In January, I finished reading Locked On by Tom Clancy. This is continuation of Clancy's Jack Ryan novels. It is the fourteenth book set in the same universe and essentially a sequel to Dead or Alive.
I have really struggled to figure out what to say about this book. There are some parts of the story that I enjoyed. There are a number of characters that I have become invested in over the last twenty-eight years since The Hunt for Red October was published and continue to enjoy following.
Unfortunately, there are several chapters in the last part of the book that are completely implausible. I overuse the expression jumping the shark, but there are several chapters at the end of the book where the authors jumped the shark. Other than to say that the story revolves around Pakistan, Dagestan and Russia, I am not going to even try to talk about the plot.
I gave the previous book in the series a "B-" grade. At best, I would give this book a "C" grade; at best... Unless you have read all of Clancy's other Jack Ryan books, I don't recommend the book.
Clearly the end of the book sets up the next book in the series. Given all of the great books in the world, I am struggling with the idea of slugging my way through the next 800 page Clancy novel that is sure to appear in time for Christmas 2012.
I have to say that I didn't enjoy this book, I started reading it after hearing the review on The Book Report, which is a weekly radio show that I love listening to, but it just wasn't his best work.
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