The Teeth of the Tiger
by Tom Clancy
Jack Ryan Jr. Series (1), Jack Ryan (Chronological Order) (13), Jack Ryan (Publication Order) (12)
On This Page
Description
Fiction. Literature. Mystery. Thriller. In the suburbs of Maryland, the firm of Hendley and Associates meanders its way through financial transactions—but its true purpose is to identify and locate terrorist threats, and then deal with them in whatever manner necessary. "The Campus" is always on the lookout for new talent, and its eye happens to light on President John Patrick Ryan's son: Jack Ryan, Jr. While his father moved through the ranks of the CIA and into the Presidency, Jack Jr. show more received the benefit of years of life experience in special ops, intelligence analysis, and the way the world really works. Now, the Arab terrorist world and the Colombian drug cartels are about to unite forces, and Jack Jr. must put all he has been taught to good use—or else. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
This was a slog. Perhaps the sloggiest slog in the history of slogs. I knew it going in and had put off reading it for a long time. And now that I’ve struggled through it, I can honestly say that if it weren’t for my completist nature and the fact that I knew that the series begins a strong comeback after this one, I would have bailed early on. Yes, it was important to be there for the table-setting as Jack Jr. begins his new career. Sadly, Junior comes across as something of a tool here. Beyond that, this thing suffers mightily in the pacing department and makes me appreciate what a good editor can do.
This book is another suspenseful political thriller in the Jack Ryan Universe series and marks the introduction of John Patrick Ryan Jr. Jack Jr. proves to be just as shrewd as his father. Set in a post-9/11 world, the story follows Arab terrorists whose communications are monitored by the CIA, NSA, and other agencies using sophisticated computer programs that analyze specific keywords.
Jack Jr. starts working for the Campus, an off-the-books intelligence agency, as an analyst tasked with deciphering internet and web communications, where he quickly demonstrates his skills. Meanwhile, his twin cousins, Dominic Caruso, an FBI Special Agent, and Brian Caruso, a US Marine, are also recruited and undergo training for different roles within show more the same agency. When an organized terrorist cell is identified, the cousins join forces to track them down.
This book, titled "The Teeth," is a well-written spy story featuring intriguing characters and dangerous assassins. I found it easy to read and an entertaining glimpse into the covert spy world we often imagine exists. Perhaps it does! show less
Jack Jr. starts working for the Campus, an off-the-books intelligence agency, as an analyst tasked with deciphering internet and web communications, where he quickly demonstrates his skills. Meanwhile, his twin cousins, Dominic Caruso, an FBI Special Agent, and Brian Caruso, a US Marine, are also recruited and undergo training for different roles within show more the same agency. When an organized terrorist cell is identified, the cousins join forces to track them down.
This book, titled "The Teeth," is a well-written spy story featuring intriguing characters and dangerous assassins. I found it easy to read and an entertaining glimpse into the covert spy world we often imagine exists. Perhaps it does! show less
I first discovered Tom Clancy's writing in high school, when a friend gave me his paperback copy of The Hunt for Red October to read. In spite of the fact that I damn near needed a spreadsheet to keep track of all the US ships and submarines, the USSR's ships and submarines, and all the sailors on them, I stuck it out and became absolutely absorbed in the book. It was a thrill ride, but that's about all it was for me.
I was one of those teenagers: relatively privileged, well-educated and oh my, opinionated. I knew how it should all work; all you had to do was ask me. Then at some point between high school and university, I picked up Patriot Games and it quite frankly changed the way I viewed the world. Clancy was able to let me into the show more heads of terrorists (Irish, in this case) and the government officials that chased them. He was able to show me through the power of prose, in a way I don't think any teacher or professor would have ever been able to do, that nothing is black and white. The motivations of people both good and bad are layered and complicated.
Suffice it to say that I became a fan; I devoured everything in the Jack Ryan series and a couple of his non-fiction books. Yes, I did – and for the most part still do – share his political leanings (to a point) but most of all for me? These books were my version of genre fantasy. The kind of fantasy where the genuinely good guys always triumph, the bad guys always receive swift and deadly justice and the politicians are left looking like the narcissistic asshats most of them are.
The realisation that these books are my version of fantasy came to me just recently, as I suddenly felt like re-reading The Teeth of the Tiger and found myself comparing it to Anne Bishop's Written in Red and Murder of Crows. Unorthodox comparison, yes, but both appealed to me for similar reasons.
