Jack Ryan is the main character of more than 15 novels written by Tom Clancy. The character’s wife, Cathy Ryan, has the same education and employment as Clancy’s wife. The series is based in part on features of Clancy’s own life, such as schooling and military experience.
Jack Ryan is a CIA analyst, a marine, and a politician from Maryland. After a helicopter disaster derailed his military ambitions, Jack pursued a career in finance, working as a banker.
Jack joins the CIA and rises through the ranks to become a respected analyst. Doing this, he battles adversaries whose schemes are a threat to the US and the world.
In the Jack Ryan novels, John Clark is a supporting character. He’s a former Navy Seal and a Vietnam War veteran. He joined the CIA’s Special Activities Division after leaving the military. John Clark handles issues that are like those that Jack Ryan faces.
Because he is frequently thrown into dubious situations, the hero distinguishes himself. He is forced to make decisions that would otherwise evade Jack Ryan.
The Cardinal of the Kremlin, the first book in the Jack Ryan/John Clark series, was published in 1984. This is the first book in which both Jack Ryan and John Clark appear. And, even though they are supposed to be allies, they don’t always cooperate.
The easiest way to describe John Clark is as Jack Ryan’s competitor.
The main themes of the series are personal responsibility, honesty, and patriotism. Jack Ryan is noted for being a fierce protector of his family and for having strong beliefs.
Jack Ryan Jr Books in order
- The Teeth Of The Tiger (2003)
- Dead or Alive (2010)
- Locked On (2011)
- Threat Vector (2012)
- Command Authority (2013)
- Support and Defend (2014)
- Under Fire (2015)
- Duty and Honor (2016)
- Point of Contact (2017)
- Line of Sight (2018)
- Oath of Office (2018)
- Enemy Contact (2019)
Similar authors
- Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne series features The CIA’s most lethal former operative. He is forced to come out of hiding to learn shocking details about his past.
- The Pelican Brief by John Grisham follows a law student that discovered a conspiracy. This puts herself and others in great danger.
See also: Brian Freeman Books in Order.
Most recommended books of the series
- Chain of Command (Jack Ryan Universe, #32) (4.48 Goodreads score)
- True Faith and Allegiance (Jack Ryan Universe, #22) 4.34 Goodreads score)
- Full Force and Effect (Jack Ryan, #10) 4.25 (Goodreads score)
- Code of Honor (Jack Ryan Universe, #28) (4.22 Goodreads score)
- Support and Defend (Jack Ryan Jr, #6) (4.16 Goodreads score)
Latest releases in the series
The last Jack Ryan book, Commander-in-Chief, was published in 2015.
Movies based on the series
- The Jack Ryan franchise is a series of action-thriller films based on the fictional character Jack Ryan from Tom Clancy’s novels. Jack Ryan’s part has been played by a number of actors, including Alec Baldwin, Ben Affleck, and Chris Pine.
- The books also inspired a TV show that aired in 2018, starring John Krasinski as the main character. The series consists of 2 seasons, available on Amazon.
Book summaries
The Teeth Of The Tiger (2003)
A man named Mohammed sits in a café in Vienna, about to propose a deal to a Colombian. What if they combined his network of Middle East agents and sympathizers with the Colombian’s drug network in America? The potential for profits would be enormous—and the potential for destruction unimaginable. A young man in suburban Maryland who has grown up around intrigue is about to put his skills to the test. Taught the ways of the world firsthand by agents, statesmen, analysts, Secret Servicemen, and black-op specialists, he crosses the radar of “The Campus”—a secret organization set up to identify local terrorist threats and deal with them by any means necessary.His name: Jack Ryan, Jr.
