The prologue of the rousing ninth Jack Ryan Jr. novel, bestseller Bentley's second contribution to the Clancy franchise (after 2021's Target Acquired), reveals that North Korea's Supreme Leader, Choi Ha-guk, has been badly injured while observing the test of a Russian prototype nuclear missile at a North Korean test facility, where a North Korean Politburo member sees the Supreme Leader's incapacity as "the opportunity of a lifetime." Meanwhile, in Seoul, Campus operations officer Jack and his fellow Campus member and potential girlfriend, Lisanne Robertson, plan to interview a PhD student for a job, but Jack gets caught in a violent protest. Also in Seoul are two Green Beret snipers who are swept up in a random gunfight with who they think are members of the Korean National Police. Bentley expertly knits all these threads into an intricate plot in which all the good guys come together to try to thwart a dastardly North Korean scheme. Readers will find all the operational and technical details they've come to expect from a Tom Clancy book. There's more than enough deadly action to satisfy any military adventure fan. Agent: Barbara Poelle, Irene Goodman Agency. (June)