BOOK REVIEW: SHADOW STATE | Crimespree Magazine

Tom Clancy Shadow State

Jack Ryan Jr. Book 12

Member of Parliament Woodward

GP Putnam’s Sons

August 20^and2024

Tom Clancy’s Shadow State by MP Woodward delves into the world of Jack Ryan Jr. The author, a former naval intelligence officer with the US Pacific Command, weaves his personal experiences into the storyline. The thread concerns industrial espionage and a connection to American defense technologies.

Woodward has taken over writing the Jack Ryan Jr. series. “After this book, there will be a second book coming out in seven months. The next book is called Demarcation line where the characters go to war against a powerful Wolper Organization, the Russian mercenary group. I’m working on one more right now, maybe two or three more. I’m consulting with the authors Brian Andrews and Jeff Wilson, who Act of resistanceof the Jack Ryan Sr. universe, to work together and keep things fresh.”

The story is set in Vietnam because of its vibrant economy that is attracting Western capital. Companies are rushing to find ideal opportunities. Not to be outdone, Hendley Associates has sent its top analyst, Jack Ryan, Jr., to mine for investment gold. And he may have found something in a rare earth mining company: GeoTech. Henley and Associates is a financial trading firm founded by Gerry Hendley. The company itself is a front for Campus, the off-the-books private security firm of which Jack is the chief operator. GeoTech is a rare earth mining company that operates primarily out of the Vietnamese highlands.

“I think every Tom Clancy book should have some national security story to tell. In this case, I emphasized America’s dependence on Chinese mineral refining and their industrial espionage.”

Jack Jr. is invited to take a helicopter tour to observe the company’s activities. But some want to eliminate him and the helicopter is shot down over the jungles of Vietnam. Now Jack is in a race for his life. He must stay one step ahead of a group of assassins and at the same time support his wounded friend. Jack Jr. must fight against a barbaric Vietnamese gang that rules the jungle and is involved in a human trafficking operation.

“I put it in VN because a lot of people think it’s a good place to reorient the supply chain resources. Bad countries use bad people to get things done. It’s titled Shadow state because things are done through gangs. I emphasized how the Chinese used a gang in the Golden Triangle, the Snakeheads, who are active in drug and sex trafficking.”

One character that was introduced and that readers want to see more of is Master Chief Moore. “John Clark, the Campus Director of Operations, is the Navy SEALs’ representative throughout the series. But he’s getting old, so I wanted to bring in another senior operator. He’s a little damaged and feels the need to prove something. I put this quote in the book: ‘The problem is optics and the media.’ It refers to the blurred line between what is acceptable military action and what is not. In the story, his Trident was taken away from him and he was prosecuted in the press as a war criminal for killing a terrorist, even though the terrorist was on the Air Force’s hit list. He didn’t get a fair shake because if a drone had killed the terrorist, nothing would have happened.”

Moore is both tactical and strategic. “One of the purposes Moore serves in this book is as a mentor. In the series, I want him to be the one who carries on John Clark’s legacy. He’s been everywhere, seen everything, and I really wanted to bring a Marine character back into the story because a lot of the others, like Midas, are army guys.”

The plot is a mix of action, intrigue and political drama from the author of the “Handler Series”, where another book is also in the works.