The intense vividness and great plots attract readers from all over to read Tom Clancy's novels. His books have a variety of plots and settings though often the characters work their way into many sub-plots and other novels. One of his trademarks is to "...build a wide-scale story, then blend it all together bit by bit into a dramatic and fast-moving finale." (Apnaguide 9/25). He builds up amazing characters that appear in many of his novels with varying rolls. Though the settings and plots change with each novel, the style is always one of a kind.
             The character John Clark plays a major role in the whole series of books called: "The Jack Ryan series". Though he plays anything from vigilante, to personal bodyguard to the head of the CIA, his character is molded from the thrilling story told in Without Remorse. The killing of his girlfriend sparks him to find out and personally destroy the person responsible for her murder. He uses a variety of cloaks to hide himself in the background of the slums of Baltimore. Then like a poised cobra he strikes at the rotten core of the dark side society that thrives on the pain of others. Though they eventually find out that he is responsible, he is able to disappear in an amazing finale. Through out the book small and what seem unimportant relationships between characters will come to life in future rolls or later in the book. The nurse who saves his life isn't considered relevant to the plot until a twist in the story and she is asked to help him again. Admiral Ritter and the coast guard commander Ortiz will also come up again.
             Jack Ryan was working for the CIA in London when by chance he stumbles on to a terrorist attempt to kidnap an important person in the British government. As his instincts kick in he decides to step in, he kills several of the terrorists and the rest run to get away. Though he himself is shot that isn't the most life threatening
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