Tom Clancy Rules of Engagement by Ward Larsen ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

The White House is stunned when the Secretary of Commerce is killed in a plane crash in Turkey. President Jack Ryan isn't ready to write this off as a simple accident. Not only has he lost a good friend, but the Secretary was on an important on the surface, he was making an appearance at an economic conference, but the CIA was also using the flight as cover to extract an important asset from the Middle East.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

May 2026; G.P. Putnam's Sons; 978-0593718094
audio, ebook, print (448 pages); thriller

I always say that I enjoy the Jack Ryan, Sr. books better than the Jack, Jr. books. It is because it is usually more about being in the intelligence world rather than the brute force that is so prominent in the Jr. books. Ryan has been president for a long time (not in the book universe) so I have to wonder how long can the writers keep him in office. Now that the kids are adults, I guess they can keep everyone the same age forever.

But I wonder if the introduction of Katie and Kyle in the series as members of the intelligence community, if this will be the handoff eventually, with Ryan retiring and the books becoming more about Katie and Kyle.

I do like Katie and Kyle so that wouldn't be a bad thing. My nostalgic side will miss Ryan, Sr as I have been reading this series for almost 30 years (I was watching the movies before I started reading the books). 

I was looking back through the series, and Rules of Engagement looks to be Ward Larsen's first book in the series. It has all the original members of the universe (Clark, Ding, Mary Pat, Artie van Damn), but it does rely heavily on new characters (Kyle, Katie, and JC). It hit all the marks of a Tom Clancy, Jack Ryan Sr. book, so long-time fans won't be disappointed.

I don't keep up with this series religiously, and I know I've missed a few books here and there, but I don't really remember Task Force 99. I liked that it put John Clark in the field more - in the Junior books, he is usually in command at home base. There are plenty of references to his age - he is another character who I wonder how long he can last in the series. Though it might be fun to see retired Ryan and Clark reminiscing about the old days. Tom Clancy had a habit of publishing books out of chronological order so I wonder if all the loose threads from his novels have been tied up or if there are a few stories that could come out about their days in the CIA.

Just a note, since the Amazon Jack Ryan movie came out the day after this book came out. They are not in the same universe. It can be confusing but if you watch the movie (the series that came before the movie) you just have to forget what you know about the book Jack Ryan and go with the flow.

I did watch the movie while I was reading this book. Of course, the book is better. 

Buy Rules of Engagement at Amazon

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour.

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us. Get even more book news in your inbox, sign up for our newsletter today! Or Follow Girl Who Reads with Bloglovin. Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.