The Cardinal of the Kremlin by Tom Clancy

     In Clancy's third installment of the Jack Ryan series, a former Russian military hero takes on his final CIA operation. Colonel Mikhail Filitov, also known as "Cardinal," is the CIA's highest placed operative, with 30 years of spy experience inside the Kremlin. The colonel's final operation involves the construction of BRIGHT STAR, a ground based nuclear missile defense system and Russian equivalent to America's STAR WARS system. The Cardinal leaks detailed information of BRIGHT STAR to the Americans, compromising himself in the meantime. With the defense systems marking a new chapter in the Russian and American arms race, the Cardinal's capture is sure to cause a scandal, on the eve of a Russian election that could be the difference between peace and war in the world's future. Enter Jack Ryan to save the day.
     As part of the committee overseeing the latest arms treaty, Jack once again puts himself in an advantageous position to diagnose and confront the dilemma. Jack comes up with a plan to blackmail the evil head of the KGB into releasing the Cardinal into US custody which causes an exciting metaphorical chess match between the desperate KGB chairman and the CIA. The Cardinal's rescue operation encounters various hiccups, as many rushed operations do, but ultimately ends in success. Jack gets the Cardinal out, blackmails the KGB chairman into defecting, and earns another "W" in his CIA career.
     The Cardinal of the Kremlin has been my most anticipated book of the series so far. The Cardinal character had been alluded to in The Hunt for Red October as the source of extremely valuable information. In my mind, I pictured the Cardinal to be some sort of young Russian super agent, instead of an old colonel. I was picturing a Pierce Brosnan James Bond and instead got Sean Connery. Colonel Filitov was a broken old man who was trying to do what was best for his country, even though it was considered treason. I wouldn't say that I was disappointed with who the Cardinal turned out to be, just not ready for it.
     This will most likely be my last review in this style. It is very academic, as if I am writing a forced one page paper for a book report. My future goals include getting into a highly competitive master's program with a creative focus. With my creative writing experience limited, I will use this blog to practice creative writing techniques whilst still reviewing the things I completed. I will be killing two birds with one stone, just like Jack Ryan did when he rescued the Cardinal of the Kremlin.