Dead or Alive

A Jack Ryan Novel

By: Tom Clancy, Grant Blackwood

Narrated by: Lou Diamond Phillips

Length: 20 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

Don't Miss the Original Series Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan Starring John Krasinski!

Tom Clancy delivers a #1 New York Times bestselling Jack Ryan novel that will remind readers why he is the acknowledged master of international intrigue and nonstop military action.

It is The Campus. Secretly created under the administration of President Jack Ryan, its sole purpose is to eliminate terrorists and those who protect them. Officially, it has no connection to the American government - a necessity in a time when those in power consider themselves above such arcane ideals as loyalty, justice, and right or wrong.

Now covert intelligence expert Jack Ryan Jr. and his compatriots at The Campus - joined by black ops warriors John Clark and “Ding” Chavez - have come up against their greatest foe: a sadistic killer known as the Emir. Mastermind of countless horrific attacks, the Emir has eluded capture by every law enforcement agency in the world. But his greatest devastation is yet to be unleashed as he plans a monumental strike at the heart of America.

On the trail of the Emir, Jack Ryan Jr. will find himself following in his legendary father’s footsteps on a manhunt that will take him and his allies across the globe, into the shadowy arenas of political gamesmanship, and back onto U.S. soil in a race to prevent the possible fall of the West....

Take another thrill ride with Jack Ryan.

©2010 by Rubicon, Inc. (P)2010 by Brilliance Audio, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Heart-stopping action...entertaining and eminently topical.” (The Washington Post)

“The best characters from all of Clancy’s previous novels are on the case.... For fans of the genre, Dead or Alive is likely to provide a long weekend’s pleasure.” (Los Angeles Times)

“Clancy is back at the top of his game.... In-depth research, continuous suspense, and scores of fascinating characters.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review))

Great narration!

I got this book because of the 2 books for one credit offer. The other book was of interest and this was a settling book. I've never read or been a fan of Tom Clancy novels, but also didn't not like his style. It's just there's so many books in the world and so little time to read them. As a surprise, Lou Diamond Phillips narrated and did a great job. At some points I'd think, "This part is pretty taboo, but Phillips reads it wonderfully." The story has been told and is nothing special. All of the characters including the women are carbon copies of each other, and the style tries too hard to be PC. It was probably only a "Bestseller" because Clancy is famous. But if the character names were changed and an unknown writer were put on the cover page, I suspect no one would like or invest time in this book. Summary: Lots of patriotism, patriots fight terror, people say "damn" in every other sentence. The latter I only dislike due to the redundancy. If you're a Clancy fan and enjoy his carbon-copy character style, it's been-told-before plot, and redundancy issues than this book is right for you. But if you've never read a Clancy novel, this is probably not for you either.

Confusing and unimpressive

This book was confusing, had too many characters to keep track of, and skipped around in both time and location. There were far too many agencies to keep track of by initials only and useless detail on types of weapons which I guess were supposed to impress the reader but just got in the way. I have read this author before but will not do so again

Great read and fits today's events

Typical Clancy, it is technically correct with a gripping plot and sprinkled with lots of action. The story keeps you interested. It also shows with great clarity, through fiction, the real hazards of hamstringing our intelligence gathering agencies, both here and abroad.

One thing is clear. Tom Clancy and I have similar views about the current administration. It is interesting to read the words "President Ed Kealty" and think with a smile, "Look how Tom spelled Obama."

Politics aside, it was a very good read. Four and half stars in my book.

Plodding and naive

Spent too much dialog on basic background facts that by now we all know. Interrogations of bad guys were naively simplistic. True terrorists would, I think, surrender so much under the circumstances. A disappointment.

Another home run

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes on several occasions I found myself sitting in my car after I had arrived at my destination listening to the book.

Great

Jack Ryan, The campus, John Clarke and throw in Jnr and you have an explosive plot and page turner.

good action story, Lou Diamond Phillips was great!

If you could sum up Dead or Alive in three words, what would they be?

loaded with action

Who was your favorite character and why?

I don't think any one in particular, The entire team were interesting.

What about Lou Diamond Phillips’s performance did you like?

He kept the story interesting throughout the entire reading. He seemed to make each character involved in the story.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Maybe the oil refinery scene, and the hunt thereafter.

Captivating

I was captivated by the whole thing - ALL 90 CHAPTERS. It was hard for to tear myself away and stop listening to this story, knowing I had other things to do. LOL! The narrator was perfect. I don't believe anyone else, except Lou Diamond Phillips could have done it justice. The pace on the narration was steady, the sound effects, including various accents and dialects added to the story. The story itself was both complicated and understandable.
Lou Diamond Phillips' narration and Tom Clancy/Grant Blackwood novels are a "marriage" made in heaven!

I look forward to more audibles like this.

I highly recommend this book, you won't be disappointed.

Spellbinding

Lou Diamond Phillips is excellent. He is now my favorite audiobook narrator for fiction. Was everything perfect? No. But everything was believable and some of it was downright brilliant. Multiple international accents in one conversation. That kind of stuff. The story was exciting with perhaps just a little too much allusion to actual events, but not distracting in any way. The story stands in its own. Loved it.

love it

It is a great story! I t even mentions my home town! How cool is that 😎