Locked On

A Jack Ryan Novel

By: Tom Clancy, Mark Greaney

Narrated by: Lou Diamond Phillips

Length: 17 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

Jack Ryan Jr.--along with the covert warriors of the Campus--continues to uphold his legendary father’s legacy of courage and honor in this thriller from number one New York Times bestselling author Tom Clancy.

Privately training with special forces, he’s honing his combat skills to continue his work within the Campus, hunting down and eliminating terrorists wherever he can--even as Jack Ryan Sr. campaigns to become President of the United States again.

But what neither father nor son knows is that the political and personal have just become equally dangerous. A devout enemy of Jack Sr. launches a privately-funded vendetta to discredit him and connect him to a mysterious killing in his longtime ally John Clark’s past. All they have to do is catch him.

With Clark on the run, it’s up to Jack Jr. to stop a growing threat emerging in the Middle East, where a corrupt Pakistani general has entered into a deadly pact with a fanatical terrorist to procure four nuclear warheads they can use to blackmail any world power into submission--or face annihilation.

©2011 Rubicon, Inc. (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Not as good as og Clancy. Would not reread but ok

Struggling to finish.


The gf story line is not strong

Highly detailed torture scene that is slightly accurate to life.

The science is not as good in this book

Tom Clancy being Tom Clancy.

Would you listen to Locked On again? Why?

Tom is an mesmerizing story teller. Back in the day, who would have not sat around the fire and said ...."tell us more!" But I doubt if any one would say, "do that part over again!"

What other book might you compare Locked On to and why?

Tom Clancy novels can only be compared to other Tom Clancy novels ... But be double sure how much he holds the pen, so to speak (collaborators can be easily seen in his more recent work.)

Have you listened to any of Lou Diamond Phillips’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Lou D is freaking awesome ... As good as anybody in do multiple accents which have become the essential part of Tom's recent works.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Here we go again.

And The Cavalry Rushed In

This is very typical Clancy (even though I suspect Greaney did most of the writing on this book) ... it is a long, convoluted plot with an impressive volume of military, historical and geographic details. This reliance on so much detail without much story line advancement can be a little mind numbing. Rather than trying to remember all the middle eastern character and geographic names, I recommend that the listener just have faith that all of this will become clear as the book progresses. That trick worked for me and I didn't have to obsess over who was doing what and where in the world it was happening. On the plus side, Lou Diamond Phillips makes it all quite "listenable" no matter how stultifying some of the details.

For a large portion of this book the bad guys get their way and make life utterly miserable for our heroes. At one point I switched to 2x speed to get through some of the more gruesome and horrifying parts. Yet, when all seems to be pretty dire, the tables turn and the good guys save the day and give a major thrashing to the villians. This is standard Clancy fare and will not come as a surprise to those who have faithfully read this series in the appropriate sequence. All of our favorite mainstays are front and center in this story. The parts of the book that dealt with their personalities and life events were interesting enough to help get this listener through the tedious parts.

I would have happily given this book 4 stars until the very last chapter. At the last minute, the authors decided to add a cliff hanger with absolutely no hint regarding the resolution. It felt like a cheap trick to be sure that the listener immediately goes out and buys the next book. Full disclosure here: I went out and immediately bought the next book ... but I still feel tricked.

FANTASTIC AND ACTION PACKED

Would you listen to Locked On again? Why?

I have indeed listened to it once already, and will probably do again in the very near future if only to track Jack Ryan

What other book might you compare Locked On to and why?

Executive Orders as it really shows how fantastic a fiction writer Tom Clancy is

What does Lou Diamond Phillips bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Lou Diamond Philips - I am biased since he is a descendant of my race, the Filipino race, be that as it may, because of Locked On, being the first I have heard Lou, the next thing I did was to search another Clancy Book read by Lou..... I did not regret it, and I am still searching for other books Lou reads for us listeners

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It thrilled me a whole lot!

Any additional comments?

What is there to say..... I am an avid Clancy, Ludlum and Patterson addict

Clancy and Greaney weave a great plot!

What made the experience of listening to Locked On the most enjoyable?

Lou Diamnond Phillips narration makes you think that you are in the same room with the characters listening to real conversations.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Locked On?

The ending leaves you wnating to read the next book immediately! Hurry up Tom!

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

Lou Diamond Phillips makes the characters come alive. I never knew he could do so many voices and accents so well.

good stuff

Enjoy the story but a little less right wing propaganda would be nice. Liberals characters are cardboard vutouts.

A CAREAR LOW! Disjointed & ad homenin Obama attack

Is there anything you would change about this book?

As a reader of EVERY Clancy fiction work (as well as sill knock offs bearing his name only) I was deeply offended by the relentless ad hominem attacks upon the character President Ed Keelty a "straw man" for President Barack Obama.
Clancy, a well known extreme neo con resort to personal insult and shallow jingoistic political attacks.

While the plot line is compelling the story evolves in a convoluted disjointed fashion un characteristic of his previous novels.

The almost 'Fox News" like personal attacks and belittling comments only serve to further diminish from the usual high level of satisfaction a Clancy novel provides.


Try "Against All Enemies" or "Red October" or any previous CLANCY novel each of which is far superior to this horribly flawed effort

What could Tom Clancy and Mark Greaney have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Leave there tunnel vision political beliefs at home

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

Phenomenal performance! Outstanding modulation and distinct accents. His performance serves to raise a dismal work to acceptable for the listener.

Did Locked On inspire you to do anything?

Right blistering negative reviews... This is a first with Tom Clancy.

Any additional comments?

I shall far more cautious with Clancy's future works. For years I have purchased each of his novels with little for no thought.

Lou Diamond Phillips is most excellent

Another page turner by Tom Clancy and an added bonus of Lou Diamond Phillips' narration. He uses so many different voice, I actually thought for a minute I was watching a movie. Can't wait to get into next book in series. I'm listening to them in order as they happened.

Exciting Read

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Excellant story that keeps you interested in all the characters from the Jack Ryan series.

Locked on - Right on target

I got this book not realizing that it was the middle of the series. It does stand alone as well. I loved the characters and the way that Clancy puts things together is phenomenal. His knowledge of all things military is amazing and he gives life to the story in a way that others in this genre don't quite achieve.
I loved it!!