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 Baltimoreβs Loyola College and had always dreamed of writing a novel. His first effort, The Hunt for Red Octoberβthe first of the phenomenally successful Jack Ryan novelsβsold briskly as a result of rave reviews, then catapulted onto the New York Times bestseller list after President Reagan pronounced it βthe perfect yarn.β 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 GreaneyΒ has a degree in international relations and political science. In his research for theΒ Gray Man novels, including Mission Critical,Β Agent in Place,Β Gunmetal Gray,Β Back Blast,Β Dead Eye,Β Ballistic,Β On Target, andΒ 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.Β He is also the author of theΒ New York TimesΒ bestsellersΒ Tom Clancy Support and Defend,Β Tom Clancy Full Force and Effect,Β Tom Clancy Commander in Chief, andΒ Tom Clancy True Faith and Allegiance. With Tom Clancy, he coauthoredΒ Locked On,Β Threat Vector, andΒ Command Authority.