Tom Clancy passed away October 1. A great storyteller with deep knowledge of technical material, especially considering he was an insurance agent when he wrote Hunt for Red October.
I've actually never read any of his books, but I love the first three Jack Ryan movies.
He and Michael Crichton were generally considered fathers of the modern day techno-thriller. Sad that both are gone now, at the same (not all that old) age, too.
