peninsula before it turns into an all-out war.
This is when he gets a strange phone call from an enigmatic woman in North Korea who claims to know what’s going on and wants to help the Americans and South Koreans. This includes tips on upcoming attack plans with maybe enough time to stop the incursions. Still, Ryan wonders who she is and what she might want in return. He’ll learn that the answers are testimony to the old cliché that sometimes in life, you have to pick the lesser of two evils.Through it all, readers will find a taut, fast-moving tale in the hands of a writer who knows his stuff. That’s especially true in the scenes involving military tactics and the warrior brotherhood, which makes sense when you consider Bentley’s background as a decorated Apache helicopter pilot.
Jack Jr. has always had love interests, but this time around, it is complicated. Lisanne Robertson is one of many fantastic, well-developed cast members, and Bentley navigates her relationship with Jack perfectly, despite the challenges they faced.Layered with technical details and riveting action scenes, Bentley’s latest Jack Ryan Jr. thriller represents a new read for Clancy’s readers, one geared more towards action and fast-paced plots that put Jack Junior in unthinkable situations.
Beyond the action and techno-thriller elements, the exciting plot involving North and South Korea gives the book a contemporary feel.