Tom Clancy Executive Power

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Katie and Kyle have always been a little different than their siblings.  Their older sister followed in their mother’s footsteps in the medical world, their older brother following their father’s into the world of black ops and spy craft.  The younger pair have always had a different kind of bond – quiet and studious, they each made their own names in military intelligence and electronics…even though they share the last name of the president.  But when their drive to make their own way puts both siblings in danger, will Jack Ryan use his presidential powers to rescue his family, or will the kids show dad they know how to handle a little danger themselves?

Tom Clancy Executive Power delivers the 21^st novel in the Jack Ryan series and the second from writing duo Jeffrey Wilson and Brian Andrews.  Focusing more on the children than President Ryan, the authors bring new life to series by allowing the action to follow the younger, less encumbered Ryans.  Similar to the Jack Ryan Jr series, this novel brings new military technology and processes to readers, but in the framework of classic Ryanverse family dynamics and drama.  For readers who have grown to love Jack Ryan, Mary Pat Foley, and the typical cast of heroes in the Ryanverse, you will not be disappointed – your favorites are back to support bringing the youngest Ryans home from their adventures.

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I give Tom Clancy Executive Power 4 out of 5 stars.  I will always be a sucker for a Ryan novel, but this duo has made some choices with our characters that are hard to understand at times.  I appreciate the look at the dynamic between Katie and Kyle in more depth here, but can’t see Kyle choosing this type of assignment without at least letting someone in his family know about the change of career.  I was also bothered by the way that Cathy Ryan was just an afterthought throughout the book.  Yes – they showed her in her professional world, but the conversations about and around Cathy made her appear as an outsider – not the mother and wife with great influence that we know her to be.  I also felt like the inclusion of Cathy’s storyline around performing a medical procedure on a friend felt out of place both in medical terms and for the plot.  You never actually hear from Cathy…just about her.  Want to know how to hook the female audience?  Let them see what it’s like to be married to Jack Ryan firsthand…

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If you are a Ryanverse junkie like me, you are going to enjoy this book!  Given recent political developments in the Middle East and Africa, portions of this story felt ripped from the headlines, even though it was probably written months before these events occurred.  I would also recommend this book for readers who aren’t familiar with the Jack Ryan narrative – getting in early with Kyle’s story here is a great jumping off point to follow the rest of the series.  I was very excited when I saw this available on NetGalley and I’m already waiting for the next Ryan book to show up, too!

Tom Clancy Executive Power will hit shelves November 25^th.   You can preorder your copy today on our Bookshop.org page!

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• Current audio book: Over Yonder, Sean Dietrich
• Book I’m most looking forward to: Streets of Laredo, Larry McMurtry