Dead or Alive - B

Dead or Alive by Tom Clancy and Grant Blackwood is a fun read.  I've read a bunch of Tom Clancy novels, not all by any means, but enough that I consider myself a fan.

Clancy's last "Jack Ryan" offering, Teeth of the Tiger, which introduced characters Jack Ryan Jr. and his fraternal twin cousins, Dominic and Brian Caruso, as well as the new black ops center where they are headquartered, The Campus, was capital "H" HORRIBLE.  By far the worst Clancy novel I had read.  (Sometimes, when people don't want to go out on a limb, they'll give you the "it's in the conversation for [the worst meal ever] [the best game I've ever seen], etc.  But you want me on that limb, you need me on that limb).

I thought that Clancy had lost it.  In Teeth of the Tiger, he seemed like he mailed it in.  First, it was much shorter than most Clancy offerings which made it seem like he had just lost interest.  Plus, have I mentioned that the novel was bad?  Because it was.  Capital "B" BAD.

I have to say, now that I'm a Kindle geek, I don't study book covers as much any more.  [I will say that I enjoyed my foray into Barnes and Noble yesterday, and I did find some new books to put on the neverending Kindle Wish List.  I wonder how long that damn list will be when I die, 'cause I'm not getting through the whole thing.  So many books, so little time.]  I mention this because I again note that Dead or Alive was written by Tom Clancy and Grant Blackwood, and that had I known that Grant Blackwood had likely done most of the writing, I probably would not have downloaded the book.  But I didn't, and I did, and the point is moot.

Dead or Alive centers on The Campus' search for a fictional bin Laden known as the Emir.  There are ancillary plots as well which serve primarily to re-energize the Jack Ryan/John Clark (yes, Clark is here) franchise and set up an obvious sequel (or obvious sequels).  Is the novel formulaic?  Yes.  Black ops organization tries to figure out a terrorist plot, knowing that the Emir is in the middle of it.

Just because it's formulaic, however, it doesn't mean that it's not a fun read. It is.  The characters are much better defined this time around.  The plot moves fairly smoothly for a typically long Clancy read.  And it's nice to spend a couple of evenings with old friends.

Live long, read and prosper.  We'll leave the lights on for you.