Book Review: Tom Clancy Oath of Office, Marc Cameron
Book Review: Tom Clancy Oath of Office, Marc Cameron
I have to admit, Tom Clancy novels have been a guilty pleasure of mine for about 30 years. Recent years have seen the stories picked up by new authors, including Marc Cameron, a retired Chief Deputy US Marshal with more than 30 years law enforcement experience and the author of the Jericho Quinn thriller series. His latest, Oath of Office, carries the hallmarks of the traditional Tom Clancy Jack Ryan books: formidable enemies at home and abroad, daring intelligence and military personnel ready to give their lives in service to America, and timely fortune favoring the bold actions of one President Jack Ryan.
Cameron takes full advantage of the Clancy company of stars: President Jack Ryan; Jack Ryan, Jr.; John Clark; Ding Chavez; Mary Pat Kelly; Arnie Van Damm; Dom Caruso; etc. He also brings back an old character, Ysabel Kashani, a former girlfriend of Jack Ryan, Jr.’s, who is not very happy with the way their relationship ended. And he introduces us to new characters, some who do not survive the novel and others who may be heard from again later.
Enemies include old foes Russia and Iran, new challenges from Cameroon and unknown cyber criminals, and an angry senator on the domestic front. Balancing these multiple foes is a challenge for President Ryan and his team. It is also a challenge for author Cameron, but one he handles adroitly. The action shifts quickly from chapter to chapter, from Washington to Tehran to Moscow to Portugal and other places, shifting perspective from the president to his son to the bad guys to other characters. With less care this could become confusing, but Cameron clearly introduces each chapter without being clunky.
Cameron can be criticized for the role women play in the novel. It is definitely a book where the men are men and the women are injured or rescued. The female with the most agency is an enemy assassin. This is typical of the Clancy novels, and indeed probably the majority of novels in the thriller genre. Still, Oath of Office is an improvement over some in the genre (and even some in the Clancy canon) where women are little more than sexual objects. Given that the heroes of the series will always be Jack Ryan and Jack Ryan, Jr., women will probably always be secondary characters. Cameron does include numerous minor characters of color, and should be commended for giving us Iranian and Russian characters with some complexity and not universally opposed to the US. Still, there is much room for improvement in the use of both female characters and characters of color.
Still, this is a fun book. For Clancy fans it brings back the usual team, returns an old ally, and introduces new characters who may see future action. Cameron is a good writer and creates a complex and engaging plot. Thriller fans will not be disappointed.