This book was everything I had hoped it would be. Lots of action and suspense. Multiple story lines that end up tying into one in ways that you never expect or predict. Visiting again with old friends from John Clark, Jack Ryan and Mary Pat to Jack Ryan Jr, and Lysanne. There is a beautiful story of redemption subtly woven in. A love story that continues to mature and action...lots and lots of action.

M.P. Woodward brings Jack Ryan, Jr into the action with Shadow State. Tom Clancy would be proud to read Woodward's account of his hero and the mission (TROUBLE) that Jack always seems to find. Jack is once again doing his white hat job, accounting, for the organization. It's supposed to be no trouble. A quick in and out, normal job. But, as usual,, trouble finds Jack where he leasts expects it.

Set in Vietnam, it brings back the players of the region still fighting the same game. Us vs, them, China vs. the U.S. and Vietnam being the land taking the brunt of the storm. It's a dangerous game of chicken with drugs, money, slavers, drug lords all coming after the good guys who get stranded in the jungle after their helicopter goes down. The operatives of the Handley Group are hoping they arrive on the scene in time to rescue Jack. Jack's just hoping to stay alive. Great Story

It was a pleasure to read the continuing adventures of Jack Ryan Jr.. The author kept my interest as Ryan worked on what is referred to as the "white side" of the Campus business. Yet he couldn't help but become entangled with more nefarious activity that amped up the action and kept my interest. As always,interesting characters and settings are well-done in the Clancy novels. Here we see Singapore as it has modernized while staying autocratic. I don't recall reading an M.P. Woodward novel before, but I did enjoy it.
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

While visiting Singapore doing a financial audit for Hendley and Associates (the white side of the business) pending a purchase for a rare earth minerals mining company when suddenly Jack is drawn into the wild black ops side of the business and while inching closer to death as he uncovers the plot in the jungles of Vietnam, he must race against the clock and the bad guys before it is too late.

Thank you Putnam and Netgalley for the ARC!

What a fun book in this universe! This book had a lot going, tons of villains to encounter, but it made it to where I was on the edge of my seat always wondering “what on earth could happen next?” Shadow State was what you’d expect from a thriller/action adventure from Woodward and I had a great time in it.

I really enjoyed this element in the Jack Ryan Jr series, it had the elements that I enjoyed a lot and glad I was able to read this. It has that thriller element that I was looking for and was invested in what was happening with this story. I really enjoyed the conspiracy element to this and how the characters worked with this. It had that charm that I was looking for and glad I got to read M.P. Woodward's writing.

Jack Ryan Jr. is back on the “white” side of Henley & Associates and somehow gets sucked into the “black” side. This book takes us from Hong Kong to Vietnam to Laos. All of the usual characters are mentioned but mostly some of the newer characters are involved, this provides more depth into the book. Another great read!

I must confess to being a little disappointed. I'd read two of Woodward's books before -- THE HANDLER and DEAD DROP -- and I though they were two of the finest spy novels ever published. That was why I expected SHADOW STATE to be really special. It wasn't.

This is a fairly pedestrian entry in the publishing juggernaut that the Ryan universe has become. It was better than some other efforts, not as good as some others. Let's just call it 'routine' and be done.

I thought the narrative was particularly weak. It was jumbled catalog of every possible villain: human traffickers, the Chinese MSS, drug smugglers, corrupt white guys paying off corrupt Vietnamese, and on and on and on. It was everywhere and nowhere, and nothing ever really came into focus. The writing is solid, and the characters are what the characters always are, but sadly there's really nothing special here. It's strictly paint-by-the-numbers stuff. Like I said before, 'routine.'