Chapter By Chapter> Tom Clancy’s Op-Center: Mirror Image chapters 17 & 18

Chapter by Chapter features me reading one chapter (or possibly multiple chapter for this one) of the selected book at the time and reviewing it as if I were reviewing an episode of a TV show or an issue of a comic. There will be spoilers if you haven’t read to the point I have, and if you’ve read further I ask that you don’t spoil anything further into the book. Think of it as read-along book club.

And we’ve reached one of those multiple chapter ones…which is probably going to end up a mistake on my part. While chapter 17 is only two pages long, chapter 18 is SIXTEEN PAGES! That’s a lot for this book. Had I known this I would have included 17 with last week’s chapter, that featured the upcoming return of our hero…unless they find some way to keep Paul from the action. That will make me sad. If you’re going to do that, just leave him on vacation with his family. This book would have the cleanest proverbial cutting room floor ever if it were a movie.

Both of these chapters are taking place in Washington, DC, so I just figured they belonged together. Again, chapter spacing in these books is weird. I only have one more novel in this series and one from later in the NetForce series, so we’ll see if this every changes should the site be updating that long.

So if both chapters are in DC, are both chapters taking place in Op-Center? I’m assuming at least one is. I won’t mark the locations because you already know where they are, just the times that start the chapter. At least we have chapter numbers this book. That makes it easier on me to keep track for review purposes.

Chapter 17: Monday, 3:35 AM

Well, it’s not Op-Center. It’s Lt. Colonel Charles Squires as he gets his Striker team off to an undercover assignment in St. Petersburg. Rodgers is smart enough not to go along this time–and points for acknowledging the poor sap who got left behind last time but will be part of this mission as well as the replacement for the one killed in the last book. That’s good continuity. Even if you didn’t read the last book it’s a detail that doesn’t lose the new reader but nice for someone who read the last book to see. I was hoping he got to be part of this one, and they outright state it, naming David George as well as putting a name to the new girl, Sondra DeVonne. Acknowledging the last book helps place this in the timeline and still allows new events to occur.

Mike is also smart enough to leave part of Striker behind in Helsinki while the rest of the team go into St. Petersburg undercover as tourists. I didn’t know they did undercover and were just Op-Center’s military strike team, but it does make sense for Op-Center’s team to double in the spy realm as they try to peacefully keep us out of World War III, something Commie Op-Center is ready to commit. It’s why Congress told Mike they couldn’t send in the full team. If they’re caught, it wasn’t a full team and that’s somehow supposed to not raise tensions too high, but Mike sees the opportunity for an exit strategy if something goes wrong. Maybe Mike did learn from what happened in North Korea?

Chapter 18: Monday, 8:20 AM

Crap, it’s these people.

It was inevitable that the rest of the regular cast would show up and remind me why I don’t like them, but this was the right place in the story to put them. We had to get reintroduced to the group (and the meeting room security measures, but we also learn the cafeteria is a security measure, so nobody catches wind of the extra takeout orders and figure something’s up) for anyone just coming in. It felt a bit long to me because I already know these nitwits, but I’m not against it on a creative level.

Liz Gordon was the most insufferable. If you don’t remember from the last book, and I try to forget her as well, Liz is the psychological expert who keeps tabs not only on Op-Center but any threats they may be dealing with. She’s also a raging feminist in this. Not far-left or she wouldn’t be able to work with them at all, but too many of her comments are trashing dudes and masculinity, and while that sounds worse than it actually is in execution, it’s still there. Same for Martha Mackall, the Political Officer, only Liz comes off as teasing and Martha comes off as fighting the “old boys network”, so decide which is more annoying. Bob Herbert is of course here to show the right-winger can be as obnoxious but…wait, I should finish reintroducing everyone.

Okay. We have Lowell Coffey II, the attorney, computer expert Matt Stoll, press officer Ann Ferris (the one who only dates married men because her husband dumped her for her mistress and now wants Paul’s hood), and environmental officer Phil Katzen. He’s…present, but at least he got an introduction. I’m trying to figure out who Darrell Mcaskey is and when he showed up. The others are in a meeting putting their plan together and getting everyone up to speed when Stephen “Bugs” Bennet interrupts because the head of DI6 has agent who really wants to be part of the mission. Peggy James is the woman Fields-Hutton was thinking about, as she trained him and now wants not revenge (or so she claims) but to finish her friend’s mission. The team is torn on her inclusion, even when she states she’ll go there with or without him, which doesn’t make her boss happy. Let’s check out the arguments:

Yays: Lowell thinks adding her and other DI6 agents that might come along would make this an international mission, which also forms the complaints from the other side. He thinks this will make it look better to other countries when they have to explain going into Russia to destroy what they don’t know is Commie Op-Center but do know its tied to the bombing. In a similar vein, Mcaskey thinks hit will help smooth things over with his international contacts. Martha just likes the idea of another girl on the team, so her reasons are stupid.

Nays: Liz, who I remind you was also trying to prove her male colleagues’ inherent sexism, isn’t convinced that Peggy isn’t in a conflict of interests despite Peggy’s insistence. At least her reasoning makes sense. Mike and Bob both hate the international part because this was an attack on the US and Bob especially ignores that DI6 lost an agent, which leads to Martha insisting it’s because he’s sexist. I know both are tired, but this is not the time to be obnoxious, especially when you have the head of an allied organization on the phone. Be professional!

Paul decides to let her in provided she takes orders from Squires, though Liz isn’t sure she will considering she spoke over her usual boss. Personally I’m on the “yays” team. Not because we need another girl boss, though Bob does point out he has no issues with the new girl on the team, he just doesn’t want another rookie on something like this. Except Peggy’s dosier showed she has usable skills and trained the agent who was killed. Maybe she’s been out of the field for a long time or something, but she’s only a rookie to Striker, and if she can get up to speed and Squires is good at getting her up to speed, there shouldn’t be a problem. While Liz still says “revenge”, it’s just as likely that she will be motivated to see the job done right as tribute to her fallen friend, not avenging him by blowing up Russia in the hopes of getting his killer. We’ll see if this was a mistake or not.

Final thoughts: while I don’t like most of these people, this was the right time to bring them into the story. If they can be professional and get around their personal biases…Liz, Martha, and Bob who had trouble with that last time…they may pull off a better victory, or at least not get themselves hacked by a computer virus when they’re needed most! We’ll see what happens as this book goes on. Mike Rogers has a better showing so maybe the rest will get their act together, too. Next time it’s one normal length chapter.