Teeth of the Tiger is the ultimate fantasy; turning the tables on the terrorists and using their own tactics against them. What could you accomplish if incorruptible men had a license to hunt terrorists, unlimited funds and no government oversight? Fantasy, indeed.
I've read Teeth of the Tiger several times and truthfully, it's a 4 star rating from me because of my love of the characters and the series as a whole. This book feels like it's more about being a mouthpiece for Clancy's personal views than a good story. Yes, all of his books are mouthpieces, more or less, but this one is more soap box-y than most. Still a ripping good story, but I found myself skimming a lot of the internal dialogue and not a few sections of actual conversation between characters. If I'd been reading this for the first time, I'd probably give it more of a 3 star rating.
I forgot it ends not on a cliffhanger, exactly, but the reader is definitely left hanging to a degree, so now I'm re-reading Dead or Alive. show less
I was one of those teenagers: relatively privileged, well-educated and oh my, opinionated. I knew how it should all work; all you had to do was ask me. Then at some point between high school and university, I picked up Patriot Games and it quite frankly changed the way I viewed the world. Clancy was able to let me into the show more heads of terrorists (Irish, in this case) and the government officials that chased them. He was able to show me through the power of prose, in a way I don't think any teacher or professor would have ever been able to do, that nothing is black and white. The motivations of people both good and bad are layered and complicated.
Suffice it to say that I became a fan; I devoured everything in the Jack Ryan series and a couple of his non-fiction books. Yes, I did – and for the most part still do – share his political leanings (to a point) but most of all for me? These books were my version of genre fantasy. The kind of fantasy where the genuinely good guys always triumph, the bad guys always receive swift and deadly justice and the politicians are left looking like the narcissistic asshats most of them are.
The realisation that these books are my version of fantasy came to me just recently, as I suddenly felt like re-reading The Teeth of the Tiger and found myself comparing it to Anne Bishop's Written in Red and Murder of Crows. Unorthodox comparison, yes, but both appealed to me for similar reasons.
Teeth of the Tiger is the ultimate fantasy; turning the tables on the terrorists and using their own tactics against them. What could you accomplish if incorruptible men had a license to hunt terrorists, unlimited funds and no government oversight? Fantasy, indeed.
I've read Teeth of the Tiger several times and truthfully, it's a 4 star rating from me because of my love of the characters and the series as a whole. This book feels like it's more about being a mouthpiece for Clancy's personal views than a good story. Yes, all of his books are mouthpieces, more or less, but this one is more soap box-y than most. Still a ripping good story, but I found myself skimming a lot of the internal dialogue and not a few sections of actual conversation between characters. If I'd been reading this for the first time, I'd probably give it more of a 3 star rating.
I forgot it ends not on a cliffhanger, exactly, but the reader is definitely left hanging to a degree, so now I'm re-reading Dead or Alive. show less
I used to read all of Tom Clancy's books until I got annoyed by the Op-Center series, and bored by Into the Storm and Every Man a Tiger (which were interesting, but dry as dust) and quit reading them altogether. Then I found this in the bargain bin, and remembered why I liked his books so much.
And wow. I checked Amazon reviews to refresh my memory, and there are 800 reviews with an average of 2 stars. I always get very curious when I have such a complete difference of opinion, so I read through a few pages of the reviews. The negative ones seem to focus on two things: 1) it's not like real life, and 2) the series has moved on to the next generation. News flash: Tom Clancy books have never been overly realistic. Except probably for the show more nonfiction. You can pick apart dozens of things from The Hunt for Red October that would never happen in real life--that's why it's fun to read. And I applaud long-running series that move on to the next generation. Otherwise, you end up with a hero that never ages, or increasingly improbable scenarios that even I won't swallow.
So, now that I'm satisfied that I didn't miss anything, on with the review.
The Teeth of the Tiger is about an ultra-clandestine government agency set up by then-president Jack Ryan. It's such a new agency that so far, all it's done is make money (it's self-funding, mostly by quasi-legal insider trading) and collect intelligence hacked from the alphabet-soup agencies. And now they're training their first operatives: twin brothers Dominic and Brian Caruso, respectively an FBI agent and a Marine officer.... and Jack Ryan's nephews.
They get a slightly accelerated course when a routine training exercise crosses paths with an actual terrorist operation in a suburban mall.
Meanwhile, Jack Ryan, Jr., a few years younger than his cousins, has used his brains and figured out the existence of the agency, and basically applies for a job.
Interspersed with the training thread and the Jack Jr. thread is the terrorists' plot.
