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kflan123's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
ljjohnson8's review against another edition
4.0
Maybe I shouldn't have liked this book as much as I did: after all, I'm not a man. Even though DeMille has a ton of titles, this was my first run at him and I enjoyed myself. John Corey is an NYPD detective recovering from a gunshot wound at his uncle's beach house on Long Island's north shore (an area I'm very familiar with, which added to my enjoyment). John is a bit of a beer-swilling ladies man and the sexism was a little too pronounced, but it was well-countered by humor, self-aware sarcasm, some real emotion, and a good story. Probably overlong, but I appreciated the slow unravelling of the mystery rather than the usual (and unbelievable) lightning-quick brilliance of heroes in other books of this type. A solid, action/mystery with a faulty but very likable main character; I will happily read more John Corey.
cnorbury's review against another edition
4.0
About 1/3 of the way through, I was thinking Plum Island might be one of the best thrillers I'd ever read. Unique MC--smartass, wise-cracking, afraid of no-one tough cop who has a soft side and is loyal, smart, a good cop, has a moral compass that occasional veers 180 degrees (a good character flaw), and is lovable even though he annoys the hell out of most people--romantic interests included. The pace was good, stakes were high (possible bioterrorism) plenty of suspicious characters (even on the "good guy" side), and an interesting setting with a unique set of limitations (the North Fork of Long Island, water all around, relatively remote, access to Plum Island by boat or helicopter only, and an approaching hurricane.
But then the self-indulgence set in. Mr. DeMille, one of my favorite thriller authors, apparently tried to include every wisecrack he could think of for the MC, John Corey. He over-described many details, drew out conversations with all the formalities, beginning and end, (Hi, how are you? Fine. You? Not bad.; etc., etc., etc.). All this fluff dragged the pace down in the middle half of the book.
Then, unfortunately, the climax of the book (the boat chase scene and its aftermath), defied logic and proper police procedure to excess. Corey has a personal vendetta against the bad guy and wants to kill him. The problem? He's not even authorized by the local LEOs and is out of his jurisdiction. The detective on the case, Beth Penrose, tries to stop him, talk sense into him. Makes sense. THEN, she stupidly and against policy decides to accompany him deeper and deeper into the abyss of breaking all the rules and putting both of them into even worse danger and trouble as each minute passes.
I admired Corey's detective work early on when he WAS hired to work on the initial murder investigation. That was some clever research and interviewing. But his wisecracking and gallows humor wore thin about 2/3 of the way through the book. I wanted to reach into my MP3 player, slap him upside the head, and knock some sense into him.
Yet, underneath all that were dozens of moments of writing excellence. Nuance, emotion, metaphor, body language, tension in almost every scene, sharp, witty dialogue at every turn, flawed, likable yet believable characters, and vivid settings. I'll eventually read all of DeMille's novels because he's written some gems and near gems and his skill and talent are undeniable. This book is a bit bloated (about 20 hrs of audio--13-14 hrs would have been plenty). But if you're a DeMille fan, it's worth a read or listen.
And btw, Scott Brick is turning into one of my favorite audiobook narrators. Every book of his I've listened to is of the highest quality.
But then the self-indulgence set in. Mr. DeMille, one of my favorite thriller authors, apparently tried to include every wisecrack he could think of for the MC, John Corey. He over-described many details, drew out conversations with all the formalities, beginning and end, (Hi, how are you? Fine. You? Not bad.; etc., etc., etc.). All this fluff dragged the pace down in the middle half of the book.
Then, unfortunately, the climax of the book (the boat chase scene and its aftermath), defied logic and proper police procedure to excess. Corey has a personal vendetta against the bad guy and wants to kill him. The problem? He's not even authorized by the local LEOs and is out of his jurisdiction. The detective on the case, Beth Penrose, tries to stop him, talk sense into him. Makes sense. THEN, she stupidly and against policy decides to accompany him deeper and deeper into the abyss of breaking all the rules and putting both of them into even worse danger and trouble as each minute passes.
I admired Corey's detective work early on when he WAS hired to work on the initial murder investigation. That was some clever research and interviewing. But his wisecracking and gallows humor wore thin about 2/3 of the way through the book. I wanted to reach into my MP3 player, slap him upside the head, and knock some sense into him.
Yet, underneath all that were dozens of moments of writing excellence. Nuance, emotion, metaphor, body language, tension in almost every scene, sharp, witty dialogue at every turn, flawed, likable yet believable characters, and vivid settings. I'll eventually read all of DeMille's novels because he's written some gems and near gems and his skill and talent are undeniable. This book is a bit bloated (about 20 hrs of audio--13-14 hrs would have been plenty). But if you're a DeMille fan, it's worth a read or listen.
And btw, Scott Brick is turning into one of my favorite audiobook narrators. Every book of his I've listened to is of the highest quality.
zaisgraph's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Nelson DeMille books are always on sale, one day my curiosity got the best of me and I picked-up Plum Island. Why? Because it was #1 in a series, had a cute cover plus the book had a map inside. I'm a sucker for those. I did not know what to expect in all honesty, what I got was a light-hearted, by-the-numbers detective story. It has decent charm and I liked how the story evolved into a swash buckling adventure. This is not a figure of speech, if you've read this, you'll know what I mean.
