Wild Fire

This was a slow start with the "set up" taking a bit too long. Corey amuses and is smarter than your average cop character. However, there is a line between amusing and obnoxious which Corey lives behind. Perhaps this more irritating in this book because I see him from a wife's perspective. If the

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author explored her a bit I might "get it". this man's life partner would require her own special peculiarities for this match to light my fire.

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"Wild Fire" picks up on John Corey's renegade exploits as a member of the Joint Anti-terrorism Task Force. Following his close brush with death in the World Trade Center attack (as depicted in "Night Fall") an increasingly cynical Corey finds yet another reason to defy his superiors and launch his

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own rogue investigation.

This time we're on the eve of the Iraq invasion and it's the disappearance of his coworker and close friend, Harry Muller, that sets the plot in motion. Harry vanishes while carrying out a mysterious surveillance assignment of The Custer Hill Club, a private fortress owned by oil baron Bain Maddox and secluded deep in New York's Adirondack Mountains.

Working side-by-side with his wife and supervisor, Kay Mayfield, Corey once again entertains with his unique mixture of bold detective work, irreverent wise cracks, and almost pathological need to flout of all forms of authority. All of Corey's unorthodox skills, along with Mayfield's discipline, are required to give our husband-wife team a chance of deciphering the mystery of Harry's demise and its connection to Madox's outrageous scheme for advancing the War on Terror.

While Corey's condescending attitude toward the Adirondack locals and relentless jokes about black bears become slightly irritating towards the end of this somewhat-padded five-hundred-plus page novel, "Wild Fire" improves upon "Night Fall" and thrills with a fascinating scenario that seems frighteningly plausible in our unstable geo-political climate. It will be interesting to see where DeMille ventures next in his revisionist take on the post-9/11 world.

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Can the threat of mutual assured destruction keep terrorists from nuking America? In this book a local megalomaniac tries to influence the complete annhilation of the middle east terrorists by setting off a nuke in the US and causing the "wild fire" response. Wildfire=unstoppable response by the US

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if a nuke is exploded in this country.

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The latest entry into the life and times of John Corey. Somewhat wild plot theme - that the US has an official policy (though not publicized) that in the event of a nuclear bomb explosion in a US city the Govt will automatically retaliate, with no discussion whatsoever, hundreds of nuclear warheads

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at every major city in the Middle East. A wild theory until you read up about the whispers that it could indeed be true. A group of incredibly rich and powerful men gather together to come up with the slight of hand to set off this policy, and the ATTF's John Corey is the only person who can stop it. It's certainly not a bad book by any stretch of the imagination, but it doesn't quite measure up to the standard of his previous three Corey novels. It's almost not fair to compare this book to prior Corey novels - Wild Fire is funny, fast paced & full of surprises. So I don't want to come across as if to say it wasn't a good novel, it is. In the end, it's simply an enjoyable thriller about a terrifying concept.

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Not as good as "Lion's Game" but better than "Nightfall". I love the John Corey character, and didn't mind that it was more of the same: if it ain't broke don't fix it. I didn't like how the plot was laid out early in the story, but there were enough unknowns to keep me interested. Ultimately it is

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John's sarcasm, impatience, and unlying deductive abilities that kept me on the edge of my seat.

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Good One. It was funny , entertaining. Ficiton, Thriller. May be little slow intially but kept his pace throught the novel.

Not quite as good as his last novel (Night Fall), Wild Fire is still a thrilling page-turner with protagonist John Corey trying to prevent nuclear Armageddon.

Another DeMille book that I couldn't put down. This one was very far fetched, it wouldn't be DeMille if it wasn't, but the characters were so engaging you just had to find out what they were doing next.

A good, quick read, Wild Fire has an imaginative plot that is both ridiculously far-fetched and chillingly too real, a great deal of humor, and the ability to be a light summer read or a piece to make you think about the world.

This is a international mystery set in New State at the Custer Club in the Adirondackss. The villain plans to destroy Islam by setting four nuclear bombs. John Corey and wife are sent to find out what happened to a fellow comrade form their unit who disappeared at the this site.

Welcome to the Custer Hill Club--an informal men's club set in a luxurious Adirondack hunting lodge whose members include some of America's most powerful business leaders, military men, and government officials. Ostensibly, the club is a place to gather with old friends, hunt, eat, drink, and talk

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off-the-record about war, life, death, and politics. But one Fall weekend, the Executive Board of the Custer Hill Club gathers to talk about the tragedy of 9/11 and what America must do to retaliate. Their plan is finalized and set into motion.

That same weekend, a member of the Federal Anti-Terrorist Task Force is reported missing. His body is soon discovered in the woods near the Custer Hill Club's game reserve. The death appears to be a hunting accident, and that's how the local police first report it, but Detective John Corey has his doubts. As he digs deeper, he begins to unravel a plot involving the Custer Hill Club, a top-secret plan known only by its code name: Wild Fire. Racing against the clock, Detective Corey and his wife, FBI agent Kate Mayfield, find they are the only people in a position to stop the button from being pushed and chaos from being unleashed.

