In the pattern of the cold war espionage novel, Clear and Present Danger has spies, soldiers, and political leaders all plotting against one another, yet it touches only briefly on the contest between East and West. Its focus is the conflict between Western democracies and international drug dealers. The drug dealers make formidable enemies; their immense wealth enables them to bribe people in high positions of public trust. Add to this the many legal limitations on a democratic government's ability to act against untried and unconvicted criminals, and Clear and Present Danger has all the complexity it needs for a gripping tale of espionage.