Red Rabbit (Penguin Books)

In Red Rabbit Tom Clancy gives Jack Ryan fans an insight into his greatest hero's first years fighting terrorism. Jack Ryan. The early CIA days...When young Jack Ryan joins the CIA as an analyst he is thrust into a world of political intrigue and conspiracy. Stationed in England, he quickly finds himself debriefing a Soviet defector with an extraordinary story to tell: senior Russian officials are plotting to assassinate Pope John Paul II. The CIA novice must forget his inexperience and rely on all his wits to firstly discover the details of the plot - and then prevent its execution. For it is not just the Pope's life that is at stake, but also the stability of the Western World. Red Rabbit is the thrilling eighth novel featuring Jack Ryan, following The Sum of All Fears and Debt of Honour. Published after Executive Orders, the novel charts Jack Ryan's earliest mission for the CIA, and is the stunning prequel to The Hunt For Red October. Praise for Tom Clancy: "Truly riveting, a dazzling read". (Sunday Express). "A brilliantly constructed thriller". (Daily Mail). Thirty years ago Tom Clancy was a Maryland insurance broker with a passion for naval history.Years before, he had been an English major at Baltimore's Loyola College and had always dreamed of writing a novel. His first effort, The Hunt for Red October, sold briskly as a result of rave reviews, then catapulted on to the New York Times bestseller list after President Reagan pronounced it 'the perfect yarn'. From that day forward, Clancy established himself as an undisputed master at blending exceptional realism and authenticity, intricate plotting, and razor-sharp suspense. He passed away in October 2013.