Plum Island

Rating:
Summary: This is so bad it must be a parody.
Review: Nelson DeMille, one of the great thriller writers, has moved into the detective novel scene with what has to be a very subtle parody. Take the standard hard-boiled detective plot: tough hero, delightful woman (two, in this case), a murder or three, a few clashes with other law types, a thrilling finale in which the unarmed hero triumphs over the baddie, fadeout. That's what PLUM ISLAND is like. Only this time the hard-boiled hero is an obnoxious boor that even women with terminal bad taste would avoid, the plot--about buried treasure, of all things--is even stupider than usual, the hero's doings are even more unbelievable. John Corey, an NYPD homicide detective just happens to be recuperating in his uncle's slightly rundown mansion on Long Island from being shot three times with large caliber pistols. The local police chief, a standard bumpkin, asks his help in solving the murder of a darling couple, married scientists working at the hush-hush bio-something-or-other lab on nearby Plum Island. The CIA man who tries to run things (government secrets might be involved!) is the one you've met elsewhere, strong, tough, and sexy enough to move in on the county detective (a knockout woman, of course) that John sets his cap for. The FBI man is just like the agent in Twin Peaks. Naturally these two go haring off in the wrong direction while John actually solves the mystery, along the way finding his true love and undergoing bad things. The most outlandish bad thing is his harrowing voyage through a hurricane in something like a cigarette boat. Of course he's never been in charge of a boat before, but he can remember what the driver did on the two or three little trips his friends took him on, so naturally he comes through with flying colors. I started to open this review by saying that at last DeMille has laid an egg, but the more I thought about it the more I became convinced that this book was just too bad. It's got to be a parody. Read it with that in mind, or, if you're looking for vintage DeMille, go back and read BABYLON or CATHEDRAL again. Maybe next year we'll get a new serious novel from the master

Rating:
Summary: This is one of Nelson DeMille's best works!
Review: NYC Det. John Cory is recovering from gunshot wound in is Uncle's home on the North Fork of Long Island. He is asked by the Chief of Police to help investigate the murder of two people who work on Plum Island. Were they killed because they took a virus which would kill the world? or were they killed because they wanted to sell the vacine to cure the Ebola virus? Or was it something else? I promise you... you won't put it down once you've picked it up. You will laugh and wonder all the way through how it will turn out. A sure winner for best book of 199

Rating:
Summary: Another Nelson DeMille winner
Review: Tom and Judy Gordon were very popular, young scientists whose murder on the North Fork of Long Island shocks everyone who knew the pair. Neighbors of the Gordons want the culprit caught even though all evidence points to a burglary turning into a double murder. The neighbors are unwilling to wait for their own police force to investigate the double murder. Instead the locals turn to Manhattan detective John Corey, who is recovering from injuries at his uncle's Long Island home, to find out who killed the Gordons and why they did it. ....... John expects to substantiate the obvious, that a burglary attempt went awry, leaving the well-liked duo dead in its wake. Instead, John is stunned to quickly realize that there is more to the affable Gordons than first meets the eye. It appears that the charming couple had stolen and sold deadly viruses to the highest bidder. It also seems that they might have just have been easily slain due to their possession of a three centuries old treasure map. Regardless, John begins to work closely with Suffolk County detective Beth Penrose in an attempt to learn the truth about the Gordons, who murdered them, and why. ..... Nelson DeMille is back in full force with his best novel since THE GOLD COAST, his last stay on Long Island. PLUM ISLAND is more than a plum of a novel, it is a whole bushel of fruit. The story line is excellent, and the lead protagonists are real and charming. This who-done-it is a rare reading experience. Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Probably the most fun novel ever.
Review: People keep complaining, that DeMille lost his gift after writing The Gold Coast. That is certainly not true. Plum Island is probably the least "important" book he wrote, but it's a pleasure to read. It's a very nicely crafted tongue-in-cheek thriller that makes you laugh your head off. The witty dialogue is simply stunning if you don't expect literature. And you get a 100-page finale that's really dark and satisfying on top of that. If you are a female reader I'd consider Plum Island a *** (3 stars out of five) book, because it's a book full of men's humor and male characters. - Although, surprisingly, my girlfriend seemed to enjoy reading it as much as I did.

Rating:
Summary: keeps you guessing!
Review: This is my first book by Nelson DeMille and what a pleasant surprise it was. This is one of the best examples of great mistery novels. It has everything: great suspense, good character development, main character NYC detective John Corey is very likable and could be easily identified with, a lot of humor, etc. It's also quite informative on the some subjects that are related to the plot. If anything, I was a little surprised to read some other reviews saying that the first part of the book was a little boring and the last two pages is where the most action takes place. I actually found first part to be the most suspenful and thought that whole sea adventures didn't need to be covered in so many pages. Still, great mistery novel that is highly recommended to all mistery fans. I am looking forward to other books by this writer.

Rating:
Summary: Corey makes you laugh out loud and roll your eyes!
Review: I read Lion's Game first, so my introduction to John Corey was a little out of order. My first DeMille book was Charm School and I fell in love with his work then. Lion's Game was better than Plum Island for Corey's quirky, eccentric characteristics, but he's such an interesting guy, you have to love him. The action is good. This book is a little predictable, but fun anyway. After these two Corey books, I do wonder how he ends up with the women, though.......Excellent author. I would always recommend Nelson DeMille.

Rating:
Summary: I liked Corey !!
Review: I know a lot of people found John Corey to be a little too much to handle, but I thought he was well-rounded and humerous.
The one thing I did find unbelievable was that in spite of all the things Corey did to Tobin, he managed to live. I am glad Corey did not kill him and that Tobin will get to face justice but come on !!! I can "suspend my belief" as much as the next person but some things are just a little out there.
All in all it was a good book with a decent plot.


Rating:
Summary: Great Story but Lame Characters
Review: But the facts uncovered about what goes on at Plum Island are interesting and scary enough to make this book well worth reading. Just like John Irving has a thing for dismemberment, Demille has a thing for middle aged law enforcers who attract beautiful younger women with daddy complexes. He waters down great research and great stories by throwing in sex for the sake of sex. Maybe he's pandering to the romance novel set for cross-over sales.

The story is very interesting and compelling however. Not just for the Plum Island "exposee", but also for his traetment of "what may be" concerning pirate hunter Captain Kidd's treasure.

Rating:
Summary: The Real Deal
Review: This was a great read, I mean just wow. I could literally not put it down, causing my friends to inquire just how good this book really was. I had my friends read it and they said it was a great book and had a great main character (John Corey). As an aspiring writer, I'm usually skeptical of the books I read and the authors I choose. I originally thought this book was going to be about Plum Island and a mystery having to do with biological scientific fact. What I later discovered was there was more to this book than just that. A great murder mystery, lovable and hatable characters, non-stop action, and a nearly perfect beginning, middle, and end. Nelson Demille is truly a spectacular author.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyed it lots!
Review: Mister DeMille crafts a wonderful 1st-person mystery surrounding
an NYPD detective on . . . strategic leave. He shares his view, the tale, as the murder mystery draws links to the dangerous
research center Plum Island (the real life place where the world's most lethal viruses, bacteria, and whatever are kept--a few miles off Orient Point, Long Island New York---standing up
to the elements of the sea. Thank God the latest hurricanes haven't been a factor. Can you imagine managers facing a power outtage used duct tape as a sealant? And that's a reality...But let's get back to fiction.) Mister DeMille's detective is witty, enjoyable, sarcastic, and lucky. He does dabble in a romantic type ordeal. But it's more a comical read when the man shares
"then we did it."
Fun book.