The Lion's Game: Summary and book reviews of The Lion's Game by Nelson DeMille, plus links to an excerpt from The Lion's Game and a biography of Nelson DeMille.

The Los Angeles Times calls him "a master of the intelligent thriller." Now blockbuster author Nelson DeMille brings back John Corey, the hero of his #1 New York Times bestseller Plum Island, in an epic story of breathless pace, heart-pounding suspense, and chilling fear... THE LION'S GAME From a special observation post in New York's JFK Airport, members of the elite Anti-Terrorist Task Force wait for a passenger arriving from Paris: an alleged Libyan terrorist known as "the Lion," who is defecting to the West. Everything is going as planned; Flight 175 with its hundreds of passengers, including the Libyan and his CIA and FBI escorts, is right on schedule. Yet it soon becomes apparent that something is horribly, eerily wrong. And that the affair of Flight 175 is only a prelude to the terror that is to follow... John Corey, having survived three bullet wounds on the NYPD, knows that he's used up his allotment of good luck. Nevertheless, he signs on as a contract agent with the Federal government's Anti-Terrorist Task Force, working in the high-pressure Mideast section. Kate Mayfield is John's senior in rank and junior in age--a bad combination for both of them. Even so, she is able to hold her own against John's brash style, his contempt for Federal agents, and his obsession with doing everything his way. As a bloody trail of terror streaks across the country, John and Kate soon learn that their quarry is more than a man; he has the instincts of a wild animal, the blood lust of a carnivore, and the boldness and speed of a cat of prey. The cunning, violence, and ruthlessness that Corey encounters are like nothing he has ever experienced before, even on the streets of New York. Until this assignment, Corey has always been lucky in dodging the fatal bullet. But luck, as he's learned on the streets, at the gambling table, and in love, always runs out. To survive in a new game with no rules at all, he must invent a strategy that includes no luck at all... More than ever before, Nelson DeMille presents vivid, fully fleshed characters and delivers the signature plot twists and sardonic humor his readers have come to expect. THE LION'S GAME is truly a DeMille to remember.

Media Reviews

People DeMille deftly interweaves Corey's search with Khalil's grisly rampage, resulting in a tense tale as well as a surprisingly complex portrayal of what might have been just another nasty villain.   New York Times Book Review DeMille works with enormous intelligence, pacing his two narrative strands...with the greatest craft. Suspense builds steadily and artfully as the clues pile up...The Lion's Game carries us along with professionalism many writers, highbrow and low, should admire.   Kirkus Reviews Corey, teaming up with Kate Mayfield, his minder from the Bureau, sets out to track the Lion, figure out what hes up to this time, and, with all the reckless panache of a homicide cop turned loose to play James Bond, save the free world from unspeakable perils. The biggest-scaled yet of DeMilles bestselling crime thrillers.   Publishers Weekly DeMille artfully constructs a compulsively readable thriller around a troubling story line, slowly developing his villain from a faceless entity into a nation's all-too-human nemesis. Agent, Nick Ellison.

Recent Reader Reviews

Rated of 5 by G
garrettgenovese@yahoo.com
My personal favorite book of my life so far. It would be a tragedy to ruin John Coreys image in my head by Nick Cage stinking up the screen with his horrible acting. Clooney is alright, I'm thinking younger. Maybe Jeremy Renner, either way this...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Anonymous
Wonderful Book i hope there could be a second part

Review (not rated) by Anonymous
I ahve thoroughly enjoyed The Lion's game, although I wish Asad <<edited for potential plot spoiler content>>. Perhaps it would be better to leave it until the next part. I really hope it comes up soon, and please inform me on this...   Read More

Review (not rated) by John E. Pollock
"Lions Game" was my introduction to the work of Mr. De Mille in July last year. Superb! Working in Libya at the time as I was added somewhat to my thorough enjoyment of a totally plausible, riveting storyline. Afraid my copy has become...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Ruth A. Permisa
I am just an amateur reader but after reading The General's daughter of DeMille, i did crave for more DeMille's novels. I have also read The Plum Island. But what really amazed me a lot is its sequel, The Lion's Game. I was really absorbed by the...   Read More

Review (not rated) by Anonymous
MarkVW
DeMille is an old pro, and you'll see why in "The Lion's Game". He brings back smart-alecky John Corey in the first person and despite the occasionally annoying humor, gives the reader a sense of what it's like to be part...   Read More

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