''Support and Defend'' (stylized as ''Tom Clancy Support and Defend'', ''Tom Clancy: Support and Defend'', or ''Tom Clancy’s Support and Defend'' in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
) is a
thriller novel, written by
Mark Greaney
Mark Greaney (born 23 June 1980) is an Republic of Ireland, Irish musician. He is best known as the singer and guitarist in the alternative rock band JJ72, which he frontman, fronted from 1996 until 2006. He was later the frontman of Concerto f ...
and published on July 22, 2014. The book is a spinoff from the
Tom Clancy
Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. (April 12, 1947 – October 1, 2013) was an American novelist. He is best known for his technically detailed espionage and military science, military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War. Seventeen of ...
universe and features
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...
agent and The Campus operative Dominic “Dom” Caruso, who is President
Jack Ryan’s nephew. It is the first novel in the franchise written after Clancy’s death during the previous year, as well as Greaney’s first solo contribution to the overall series.
In the novel, Caruso must stop a seemingly rogue
National Security Council
A national security council (NSC) is usually an executive branch governmental body responsible for coordinating policy on national security issues and advising chief executives on matters related to national security. An NSC is often headed by a na ...
(NSC) staffer who had run off with top secret documents and is being pursued by the Iranians and the Russians. It debuted at number three in
the New York Times bestseller list
''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...
.
Plot summary
Dominic “Dom” Caruso is in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, training with former Israeli commando Arik Yacoby on a six-week training program in
Krav Maga
Krav Maga ( ; , ; ) is an Israeli martial art. Developed for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), it is derived from a combination of techniques used in aikido, judo, karate, boxing, and wrestling. It is known for its focus on real-world situation ...
. One night, the Yacoby family are attacked in a home invasion, which ends with one of the intruders detonating a suicide vest, killing the whole family and injuring Caruso. It was later revealed that the attack on Yacoby was the result of a recent data breach in the
National Security Council
A national security council (NSC) is usually an executive branch governmental body responsible for coordinating policy on national security issues and advising chief executives on matters related to national security. An NSC is often headed by a na ...
(NSC), which staffer Ethan Ross inadvertently set into motion when he took top secret files and shared them with an international whistleblowing organization called the International Transparency Project (ITP).
After the attack, the NSC schedules a lie detector test, which leads Ross to panic. He was then asked by ITP head Gianni Bertoli to scrape the government’s servers for classified data and store them in a flash drive as insurance in case the techniques for “beating the
polygraph
A polygraph, often incorrectly referred to as a lie detector test, is a device or procedure that measures and records several physiological indicators such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and skin conductivity while a person is asked an ...
” does not work. Unbeknownst to them, the flash drive was provided by Iranian agent Mohammed Mobasheri, who had infiltrated ITP. Meanwhile, Caruso acquires help from David, a
Mossad
Mossad ( , ), ; ar, الموساد, al-Mōsād, ; , short for ( he, המוסד למודיעין ולתפקידים מיוחדים, links=no), meaning 'Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations'. is the national intelligence agency ...
agent who was also investigating Yacoby’s death.
When the lie detector test does not work, Ethan is forced to flee the country with the flash drive by offering classified intelligence to
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
in exchange for safe passage. He was then kept in a safe house in
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
; Caruso finds this out from David. His boss from The Campus, Gerry Hendley, sends director of transportation Adara Sherman to accompany him in surveilling the safehouse. However, the Russian government had taken interest in Ross through their connections in Venezuela, and try to snatch him. Caruso and Sherman dispatch the
GRU
The Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, rus, Гла́вное управле́ние Генера́льного шта́ба Вооружённых сил Росси́йской Федера́ци ...
forces, but Ross, Bertoli and Mobasheri escape.
With David’s help, Caruso learns that Ross is on
Geneva, Switzerland
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
, the global headquarters of the ITP; he as well as FBI agents proceed there to apprehend the rogue staffer. Bertoli had arranged a press conference where Ross can go public about the top secret files that he had stolen from the NSC servers. However, the two become suspicious of Mobasheri’s true intentions. With the FBI agents approaching, he abducts Ross and Bertoli, intending to escape to
Libya
Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...
; the ITP leader is later killed. Caruso chases them to a chalet in the
Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
.
Caruso sees Ross being tortured by Mobasheri for the password to the data scrape. Outnumbered, he decides to kill him using a sniper rifle; the Iranian and his henchmen later flee the scene with the flash drive. Caruso manages to contact the local
CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...
deputy station chief in order to dispatch an infantry platoon training nearby to block Mobasheri’s escape. Caruso then apprehends Mobasheri and secures the data scrape.
