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The Cardinal of the Kremlin Audiobook
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Two men possess vital information on Russia's Star Wars missile defense system. One of them is Cardinal -- America's highest agent in the Kremlin -- and he's about to be terminated by the KGB. The other one is the American who can save Cardinal and lead the world to the brink of peace . . . or war. Here is author Tom Clancy's heart-stopping masterpiece -- a riveting novel about one of the most intriguing issues of our time.
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"Both America and the USSR are pushing for supremecy in the arms race, and the focus has turned to missle defense. Both sides are working feverishly on laser-based missile defense systems, to fry satelites and shoot down ballistic missiles before they can do damage to their targets. The US has a highly placed spy, the Cardinal, in the Kremlin, who has been passing them information for decades. Colonol Filiotov was a Hero of the Soviet Union, decorated for his valor in battle numerous times, but his patriotism had come to turn him against the party and the current power structure after the way his sons and then his wife had died needlessly. So he turned to passing information to the US. As the second-in-command of the Defense Ministry, he was perfectly placed to know all of the particuars about Bright Star, the Soviet missle-defense system. And the Soviets had made an important breakthrough. This valuable information had to get out. So Filitov proceeded to send it out by its usual means, but a small hitch in the courier chain, the inadvertant dropping of the film canaster aboard a subway, was witnessed by an off-duty KGB agent, who recognized the film for what it had to be, and followed the person who dropped it. That accident led to the whole chain falling apart. But the US didn't know how far back the chain had been followed, or if suspicion had fallen on Filitov. The slides on the film were exposed by the agent as soon as he realized he was being followed, but a few partial frames remained, showing something of the Bright Star installation. That limited where the leak could have come from, and suspicion fell to Filitov and his deputy, Bondarenko. Meanwhile, the Americans knew of the compromise, but they also knew that the information that Filitov had was invaluable, so they made another attempt at getting it out, using a brush pass with Mrs. Foley, one of the undercover CIA agents in Moscow. But Filitov was being closely watched, and the pass was broken up just before it happened, and Filitov was taken into custody. After a week of imprisonment, the Soviets broke him, and knew of his activities.Meanwhile, Ryan was involved as the intelligence analyst on the negotiation of a new arms treaty with the Soviet Union, and the progress of the missile defense systems of both sides was a key to knowing how to negotiate. Cardinal provided essential information about what the Soviets were doing, ad Ryan also investigated the Americans' own progress. But the loss of Filitov complicated matters. Not only was it a major intelligence loss, but it also threatened to destabalize the Politburo, the Soviet ruling council. When it became known that a high-ranking member of the Defense Ministry had been compromised, and with another Politburo member in the pocket of a challenger because of his daughter's involvement as a courier for the CIA, it became clear that the whole power structore of the Politburo could be shifting away from the current leader, Narmanov, and is more open policies to Gerasimov, the head of the KGB, and a return to hardline doctrines. So Ryan and the CIA take action. Ryan puts himself out as bait, sending a message through to the Soviets that he is interested in becoming an informant if the Soviets can help get him out of some supposed FTC problems with some stock trades. They take the bait, and agree to meet with him the next time he is in Moscow for negotiations. But he puts one stipulation on the meet, that he must meet face-to-face with Gerasimov. When this happens, instead of turning informant, he confronts Gerasimov with the threat of making the caputer of the Red October public, as well as other things that would destabalize his power. Ryan tells Gerasmov that instead of making a power play for the Politburo, he and his family, along with the captured Filitov, must defect to America.Gerasmov makes one last play, sending KGB agents to kidnap Major Gregory, a young genius working on the American missle-defense system. And they are successful in snatching him, but a simple traffic violation leads eventually to their failiure, as the Hostage Rescue Team is called in to recover this most valuable hostage. Had it worked, the great intelligence gained from Gregory might have been enough for Gerasmov to overcome the liabilities of the information the Americans could reveal, but with the failure of his play, Gerasmov decides to give in. He and his wife and daughter agree to the defection. His wife and daughter take off for his wife's home in Estonia, where she is met by John Clark, who has boated in off a US submarine holding just off the coast. Gerasmov himself goes to the prison and takes custody of Filitov, and they drive to the airport, where the US diplomatic delegation is getting ready to depart for home after negotiations. Gerasimov ties up his own driver, releases Filitov, and meets the US plane at the end of the runway. But Golovko, a KGB agent, and some others, have started to figure out that something is going on, and are racing to figure out what it is. They end up getting to the plane just as Gerasmov and Filitov are getting aboard. The Russians get out alright, but Ryan is left standing on the runway. After a few tense minutes, he is brought outside of the city to Prime Minister Narmonov's residence, where he fills the PM in on what has just transpired, or at least some of it. He is then returned to the American Embassy.This is yet another great book in the Jack Ryan series. Worth reading. Even though some of the geopolitical elements are dated, the action and the characters give it life. And in this one, espionage takes center stage."
