Executive Orders by Tom Clancy

This is a familiar author. Used to read every book he wrote... Hunt For Red October, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, Red Storm Rising, The Sum of All Fears... may have missed out one or two more. I like conspiracy, espionage with a little techie stuff thrown in. Got hooked after the Hunt For Red October (that was eons ago) and I hunted down all his subsequent books.

Then as I got busier, I read less. Recently after Other Half finished this book, I decided to give it a go. It's a really long book but still quite nice. Add that to the recent demise, reading is a good way to deal with a loss, at least for me.

Jack Ryan, the hero from his earlier books is now the President of United States. Ryan assumes presidency when the President dies in a terrorist attack. Soon after, a chain of events began to unravel. Then there is the 'mad' Iranian leader who annexed Iraq and then employed biological warfare in the form of an Ebola plague in the US. Also, an attempt was made on Ryan's life by a mole planted in the Security Detail.

Clancy is a rather idealistic author, one that espouses patriotism in its truest sense. Jack Ryan's character continues in that vein of idealism... one of the reasons why I like his books, I guess. I'm a hopeless idealist too.. 8)

But the book is really long. The first half of the book mainly provided the background to the plot; keeps you waiting for the 'big' thing. Things only started to heat up in the second half. So I 'cheated'. Skipped to the end and then back tracked again from where I left off in the process skipping some of the parts on desert and naval warfares. This one is for those die hard techie espionage fans with loads of patience. Book number 6 for this year! LOL! I shall have to readjust the target for this year....