Maybe it's because I've just been in an action mood lately, but while I did notice a few drawbacks: the twins call each other Aldo and Enzo for no good reason, except perhaps as something to trip up readers; Brian dithers for far too long about whether or not he can kill terrorists in cold blood; and there's quite a bit of repetition; they didn't bug me all that much because I loved the story otherwise.
I found the idea of a combination of stock market traders and assassin/spies irresistible. And I loved watching the development of the agency, even--or perhaps especially--the doubts and missteps. It was new, they weren't sure how it would work, but they were willing and eager to try, and that excitement was passed on to this reader, at least.
I also found the three cousins to be fairly reasonably characterized. Even Brian's crisis of conscience made sense with his character, and my irritation with him was mitigated by the fact that his brother was also irritated with him. The twins were youngish and excitement-seeking, which explains some of their less logical decisions, like renting a Porsche instead of taking an anonymous train on their mission in Europe. Jack, Jr. had grown up privileged in the shadow of his larger-than-life father, who he admires, so it's understandable that he has that sense of duty, and yet he wants to make his own mark, and to prove himself.
And, oh, yes, I did have to ignore a bit of political b.s. with which I'd have taken exception if I hadn't expected it. I find Clancy a little naive, politically (no shades of gray), but that works pretty well in an action novel. I think I'll have to see which of his books I've missed in the interim and check them out. show less
And wow. I checked Amazon reviews to refresh my memory, and there are 800 reviews with an average of 2 stars. I always get very curious when I have such a complete difference of opinion, so I read through a few pages of the reviews. The negative ones seem to focus on two things: 1) it's not like real life, and 2) the series has moved on to the next generation. News flash: Tom Clancy books have never been overly realistic. Except probably for the show more nonfiction. You can pick apart dozens of things from The Hunt for Red October that would never happen in real life--that's why it's fun to read. And I applaud long-running series that move on to the next generation. Otherwise, you end up with a hero that never ages, or increasingly improbable scenarios that even I won't swallow.
So, now that I'm satisfied that I didn't miss anything, on with the review.
The Teeth of the Tiger is about an ultra-clandestine government agency set up by then-president Jack Ryan. It's such a new agency that so far, all it's done is make money (it's self-funding, mostly by quasi-legal insider trading) and collect intelligence hacked from the alphabet-soup agencies. And now they're training their first operatives: twin brothers Dominic and Brian Caruso, respectively an FBI agent and a Marine officer.... and Jack Ryan's nephews.
They get a slightly accelerated course when a routine training exercise crosses paths with an actual terrorist operation in a suburban mall.
Meanwhile, Jack Ryan, Jr., a few years younger than his cousins, has used his brains and figured out the existence of the agency, and basically applies for a job.
Interspersed with the training thread and the Jack Jr. thread is the terrorists' plot.
Maybe it's because I've just been in an action mood lately, but while I did notice a few drawbacks: the twins call each other Aldo and Enzo for no good reason, except perhaps as something to trip up readers; Brian dithers for far too long about whether or not he can kill terrorists in cold blood; and there's quite a bit of repetition; they didn't bug me all that much because I loved the story otherwise.
I found the idea of a combination of stock market traders and assassin/spies irresistible. And I loved watching the development of the agency, even--or perhaps especially--the doubts and missteps. It was new, they weren't sure how it would work, but they were willing and eager to try, and that excitement was passed on to this reader, at least.
I also found the three cousins to be fairly reasonably characterized. Even Brian's crisis of conscience made sense with his character, and my irritation with him was mitigated by the fact that his brother was also irritated with him. The twins were youngish and excitement-seeking, which explains some of their less logical decisions, like renting a Porsche instead of taking an anonymous train on their mission in Europe. Jack, Jr. had grown up privileged in the shadow of his larger-than-life father, who he admires, so it's understandable that he has that sense of duty, and yet he wants to make his own mark, and to prove himself.
And, oh, yes, I did have to ignore a bit of political b.s. with which I'd have taken exception if I hadn't expected it. I find Clancy a little naive, politically (no shades of gray), but that works pretty well in an action novel. I think I'll have to see which of his books I've missed in the interim and check them out. show less
Good old Jack Ryan, the likeable hero who went from being a part-time spy to the White House, has been put out to pasture. But with the new threat of terrorists striking us on home soil, a new generation must rise up to protect us. Luckily we have Jack Ryan Junior, the privileged "American Prince," looking to find his way in the world and continue the legacy of "Service to Country" started by his father. Add to the mix his cousins, Brian and Dominic Caruso, who've proven themselves with the Marines in Afghanistan and the FBI respectively, as hit-men sent to help "deserving ragheads" meet Allah before they can plot the killing of any more innocent women and children. What you end up with is a pretty plain and predictable introduction to show more Clancy's new heroes with little action and less plot.
