The second "Jack Ryan" novel, but set during a time prior to "The Hunt for Red October". Jack is in London and finds himself caught in the middle of an IRA terrorist attack. The majority of the book follows the terrorists' plot to retaliate against him personally for his interference. I decided to read this novel before Red October because it is set earlier in the Jack Ryan timeline when the IRA was still very active. I actually spent an extra day in London during 1993 when Heathrow airport was shut down because the IRA were lobbing light artillery onto one of the runways. I found it quite a gripping tale of political and personal hatred and vengeance. The film adaptation was also quite compelling with Harrison Ford as Ryan and Sean Bean as Sean Miller.