Clear and Present Danger

Clear and Present Danger is one of Tom Clancy’s most underrated books, nearly on par with The Hunt for Red October (1984). When the president decides that drugs (and especially cocaine) have become a “clear and present danger” to the nation, he authorizes the CIA to engage a covert war against a Colombian drug cartel. The build-up and execution of the mission is thrilling and action-packed, and full of realistic military operational details. Meanwhile the book has a bit more depth than you are initially led to expect, as Clancy explores the legal and moral complexities of non-traditional warfare.