John Corey is a brash and charming detective. He is cocky, has a sarcastic sense of humor and gets the job done. He is not a suave detective and his methods remind me of 80's cops. I think I like this character very much. Nelson wrote him well.
Nelson has a knack for describing things. Each scene can be very very detailed. The conversations can be very long. I can appreciate how much information he stuffed inside Plum Island. Though I think this bloated the page count considerably. I'm not sure if he worked with an editor for this novel or if he had a page count quota but at least 20 percent of the pages could've been trimmed in my humble opinion. Because of it's length, despite it's very strong and engaging start, it overstayed its welcome to me. I felt like everything could've been cleanly wrapped up way quicker. This considerably diminished my reading experience.
I have a trade paperback of Plum Island. I read it while listening to the audiobook. I think the narration was exquisite and fit the character extremely well. I'm still on the fence whether I would continue this series. I'll think about it next year, so I can't honestly say that I recommend this book.
John Corey is a brash and charming detective. He is cocky, has a sarcastic sense of humor and gets the job done. He is not a suave detective and his methods remind me of 80's cops. I think I like this character very much. Nelson wrote him well.
Nelson has a knack for describing things. Each scene can be very very detailed. The conversations can be very long. I can appreciate how much information he stuffed inside Plum Island. Though I think this bloated the page count considerably. I'm not sure if he worked with an editor for this novel or if he had a page count quota but at least 20 percent of the pages could've been trimmed in my humble opinion. Because of it's length, despite it's very strong and engaging start, it overstayed its welcome to me. I felt like everything could've been cleanly wrapped up way quicker. This considerably diminished my reading experience.
I have a trade paperback of Plum Island. I read it while listening to the audiobook. I think the narration was exquisite and fit the character extremely well. I'm still on the fence whether I would continue this series. I'll think about it next year, so I can't honestly say that I recommend this book.
johnnyb1954's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
John Corey is a self-described sarcastic prick and chauvinist pig. He’s an NYPD cop for sure. Nelson DeMille does a good job of bringing that out, but it is really off-putting.
DeMille is probably a lot like his main character. All the women in the book are either geriatric or they are going, incredibly beautiful women with fabulous figures and big attributes, if you get Corey’s implication when describing them. They are an adolescent male fantasy.
As for the mystery, the motive for the murder is obvious very early on. But DeMille does the cliche thing where Corey has little “pings” in his brain that he can’t quite put together until 60% into the book.
The book is too long. The final chase scene is very drawn out. It would probably work really well in a movie though.
Despite these issues I liked the book. I never felt like not finishing. If DeMille could write about women better and if Corey was not so obnoxious and hot-headed , I’d give the book 4 stars.
DeMille is probably a lot like his main character. All the women in the book are either geriatric or they are going, incredibly beautiful women with fabulous figures and big attributes, if you get Corey’s implication when describing them. They are an adolescent male fantasy.
As for the mystery, the motive for the murder is obvious very early on. But DeMille does the cliche thing where Corey has little “pings” in his brain that he can’t quite put together until 60% into the book.
The book is too long. The final chase scene is very drawn out. It would probably work really well in a movie though.
Despite these issues I liked the book. I never felt like not finishing. If DeMille could write about women better and if Corey was not so obnoxious and hot-headed , I’d give the book 4 stars.
govmarley's review against another edition
3.0
Starting another read-through of my favorite smart-ass investigator, John Corey. A man who would be so fun to hang out with on the back porch and drink a beer. Maybe grab some dinner, or whatever. A real stand-up guy. However, not convinced he could be long-term love interest for me. Smart, though, headstrong and brave. Rushes into danger without a second thought.
John, as we meet him, is currently convelescing at his uncle's vacation home in New York, away from the bustle of the city. Johnny boy got shot in a pretty life threatening way by some drug dealers, and the NYPD sent him away to heal up while his partner tries to track them down. You might think that would be what this book is about, but the joke is on you. John has made some friends who are scientists on spooky Plum Island, where biowarefare and vaccines are made to protect and save the world. They end up getting themselves murdered, and John Corey can't back down from the case.
If you like smart-ass detectives who skirt the rules, you should take John Corey on a date. 4 stars.
John, as we meet him, is currently convelescing at his uncle's vacation home in New York, away from the bustle of the city. Johnny boy got shot in a pretty life threatening way by some drug dealers, and the NYPD sent him away to heal up while his partner tries to track them down. You might think that would be what this book is about, but the joke is on you. John has made some friends who are scientists on spooky Plum Island, where biowarefare and vaccines are made to protect and save the world. They end up getting themselves murdered, and John Corey can't back down from the case.
If you like smart-ass detectives who skirt the rules, you should take John Corey on a date. 4 stars.
cspinelli's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lisahelene's review against another edition
4.0
I just finished this for at least the 4th time. Yep, it's still good!
travelingtvi's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25