Without Remorse (John Clark Novel, A Book 1) Kindle Edition

The main character is grieving the death of his wife and child and then "falls in love" with someone he picks up hitchhiking and does not even know. That sounds realistic! Their dialogue is flat and riddled with clicheds. She is a drug addicted, abused, prostitute but she smacks him on the arm and says "Oh, you," like a thirteen year old schoolgirl from Iowa. None of the characters are realistic and the admirals who meet seem like nothing more than a chance to have someone mouth all the tired cliches about America and how it is unbelievable the North Vietnamese people support their government. The author even drags in an Iranian doctor who, of course, abuses the female nurses, Lots of passages are just excuses to toot the horn of the so called warrior community, all of whom of course are better people than the normal slug walking down the street. Main character likes to see moms and kids in the street because "that is the way it is supposed to be because kids need their moms home with them" Narrator says marines who might volunteer for one mission would never be weak enough to have PTSD because they know they are "Lions." Lots of the book is devoted to long explanations of why the kinds of hatred we see these days masking as patriotism are really OK.I guess some sentimental, conservative males with no real sense of decent writing may find this a decent book. Read Clancy's HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER if you want adventure and a sense of realistic honorable behavior and a feeling that the main character is complex enough to be possibly real. This one is lame. Honestly, I wish I could get my money back.

I've gotten maybe a third thru this 'thriller', and put up with the detailed ugly acts of the 'hero' former Navy SEAL John Kelly, aka John Clark, one of the recurring characters in the Jack Ryan series of books. I tolerated the first 8 murders (plain ugly - unjustified and voyeuristic in violence) committed by the hero but quit the book when author detailed and glorified a slow torture event also committed by his hero. This is not a military techno thriller - it's just pandering to the worst appetites in the human condition. Done with this book.

The first chronological book in the Jack Ryan universe, it is the origin story of the mysterious man known as John Clark. A compelling story of vengeance as John T Kelly takes the law into his own hands. This is a gripping tale and one that any fan of Tom Clancy should read. However, it is a great standalone book, and is great for any reader thirsty for just vengeance.

Clancy's greatest story, in my opinion, but maybe that's because it's what started it all for John Kelly/Clark. I was too young to read this when it was first released (I think Rainbow Six was the my first introduction to the badass who is John Clark), but having read them all a time or two, this is the one that sticks by me for having the greatest depth in a protagonist and the greatest breadth in the story. Wonderful writing, from early Clancy with all the technical details that suck me in and great tones throughout - really enjoyable read that's just damn hard to find nowdays.

And now I know why: it's sentimental, violent, schmaltzy, gratuitous and shallow.The hero is an overgrown child. The characters around him are thin and predictable. The plot is laden with technical jargon that slows down the whole effort.The author comes across as conservative and frankly misogynistic. He described one character as a frumpy woman who drove men crazy just by being behind the wheel. Dumb and meaningless. Women in this book are either saints, fallen angels meant to be saved, or just background noise.So, skip it. Unless you're a hormonal teenage boy. Then this might appeal to you.

Excellent read. A little slow in the start but once it gets going it gets going. This is also the introduction to one of Tom Clancy’s most intriguing characters, John Clark a.k.a John Kelly. This book charts Clark’s rise as an young Vietnam veteran, to a trained agency asset who plays a pivotal role in many later Jack Ryan books. Highly recommended, especially if you have read any of Clancy’s other books and wondered where in the world John Clark got his start.

I read this book in 1994 and I loved it then. I just recently purchased the Kindle version of the book and the Audible version of the book. I listened to the book as I followed the text of the Kindle version.The book is one of my favorites that was written by Tom Clancy. It develops the background and life of a major character in several of Tom’s books. John Kelly who later becomes John Clark working for the CIA. John is a Navy Seal and a master warrior with multiple skills. He life is crushed as his wife and unborn child are killed in a tragic car accident.Later in life he meets a young woman, Pam, and he tries to help her. He finds out that she has escaped from a major drug dealer who beat her and mistreated her while keeping her high on drugs. John’s new friends help to cure her of her drug habit and John is falling in love. Pam asks John to help her other female friends to escape from the drug dealer as not only does he mistreat them but he kills them if they try to escape.John and Pam are attacked and John is nearly killed and Pam is kidnaped, tortured, raped and murdered. As John recovers he realizes that he made a vow to help Pam’s friends. Meanwhile he is also asked by multiple Admirals to do a secret mission to rescue captured American officers. He has to train a team of Marines for the mission and also help Pam’s friends on his own time.What begins is a winding tale of murder and training for an impossible mission and traitors giving secrets to Russian agents….I love this story and I recommend it to you. It is a long book but it is well written and it is a good storyline.

Awesome Book by Tom Clancy. Readers who have read other Clancy books will know John Clark already, but may not know how he became who he is. This book is riveting.

This was my first Clancy novel as I deliberately decided to go in order of the series' chronological timeline (as opposed to release date). Primarily it's a story about the early life of CIA man John Clark. He is a thirtyish former marine who becomes embroiled in two adjoining plots at the same time, a rescue mission of POW's in Vietnam and a private vendetta against some east coast drug dealers. The latter I found to be much more gripping than the former.For several reasons the standout aspect of the book is the character of Pamela, although to explain why would be to give the plot away. It's also really fun how Clark goes about hunting down the drug dealers. Clancy manages to make it a very exciting process whilst still keeping events very realistic, a difficult balance to achieve.The one major criticism I have is with the torture sequence. I found it to be completely over the top. I even ended up sympathising with the tortured, which can't have been the idea. That pulled the book down a peg for me but overall this is still an engaging thriller. Recommended.

The story of John Clarks ascention into the CIA via a shadowy world of prostitution, drugs, murder and war. I noticed some reviewers noting the plot is a little slow, but I couldn't disagree more. The characters are built up well and you begin to feel real empathy with Clark / Kelly as he goes through the deaths of two loved ones and failed missions in his professional life. Many Jack Ryan novels are a little cheesy and stink of propaganda, but this tackles the horrors of life and warfare superbly (the plot revolves around vietnam - team America can't win them all!). The hero is not clean as a wistle like many of Clancy's protagonists. Tom Clancy is renouned for his techno-thriller genre but he weaves real emotion into this story alongside his superb technical knowledge. Fans of the Jack Ryan series will find links to well known characters twisted into the plot, we even meet Jacks father the police officer.

One of my favourite books, but then again it does appeal to the vigilante in me. If you like Tom Clancy then you should love this.

Contrary to popular belief this is the first book you should read in Tom Clancys epic "Jack Ryan" series. It tells how John Kelly (later Clark), an ex Navy Seal, got his name and how he became involved with the CIA. Although Jack Ryan only gets the briefests of mentions as the son of Emmet Ryan (the cop John Kelly has to contend with).Although published in 1993 the story is set during the dying days of the Vietnam War. Patriot Games is the second book in the series, with Red Rabbit next, followed by The Hunt for Red October and so on.

Book as described, thank you.