Bentley is no stranger to the thriller scene after the phenomenal start to his career with his Matt Drake series, and because of that, his stint as a Clancy estate writer has the highest of expectations from me. Following up the hair-raising Jack Ryan Jr. adventure Target Acquired, he brings a deadly battle on a peninsula that has been primed for explosion for years. Pull those belts tight, Zero Hour is going to get crazy.
Jack Ryan Jr. would be one of the most polarizing figures in the United States if people knew who he was. As the son of the President, you would think he has media following him everywhere, when in fact, Jack Ryan Jr. is a mythical ‘Campus’ operator/analyst roaming the world over keeping his country safe. While overseas with Lisanne Robertson, his something more than a girlfriend but not yet affirmed with the status conversation, South Korea turns deadly in an instant. While sightseeing in Seoul following a long flight, the heat picks up as Ryan sees what is either a flash mob or a riot starting. Police and EMS personnel arriving on scene seem to show that this is going to be a rowdy bunch until the world unexpectedly turns upside down.
Ryan does what any one from ‘The Campus’ would do, he acts, saving people and variably changing the lives of those around him. As his adventure is just beginning, ODA 555 is conducting real life training scenarios in South Korea as well. ODA members Jad Mustafa and Cary Marks are specialists in dealing death when they run into funny business that plagues the Korean peninsula. By doing what they are all trained to do, they unwillingly link up as terror strikes everywhere in downtown Seoul.
As the story unwinds you meet another host of special operators with an endless amount of witty rhetoric and timely firefights. The story continues to build and build and there is a point where you believe puppet hands are in play but that the North Koreans are the aggressors in every single way. While you are struggling to play this out in your mind and help the team decide what they need to do, Ryan, ODA 555, and the other operators are attempting to stop one of the most egregious acts of violence seen in recent times. If they do not execute a flawless mission of redemption the Korean peninsula will never be the same. Is it World War III or the complete inexistence of a neighboring country?
The battle takes on new fronts with terrifying helicopter combat, infiltration to areas that typically do not like Americans, and the race to save the most unlikely captive. I cannot stress that last point enough, the creativity that Bentley drops on every page is unmatched and relentless and Jack Ryan Jr. is at the top of his game right now. Bentley lures you in with his perfected balance of detail and drama, delivering treacherous territory for Ryan and Robertson to navigate and a world full of unknowns for you to enjoy!
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