Tom Clancy was a prolific author who wrote dozens of books. I had previously read two of his novels, Red Storm Rising (but honestly, I don't remember anything about it) and Red Rabbit. I figured it was time to try another of his books, so I looked for one that specifically had Cold War vibes, and I found a great one in The Cardinal of the Kremlin!

The Cold War

Why did I want a book about the Cold War? Well, I lived through part of it, and remember in the late 1970s and 1980s that I was truly scared that nuclear war would break out between the USA and the USSR. Up through junior high school (until I was about the age of 13) we had bomb drills where we would hear that awful siren sound and hide under our desk. Ha - like hiding under a desk would do any good in the event of a nuclear attack!

It is funny that I was so scared of nuclear war, since I grew up in a small, rural town in the wide open south western part of the United States. People used to say that of course we would be targeted in a nuclear attack, because there were three power plants within 50 miles of our town. I find that laughable now... however if the USSR really did have nearly 40,000 nuclear weapons in the mid 1980s then maybe they did have one pointed at our little town?! I mean if you have enough weapons to destroy nearly every inch of the Earth, then yeah. That is so scary to think of.

Anyway, now that I am older I like to read stories and watch movies that are set in the Cold War period. Not only does it raise the specter of my nuclear boogey-man, but it also indulges a bit of my nostalgia for that time period too.

What's It About?

Written in the latter part of the 1980s, this book is basically a story about spies. There are highly placed American spies in the Soviet government (such as the titular Cardinal), and there are Russian spies embedded into the American military too. And since this is one of the Jack Rayn novels, he is involved as well. The main story, however, is about the Cardinal and how he smuggles information to the Americans, and what happens when he is finally caught. There are a lot of tit-for-tat maneuvers among both governments, and there are also several side stories about people who are tangentially involved too. It is easy to find a book summary online, but let me just say that if you like Cold War plots or spy thrillers then you would most likely love this book too - like me!

My Rating:

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Where to find The Cardinal of the Kremlin

• This book has been around for a long time, so try your local bookstore or library for a nice, non-electronic copy!
• You can get both physical and electronic versions of this book at Amazon.com.^†

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