When Filitov’s wife, Mary Pat, a CIA agent tries to rescue him, she is arrested too. However, the KGB arrests Filitov before he can escape. Once the CIA realizes the Soviet intelligence forces know they’re being watched, they decide the mission is too dangerous. The Archer dies during the conflict, drawing more attention to the CIA. Unbeknownst to Emilio, he orders a strike on the Bright Star base. The Archer worries once he realizes what the Soviets are building in his homeland. He is tasked with aiding rebel forces, and he works closely with a rebel called The Archer. Meanwhile, the CIA deploys another undercover agent, Emilio, to Tajikistan. Filitov, however, does not want to let the project go and keeps pressing for information. However, these actions make the Soviet Committee for State Security (KGB) anxious, and they start shutting down their operations. Jack learns that Filitov carelessly sent one of his own men to Tajikistan to gather intelligence for the CIA and report back to him. The CIA is concerned about the kind of technology the Soviets are working on and it needs a security risk evaluation as soon as possible. He is investigating a Soviet anti-ballistic missile (ABM) research project called Bright Star based in Tajikistan. However, he serves the CIA by giving it political, technical, and military information because he feels betrayed by his own government.Īt this meeting in Moscow, Jack discovers that Cardinal is Colonel Mikhail Semyonovich “Misha” Filitov, and that he is working on a highly sensitive mission. Jack arrives in Moscow to discuss the most highly placed agent in the entire CIA-a man with the codename “CARDINAL.” Officially, he is the personal aide to the Soviet Minister of Defense. He is smart, savvy, and well-trusted by his colleagues. When the book opens, he is working as part of the US delegation to the Soviet Union. Jack is a former US Marine who left active duty due to a chronic injury in his back. The protagonist for both The Cardinal of the Kremlin and the series is Jack Ryan. Before writing full time, Clancy worked as an insurance broker in Maryland. Clancy writes both nonfiction and novels, however, he’s best known for his extensive thriller novel credits. The Jack Ryan novels are popular with a wide fan base this installment received widespread critical praise upon publication in 1988. The fifth novel in the Jack Ryan espionage series, Tom Clancy’s spy thriller novel The Cardinal of the Kremlin follows Jack Ryan on a mission to rescue an undercover agent from a dangerous scheme.

Tom clancy cardinal of the kremlin