Patriot GamesPatriot Games
What it's about
Jack Ryan is a former Marine and history teacher on vacation in London when he stumbles onto a terrorist attack on members of the British royal family, and stops it. In doing so he kills one of the attackers, members of a violent splinter group of Irish terrorists. The surviving terrorists swear revenge, and when they bring their war to Ryan's family in Maryland, he joins the CIA to fight back.
Why it's worth reading
It spent months at #1 on the New York Times list, was a PBS Great American Read pick, and became a film with Harrison Ford. It's one of the defining thrillers of the '80s.
You'll love it if you liked
Noble House., The Day of the Jackal or The Godfather
Good to know
It comes before The Hunt for Red October in Jack Ryan's story, though it was written after. There's a lot of technical detail.
By the numbers
- Readers72 out of 100 · counts 40%+33
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%+0
- Bestseller78 out of 100 · counts 32% (its stronger lane)+28
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 15%+0
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero.
On the PBS Great American Read list. #1 New York Times bestseller (17 weeks at #1). 4.17★ from 217K Goodreads ratings.
Where it ranks
- #17 of the 231 mysteries and thrillers we rank
- #92 of the 519 classics we rank
- #234 of the 1,404 books we rank
Bestseller
- #1 New York Times bestseller (17 weeks at #1)
On the lists
- PBS Great American Read
Reads as
Gripping
