The Lion's Game

Well, to take the Ebert approach, in which one judges each work on what it tries to achieve, then this is a full-on 5 star book, and that's what I'm rating it. OK, it's not great literature, but it doesn't try to be, and that's ok. This was one of the best reads I've ever had. I almost literally couldn't put it down. I was guessing to the end, and the characters were fairly believable. Granted this is a subject about which I know little, so a more knowledgeable reader might quibble with its verisimilitude, but as far as I'm concerned, it convinced me. Sometimes ignorance is bliss, know what I mean?

I was skeptical at first about this book even though I love DeMille's John Corey series. I didn't think I wanted to read anymore war and mayhem, but was pleasantly surprised with how quick this book read. It is funny, exciting, and thought provoking. But I won't say more since virtually everything else would spoil the many surprises in the book.

25 1/2 hours of listening time....... A crime thriller that gives an "inside the head" look at a Muslim terrorist view of the world. The main character, John Corey, is an ex-NYPD cop that has particular talents that have been inducted into the ATTF, (Anti-Terrorist Task Force) Refreshingly not PC, it takes place just prior to 9-eleven but after the Trade Center bombing, that was not successful, in 1993. It appears we, as a nation, learned nothing about fanatics. The opening of this story is gripping with an usual terriorist attack that takes place on a plane that peacefully lands itself. This is an exciting drama which switches back and forth between the omniscient view of Asad Khalil, the Libyan terrorist, and the 1st person point of view of John Corey, the cop. This story has intrigue, romance, suspense, humor etc. Even though it was written pre-911, it is still relevant. The narrator, Scott Brick, is a pleasure to listen to. He does not use different voices to depict the characters, he uses cadence for characterization

The Lion's Game by Nelson DeMille is past scary. It's horrifying. It was written pre-9/11 and is about a Libyan terrorist who is in the USA, killing all the pilots and weapon systems officers, after having killed one of them in England, who took part in the Libyan bombing of April 15, 1986. It all rings much too true, especially considering the events in Libya in the past year or so. I'm reading it, now, and am over half way through. It's one of those books you think about, even when you aren't reading it. Disclaimer: In case it gives you nightmares, you've been warned.

The Lion was everything I expected from DeMille. The plot was straightforward, the way I like it. The story was well paced and excitingwithout a lot of extraneous dialog and descriptions. This is an action novel,and that's exactly what you get. Action and tension. I mean, what more do youwant from a book of its kind?