Dead or Alive Audiobook By Tom Clancy, Grant Blackwood cover art

Dead or Alive

A Jack Ryan Novel

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Dead or Alive

By: Tom Clancy, Grant Blackwood
Narrated by: Lou Diamond Phillips
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About this listen

Don't Miss the Original Series Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan Starring John Krasinski!

Tom Clancy delivers a #1 New York Times bestselling Jack Ryan novel that will remind readers why he is the acknowledged master of international intrigue and nonstop military action.

It is The Campus. Secretly created under the administration of President Jack Ryan, its sole purpose is to eliminate terrorists and those who protect them. Officially, it has no connection to the American government - a necessity in a time when those in power consider themselves above such arcane ideals as loyalty, justice, and right or wrong.

Now covert intelligence expert Jack Ryan Jr. and his compatriots at The Campus - joined by black ops warriors John Clark and “Ding” Chavez - have come up against their greatest foe: a sadistic killer known as the Emir. Mastermind of countless horrific attacks, the Emir has eluded capture by every law enforcement agency in the world. But his greatest devastation is yet to be unleashed as he plans a monumental strike at the heart of America.

On the trail of the Emir, Jack Ryan Jr. will find himself following in his legendary father’s footsteps on a manhunt that will take him and his allies across the globe, into the shadowy arenas of political gamesmanship, and back onto U.S. soil in a race to prevent the possible fall of the West....

Take another thrill ride with Jack Ryan.©2010 by Rubicon, Inc. (P)2010 by Brilliance Audio, Inc., all rights reserved.
Action & Adventure Espionage Genre Fiction Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Spies & Politics Suspense Thriller & Suspense War & Military Fiction Military War Mystery

Critic reviews

“Heart-stopping action...entertaining and eminently topical.” (The Washington Post)

“The best characters from all of Clancy’s previous novels are on the case.... For fans of the genre, Dead or Alive is likely to provide a long weekend’s pleasure.” (Los Angeles Times)

“Clancy is back at the top of his game.... In-depth research, continuous suspense, and scores of fascinating characters.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review))

Featured Article: Listen Before You Watch—The Biggest Page-to-Screen Adaptations in Fall/Winter 2022


It’s not just crunchy leaves and cozy vibes that autumn brings. This fall and winter, television and movie fans also have a lot to look forward to, with major page-to-screen adaptations slated from streaming and theatrical releases. So, as your next listen, consider tuning in to the original works that have inspired what are sure to be our new book-to-movie and book-to-television obsessions.

What listeners say about Dead or Alive

Highly rated for:

Thrilling Suspense Action-packed Tale Excellent Narration Complex Hero Twists Turns Skilled Voice Acting
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Superb! More Clancy/LDP!

Lou Diamond Philips?! MORE! I've been a member of Audible since it started, and I can say this for the first time- "LDP reads this book to me better than I could read it to myself". LDP has played enough military and police roles in movies that he understands where TC is coming from (I'd love to see him in a movie as Ding Chavez!) I usually read the ebook first, and if it's good, listen to it on audible later while I'm driving or doing work around the house. I deleted the ebook this time!

I've read every Clancy book and have liked most of them. He has an undeniable style and finesse. I must caution you; if you're squeamish to the military or have a liberal bone in your body you should probably click away from this page with haste. As a veteran I can tell you that Clancy's books are realistic, right down to the thoughts and attitudes of the troops and analysts. This book was no exception. Welcome back Clancy, John, Chavez, and the Ryans, and 'well met' to the new players.

THIS IS A MUST LISTEN... MULTIPLE TIMES!

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126 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

No Mission too Difficult, No Sacrifice too Great

I graduated from the War college in 1984. Full of piss and vinegar, I went to Korea. Enroute, I read Clancy's novel. Red October. I was uneasy the entire flight, that someone would discover I was reading classified information, so close was it to compartmentalized information I had obtained from the college. In Dead or Alive, I got the same feeling. "The Campus" a new below the horizon security and clandestine operations entity, is self funded. John Clark, Dingo Chavez, and Jack Ryan's son Jack Jr. combine their skills to keep the Jihadists from throwing our country into turmoil. In his particular style, Clancy takes on the U.S. intelligence community, by mostly ignoring them. If your heart isn't palpitating after the first chapter. You don't know anything about soldiering.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

A long way to go....

...for not much bang. I have read almost everything Tom Clancy has written and honestly, I think he's run out of steam. The characters have lost their zip and the plots are just variations on the usual Tom Clancy. I really wanted to like this, and lord knows it takes a long time to listen through to the end, but when I finally got there I was more relieved to have it over with than satisfied.

Lou Diamond Phillips is great though. He does a fantastic job.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Read

I thought it was slow at first, but then as the several plots began to intertwine, it got momentum -- it is a terrific read into contemporary events, and the narrator, Lou Diamond Phillips, does a truly outstanding job.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Lots of violence with plots that don't finish.

We listened to this book in three long segments, and while there are a number of plot lines, they don't really finish, artificially or otherwise. Lots of violence that I guess you should get used to, but we didn't. Hard to know which author has the most influence but after many years we will hesitate to purchase the next one.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Hate the ideology

This has cured me of Tom Clancy novels forever. American exceptionalism, red neck philosophy, and international ignorance in large doses grate horribly. He should stick with the action.

The performer needs to learn to pronounce low frequency words and abbreviations like "affect", "acetylcholine" and "IATA." The accents are also terrible.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Loved it!

Any additional comments?

I read the reviews and skipped the Blackwood books. But I'd listened to all of the Greaney books and I really like Lou Diamond Phillips so I thought I'd give one a try and I loved it. I don't understand all of the bad reviews. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will be buying the next Blackwood book in the series.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Technical goodies with excellent naration.

This audio book was well done. I was with each character, and felt afterwards that I had "been there and done that." Congradulations.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

This made me look at Clancy again

Clancy weaves a good story and I find myself really considering him again. Back when I read Hunt for Red October, I had a hard timekeeping up with the plot because I got lost in the details before I could get to the plot. This held my attention from the very beginning. Lou Diamond Phillips voice is a delight. His subtle voice and inflection changes for each character are consistent throughout the book I never found myself thinking he sounded silly or irritating. He is a keeper.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

So much bad here, but a little good too

First, as others have complained the author is one-sided as to his politics. The conservative (and presumably Republican) president is a tough hero through and through, while the moderate president is described as weak and ineffective. To bolster his ridiculous point, Clancy has the president prosecuting a soldier for killing Afgan terrorists in the line of duty. Yeah, like that would really happen. His point of view must be weak if he has to resort to that.

Next, he goes into very contrived detail about every killing and sounds like he is describing a slow-motion video of people's heads being blown apart. It gets old and annoying and comprises about 1/3 of the book.

The last few chapters about a few renegade privateers capturing Osama bin Laden all by themselves while he tries to set off a nuclear device is completely unbelievable and written very poorly.

There are some good parts though. I liked that it followed the terrorists in how they plan and communicate and how they are thwarted by super-human detectives.

It would be a much better book if Clancy left his politics out and concentrated and good storytelling.

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2 people found this helpful