'Patriot Games' Author Tom Clancy Dies

The Baltimore Sun is reporting that thriller author Tom Clancy has died Tuesday in an area hospital after a "brief illness". He was 66.

Clancy penned 20 books including The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, and The Sum of All Fears, all of which have been turned into blockbuster films. Seventeen of his novels became New York Times number one best sellers.

The New York Daily News notes that Clancy "set the bar for military accuracy" with his work, and David Shanks, a publishing executive at Penguin who worked with alongside the author for years, told the New York Times that Clancy was “a consummate author, creating the modern-day thriller, and one of the most visionary storytellers of our time.”

Clancy's next book, Command Authority, is scheduled for publication on December 3.