'' Red Rabbit '' is a spy thriller novel , written by Tom Clancy and released on August 5 , 2002 . The plot occurs a few months after the events of '' Patriot Games '' ( 1987 ) , and incorporates the 1981 assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II . Main character Jack Ryan , now an analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency , takes part in the extraction of a Soviet defector who knows of a KGB plot to kill the pontiff . The book debuted at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list
1981 assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II assassination attempt
Red Rabbit