The characters aren't very likeable, either. Jack Junior is the least so, as he comes across as a spoiled know-it-all rich kid accustomed to rubbing elbows with heads of state (smells like the Kennedy's). The twin Caruso brothers are more likeable, but their "witty" banter as they cruise around Europe in a Porsche looking for their next target is just plain boring. I had intended to give this book an average 2 stars, but it just wasn't that good. It might be fine if you're looking for some pseudo-patriotic fluff, but it seems Mr. Clancy was on cruise-control with this one and didn't really put much thought into his story. Some will say the idea of terrorists coming across the border with Mexican smugglers to strike middle-American shopping malls is prophetic, but it's really verbatim conservative talk-radio. Sorry, but I recommend a very wide pass on this one. show less
The characters aren't very likeable, either. Jack Junior is the least so, as he comes across as a spoiled know-it-all rich kid accustomed to rubbing elbows with heads of state (smells like the Kennedy's). The twin Caruso brothers are more likeable, but their "witty" banter as they cruise around Europe in a Porsche looking for their next target is just plain boring. I had intended to give this book an average 2 stars, but it just wasn't that good. It might be fine if you're looking for some pseudo-patriotic fluff, but it seems Mr. Clancy was on cruise-control with this one and didn't really put much thought into his story. Some will say the idea of terrorists coming across the border with Mexican smugglers to strike middle-American shopping malls is prophetic, but it's really verbatim conservative talk-radio. Sorry, but I recommend a very wide pass on this one. show less
The Teeth of the Tiger is the first of a long series of action novels centering on John Patrick Ryan, Jr. Here we meet young Jack fresh out of Georgetown University who wants "...to play in the bigs." He finds the right place: Hendley Associates, an intelligence organization which works outside the system unfettered by the restraints of laws placed on the FBI and the CIA. Outside the system, but it is located on the sight line from NSA Fort Meade to CIA Langley and has connections to nearby Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, and access to Fort Meade's intercepts. Hendley Associates "...was illegal as hell, and not the least bit ethical." The perfect place for Jack, Jr. to work.
Among those employed by Hendley are Jack's show more cousins, fraternal twins, Marine Major Brian and FBI agent, Dominic Caruso. These three main characters face off against a combine of bad guys: Mohammed, a rich, blue eyed, terrorist chief with a Cambridge accent, and Jefe Ernesto, head of a Colombian cartel who considers himself a business man with customers to satisfy and who is very conscious of "operational security."
Much of the book is devoted to rationalizing extra judicial killing by agents of Hendley Associates. The twins, especially Marine officer, Caruso are reluctant to accept the concept. Brian comes around to complete compliance after watching a small boy shot by terrorist die in his arms. FBI agent, Dominic, already leans heavily toward the concept having taken a life of a suspected child killer in a moment of rage.
In the course of the novel the twins with the help of Jack, Jr. cold-bloodedly assassinate several suspected terrorist-abettors abroad. The bar for the decision to take the lives is much lower than that made by U.S. presidents to date, and it is suggested in the novel that such assassinations will be made within the U.S. also.
There is much reminiscing about events and people from earlier Jack Ryan, Sr. novels.
I expect Clancy fans will enjoy this novel: I did not. show less
Among those employed by Hendley are Jack's show more cousins, fraternal twins, Marine Major Brian and FBI agent, Dominic Caruso. These three main characters face off against a combine of bad guys: Mohammed, a rich, blue eyed, terrorist chief with a Cambridge accent, and Jefe Ernesto, head of a Colombian cartel who considers himself a business man with customers to satisfy and who is very conscious of "operational security."
Much of the book is devoted to rationalizing extra judicial killing by agents of Hendley Associates. The twins, especially Marine officer, Caruso are reluctant to accept the concept. Brian comes around to complete compliance after watching a small boy shot by terrorist die in his arms. FBI agent, Dominic, already leans heavily toward the concept having taken a life of a suspected child killer in a moment of rage.
