by Don Bentley
Part of Jack Ryan Universe
First published 2022
Jack Ryan Jr travels to Seoul on routine Campus business to evaluate a recruitment prospect. His simple mission transforms into a crisis when North Korea's leader suffers severe injuries that trigger a hidden failsafe mechanism. This dead man's switch activates dormant operatives throughout South Korea's capital city. Violence erupts across Seoul as these sleeper agents begin their operations. The injured leader's condition sparks internal power struggles within North Korea's regime. Ryan finds himself caught in escalating chaos that threatens to ignite a second Korean War. A mysterious woman from North Korea contacts him with intelligence that could halt the peninsula's slide toward conflict. She offers Ryan crucial information to stop the violence and prevent full scale war. Her assistance comes with conditions that force Ryan to weigh personal cost against regional catastrophe. The fate of millions hangs on his decision.
Genres: military-fiction, adventure, suspense, action, espionage, political-thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, Pyongyang
Period: Contemporary
481 pages · Hardcover · G.P. Putnam's Sons
Content warnings: violence