Op-Center is the nation's heart of intelligence and crisis management. Sometimes, it's the only place our government can turn. YA?A terrorist bomb explodes at a celebration outside the Palace in Seoul, South Korea, with hundreds of casualties. Was it planted by angry North Koreans? Anti-reunification South Koreans? Or one group posing as the other to shift blame? Will the U.S. go in to help an ally? Speedy and efficient answers must be provided through a new U.S. intelligence agency under the direction of Paul Hood. Shorter than many other Clancy novels, Op-Center is action-packed and less violent than Without Remorse (Putnam, 1993). Brief chapters relate each event in the 41 hours during the international crisis and shift quickly to many locales. Readers must remember under what circumstances they last saw each person and must be able to keep the Korean names straight. The author is a master at providing a past and a personality for the main characters in a few words. The others come alive through their actions. The intricate climax shows that neither side is all good or all bad: cooperation is needed to keep peace. Sure to be popular, especially when the television movie airs.?Claudia Moore, W.T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. A little more than thirty years ago Tom Clancy was a Maryland insurance broker with a passion for naval history. Years before, he had been an English major at Baltimore’s Loyola College and had always dreamed of writing a novel. His first effort, The Hunt for Red October , sold briskly as a result of rave reviews, then catapulted onto the New York Times bestseller list after President Reagan pronounced it “the perfect yarn.” From that day forward, Clancy established himself as an undisputed master at blending exceptional realism and authenticity, intricate plotting, and razor-sharp suspense. He passed away in October 2013. Table of Contents Title Page Copyright Page Acknowledgements   ONE - Tuesday, 4:10 P.M., Seoul TWO - Tuesday, 5:30 P.M., Seoul THREE - Tuesday, 3:50 A.M , Chevy Chase, MD FOUR - Tuesday, 5:55 P.M., Seoul FIVE - Tuesday, 6:01 P.M., Seoul SIX - Tuesday, 4:04 A.M., the White House SEVEN - Tuesday, 6:05 P.M., Seoul EIGHT - Tuesday, 4:08 A.M., Chevy Chase, MD NINE - Tuesday, 6:10 P.M., Seoul TEN - Tuesday, 6:13 P.M., Nagato, Japan ELEVEN - Tuesday, 6:15 P.M., Seoul TWELVE - Tuesday, 5:15 A.M., the White House THIRTEEN - Tuesday, 5:25 A.M., Quantico Marine Corps Air Station, VA FOURTEEN - Tuesday, 7.30 P.M., Seoul FIFTEEN - Tuesday, 5:55 A.M., Washington, D.C. SIXTEEN - Tuesday, 8:00 P.M., the Sea of Japan SEVENTEEN - Tuesday, 6:02 A.M., Op-Center EIGHTEEN - Tuesday, 6:03 A.M., Andrews Air Force Base NINETEEN - Tuesday, 8:19 P.M., Seoul TWENTY - Tuesday, 6:25 A.M., Op-Center TWENTY-ONE - Tuesday, 9:00 P.M., Seoul TWENTY-TWO - Tuesday, 7:08 A.M, Virginia-Kentucky Border TWENTY-THREE - Tuesday, 7:10 A.M., Op-Center TWENTY-FOUR - Tuesday, 9:15 P.M., Seoul TWENTY-FIVE - Tuesday, 7:35 A.M., Op-Center TWENTY-SIX - Tuesday, 7:45 A.M., the National Reconnaissance Office TWENTY-SEVEN - Tuesday, 9:55 P.M., Seoul TWENTY-EIGHT - Tuesday, 7:57 A.M., Op-Center TWENTY-NINE - Tuesday, 10:00 P.M., Seoul THIRTY - Tuesday, 8:05 A.M., Op-Center THIRTY-ONE - Tuesday, 10:10 P.M., Seoul THIRTY-TWO - Tuesday, 10:15 P.M., Seoul THIRTY-THREE - Tuesday, 10:20 P.M., Kosong, North Korea THIRTY-FOUR - Tuesday, 8:40 A.M., Op-Center THIRTY-FIVE - Tuesday, 8:55 A.M., Op-Center THIRTY-SIX - Tuesday, 11:07 P.M., the DMZ THIRTY-SEVEN - Tuesday, 9:10 A.M., Washington, D.C. THIRTY-EIGHT - Tuesday, 11:17 P.M., Sea of Japan, twelve miles from Hungnam, ... THIRTY-NINE - Tuesday, 8:20 A.M., the C-141 over Texas FORTY - Tuesday, 11:25 P.M., Seoul FORTY-ONE - Tuesday, 9:30 A.M., the White House FORTY-TWO - Tuesday, 11:40 P.M., Seoul FORTY-THREE - Tuesday, 11:45 P.M., KCIA Headquarters FORTY-FOUR - Tuesday, 10:00 A.M., Washington, D.C. FORTY-FIVE - Tuesday, 10:05 A.M., Op-Center FORTY-SIX - Wednesday, 12:30 A.M., outside of Seoul FORTY-SEVEN - Tuesday, 10:50 A.M., Op-Center FORTY-EIGHT - Wednesday, 1:10 A.M., the Diamond Mountains, North Korea FORTY-NINE - Wednesday, 1:15, A.M., the DMZ FIFTY - Wednesday, 1:20 A.M., Yanguu Village FIFTY-ONE - Wednesday, 11:30 A.M., Op-Center FIFTY-TWO - Wednesday, 1:45 A.M., the DMZ FIFTY-THREE - Wednesday, 2:00 A.M., Yanguu Village FIFTY-FOUR - Tuesday, 12:30 P.M., Op-Center FIFTY-FIVE - Wednesday, 2:35 A.M., the Diamond Mountains FIFTY-SIX - Wednesday 2:45 A.M., the DMZ FIFTY-SEVEN - Wednesday, 2:55 A.M., Seoul FIFTY-EIGHT - Tuesday, 1:10 P.M., Op-Center FIFTY-NINE - Wednesday, 3:30 A.M., Sariwon SIXTY - Wednesday, 3:45 A.M., KCIA Headquarters SIXTY-ONE - Tuesday, 2:00 P.M., Op-Center SIXTY-TWO - Tuesday, 8:40 A.M., East of Midway Island SIXTY-THREE - Wednesday, 5:20 A.M., the DMZ SIXTY-FOUR - Tuesday, 4:00 P.M., Op-Center SIXTY-FIVE - Wednesday, 6:30 A.M., the DMZ SIXTY-SIX - Wednesday, 7:00 A.M. the Diamond Mountains SIXTY