Patriot Games by Tom Clancy

     The events in Patriot Games take place before The Hunt for Red October. The story begins with Jack Ryan and his family in London. Jack stumbles upon a terrorist attack and manages to disarm the situation, saving members of the royal family in the process. While this puts Jack and his family in the good graces of British royalty, it marks him as an enemy to the Ulster Liberation Army (ULA), an Irish terrorist organization. Jack teams up with the CIA to unravel the mystery of the ghost-like ULA. Jack doesn't have to look far, as the organization makes two attempts on his family, the final of which results in the capture of the ULA members.
     While Jack is cracking the code on the ULA, he is simultaneously being recruited by the CIA to be more than just a consulting analyst. Jack struggles with an internal conflict while considering the job offer. Knowing the information he dissects will be used to capture and kill other humans does not sit well with Jack. It is not until terrorists nearly succeed in killing his own family that Jack comes around to accept the job offer.
     I found myself on-edge for the duration of the novel, hoping that Jack and his allies would piece together all the clues before it was too late. The threat posed on Jack's family had me despising the antagonist, more so than if Ryan alone had been in danger. My emotional investment into Patriot Games is the result of excellent character development by Mr. Clancy. Clancy goes out of his way to describe how lovely Jack's little girl and pregnant wife are. "Nothing better happen to Jack's family," repeated in the back of my mind as I read.
     As I mentioned in my recap of The Hunt for Red October, one of my favorite attributes of the main character Jack Ryan is how undeniably human he is. Jack is not omniscient and pieces together information slowly with the help of others. He falls down, breaks bones, gets shot, says what he is thinking, and learns lessons along the way. Having a main character who is so normal, helps the reader identify with the character and creates more emotional tie in. I'm interested to find out if Jack will become less clumsy and more confident as his work with the CIA continues.
     The Cardinal of the Kremlin is the next book in the series. Let's see if my interest will hold for another Clancy novel. I plan to watch the Patriot Games movie as well. I was not impressed with Alec Baldwin's impersonation of Jack Ryan, let's see if Harrison Ford can do any better.