Customer Reviews

The Lion's Game

5 star:		(254)
4 star:		(121)
3 star:		(71)
2 star:		(40)
1 star:		(33)

 

 

Nelson DeMille has written good books -- The Charm School, Word of Honor, The General's Daughter, maybe The Gold Coast -- and bad books -- Spencerville, By the Rivers of Babylon and Plum Island, which was plum awful. So I wavered a bit before buying...then they announced boarding and I bought it.

It took me 100 pages to get over the fact that this book featured John Corey from Plum Island, but once I finally put that out of my mind, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. You've got to like banter to like this book, but the dialogue was fast and clever. I thought the plot was good and I didn't have the same problems with the ending that other readers had. Under the circumstances and considering the skill of the terrorist Asad Kahlil, it was one of several plausible endings. The nearly 700-page journey was very enjoyable and I would put this in the top three of DeMille's books -- his best being The Charm School and I'll let everyone choose their own number two.

For me, DeMille is a hit-or-miss author. This one hits.

Forget Grisham, Baldacci and the like who have failed with their last books, pickup DeMille. He never fails. The dialogue is witty, believable and delightful. The plot moves along so swiftly I suspect a good many people have called in sick to the office just to finish this thriller. Having worked for the government I'm familiar with their incompetencies and find it refreshing that an author actually tells it like it is instead of glorifying federal law enforcement. John Corey is, of course, what everyone thinks of when you mention New York cop, cynical and a whole lot more intelligent then expected. This book, like the General's Daughter, grabs you at the beginning and does not let go. After being disappointed in Plum Island I was a little leary of reading another DeMille but this one does not disappoint, actually it's probably worth reading a second time. Not only is it a good thriller but it's funny. There were parts I had to read aloud to my spouse--calling the terrorist a 'psycho camel jockey' was priceless and just one of many of the book's amusing quips. Buy this book, you can't go wrong!

The best way to read a book by Nelson DeMille is to avoid all reviews or blurbs or anything that will give you even the slightest idea of the plot. After a series of excellent books he has earned my trust. Therefore when I saw he had a new book out I bought it without knowing a thing about it. Lucky for me it wasn't a diet book. And even more lucky for me, every element of the plot came as a complete surprise (and what could be better when reading a thriller?)

Even better, take a day off from work, take the phone off the hook and spend the day with a swell book. I was up until 2AM and I don't regret it.

The book is funny, exciting, and thought provoking. But I won't say more since virtually everything else would spoil the many surprises in the book.

Wow! I've just spent the last 24 hours with the murderous Libyan terrorist Asad "The Lion" Khalil as he wreaks havoc throughout the United States, and with my favorite fictional detective John Corey, as he works to stop Khalil. What a trip! Mr. DeMille's writing is so vivid, it's like verbal virtual reality. I was immediately drawn into the story, and the characters, and read this book in one day. If you're a thriller fan and you've never read DeMille - what are you waiting for, go buy this book! - and if you're a DeMille fan, well, the same goes for you! I really loved the character of John Corey in the book Plum Island and I am thrilled to have him back. I'm hoping that he will become Mr. DeMille's "Jack Ryan" and that we'll be seeing Detective Corey again (and again). I will confess to being a LITTLE disappointed in the ending, although it did contain a satisfying twist. I'm looking forward to Mr. DeMille's next book, and in the meantime i'm going to read The Lion's Game again. Great!

I have been waiting for this book for a year now, and was delighted with the reward for patience. A scary, at times funny, at times touching experience. Won't say more to ruin it for all you lucky ones who will soon be reading it except - Enjoy!

Nelson DeMille is simply amazing. Plum Island was the best book I've read in at least five years, The Lion's Game is better. Trademark DeMille dialogue, exciting, well-paced plotting and rich, hilarious characters. What else does one need? This book should be #1 for eighteen months at least.

As an author of two thrillers, Left Bank and Suspicion, I am particularly impressed with DeMille's command of the genre and salute him as an extraordinary talent.

Demille's latest work brings back John Corey from his previous work, PLUM ISLAND. I've read many thriller and mystery novels and this is the best read I have come upon in several years. Demille has written good works in the past, but this is the best he's done yet. It is action packed, suspenseful, and funny at the same time. An excellent book. I read it in two days (and its 675 pages).

Nelson DeMille has written a riveting suspense thriller, given us the most diabolical antagonist imaginable, and returns the irascible John Corey whom he first introduced in PLUM ISLAND as the wisecracking protagonist.

A Libyan terrorist, known as Asad "the Lion" Khalil, enters the United States on a plane filled with dead passengers, all of whom he has managed to kill. His escape through JFK and his mission to personally murder a select group of men will leave the reader breathless. Asad is on a mission of revenge and torture and wants to assure his place in Paradise by killing Americans. But his character is not the totally evil, one-dimensional caricature you might imagine-DeMille has fleshed him out, given him a full back story and complete development. He has been well trained for his mission, but what Khalil could not predict would be that his path would cross with that of former NYPD cop John Corey, now a member of the Anti-Terrorism Task Force.

Corey and his new partner, Kate Mayfield of the FBI, are at first confused by Khalil, but manage to put the pieces of this extraordinary puzzle together and track down this heinous villain. Their final shoot-out with Asad seals their romance and sends Corey down the aisle to matrimony one more time.

Some may complain of the novel's flat ending, but considering this story is rooted in historical facts, it was the only possible ending for DeMille to present us with. His fast-paced plotting, his penetration of the mind and heart of a terrorist, and his brilliant one-liners as mouthed by John Corey, make me doubt there is a better American novelist writing today.

Get ready for another ride on the Demille rollercoaster! This book takes an upclose, in your face look at terrorism here in the United States. It brings home the real possibilities that exist and makes you wonder, not if, but when. Another important aspect of this novel was to bring home the fact that terrorists are intelligent, unlike some people seem to want to believe. This was a fast paced story, and while the ending may have dissapointed some, I believe any other ending would have detracted from the plausibility of this tale. Great book, great read! If you already love Demille don't miss this one. If you have never read Demille, now is the time to begin!

Forget Grisham, Patterson, Baldacci. These guys may sell, but they sure can't write. DeMille does both! If you've never read Nelson DeMille, now is the time. The Lion's Game is DeMille at the top of his own game. And after you've read this one, go back and read every single book he's ever written. He'll delight and entertain you time after time, with intelligence, humor and suspense.