— James (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Clancy’s done it again!”
— New York Daily News -
“Cardinal excites, illuminates…a real page-turner!”
— Los Angeles Daily News -
“Fast and fascinating!”
— Chicago Tribune
The Cardinal of the Kremlin Listener Reviews
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Ted Loomis, 9/22/2023
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Mike, 2/15/2023
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James Doig, 10/26/2022
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Badge of Honor Series, 7/16/2015
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" Another fine novel by Clancy. As a child of the cold war and a Soviet Studies major, I enjoy these fictional creations of very possible dramas. "
— Ginny, 2/20/2014 -
" quite a nice hospital read "
— Martin, 1/30/2014 -
" I like this better than Without Remorse. It is definitely one of my favorite Clancy novels. "
— Charlie, 1/25/2014 -
" I read Tom Clancy's books about twenty years ago. So I don't remember too many details. However, I do remember that this book was my favorite out of those that I read. "
— Helen, 1/25/2014 -
" I really enjoyed this one. Not what I would consider a "classic" Jack Ryan story. But much like The Spy Who Loved Me, I tend to enjoy the genre breaking books. Mr Ryan is a minor character in the scope of the book, although he plays a pivitol role. I liked the back story and the setting. It was suspenseful. It is nice that the author does write some realism into his work and you do not always know who will live through it. This is one of the few in the series that I re-read from time to time. "
— Arthur, 1/23/2014 -
" A great spy thriller from the Soviet Union days. Very detailed and thoroughly researched. "
— Paul, 1/23/2014 -
" Four of the Cold War-era Clancyverse novels were made into movies, but this wasn't one of them. Not as easy to adapt to the screen, maybe. I don't know. Like many books I haven't read for years I have only a vague memory of the book itself. "
— Mark, 1/10/2014 -
" Tom Clancy, you are a big GIGANTIC toad for that ending! "
— Sammi, 1/2/2014 -
" This book was very confusing the majority of the time. There were too many characters and because there were so many, it was really hard to understand and comprehend what was in the book. I didnt like this book because the plot line of the book didnt interest me. "
— Harrison, 12/25/2013 -
" Great spy book! fantastic story line with very little techno-porn. "
— Christopher, 12/24/2013 -
" Clancy is always a great read. Another good book. "
— Dennis, 12/10/2013 -
" Just finished it yesterday on my way home from O'Flaerty's youth music camp. Very exciting book! "
— Emma, 12/8/2013 -
" Re-read. A little slower than others. "
— Jan, 12/8/2013 -
" This was a thoroughly engaging book throughout. But the last third was especially good. It makes me feel like my life is a little dull and I should spice it up by becoming a spy. I'll start on my neighbors immediately. "
— Trevor, 6/29/2013 -
" Clancy's underrated masterpiece, and the only true "spy novel" of the Ryanverse novels. "
— Brad, 5/5/2013 -
" Good page turner involving hierarchy in Kremlin "
— Yvonne, 9/25/2012 -
" Another good story by Tom Clancy. Jack Ryan is at it again in another heart-stopping thriller as he tries to save one of our top agents who has vital information about a Soviet missile defense system. "
— Jay, 8/21/2012 -
" An interesting Tom Clancy read, though nowhere close to his best. There are times when one gets the feeling that even 'Tom Clancy' can suffer from the sequel pressure. Some characters from 'The Hunt for Red October' are just brought in for the sake of it. "
— Amit, 6/25/2012 -
" This book chronologically takes place right after the Hunt for Red October. So far so good. "
— Matt, 6/25/2012 -
" not Clancy's best but its a good read - starts slow with a lot of background...action kicks in last third of book. "
— John, 6/22/2012 -
" ok book i guess, it was a quick read, nothing great but definitely a page turner "
— Wes, 6/19/2012 -
" Filled with great suspense. I love the way Clancy goes from POV to POV to tell his story. I also feel the lecture in physics. Thanks again for teaching me something...again. "
— Jeffé, 3/29/2012 -
" one of my fav jack ryans...maybe because we meet john clark ? "
