Patriot Games (PG)

At the beginning of the book, we learn that Sally is 4-year old and Jack 31-year old.

The Ryans arrive in London a Tuesday evening and, no sooner do they reach their hotel than they go to bed (even if, according to Jack, his wife and he don't fall asleep immediately...). The attack takes place the following day, Wednesday. Jack spends 3 weeks at St Thomas's Hospital.

The trial of Sean Miller takes place 4 weeks after the attack et 2 weeks later, Jack celebrates Christmas in the United States: so we know the murder attempt happened more or less in the middle of November. During the trial, answering Charles Atkinson, Miller's lawyer, Jack says he worked for Mitre Corporation last year - that is, last summer, at the end of the last school year; his work at the CIA occured a few months before (around June-July); so Patriot Games takes place between 'year 1' and '2'. 2 months after its writing, the "Agents and Agencies" report is transmitted to the British.

Jack invites the Prince and the Princess of Wales to dinner Friday, the 30^th of July of 'year 2'. This dinner takes place as Cathy is about to go into hospital and give birth to her second child; his 'start-up' goes back to the Ryans' first evening in London (hotel beds have an effect on Cathy Ryan).

The flight and the hunt of the terrorists occur this evening. As Jack comes back, Cathy gives birth to Jack Junior; the baby was born the 31^st of July early in the morning.

The Hunt for Red October (HFRO)

Sally is in first grade, she must be 6 by now. Therefore, the story takes place during 'year 3'. According to the dates of each chapter, the defection of the Red October happens from Friday, the 3^rd to Monday, the 20^th of December, by the end of the year.

The Cardinal of the Kremlin (COTK)

The story begins one year after The Hunt for Red October; next January, Ryan will fly to Moscow for the arms negotiations.

Since the defection of the Red October, Filitov worked with 3 different Defense Ministers in only one year: Ustinov, Sokolov and finally Yazov. Ustinov was dismissed after the Red October had sunk, Sokolov after Mathias Rust had landed on the Red Square and Yazov is in charge since.

On May 28^th 1987, Mathias Rust crossed the soviet border and landed his Cessna in Moscow. He'll be released on August 3^rd 1988. From this, it may be deduced that the story begins by the end of 1987 and goes on during 1988. In the same way, the defection of the Red October took place in december 1986 and Patriots Games went from November 1984 to August 1985.

According to Gerasimov's files, Ryan is 35 year-old in 1988, so he was born in 1953 and Sally in 1980...

However, there is an inconsistency with another dates in this book: in The Hunt for Red October, we're told Filitov lost his second son in 1959 and his wife died a few months later of grief. In the second chapter, Filitov says that, next February, it will be her thirtieth death anniversary. According to these facts, the story would take place in 1989-1990...

Clear and Present Danger (CAPD)

The story starts at the beginning of the summer (learning that Cortez is making his way to the residence Jensen is about to bomb, he exclaims: "It's Christmas in June!") and ends in November (it's an election year, in the United States, the Presidential election takes place in November and Fowler will win).

However, it's much more difficult to place the story in the chronology:

• on the one hand, the President of the United States is still the same since The Hunt for Red October (he is just called 'the President', in HFRO, COTK and CAPD). Cutter had been Pelt's deputy until Pelt left (Pelt was the National Security Advisor in HFRO and COTK).
  The Presidential election: in the United States, the President holds office for four years and the Presidential term of office can be renewed only once in succession, so there is a maximum of four years between HFRO and CAPD. According to this, CAPD takes place just after the end of COTK.
  Last point, Cutter reminds Ritter that, for the last couple of years, both CIA successes have started in the wrong directorate (refering to the Red October and Gerasimov defections).

• on the other hand, Ryan says he has known Greer for less than seven years and has been working at the Agency for six years. I think the first time he met Greer was when he worked for Mitre Corporation/CIA as a consultant; the following year, Sean Miller tried to kill Cathy and Sally on Route 50, Ryan decided to join CIA to fight the ULA terrorists.
  In Executive Orders, we learn first that EO takes place four years after CAPD and then that eleven years have passed since the day the Ryans were on the Mall (see below); it's not difficult to deduce that CAPD begins seven years after PG.

The Sum of All Fears (SOAF)

The story begins during sumer holidays, Ryan hopes to take Little Jack to a match before he has to go back to school. In November, Fowler has been President for two years. The SuperBowl takes place every year late January. The story lasts around six months.

Cathy is 36, Sally 10 and Jack Junior 7. Well, in Patriot Games, Sally is 4 when the Ryans are in London and Little Jack was born at the end of the book, nine months later.

In the same way, Fowler talks about the report Ryan has written six years before, in which he maintains that State-sponsored terrorism is an act of war. This report is "Agents and Agencies" and Ryan wrote it when he was only a CIA consultant. Yet, between The Sum of All Fears and Patriot Games, there already is a six year difference.

Goodley reads in Ryan's file that, when Jack was in England, he didn't foresee Chernenko appointment to succeed Andropov but he predicted the rise of Narmonov. Ryan was in England between Patriot Games and The Hunt for Red October. Andropov is appointed Genral Secretary in November 1982 (after Brejnev death) and Chernenko succeeds him in February 1984. His own successor is Narmonov.

With that information, it can be deduced that Patriot Games ends in 1983 and The Hunt for Red October takes place in December 1984 and also that Narmonov is none other than Gorbachev (it's noticeable in this book: Narmonov tells Kadishev he is appreciated in Occident but not in his own country...).

Debt of Honour (DoH)

Executive Orders (EO)

Sally is 15-year old (the Secret Service is looking for one of its female agent to protect Sally and help her in choosing a boyfriend). Executive Orders takes place 11 years after Patriot Games ; so Jack Ryan is 42.

In front of Tom Donner, Kealty and a CIA officer, about to be fired, talk about the attacks in Colombia that have happened four years before in Colombia.

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