The book takes place during the Viet Nam War and tells the story of John Kelly and his love for a woman caught in a nightmarish situation.

After the death of his wife, Tish, John Kelly picks up a hitchhiker one day and takes her home to his island. He doesn't know of her history or that she is hooked on drugs. When he finds out, he nurses her back to health with the aid of some doctor friends he met. They set up an appointment with a police officer who he knows so the girl can tell her story and help the other women who are being held. But Kelly makes a mistake. Before the meeting, they drive around the neighborhood where the drug dealers were and are spotted. Kelly is shot and the girl is killed.

At the same time, the Pentagon finds a secret prisoner camp in North Vietnam. They identify one of the prisoners as having been reported as dead. They also know there is a Russian officer at the camp interrogating the men. The men will never be released if they don't do something. Even if the peace talks are successful, the men are already listed as dead. Because of this, a highly secret operation is planned to bring the men out.

Without Remorse by Tom Clancy is the story of John Kelly's revenge against the people who killed the woman he loved. He is a highly-trained SEAL and well respected in the military. He is trusted by the military and they need his expertise. He made a mistake when he went to the neighborhood and the drug dealer recognized the woman, and it cost her her life.

This Tom Clancy novel has it all - intrigue, suspense, love, revenge, espionage, war, and crime. All the pieces are woven together in the character of John Kelly, who becomes a part of all of these different worlds. He sets out on a meticulously-planned and well-executed vendetta against the people who killed the woman he loved, while at the same time being involved in the highly-secret operation the Pentagon and CIA are planning. He has to juggle both ,these missions to come out alive.

Kelly uses his skills in both missions, one personal and one professional. In his personal mission, he takes the law into his own hands and becomes a murderer. In his professional mission, he is called upon to make judgments, even when he isn't happy about them. But he has to make them because many lives depend on him to do the right thing when the mission is blown. There is a traitor in Washington and they have to find him.

Kelly kills twelve people during his vendetta. The surviving girls, who were friends of Pam and Doris, are saved and receive proper medical treatment. Kelly more or less disappears. The CIA has him eliminate the traitor who burned Boxwood Green, and they and the Pentagon help Kelly escape the police. He receives a new identity and he and Sandy marry and move to Virginia.

This suspense filled novel will be liked by its readers. The ending is a bit surprising, but many Clancy aficionados will not be surprised by it.