Chain of Command (stylized as Tom Clancy Chain of Command, Tom Clancy: Chain of Command, or Tom Clancy's Chain of Command in the United Kingdom) is a techno-thriller novel, written by Marc Cameron and published on November 16, 2021. It is his fifth book in the Jack Ryan series, which is part of the Ryanverse featuring characters created by Tom Clancy.
In the novel, President Ryan deals with an Indian billionaire who plots to intimidate him into repealing a pharmaceutical bill by kidnapping the First Lady. The book debuted at number seven on the New York Times bestseller list.
Contents
Plot summary
U.S. President Jack Ryan deals with a multitude of crises as he prepares a bill regulating the production of pharmaceutical drugs, from ransomware cyberattacks across the country to deepfake videos of him circulating on the Internet. These are orchestrated by Indian billionaire Harjit Malhotra, who plots to intimidate President Ryan into repealing the bill as he is about to sell his own pharmaceutical company to German businessman Reinhardt Roth. Meanwhile, vice president Anthony Hargrave dies during a state visit to Japan; he is later succeeded by secretary of homeland security Mark Dehart.
Malhotra also tasks a shadow group of European mercenaries named Camarilla with kidnapping First Lady Dr. Cathy Ryan during a medical conference at the San Antonio River Walk. A team led by former British SAS operative Leo Debs practices the abduction at a ranch in Abilene, Texas, attracting the attention of self-proclaimed militiaman Royce Vetter. Debs tries to silence Vetter, killing his estranged wife and son before thwarting his attempt to rob an armored car. Vetter flees into a nearby mall, shooting and taking hostages before he is shot dead by police officer Steven "Chilly" Edwards.
Campus operatives Jack Ryan Jr., Bartosz "Midas" Jankowski, and Adara Sherman travel to Japan to investigate a lead regarding the cyberattacks, where they rescue two hackers from hitmen sent to kill them. They go to Japanese intelligence officer Yukiko Monzaki, who identifies one of the hitmen as an ex-Japanese Special Forces operator who had traveled to India many times. Meanwhile, husband-and-wife doctors Monte and Naomi Harper are kidnapped near the Wakhan Corridor by a rogue Chinese PLA officer ordered by Malhotra due to their association with Cathy.
Debs and his team push forward with their abduction of the First Lady, killing Secret Service personnel in the process. Outraged, President Ryan decides to temporarily step down. His political rival, Senator Michelle Chadwick, later survives an assassination attempt by a Camarilla operative. Campus director of operations John Clark orders Jack Jr. back to the White House to accompany his father, while Campus operative Dominic "Dom" Caruso uses his FBI credentials to assist in the search for the First Lady in Texas, accompanied by Domingo "Ding" Chavez.
In the Wakhan Corridor, Monte Harper manages to activate an emergency transponder on his watch, leading to a rescue operation from a U.S. Special Forces unit based in nearby Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Midas and Adara arrive in India to apprehend Malhotra, who had just signed the deal for his company's sale. His secretary, revealed to be a spy working for Roth, fatally shoots her boss, but not before Malhotra reveals Cathy's location to the Campus operatives.
Characters
United States government
Jack Ryan: President of the United States
Anthony Hargrave: Vice president of the United States
Dr. Caroline "Cathy" Ryan: First Lady of the United States
Arnold "Arnie" van Damm: White House chief of staff
Mary Pat Foley: Director of national intelligence
Mark Dehart: Secretary of Homeland Security
Dan Murray: United States attorney general
Jay Canfield: Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
Brian Wilson: Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Tom Vogel: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Scott Adler: Secretary of state
Robert Burgess: Secretary of defense
Jason Bailey: Admiral of the United States Navy, chief White House medical officer
Robbie Forestall: Commander of the United States Navy, adviser to President Ryan
Carter Boone: Commander of the United States Navy, vice president's physician, White House medical office
Marci Troxell: Commander of the United States Navy, First Lady's physician, White House medical office
United States Secret Service
Lawrence Howe: Director
Gary Montgomery: Special agent in charge, presidential detail
Maureen "Mo" Richardson: Special agent in charge, FLOTUS detail
Karen Sato: Assistant special agent in charge, FLOTUS detail
Keenan Mulvaney: Special agent in charge, vice presidential detail
The Campus
John Clark: Director of operations
Domingo "Ding" Chavez: Assistant director of operations
Dominic "Dom" Caruso: Operations officer
Jack Ryan Jr.: Operations officer / senior analyst
Adara Sherman: Operations officer
Bartosz "Midas" Jankowski: Operations officer
Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha 0312, Afghanistan
Alan Brock: 18A, Captain
Guzman: 180A, Warrant officer
Eric "Ripper" Ward: 18B, Ops sergeant
Jake Thelan: 18F, Intelligence sergeant
Megnas: 18E, Communications sergeant
Reception
Commercial
Chain of Command debuted at number seven at the Combined Print & E-Book Fiction Books category, as well as number 13 at the Hardcover Fiction Books category of the New York Times bestseller list for the week of December 5, 2021. It charted at number 13 on the Mass Market Books category of the same list in January 2023.
Critical
Publishers Weekly gave a mixed verdict, describing it as "admirable if flawed" and adding: "Cameron skillfully depicts the audacious and bloody kidnapping, but it’s all in service of weak and contrived motives, which a last-second gotcha moment makes superfluous anyway." Kirkus Reviews also regarded the plot as convoluted, but called it "another adventure-packed treat for fans of the Ryan family".