Reviews

The Lion's Game by Nelson DeMille

filemanager's review against another edition

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3.0

Nelson DeMille seems to be a very detailed writer, from the 2 books of his I've read. This book had a very anticlimactic and disappointing ending, and certain parts seemed random and didn't fit too well. The John Corey character is brilliant and funny!

gbdill's review against another edition

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4.0

Terrorist seeks revenge for the killing of his family in 1986. He comes to America and goes on a killing spree. John Corey, his partner, and the team have to first find out who the terrorist is killing and what the connection is to determine his motive. Finally making sense of it all they trek across the U.S. to terminate his killing spree only to find they are matched up with more than they can chew. Will Corey take the terrorist down for good or not?

This was nearly 700 pages long and a bit too wordy. A lot of unnecessary minutiae and surface-level talk to be skimmed through. Nevertheless, this was a great read with a lot of action, mystery, and a bit of romance thrown in. DeMille simply writes good books. And, this one does not dissapoint.

nataliewmeow's review against another edition

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5.0

Excellent ! Riveting, thriller about a terrorist on the move and John and his partner are pulling all the stops to find him.

kkellymsu's review against another edition

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4.0

I didn't like this as much as the fifth book featuring this character, but that may have been because I read them out of order and this book is quite a bit older now. It was really interesting to read this post-9/11, and a bit creepy. I love the characterization of these books. The dialogue is very realistic and well written.

paulienjz's review against another edition

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5.0

'Als ik aangehouden word, wat maakt het dan uit welk pistool ik bij me heb? Ik wil de wapens van mijn vijand gebruiken tot mijn taak volbracht is of tot ik sterf.'

In 'Het spel van de leeuw' staan twee hoofdpersonen centraal: John Corey, agent bij het fictieve Federale Antiterreur Team (FAT) en de Libische terrorist Asad Khalil. De naam Asad betekent leeuw, wat ook de titel van het boek verklaart.

Het FAT heeft opdracht gekregen om Asad Khalil van het vliegveld JFK op te halen. Hij is in Parijs overgelopen en wordt tijdens zijn vlucht begeleidt door twee FBI-agenten. Wanneer zijn vlucht landt, blijkt iedereen dood te zijn. Op één persoon na: Asad Khalil. Hij heeft één missie, de dood van zijn familie wreken. Zij zijn omgekomen bij het Amerikaanse bombardement in Libië op 15 april 1986.

Het boek bestaat uit 5 delen, waarvan deel 1 en deel 5 alleen de verhaallijn van John Corey volgt, deel 2 alleen die van Asad Khalil en in deel 3 en deel 4 worden de hoofdstukken afgewisseld. De hoofdstukken worden allemaal vanuit de ik-persoon geschreven. Hierbij moet worden opgemerkt dat je wel van de flauwe humor van John Corey moet houden.

Het boek is in 2000 uitgebracht en ondertussen door de gebeurtenissen van de afgelopen 23 jaar ingehaald. Zo staat het World Trade Center in New York nog fier overeind en had Amerika nog nauwelijks kennis gemaakt met terrorisme. Al wordt er af en toe wel verwezen naar de mislukte bomaanslag op het WTC 1993.

Al met al leest het boek lekker weg, al vind ik het meer een actiethriller dan een klassieke thriller. Je hoeft deel 1 van de John Corey reeks overigens niet te hebben gelezen om dit boek te kunnen volgen. Er zitten wat verwijzingen in, maar dit is niet storend.

shelfdetermined's review against another edition

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4.0

The Lion's Game, DeMille's sequel to Plum Island, features the return of NYPD Detective John Corey whose task it becomes to apprehend one of the world's most dangerous terrorists. In Corey, DeMille has cleverly created a character who evokes feelings of both disgust and fondness. Chauvinistic and arrogant, yet warm and witty, Corey is frantically determined to capture the vengeful Libyan before more American lives are lost. While I enjoyed Plum Island, I was far more engrossed by the fast action and intense suspense of this excellent follow-up.

nataliew2's review against another edition

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5.0

Excellent ! Riveting, thriller about a terrorist on the move and John and his partner are pulling all the stops to find him.

mdunnbass's review against another edition

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4.0

DeMille never fails to deliver, and his John Corey novels in particular are fabulous. The ending of this one was a little on the anticlimactic side, even though the buildup to the end was amazing. It just kind of petered out though. That said, the book was phenomenal, and possibly one of my favorites. There is a sequel coming out supposedly, The Lion, and I am eagerly anticipating that.

lmasood's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

kittyforman's review against another edition

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informative mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0