Pinnacle Event: A Novel - Hardcover

Richard A. Clarke served for thirty years in the United States Government, including an unprecedented ten continuous years as a White House official, assisting three consecutive presidents. In the White House he was Special Assistant to the President for Global Affairs, Special Advisor to the President for Cyberspace, and National Coordinator for Security and Counter-terrorism. Prior to his White House years, he served as a diplomat, including as Assistant Secretary of State, and held other positions in the State Department and the Pentagon.

Since leaving government in 2003, Mr. Clarke has served as an on-air consultant for ABC News for ten years, taught at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government for five years, managed a consulting firm, chaired the Board of Governors of the Middle East Institute, and written several books, both fiction and nonfiction, including the #1 New York Times bestseller Against All Enemies and, most recently, Sting of the Drone.

“Clarke delivers an edge-of-your-seat race across the planet that keeps you guessing until the very end.” ―KYLE MILLS

“An engrossing and captivating story. Richard A. Clarke's gripping and explosive novel, Pinnacle Event is based on South Africa's secret nuclear weapons program. This fascinating yet frightening account on how the apartheid regime built nuclear weapons, secretly stored and sold them was written with methodical historical accuracy. Only a professional government insider with Clarke's unique credentials would have the expertise to write such an accurate account of this secret program.” ―DON MANN, author of Inside SEAL Team Six

“A complex and well-executed plot that speculates on what happened to the nuclear weapons South Africa said it destroyed, readers won't easily see where this one's headed. Thriller lovers no longer need the USSR and the Cold War for a scary-good story--just lose track of a few A-bombs for an exciting and all-too-plausible novel.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“Clarke continues to do what so many Washington insiders who attempt to write fiction fail to do: combine real-life intelligence details with a story that offers both narrative drive and full-bodied characters. This one will please political geeks and action fans.” ―Booklist

“Insider knowledge of politics paired with amazing state-of-the-art technical details fuels this realistic nonstop action thriller, the best yet from Clarke... [Clarke] has set the standard by which all such titles in this growing subgenre will be measured.” ―Publishers Weekly (starred boxed review) on Sting of the Drone

“Well worth reading, both for its quality as a riveting tale and for the issues it exposes.” ―Kirkus Reviews on Sting of the Drone

“Sting of the Drone is a jet-fueled race through a world where the sky itself can be your worst enemy.” ―Seattle Post-Intelligencer

“Clarke does a terrific job showcasing how the drone program works and revealing something about the men and women behind the scenes who use the machines.” ―Booklist on Sting of the Drone

“On rare occasions a thriller comes along that turns out to be prophecy: Sting of the Drone is one of them. This rip-snorting thriller may be the best unclassified peek you will ever get on the new high-tech offensive in the war against terrorism. A seminal, prophetic, troubling must-read.” ―STEPHEN COONTS

“This one smacks so much of reality you'll swear it's real. Written in a deft hand, by a man who knows what he's talking about, the take-no-prisoners plot serves up a banquet of high drama, action, and adventure. A great read.” ―STEVE BERRY on Sting of the Drone

“It's rare a novel is written ahead of the headlines, but the plot of Sting of the Drone is just that book. If you've wondered what it's like to be inside the U.S. Predator drone program, your wait is over. Prepare for your hand to take hold of the joy stick, your heart to lodge firmly in your throat. Tom Clancy takes to the air. Put this book on your radar.” ―RIDLEY PEARSON on Sting of the Drone

“What Tom Clancy did for submarines, Richard A. Clarke does for drones. Fascinating and frightening, Sting of the Drone moves as fast as the new kind of warfare that it depicts, with authentic details that only someone with the author's impressive insider credentials could know. This first-rate thriller . . . a cross between a techno-thriller and a docu-thriller, ought to be required reading for anyone who wants to know the current status of the battle against terrorism.” ―DAVID MORRELL

“Sting of the Drone is a riveting page-turner that goes deep into the complex world of those who hunt with, and are hunted by, military drones. Rich with detail and informed by his expertise in national security, Richard Clarke brings this hidden world to vivid life.” ―JEFF ABBOTT

“Where Sting of the Drone stands above the rest, and what makes it important for those who have a tendency to shy away from this genre, is in its level of detail....This is riveting reading.” ―The Washington Post

“Richard A. Clarke's nail-biter suspense novel irrefutably proves that there is nothing like being America's pre-eminent counterterrorism expert to goose up your book with real terror.” ―Vanity Fair on Breakpoint

“His almost three-decade background in intelligence and counterterrorism serves him exceptionally well when he narrates a hair-raising Special Ops assault.” ―The Washington Post on Scorpion's Gate

“Chilling.... [A] harrowing -- and persuasive -- picture of the cyberthreat the United States faces today.” ―Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times, on Cyber War

“[Cyber War] may be the most important book about national-security policy in the last several years.” ―Slate on Cyber War

“In this chilling and eye-opening book, Clarke and Knake provide a highly detailed yet accessible look at how cyber warfare is being waged and the need to rethink our national security to face this new threat.” ―Booklist on Cyber War

“Clarke and Knake are right to sound the alarm.” ―The Wall Street Journal on Cyber War

“From the first thrilling chapter, which takes readers into the White House center of operations on September 11, through his final negative assessment of George W. Bush's post-9/11 war on terror, Clarke, the U.S.'s former terrorism czar, offers a complex and illuminating look into the successes and failures of the nation's security apparatus.” ―Publishers Weekly on Against All Enemies

“Against All Enemies is too good to be ignored.... It is a rarity among Washington-insider memoirs--it's a thumping good read.” ―The New York Times Book Review on Against All Enemies