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baearthur's review against another edition
1.0
You know that acquaintance of yours that always has a quip or comment to add? That guy who ALWAYS things he's hilarious and if you don't agree you're just sensitive and humorless? That guy that thinks that punching people for literally no reason is justified and makes him super manly?
We all love that guy, right?!?
No. John Corey is that guy and he's a jackass. This is my first and last Demille. I'm all for the anti-hero, but Demille's Corey is just an arrogant asshat and not in a lovable way. I struggled to finish this obscenely long novel.
We all love that guy, right?!?
No. John Corey is that guy and he's a jackass. This is my first and last Demille. I'm all for the anti-hero, but Demille's Corey is just an arrogant asshat and not in a lovable way. I struggled to finish this obscenely long novel.
shadowsiren's review against another edition
The potential of the plot was completely overwhelmed by the MC being a poorly written chauvinistic horndog and I couldn't make myself endure another 300 pages.
sheilabookworm3369's review against another edition
4.0
The story is longer than it needs to be, and the mc is a bit of a mess. Still, fantatic, gripping story; not sorry a gave it a listen!
rhganci's review against another edition
4.0
PLUM ISLAND is the first real detective novel I've read in quite some time, and as a character introduction, a later-day treasure hunting novel, and as a fairly procedural murder mystery with an anything-but conclusion, it succeeds in reintroducing me to the genre and its merits.
The character/setting relationship is a fail-safe combination: NYC detective on medical leave due to three gunshot wounds suffered in the line of duty goes to stay in the Hamptons where he gets drawn into a bizarre and mysterious investigation of the double homicide of his two new friends there. Mystery abounds as DeMille takes us all over the eastern half of Long Island, from the wine fields to three century old pirate coves to a secret military installation known for its research on bioweapons. Anthropology and archaeology meet in the form of the alluring Emma Whitestone, and the story gets a really great bad guy in the form of the avaricious, debt-ridden vintner Frederic Tobin, whom you hate immediately, and about whom you feel really good about being the perp. Gunshots, wisecracks, one-liners, and observations about how Midwesterners might react to having to ask a New Yorker for directions to the Empire State Building abound, and as the plot moves it is informed by that rich texture, a hardened New York cop and the rich privilege of the Hamptons.
What makes this whodunnit different from others is that DeMille doesn't go all in the who, but rather spends a good chunk of the sizable 700 pages of text explaining exactly the what and the why. Tobin is deplorable from the second you meet him, and Corey was so fond of the Gordons that you can't help but want to pair a nasty guy like that with the nice memory of Corey's friends. In this, DeMille offers more satisfaction than shock value, but I found that it did not detract from the plot in any way. Rather, in enhanced it, so when Corey literally guts Tobin (!) after finally confronting him, the resultant effect is more emotional than intellectual. It's a more savage side of Corey, in that scene and a few others a cop with a grudge rather than a good-natured freelancer, that complements the wittiness that never turns off, even when a raging sea battle in the middle of a hurricane is taking place--and this the most remarkably exciting sequence of the book. I'll certainly be checking in with John Corey in the other books by DeMille that feature him, as he's a great lead that offers the reader anything that he or she could ask for in a detective novel.
The character/setting relationship is a fail-safe combination: NYC detective on medical leave due to three gunshot wounds suffered in the line of duty goes to stay in the Hamptons where he gets drawn into a bizarre and mysterious investigation of the double homicide of his two new friends there. Mystery abounds as DeMille takes us all over the eastern half of Long Island, from the wine fields to three century old pirate coves to a secret military installation known for its research on bioweapons. Anthropology and archaeology meet in the form of the alluring Emma Whitestone, and the story gets a really great bad guy in the form of the avaricious, debt-ridden vintner Frederic Tobin, whom you hate immediately, and about whom you feel really good about being the perp. Gunshots, wisecracks, one-liners, and observations about how Midwesterners might react to having to ask a New Yorker for directions to the Empire State Building abound, and as the plot moves it is informed by that rich texture, a hardened New York cop and the rich privilege of the Hamptons.
What makes this whodunnit different from others is that DeMille doesn't go all in the who, but rather spends a good chunk of the sizable 700 pages of text explaining exactly the what and the why. Tobin is deplorable from the second you meet him, and Corey was so fond of the Gordons that you can't help but want to pair a nasty guy like that with the nice memory of Corey's friends. In this, DeMille offers more satisfaction than shock value, but I found that it did not detract from the plot in any way. Rather, in enhanced it, so when Corey literally guts Tobin (!) after finally confronting him, the resultant effect is more emotional than intellectual. It's a more savage side of Corey, in that scene and a few others a cop with a grudge rather than a good-natured freelancer, that complements the wittiness that never turns off, even when a raging sea battle in the middle of a hurricane is taking place--and this the most remarkably exciting sequence of the book. I'll certainly be checking in with John Corey in the other books by DeMille that feature him, as he's a great lead that offers the reader anything that he or she could ask for in a detective novel.
nicnactack's review against another edition
1.0
John Cory is probably the worst detective of all time, he's so busy throwing one liners and comment on fellow detectives nice arses that he totally forgets how to actually do any police work. i seldom feel killing of my protagonist would be a great idea, but in this case i kept my hopes high. he is a complete arsehole
So sexist it hurts my eyes, and thats a shame because the story is kind of interesting and suspenseful
My one star rating may seem low and perhaps it is, but i was so provoced by the writing so any higher would be impossible.
2/10
So sexist it hurts my eyes, and thats a shame because the story is kind of interesting and suspenseful
My one star rating may seem low and perhaps it is, but i was so provoced by the writing so any higher would be impossible.
2/10
firerosearien's review against another edition
4.0
A fun thriller that you don't get too emotionally invested in. The protagonist is a jerk (I've read another John Corey book by DeMille) and that'll definitely be a turn off for some, but the plot is paced nicely and DeMille doesn't rely on sudden dramatic twists to keep the drama going.
tannermorales's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
xkay_readsx's review against another edition
3.0
Many GR friends enjoyed this series and that's how I got into starting this book. I really like the main character, John Corey, a smartass and sorta cocky NYPD homicide detective. He might not be a guy I'd like to know or work with in real life, but he's a good book hero. He's a likable guy and the book is entertaining but too drawn out.
This is the first book in the series and Corey is recovering from a job-related injury at his uncle's summer home on Long Island when he's pulled into a double murder investigation. The murdered couple, biologists from Plum Island is someone Corey knew. I like that he's working with Suffolk County detective Beth. Their bantering added humor to the story. I very much enjoyed the characters that I'll be reading more of this series.
This is the first book in the series and Corey is recovering from a job-related injury at his uncle's summer home on Long Island when he's pulled into a double murder investigation. The murdered couple, biologists from Plum Island is someone Corey knew. I like that he's working with Suffolk County detective Beth. Their bantering added humor to the story. I very much enjoyed the characters that I'll be reading more of this series.