by Tom Clancy
Part of Jack Ryan Universe, book 6
First published 1989
A missile vanishes in green light off South America's coast while mysterious structures rise in Soviet hills near Afghanistan. The superpowers race to build the first Star Wars defense system. CIA analyst Jack Ryan, known for his role in the Red October incident, works to assess Soviet capabilities. His counterpart is Colonel Mikhail Filitov, an old guard Soviet warrior whom the new technocrats distrust. Filitov discovers crucial intelligence first, but this puts him in mortal danger. The colonel operates as Cardinal, America's most valuable agent inside the Kremlin. Someone is about to expose him to the KGB. Ryan must orchestrate a desperate rescue mission. Filitov's extraction could determine whether the world faces peace or war. The hunter becomes the hunted as Ryan fights to save his asset. Three lives hang in the balance: Filitov's, Ryan's, and potentially the world's future.
Genres: science-fiction, historical-fiction, military-fiction, action, espionage, political-thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: cat-and-mouse, high-stakes, race-against-time
Setting: Afghanistan, Kremlin, South America
Period: Cold War
547 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Berkley Publishing Group