His work for the CIA is brilliant, cold-blooded and efficient, but who is he? In a harrowing tour de force, phenomenally bestselling author Tom Clancy shows how an ordinary man named John Kelly crossed the lines of justice and morality to become the CIA legend known as Mr. Clark. It is an unforgettable journey into the heart of darkness, without mercy--without remorse.
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"A look at the origins of John Clark, who first appeared in The Sum of All Fears as the field agent in charge of the clandestine anti-drug operation in Columbia. He goes on a one-man rampage against the New Orleans underworld after the brutal slaying of his fiance, and in the end is "recruited" by Admiral Greer, Jack Ryan's boss."
— Curtiss (4 out of 5 stars)
“The Sum of All Fears is the stuff of nightmares but contains enough verisimilitude to terrify sober minds…Clancy’s understanding of international politics seems chillingly correct.”
— Amazon.com, editorial review“A nonstop roller coaster ride to a nail-biting climax…ingenious.”
— Publishers Weekly“Hair-raising…This is quite a rouser.”
— Kirkus Reviews, editorial review" It is full of intrigue chapter after chapter you can’t put the book down "
— Sm, 3/14/2023" origin story for John Clark, always an enjoyable listen "
— JHKinPA, 2/21/2018" Without Remorse-this is the first book, chronologically speaking, of the Jack Ryan series. It introduces John Clark, and gives you a thorough background of this amazing individual. John Clark becomes intricately involved in the Jack Ryan series from this point forward. This is definitely a must read book! "
— graymen1, 11/29/2017" Story is great and narration is good too but was recorded at a lower volume level than the other books I have. could hardly hear at times and that's with volume at full. "
— Steve, 5/12/2016" The backstory of Clark, my favorite of all Tom Clancy's characters. More graphic than most of his novels. A story that somehow had me pulling for the bad guy and not the police. Strange, for a former prosecutor. "
— Kris, 2/16/2014" Fantastic book!! It's a story of good and evil and doing the right thing... I loved it!! "
— Chris, 2/11/2014" Loved this book enough to reread it. It's certainly dark, but still a great book. "
— Travis, 2/7/2014" The focus of this book is John Clark (John Kelly) instead of Jack Ryan. He kicks ass and takes names. Great story that I couldn't put down, but hey: that's an endorsement from an unabashed fan of the genre and the author. Grain of salt, anyone? "
— Sean, 2/6/2014" I don't remember much from this, although the summary I just read on Wikipedia did jar my memory regarding John Clark. "
— Robert, 2/4/2014" One long read, but if you get into the story and the suspense of wondering whether John Kelly (A.K.A. Mr. Clark) will be able to survive his own ruthlessness. Set during the vietnam era, this story details how Kelly stumbles across a drug ring that is using woman as couriers--and mistreating them horribly. When one of those woman--a personal friend of Kelly's--is brutally murdered he assigns himself a new mission--to take down the drug ring and deal out his own kind of justice. But at the same time he is recruited by the CIA for a top secret mission to free some prisoners in Vietnam. The suspense comes from wondering whether his ruthlessness will win out over his decency--and whether his double life will ever become known, and what might happen if it does. Good, long suspense ride, though a bit disturbing at times. "
— Deb, 1/14/2014" If your a fan of Clark and familiar with Clancys Jack Ryan books, This is one of the best fiction book ive ever read. "
— Tommy, 1/9/2014" One of my absolute favorite books. "
— Saintwacko, 1/3/2014" All time favorite Clancy novel. "
— Fieldzach, 12/27/2013" Didn't finish the book. Got bored. "
— Jklmcasey, 12/23/2013" Awesome espionage/revenge thriller. For you Clancy fans out there, this is a great prequel telling the back story of Mr. Clark. LOVED it! I highly recommend it "
— Todd, 12/14/2013" A good book, if a little more gory than his previous ones. "
— Rebecca, 12/6/2013" Unique story. We meet a young John Clark. Very different from other Clancy. Just great. Gonna reread' "
— Paul, 12/6/2013" Great Book! Read it back in 2004 but I enjoed it again... "
— Thom, 12/6/2013" Love this book but it does have some curse words. DON'T JUDGE ME!! "
— Loren, 11/27/2013" I read this book years ago and although it was really graffic....it was really exciting. "
— Peggy, 5/3/2013" Where did that Mr Clark come from, answered. I never had asked that question before, but now I know. But how old does that make him now? Hmmm... "
— Clint, 3/20/2013" My favorite Tom Clancy book! "
— Walter, 1/20/2013" Easily one of my favorite Clancy novels. It trades a broad canvas of characters and places for a smaller, more intimate cast. "
— Kevin, 12/25/2012" If you ever wondered what makes John Clark tick, this novel is for you. "
— Ryan, 11/26/2012" This book is wonderful. All the Tom Clancy novels are great and will probably be a good source of historical information since Mr. Clancy brings in so much of our world to his stories. "
— Carie, 7/24/2012" Reading this book I remembered why I love Clancy novels. They are fast, fun, and full of guns. While not as good as Rainbow 6 or Patriot Games, this introduction to the character of John Clark is a good one. "
— Scott, 6/23/2012" If I could rate this higher then a 5 I would "
— Alex, 6/11/2012" Just reread this one a year ago. I think this is the fastest moving of Tom Clancys books. Not too much down time. "
— Andrew, 5/13/2011" Tom Clancy's best book (and that's saying a lot considering "The Hunt For Red October" and "Patriot Games"). A story of vengance that seems perfectly justafiable. Well told. "
— VincentVega, 5/12/2011" One of my favorite Clancy books. Takes a departure from Jack Ryan. Great revenge story. "
— Borges, 5/10/2011" Not impressed with this one at all. This book has too many plots for one book. Not very interested at all with the whole drug ring/Pam story line. I think it is not necessary to include this into the John Clark back story. The whole book should have been just about Clark rescuing the POW's. "
— Matt, 5/9/2011" Easily one of my favorite Clancy novels. It trades a broad canvas of characters and places for a smaller, more intimate cast. "
— Kevin, 5/5/2011" Holy crap this book is good. I got about 2/3 through, and then stayed up all night just to finish it. Finished at 5:30 am. I'm tired, but it was worth it. And there are several more books about the same characters already published. "
— Rob, 4/20/2011" Answers alot of charachter questions in the Jack Ryan series. "
— Trevor, 4/11/2011" First Clancy book I read and only one I read all the way through. Story was OK, but not memorable. "
— Kendar88, 3/27/2011" Getting into the mind and mindset of John Clark is a treat. This is right up there with Rainbow Six as one of my favorite Clancy books. "
— Andy, 3/24/2011" Pretty dark stuff: an emotionally-scared Vietnam vet connects with an equally broken women forced into prostitution, so he disguises himself as a homeless man and slowly takes out the criminal gang. The back story of ?Mr. Clark.? "
— Seth, 3/20/2011" Slow starter, but picks up at the end. Great story for the famous John Clark and learning about his background. "
— BiG, 3/13/2011" The story focuses on John Clark as he takes revenge on a drug ring which killed his girlfriend. At about the same time, the CIA asks him to become involved in a POW rescue mission in North Vietnam. In the process, he's becoming close to Sandy, his future wife. "
— Shaeley, 3/12/2011" One of Clancy's few stand alone books. An amazing look into the streets of Baltimore before the Wire and with a few familiar faces. "
— Ron, 3/6/2011Tom 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.
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.