Dead or Alive (2010)
It is The Campus. Secretly created under the administration of President Jack Ryan, its sole purpose is to eliminate terrorists and those who protect them. Officially, it has no connection to the American government—a necessity in a time when those in power consider themselves above such arcane ideals as loyalty, justice, and right or wrong.Now covert intelligence expert Jack Ryan Jr. and his compatriots at The Campus—joined by black ops warriors John Clark and “Ding” Chavez—have come up against their greatest foe: a sadistic killer known as the Emir. Mastermind of countless horrific attacks, the Emir has eluded capture by every law enforcement agency in the world. But his greatest devastation is yet to be unleashed as he plans a monumental strike at the heart of America.On the trail of the Emir, Jack Ryan Jr. will find himself following in his legendary father’s footsteps on a manhunt that will take him and his allies across the globe, into the shadowy arenas of politic
Locked On (2011)
Privately training with special forces, he’s honing his combat skills to continue his work within the Campus, hunting down and eliminating terrorists wherever he can—even as Jack Ryan Sr. campaigns to become President of the United States again. But what neither father nor son knows is that the political and personal have just become equally dangerous. A devout enemy of Jack Sr. launches a privately-funded vendetta to discredit him and connect him to a mysterious killing in his longtime ally John Clark’s past. All they have to do is catch him. With Clark on the run, it’s up to Jack Jr. to stop a growing threat emerging in the Middle East, where a corrupt Pakistani general has entered into a deadly pact with a fanatical terrorist to procure four nuclear warheads they can use to blackmail any world power into submission—or face annihilation.
Threat Vector (2012)
The Campus has been discovered. And whoever knows they exist knows they can be destroyed. Meanwhile, President Jack Ryan has been swept back into the Oval Office—and his wisdom and courage are needed more desperately than ever.Internal political and economic strife has pushed the leadership of China to the edge of disaster. And those who wish to consolidate their power are using the opportunity to strike at long-desired Taiwan, as well as the Americans who have protected the tiny nation.Now, as two of the world’s superpowers move ever closer to a final confrontation, President Ryan must use the only wild card he has left—The Campus. But with their existence about to be revealed, they might not even have a chance to enter the battle before the world is consumed by war.
Command Authority (2013)
Decades ago, as a young CIA analyst, President Jack Ryan Sr. was sent out to investigate the death of an operative—only to uncover the existence of a KGB assassin codenamed Zenith. He was never able to find the killer….In the present, a new strongman has emerged in the ever-chaotic Russian republic—the enigmatic President Valeri Volodon. But the foundations of his personal empire are built on a bloody secret from his past. And none who know of it have lived to tell. For he has set a plot in motion—a plot to return Russia to its former glory.But when a family friend of Ryan’s is poisoned by a radioactive agent, the trail leads to Russia. And Jack Ryan Jr.—aided by his compatriots John Clark and the covert warriors of the secretive Campus—must delve into an international conflict thirty years in the making, and finish what his father started.With President Ryan fighting the political battle of his life, and his son fighting a silent war against a ruthless foe, global conflict becomes imminent—and the possibility of survival may soon be lost for all….
Support and Defend (2014)
Dominic Caruso. Nephew of President Jack Ryan. FBI agent. And operator for the top secret U.S. intelligence agency known as The Campus. Already scarred by the death of his brother, Caruso is further devastated when he is unable to save a friend and his family from a terrorist attack. Ethan Ross was a mid-level staffer for the National Security Council. Now he’s a wanted fugitive on the run with a microdrive that contains enough information to destroy American intelligence efforts around the world. The CIA is desperate to get the drive back before it’s captured by the Russians or one of the various terrorist groups also vying for it.Only Caruso stands in their way—but can he succeed without the aid of his Campus colleagues?
Under Fire (2015)
On a mission in Tehran, Jack Ryan, Jr., meets his oldest friend, Seth Gregory. As they part, Seth slips Jack a key, along with a perplexing message. The next day Jack is summoned to an apartment where two men claim Seth has disappeared with funds for a vital intelligence operation. They say he’s turned and leave Jack with a warning: If you hear from Seth, call us. Do not get involved. Jack soon finds himself lost in a maze of intrigue, lies, and betrayal where no one is who they seem to be—not even Seth, who’s harboring a secret that harkens back to the Cold War. A secret that is driving him to the brink of treason….
