Just finished reading Tom Clancy's latest thriller "Against All Enemies" after reading for 2 days straight!
CIA operative (and former Navy SEAL) Max Moore, is on a mission in Pakistan to retrieve a high-value target. The mission does not go as planned and Moore's allies are killed. In the aftermath the US recalls him to take part in a new initiative against Mexican drug cartels. The operation teams Moore with new cooperatives each playing a different role (gang member, Mexican police, etc). They attempt to gain intel on the cartels to find out who is at the head of the pyramid. Parallel to these activities are terrorists in Afghanistan who supply the Mexicans with opium and are planning the next 9/11 on American soil. Along the way we catch a glimpse into Moore's psyche and the personal demons he carries with him..
Like all of Clancy's novels, this book revels in military technology. A gun is not a gun but an Mk 17 (Selective Fire rifle, 7.62x51mm NATO). Abbreviations abound, some explained most not which can make for some frustrating passages as you break away to look up their meaning. On the other hand the detail is quite fun to read as are the political machinations that exist between people, governments and countries. You can't help but imagine that there exists a world that ordinary civilians will never know of..
Clocking in at 700+ pages, it was co-authored by Peter Telep. Some may argue this dilutes the Clancy brand (indeed this is the rare book which does not feature Jack Ryan or John Clark). The story is still quite exciting to read unfold, however the end seemed rather anticlimactic and rushed. Overall I would give this book a B-.