— Max, 12/2/2011 -
" I listened to this on tape, it was a typical Tom Clancy novel. It gives some history to a few of his more recent books that I have read, and I enjoyed it very much. "
— Danielle, 10/12/2011 -
" I think this is the book that had Jack Ryan typing to the Russians. Great stuff! "
— Mainrun, 8/25/2011 -
" another total cold war book. clancy at his best. i remember having a version with a different cover on it, and when i was reading it, teachers would ask what i was reading, and then would often make a surprised face. i think it must have been because i was reading it while i was in middle school. "
— angrykitty, 7/22/2011 -
" this is the only Clacy book that I felt ws mediocre. I have been told this was a contract book, which he had a hard deadline on. Not a bad book, bur it didn't have the depth of the others. "
— Paul, 7/18/2011 -
" I gave it two stars, but this the most boring book I finished. "
— Marquis, 4/2/2011 -
" It takes me awhile to get into a Clancy book because of the technical aspects, but now I'm worried for the Cardinal. The CIA isn't moving fast enough to get him out of danger. "
— Elizabeth, 3/28/2011 -
" Another great book by Clancy. I think it is in the top three of his best books (the other two being, The Hunt for Red October and Red Storm Rising). The book is dated to the era but if you remember the Cold War you will enjoy this book. "
— James, 2/21/2011 -
" Clancy's underrated masterpiece, and the only true "spy novel" of the Ryanverse novels. "
— Brad, 1/19/2011 -
" this is the only Clacy book that I felt ws mediocre. I have been told this was a contract book, which he had a hard deadline on. Not a bad book, bur it didn't have the depth of the others.<br/> "
— Paul, 12/19/2010 -
" I read this book many years ago and it still sticks in my memory. I was very impressed with the first of Clancy's books - until he became a word factory - and some of theose are pretty good, too! <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> "
— Sami, 12/8/2010 -
" Very exciting, but follows the usual form and formula as most Tom Clancy novels. That said I'm burning through the book. I love spy novels "
— David, 12/6/2010 -
" So I guess this follows specific characters and it took me 100 pages to figure out three of the names where the same character. I put it down. I may try to find the correct book to read first! Boy do I feel sheepish. "
— Becky, 12/2/2010 -
" My favourite Clancy book, tied with Without Remorse. More than all the others, except maybe Without Remorse, this book was extremely interesting from beginning to end. Probably the only Clancy book, except maybe Without Remorse, that I would read a second time. ;) "
— Steve, 11/21/2010 -
" Great spy action - Ryan gets a mission to extract important mole within soviet spy network.[return]Reommended. "
— Zare, 11/4/2010 -
" I'm marking this as read, even though I only got halfway throuhg... it was waaay too boring for me to get into. Clancy dragged it out for me. Of course, I might take a shot at some of his other books once I hit college. I think I started too early. "
— Caleb, 10/18/2010 -
" A bit slow, could see why they didn't want to make a movie out of it. "
— Hoyt, 10/1/2010
About Tom Clancy
Tom Clancy (1947–2013) was the author of numerous #1 New York Times bestselling novels, including The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, The Cardinal of the Kremlin, Red Rabbit, Teeth of the Tiger, and Red Storm Rising. His nonfiction work includes Into the Storm: A Study in Command, Every Man a Tiger, and Battle Ready. Clancy was the co-founder of Red Storm Entertainment, a video game developing company responsible for the successful Rainbow Six series, Ghost Recon series, Splinter Cell series, and others.
About Michael Prichard
Michael Prichard is a Los Angeles-based actor who has played several thousand characters during his career, over one hundred of them in theater and film. He is primarily heard as an audiobook narrator, having recorded well over five hundred full-length books. His numerous awards and accolades include an Audie Award for Tears in the Darkness by Michael Norman and Elizabeth M. Norman and six AudioFile Earphones Awards. He was named a Top Ten Golden Voice by SmartMoney magazine. He holds an MFA in theater from the University of Southern California.