Duty and Honor (2016)
Jack Ryan, Jr., is on his own. He’s been ousted from his position at the Campus, the off-the-books intelligence agency that was set up by his father, the President. As if that’s not bad enough, someone is out for Jack‘s blood. The police think that he was just the victim of a mugging, but he knows a professional assassin when he kills one. Using clues found on his would-be dispatcher, Jack launches his own shadow campaign to uncover the brutal truth about a world-renowned philanthropist and human rights advocate—and a long-running false-flag war of terror that has claimed thousands of lives….
Point of Contact (2017)
A former U.S. senator and defense contractor needs someone to look over the books of Dalfan Technologies, a Singapore company–quickly. He turns to Jack Ryan, Jr., and Paul Brown, two employees of one of the best financial analysis firms in the country, which also happens to be the cover for The Campus, a top secret American intelligence agency.Brown has no idea that Jack works for The Campus. Jack has no idea that the awkward accountant has been tasked with uploading a cyberwarfare program into the highly secure Dalfan Technologies mainframe on behalf of the CIA. On the verge of mission success, Brown discovers a game within the game, and the people who now want to kill him are as deadly as the cyclone bearing down on the island nation. Together Ryan and Brown race to escape both the dangerous storm and a team of trained assassins in order to prevent a global catastrophe, even at the cost of their own lives.
Line of Sight (2018)
Twenty-six years ago, Dr. Cathy Ryan restored the eyesight of a young Bosnian girl who had been injured during an attack in the Bosnian War. Today, her son Jack Ryan, Jr. has agreed to track down the young woman and deliver a letter from his mother. What he finds shocks them both. The helpless child has grown into a remarkable woman. Aida Curic is a self-possessed beauty with a big heart and an even bigger secret who runs a controversial refugee agency near Sarajevo. Jack finds himself deeply drawn to both her and her country, but soon finds himself in the crosshairs of the seething ethnic tensions and ancient blood feuds of the Balkans, the region of Europe where empires go to die. If Jack can’t navigate the world of secret service agencies, special operators and local mafias to save Aida, Sarajevo will prove the be the fuse that lights the next world war.
Oath of Office (2018)
Freedom may have finally arrived in Iran. As protests break out across the country, the media rejoices over the so-called Persian Spring. Western leaders are ecstatic. Members of Congress and the Cabinet clamor to back the rebels. Only President Jack Ryan remains wary.Meanwhile, he has plenty to handle at home. A deadly strain of flu is ravaging the United States as spring floods decimate the Southeast. An unethical senator wants to bring down the Ryan presidency and is willing to lean on fabricated bot-planted stories to do it.But the scariest story is the most closely guarded one. Two Russian nuclear missiles have been hijacked. The Campus gets their first break when Jack Junior connects with a rogue Russian intelligence officer in Afghanistan–only to be abducted soon after arriving. John Clark and the rest of the Campus team race to track the missiles and rescue their colleague.As sensationalized stories spin out of control and the stolen missiles remain out of reach, President Ryan’s toughest challenge emerges: How do you meet an enemy head on, when he won’t even show you his face?
Enemy Contact (2019)
The CIA’s deepest secrets are being given away for a larger agenda that will undermine the entire Western intelligence community. Director of National Intelligence Mary Pat Foley wants it stopped but doesn’t know who, how or why.Jack Ryan, Jr., is dispatched to Poland on a different mission. The clues are thin, and the sketchy trail dead ends in a harrowing fight from which he barely escapes with his life.If that’s not bad enough, Jack gets more tragic news. An old friend, who’s dying from cancer, has one final request for Jack. It seems simple enough, but before it’s done, Jack will find himself alone, his life hanging by a thread. If he survives, he’ll be one step closer to finding the shadowy figure behind the CIA leak and its true purpose, but in the process, he’ll challenge the world’s most dangerous criminal syndicate with devastating consequences.
