“Without Remorse” is John Clark’s origin story, a long, dark revenge thriller split between Baltimore’s streets and a raid in North Vietnam. At over seven hundred and fifty pages it is generous with detail and subplots, and readers often find stretches tedious. Some prefer the military half to the vigilante one; some struggle to side with a hero who kills so many. A book for those who want Clancy at full length.

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About the book

Without Remorse is a thriller novel, written by Tom Clancy and published on August 11, 1993. Set during the Vietnam War, it serves as the origin story for John Clark, one of the recurring characters in Clancy's Ryanverse. Without Remorse introduces Clark as former Navy SEAL John Kelly, as he wages a one-man war against drug dealers in Baltimore while also executing a raid at a prisoner of war camp in North Vietnam. The book debuted at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list.

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Where the score comes from

The sources average 8.1 across 242 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 62% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Thriller average of 7.6. That is how 7.9 comes out.