And two stars are generous. Tom Clancy’s “Red Rabbit” is a relatively good story undone by 100 plus unnecessary pages of tiresome, clichéd dialogue. Oh, by the way, Jack Ryan doesn’t prevent the Pope from getting shot and I really haven't revealed anything you didn't already know. In the dictionary next to the word "potboiler" you will find the title, "Red Rabbit." Not worth the time unless it's the only thing to read and you’re stuck in Sri Lanka. ( )

Clancy is running out of things to say about, but they keep paying him to keep talking. ( )

Clancy's big novels are always captivating, but this one felt tired compared to others. It's his most recent in the Jack Ryan saga, taking us back to Jack's early days as an analyst in the CIA. I've watched Clancy's writing carefully since the criticism was made about his use of a ghost writer. One thing I've noticed is even more prevalent in Red Rabbit: Clancy tends to use certain nuance phrasings repeatedly. It can be some simple phrase or point, but it will surface two or more times in different parts of the book. The structure always makes me wonder if he has some outline system for putting all of his thoughts into place and then occasionally repeats some idea he really likes. I suspect it's hard to keep track when writing that many pages. It's still a suspenseful story, worth reading. ( )

You've probably heard it before, but I'll say it again: this book needed significantly more editing. It reads like the editor never bothered to crack it open. Entire passages seemed to be copied and pasted in multiple places throughout the book.

And, seriously, if you've already read "The Cardinal of the Kremlin", you won't be in for too many surprises. The stories are very, very similar. This one seemed to have stronger language.

It's not a horrible book, but it is on the slow side, and the bad editing makes it even harder to trudge through. ( )

http://www.amazon.com/review/R3VKZYBD... ( )