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 Baltimoreโs Loyola College and had always dreamed of writing a novel. His first effort, The Hunt for Red Octoberโthe first of the phenomenally successful Jack Ryan novelsโsold briskly as a result of rave reviews, then catapulted onto the New York Times bestseller list after President Reagan pronounced it โthe perfect yarn.โ 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.
Mark Greaneyย has a degree in international relations and political science. In his research for theย Gray Man novels, including Mission Critical,ย Agent in Place,ย Gunmetal Gray,ย Back Blast,ย Dead Eye,ย Ballistic,ย On Target, andย The Gray Man, he traveled to more than fifteen countries and trained alongside military and law enforcement in the use of firearms, battlefield medicine, and close-range combative tactics.ย He is also the author of theย New York Timesย bestsellersย Tom Clancy Support and Defend,ย Tom Clancy Full Force and Effect,ย Tom Clancy Commander in Chief, andย Tom Clancy True Faith and Allegiance. With Tom Clancy, he coauthoredย Locked On,ย Threat Vector, andย Command Authority.