This propulsive cautionary tale deftly spotlights the clashing elements of technology.
One man’s crusade becomes a nation’s best hope against terrorism in this cyberthriller.
A suicide bombing in Sacramento sets the country on edge. The mastermind behind that attack is Brett Fadi Knouri, aka The Angel, who recruits suicidal older people to become his weapons. The only one aware of The Angel is Kern Hendley, who has secretly set up a system to track potential terrorist activity during his day job as a Medicare fraud analyst at the Secret Service. He’s driven by his fiancee’s death in the Boston Marathon bombing. Word of Kern’s side project slowly leaks out, making his future tenuous. Col. Lippold of the United States Army Intelligence and Security Command is intrigued by Kern’s process. He assigns CIA agent Laura Berbera to recruit Kern for him. Kern and Laura quickly fall into an intense relationship. But after a bombing in Los Angeles, Daryll Hoff, Kern’s imperious supervisor, takes a new interest in the analyst’s project, making his extraction from the Secret Service difficult. Kern and Laura track down a third bomber in Washington, D.C., where she is badly injured attempting to prevent an attack. The Angel’s scheme has a connection to a member of the Saudi royal family, making the terrorist a target of assassins. Meanwhile, Kern must erase his program inside the Secret Service without getting caught. There’s some deep philosophy hidden behind the cat-and-mouse activity among Kern, Laura, and The Angel. Kuechler uses his background in cybersecurity to highlight the vulnerability of personal information in the modern world. Kern’s system works by finding patterns among big data. The author skillfully balances the advantages for national security against how that impinges on personal privacy. He also deserves credit for delivering a cast of complicated characters. Kuechler has two fanatics facing off: Kern, who lost his fiancee, and The Angel, who blames Jews for his father’s death. Both are geniuses who condescend to nearly everyone. Ambitious Laura dumps her fiancé, who can’t understand why her career is more important than he is. Lippold is a well-hidden spy who too often hedges his bets. Then there are bureaucrats everywhere. The author trusts readers to process his multifaceted characters. What results is a complex, thought-provoking story.
This propulsive cautionary tale deftly spotlights the clashing elements of technology.Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-73556-641-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Tonopah Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 14, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Plenty of excitement for Clancy fans.
Chinese president Li Jian Jun plans a sneak attack on Taiwan, and it’s up to the Jack Ryan administration to stop him without going to war.
President Li announces a naval exercise, but his real plan is Operation Sea Serpent, the lightning reunification of Taiwan. His minister of defense, Admiral Qin Hâiyû, thinks the idea is crazy because a great number of people would die, but he can’t say so. Li is not a man to be challenged, and he’s already had one of his ministers executed. But Qin wants to stop the war before it begins. Perhaps he can get word to the Americans so they can cut off the mad scheme, and he’s troubled by whether his actions will make him a traitor or a patriot. A Western asset nicknamed the Spider helps facilitate his dangerous disappearance as he attempts to leave China, and authorities in Beijing don’t know if he’s been kidnapped or has defected. Meanwhile, the Ryan administration wants to get him safely extracted from mainland China. President Ryan orders that an American naval vessel will transit through the Strait of Taiwan, which the People’s Republic has blockaded. Will there be a bloody showdown that triggers a major war? So much can go wrong, and there are series regulars like John Clark and Ding Chavez at the tip of the spear. And there’s also Katie Ryan, a lieutenant commander with the Office of Naval Intelligence who’s deployed to Taiwan because she’s “one hell of an intelligence analyst” who “thinks outside the box.” She’s a “rising star” who refuses to trade on her relationship with her father, President Ryan. There’s not much violence, although there’s enough to call it a military thriller. One brave American is fading fast from a round to his chest, but he has time to smile about that “hot” Katie Ryan. (Yes, yes, we all like the Ryans.) The novel’s big question is not which nation wins, but whether they fight. Bravery and clear thinking will have to come from both sides. By the way, Jack Junior isn’t in this one—it’s Katie’s time to shine.
Plenty of excitement for Clancy fans.Pub Date: Dec. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9780593717974
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A fun read. Terrorists make great Clancy fodder.
Evildoers plan attacks from America to India, and Jack Ryan Jr. is a prime target.
In Washington state, a man and his family are murdered, and President Jack Ryan learns it is another Poseidon Spear incident. Three retired members of that counterterrorism group have been killed now, and the U.S. government suspects a mole in its midst. Meanwhile, the Umayyad Revolutionary Council believes it has a holy and wholly anti-American mission. Against this backdrop, Jack Ryan Jr., and his fiancée, Lisanne Robertson, visit Delhi, India, to attend the wedding of Srini Rai, the brilliant surgeon who attached Lisanne’s prosthetic left arm. Lisanne had lost her arm in Tom Clancy Shadow of the Dragon (2020). Jack and Lisanne are both operators working for the Campus, a covert group that executes secret presidential directives. A wedding is a happy occasion, and the engaged American couple intend the trip as a vacation. Jack and Lisanne will attend a sangeet, an elaborate pre-wedding party. But it isn’t long before they survive a suicide bomb attack. As with all Clancy novels, there’s plenty of action on a global scale. In simultaneous strikes, terrorists plan to contaminate America’s Western water supply with radioactive waste from Washington’s Hanford nuclear power plant, blow up a spectacular new bridge in Kashmir, and kill the evil Ryan—or Junior, at least. It will be At-Takwir, the end of days. There is an appealing mix of Indian culture, high-speed action, and the rich lode of details that characterizes the whole series. And in the background lingers the question on several characters’ minds: Have Jack and Lisanne set their own wedding date?
A fun read. Terrorists make great Clancy fodder.Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9780593718032
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