In the course of the novel the twins with the help of Jack, Jr. cold-bloodedly assassinate several suspected terrorist-abettors abroad. The bar for the decision to take the lives is much lower than that made by U.S. presidents to date, and it is suggested in the novel that such assassinations will be made within the U.S. also.
There is much reminiscing about events and people from earlier Jack Ryan, Sr. novels.
I expect Clancy fans will enjoy this novel: I did not. show less
Tom Clancy created a tough act to follow with his Jack Ryan series. The end of the cold war and 9/11 reshuffled the deck of threats to the United States and The Teeth of the Tiger attempted to do the same for Clancy. As spy thrillers go, The Teeth of the Tiger is good. It actually has better pacing and less techno-drag than his late Jack Ryan novels did, coming in at a nearly anorexic 431 pages. The problem is that good is never good enough for Clancy fans and Jack Ryan can never be duplicated. In his place are his son and even more family members. Honestly, Jack Ryan, Jr. could have been any young recruit and probably should have. Besides, is it at all believable that the son of a President could ever go anywhere without a herd of show more paparazzi following behind them?
Clancy painted himself into a corner when he made Jack Ryan president. Once that happened, there was nowhere for his character to go other than out to pasture. So Jack Ryan Jr. became a young clone of Jack Ryan allowing Clancy to start over. Unfortunately, lightning really doesn’t strike twice.
What we are left with isn’t a bad book or bad characters. The Teeth of the Tiger is actually a pretty good story. But the characters are less interesting because we already know their entire back story, so there is nothing to reveal. It would have been better if Clancy had just started fresh. Instead, this feels like a print of a great painting – it is pretty to look at, but it doesn’t have the depth and texture of the original. show less
Clancy painted himself into a corner when he made Jack Ryan president. Once that happened, there was nowhere for his character to go other than out to pasture. So Jack Ryan Jr. became a young clone of Jack Ryan allowing Clancy to start over. Unfortunately, lightning really doesn’t strike twice.
What we are left with isn’t a bad book or bad characters. The Teeth of the Tiger is actually a pretty good story. But the characters are less interesting because we already know their entire back story, so there is nothing to reveal. It would have been better if Clancy had just started fresh. Instead, this feels like a print of a great painting – it is pretty to look at, but it doesn’t have the depth and texture of the original. show less
Members
- Recently Added By
Author Information
180+ Works 121,991 Members
Tom Clancy was born in Baltimore, Maryland on April 12, 1947. He graduated with a degree in English from Loyola College in 1969, became an insurance agent, and in 1973 became the owner of an insurance agency. It was not until 1980 that he started writing novels. His works include Red Storm Rising, The Cardinal of the Kremlin, The Sum of All Fears, show more Rainbow Six, Dead or Alive, and Threat Vector. His books The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, and Clear and Present Danger were adapted into major motion pictures. He also wrote nonfiction books including Into the Storm: A Study in Command, Submarine, Armored Cav, Fighter Wing, Airborne, and Reality Check: What's Going on Out There? He died on October 2, 2013 at the age of 66. His last book, Command Authority, co-authored with Mark Greaney, was published posthumously in December 2013 and made the New York Times bestseller list. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Awards and Honors
Distinctions
Series
Work Relationships
Is contained in
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title*
- De Tanden van de Tijger
- Original title
- The Teeth of the Tiger
- Original publication date
- 2003
- People/Characters
- Dominic Caruso; Brian Caruso; Jack Ryan, Jr.; Gerry Hendley
- Important places
- Italy; Richmond, Virginia, USA; London, England, UK; Virginia, USA
- Epigraph
- :People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." -George Orwell "This is a war of the unknown warriors; but let all strive without failing in faith or in dut... (show all)y..." -Winston Churchill
- Dedication
- To Chris and Charlie. Welcome aboard ...and, of course, Lady Alex, whose light burns as brightly as ever
- First words
- David Greengold had been born in that most American of communities, Brooklyn, but at his Bar Mitzvah, something important had changed in his life.
- Quotations*
- Mensen slapen 's nachts alleen vredig in hun bed omdat ruwe mannen klaarstaan om voor hen geweld te plegen. (George Orwell). Dit is een oorlog van de onbekende krijgers, maar laten we allen streven zonder tekort te schieten i... (show all)n ons geloof of onze plicht. (Winston Churchill).
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Next, they'd meet the brain.
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 4,827
- Popularity
- 2,944
- Reviews
- 50
- Rating
- (3.26)
- Languages
- 17 — Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Korean, Norwegian (Bokmål), Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 73
- ASINs
- 19