Retro Books


Tom Clancy's Target Acquired 

Author: Don Bentley

Publisher: Berkeley

ISBN: 9780593188149

Year Published: 2022 

In Tom Clancy’s Target Acquired, Don Bentley delivers another muscular and fast-moving addition to the long-running Tom Clancy universe, blending geopolitical intrigue, covert warfare, and high-stakes espionage into a thriller that rarely slows down. 

Carrying forward the legacy of the late Tom Clancy, Bentley proves once again that he understands the formula that made the franchise globally successful: believable military detail, complex international threats, and protagonists who operate in the dangerous shadows between politics and warfare.

The novel centres on Jack Ryan Jr., a familiar figure to longtime Clancy readers, who becomes entangled in a deadly operation involving international terrorism, intelligence failures, and a widening global conspiracy. Readers are immediately thrown into the action from the get go. From the opening chapters, the pace is relentless, with tactical operations, surveillance missions, and violent confrontations unfolding across multiple locations.

What makes Target Acquired particularly effective as a thriller is Bentley’s ability to balance technical realism with accessibility. Like Clancy before him, Bentley entirely incorporates military hardware, intelligence, tradecraft, and operational procedures in convincing detail without overwhelming readers who are unfamiliar with military jargon. The result is a thriller that feels authentic while remaining highly readable.

Jack Ryan Jr. continues to evolve as a character. Unlike some invincible action heroes common in modern thrillers, Ryan retains a degree of vulnerability and humanity that makes him appealing. He is capable and resourceful, but also burdened by the moral ambiguity of the world he inhabits. Bentley gives him enough emotional depth to prevent the novel from becoming merely a sequence of explosions and firefights.

The villains are suitably dangerous, though not always deeply developed. In classic Clancy fashion, the antagonists often represent broader geopolitical anxieties rather than purely individual evil. The book touches on themes such as global instability, asymmetric warfare, intelligence manipulation, and the growing unpredictability of international conflict. These elements lend the story a contemporary relevance that resonates in today’s increasingly fractured geopolitical environment.

Bentley’s greatest strength may be his handling of action scenes. The combat sequences are sharp, cinematic, and vividly choreographed. Whether depicting close-quarters combat or large-scale tactical operations, he writes with clarity and urgency. Readers can easily visualise the tension, movement, and danger. Importantly, the violence never feels gratuitous; it serves the narrative and reinforces the stakes faced by the characters.

At times, the novel follows a familiar formula. Veteran Clancy readers will recognise the structure: multiple converging plotlines, a global threat, intelligence agencies racing against time, and morally driven operatives navigating political constraints. Yet Bentley injects enough energy and modern sensibility into the material to keep it engaging. The pacing occasionally sacrifices deeper character exploration, but thriller fans are unlikely to mind given the momentum of the story.

One of the novel’s more impressive qualities is how it reflects contemporary security concerns without becoming overly political. Bentley avoids heavy-handed commentary, instead allowing the realism of the scenarios to create tension naturally. This restraint helps the book maintain broad appeal.

Overall, Tom Clancy’s Target Acquired succeeds as both a continuation of the Clancy legacy and a solid modern thriller in its own right. Don Bentley demonstrates that he is more than capable of carrying the franchise forward, delivering a novel filled with suspense, tactical realism, and nonstop action. For fans of military thrillers, espionage fiction, and geopolitical suspense, this is an entertaining and satisfying read that honours the spirit of Tom Clancy while embracing a more contemporary edge.