What is the title of your latest release?
RULES OF ENGAGEMENT
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
RULES OF ENGAGEMENT is the latest in Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan series. When a United States diplomatic aircraft goes down in the Middle East, Jack Ryan learns it may not be an accident. The subsequent investigation uncovers a plot that could change the world order.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
The book takes place through the Middle East, and also Russia. The first scenes are in Bodrum, Turkey, a fascinating place that I recently had the pleasure of visiting.
Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
I would love to have a cup of coffee with Katie Ryan. She has her father’s analytical mind, and also, to his chagrin, his rebellious nature.
What are three words that describe your hero?
Family, country, duty. (Jack Ryan)
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I did extensive research on U.S. hypersonic missile capabilities – I think readers will find it fascinating.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I actually do both. Rewrite chapters as I go, then a full rewrite at the end.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Quality English breakfast tea. (I need the caffeine.)
Describe your writing space/office!
I have an office in my house with very solid, almost soundproof doors.
Who is an author you admire?
I’m good friends with Brad Thor – a very creative writer and a down-to-earth person.
Is there a book that changed your life?
THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER. It started a whole new genre of fiction.
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published). Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
I’d already had fifteen books published by then, but being asked to pick up the Jack Ryan books was a definite highlight. A handshake deal with the editor, Tom Colgan, outside a New York City diner.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
Historical non-fiction.
What’s your favorite movie?
The Bourne Identity.
What is your favorite season?
Fall.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Cake with the kids.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I’m listening to the audiobook of Masters of the Air by Donald Miller.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Italian.
What do you do when you have free time?
I watch Manchester United play in the English Premier League.
What can readers expect from you next?
In 2027 I’ll have two books: one cowritten with Brad Thor, and another installment in my Tru Miller/David Slaton series.
Narrator: Scott Brick
Jack Ryan #27
When a member of his Cabinet is killed in a plane President Jack Ryan suspects that the "accident" is anything but in this latest shocking entry in this #1 New York Times bestselling series.
The White House is stunned when the Secretary of Commerce is killed in a plane crash in Turkey. President Jack Ryan isn't ready to write this off as a simple accident. Not only has he lost a good friend, but the Secretary was on an important mission: on the surface he was making an appearance at an economic conference, but the CIA was also using the flight as cover to extract an important asset from the Middle East.
Soon, Lt. Commander Katie Ryan and her team are working with the investigators to find the cause of the tragedy, but one shocking revelation changes everything. There were supposed to be 16 people on the plane, but there are only 15 bodies.
The quest for answers will lead the team deeper and deeper into a quagmire of lies and deception that will force President Ryan to face an unprincipled enemy with global ambitions.
Thriller Military [ G.P. Putnam's Sons, On Sale: May 19, 2026, Hardcover / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9780593718094 / eISBN: 9780593718100 ]
Ward Larsen is a USA Today bestselling author, and seven-time winner of the Florida Book Award. His first thriller, The Perfect Assassin, has been optioned for film by Amber Entertainment. He has also been nominated for the Macavity and Silver Falchion Awards. A former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, Larsen has served as a federal law enforcement officer, airline captain, and is a trained aircraft accident investigator.
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