Characters
* Dominic Caruso: Operative, The Campus
* Ethan Ross: Deputy assistant director for Near East and North African affairs, National Security Council
* Eve Pang: Computer network systems engineer, Ross's girlfriend
* Darren Albright: Supervisory special agent,
FBI Counterintelligence Division
The Counterintelligence Division (CD) is a division of the National Security Branch of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The division protects the United States against foreign intelligence operations and espionage. It accomplishes its miss ...
* Nolan and Beale: Investigative specialists,
FBI Special Surveillance Group
* Adara Sherman: Director of transportation, The Campus
* Harlan Banfield: Journalist, member of the International Transparency Project
* Gianni Bertoli: Director, International Transparency Project
* Mohammed Mobasheri:
Iranian Revolutionary Guard
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC; fa, سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی, Sepāh-e Pāsdārān-e Enghelāb-e Eslāmi, lit=Army of Guardians of the Islamic Revolution also Sepāh or Pasdaran for short) is a branch o ...
* Kashan, Shiraz, Isfahan, and Ormand: Operatives,
Quds Force
The Quds Force ( fa, نیروی قدس, niru-ye qods, Jerusalem Force) is one of five branches of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) specializing in unconventional warfare and military intelligence operations. U.S. Army's Iraq War ...
* Arturo: Venezuelan General Intelligence officer
* Leo: Venezuelan General Intelligence officer
* Rigoberto Finn: Polygraph examiner, FBI
* Gerry Hendley: Director, The Campus/Hendley Associates
* Arik Yacoby: Former operative,
Shayetet 13
Shayetet 13 ( he, שייטת 13, lit. ''Flotilla 13'') is a unit of the Israeli Navy and one of the primary sayeret ''(reconnaissance)'' units of the Israel Defense Forces. Shayetet 13 specializes in sea-to-land incursions, counter-terrorism, s ...
, Israeli naval Special Forces
* David: Israeli intelligence agent
* Phillip McKell: Computer network expert
Development
On October 1, 2013, author and creator of the
Jack Ryan series
Tom Clancy
Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. (April 12, 1947 – October 1, 2013) was an American novelist. He is best known for his technically detailed espionage and military science, military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War. Seventeen of ...
died. His last novel, co-authored with
Mark Greaney
Mark Greaney (born 23 June 1980) is an Republic of Ireland, Irish musician. He is best known as the singer and guitarist in the alternative rock band JJ72, which he frontman, fronted from 1996 until 2006. He was later the frontman of Concerto f ...
, ''
Command Authority
''Command Authority'' is a techno-thriller novel, written by Tom Clancy and co-written with Mark Greaney, and published on December 3, 2013. It is Clancy's last major work of fiction and was released posthumously two months after his death. Set du ...
'', was published posthumously on December 3, 2013.
In keeping with the tradition of developing franchises from bestselling novelists like
Ian Fleming
Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer who is best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., a ...
and
Robert Ludlum
Robert Ludlum (May 25, 1927 – March 12, 2001) was an American author of 27 thriller novels, best known as the creator of Jason Bourne from the original '' The Bourne Trilogy'' series. The number of copies of his books in print is estimated b ...
after their deaths, Clancy's lawyer, J. Thompson Webb, later signed agreements with publishing company
G.P. Putnam's Sons
G. P. Putnam's Sons is an American book publisher based in New York City, New York. Since 1996, it has been an imprint of the Penguin Group.
History
The company began as Wiley & Putnam with the 1838 partnership between George Palmer Putnam and ...
continuing the Jack Ryan book franchise. Greaney was chosen to write the first novel in the post-Clancy Ryanverse; Putnam spokeswoman Alexis Welby said that "Greaney's gift is that he's able to hit the trifecta of what makes a great Clancy book: Tom's terrific characters, really well-done action scenes and that over-the-horizon prescience about world events that characterized Tom's books."
Reception
Commercial
''Support and Defend'' debuted at number three on the Hardcover Fiction category of
the New York Times bestseller list
''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...
, as well as number five on the Combined Print & E-Book Fiction category of the same list, for the week of August 10, 2014. In addition, it debuted at number six on the
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
Best Selling Books list for the week of July 31, 2014.
Less than a year later, the paperback edition of the book peaked at number five on the Paperback Fiction category of the New York Times bestseller list.
Critical
The book received generally positive reviews.
Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...
noted that "Clancy readers will hardly notice that Tom is no longer with us."
Kirkus Reviews
''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...
praised the book as "another timely, techno-geeky thriller" and added that "It’s by-the-numbers stuff, with the requisite villainy, continent-hopping, décolletage, neat tools and cliffhangers. But, of course, that’s just what Clancy’s fans read him for, and Greaney carries on that entertaining tradition seamlessly."
References
{{Jack Ryan fiction
2014 American novels
Ryanverse
G. P. Putnam's Sons books