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An incredible novel involving right-wing kooks who decide to nuke some liberal cities in the USA to induce the USA to nuke Muslim territory in retaliation. . Actually, the book is annoying because while the time is ticking John Corey and his wife Kate Mayfield are ploddingly seeking answers to the

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death of a colleague. If it were not for what the reader knows the book would drag. One laughs often at the wisecracks Corey makes even though he is in mortal danger. I think the book is a sort of sequel to Night
Fall, which I have not read and which should have been read before I read this. DeMille has better books.

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Frustrating Read..The General's Daughter was better.

I have read DeMille's, "The General's Daughter" and I thought that it was a terrific mystery story. However, this book was a real disappointment for me.

The book was entertaining but not a super story. The plot is thin and the main character John

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Corey, the brazen detective, has no depth and is totally unbelievable. His wife, Kate, an attorney, is almost on the same level as Corey except that I thought she was mixed bag of personalities and talents. I had wished that both characters were developed better by the author at least I could root for one or the other or both. By half way through the book I really didn't care if they both took a wrong turn and never returned to the story.

There are lots of subplots with fast-paced activities that kept my interest, but overall I found it frustrating to finish reading the story. It's not a terrible book, and if you enjoy DeMille's works I'd say that it's a good chance that you will enjoy "Wild Fire". And since I had enjoyed one of DeMille novel's I'll probably try his next release, (via the library and not my cash) because I just know he can do better.

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I can't get enough of this author. Nelson DeMille has created a character, John Cory, who is irreverent, audacious, and fun. He's also very smart--Former NYPD and now an agent for the ATTF. This book covers 5 days and the story-line is post 9/11. After reading it you, too, will understand what a

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BearBanger is and how it saved America from a nuclear attack. ;)

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This one rests in my top 10 books of all time. The pacing was perfect, and the plot kept me intrigued the whole time. John Corey is one of my favorite characters in literature. His humor and sometimes mindless banter never cease to catch me off guard and at some moments laugh out loud. Take all of

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the perverseness of the world, a kick ass police officer-turned retired cop-turned ATTF detective agent, throw in a little talk radio quick wit, and loads of sarcasm and that would be the recipe Nelson Demille cooked up for Mr. Corey! In this novel John finally goes against someone who is able to go toe to toe with him in dialogue. I nearly want to slap Nelson Demille and hug him at the same time. For he not only gives you an incredibly believable story that brings you in and cranks everything up to 11, but he also takes away that false sense of security that everyone has and gives you the realization that somewhere in the world some crazy crap is going down and we could all pretty much die! I'm already waiting for another John Corey Novel and perhaps a movie take on the whole franchise.

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good read, fun and a thriller.

Not my cup of tea, although it does address some serious issues.

Short and sweet; a good, good book. The second offering from a friend of mine this book follows a NYPD Detective, John Corey, and his FBI-wife Kate, both of who are consigned to the anti-terrorist squad following 9/11. When they return from a semi-romantic weekend away John notices his colleague

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has not returned from a surveillance task in the US wilderness of am oil mogul and his guests, and being NYPD, and possibly stereotyped, John takes things into his own hands as he heads into the region to locate his whereabouts.

Facing stiff resistance from everyone, including his wife, the FBI, State Troopers and even the CIA John goes rogue and meets the ultimate foe, Bain Madox; an ex-Vietnam vet with a shitload of cash, loyal troops in his employ, and some very powerful friends within the upper echelons of US politics and the Pentagon. COuld he possibly have something to do with Harry’s death when his body is found not far from the perimeter fence of Madox’s “lodge’?

This book is about as well written as I have read, pages turning quicker than the brain could decipher the words as DeMille took me on a roller coaster ride through the dark world of terrorism, politics, and secret policies. So the very real prospect of the Middle East meeting Nuclear Armageddon via ‘Wild Fire’ (which apparently is true!!) did not come across as a far-fetched scenario sprouting forth from a simple missing persons case.

Normally I would divulge further on the plot, and try to avoid any attempt at spoiling the outcome, but quite literally to the last few pages I still wondered what the outcome would be, and at the risk of sounding morbid, the world being saved, or destroyed would both have been a satisfying ending…but you find out.

DeMille, a writer I am not aware of, has pumped out a beaut here, and has plenty others to his credit it would seem, so a visit to the library is very much on the cards from this hard-to-please reader. But, I would not be a critic if I didn’t say something bad, but I can;t tell if it annoyed me, or was enjoyable, but John Corey (earlier refered to as ‘stereotyped’) made too many wisecracks. Funny, very much so, but even I tend to hold back on them at appropriate times – this guy would try to raise a laugh while a shotgun was pointed at his wife’s head.

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"What two cities need to be sacrificed to rid the world of Islamic terrorism?" That's the chilling question some domestic terrorists (they would never described themselves thusly) as they to to decide where to place several suitcase atomic bombs that have been stolen from the Russians. These

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high-level military and civilian officers, spurred on by wealthy oil men, have determined that no one else sees the light the way they do and it's time to take matters in their own hands by attacking the US and blaming the Muslims. Only in this way can they obtain the power they need to force changes in government. The idea is to force a nuclear response and bomb the middle east. That it would make all the oil totally unusable -- or at least visible in the dark -- seems not to have crossed their minds. And, of course, they are doing God's will. They literally ask the question, "which city would Jesus want to take out?"

Again, we have wiseass John Corey investigating. Some reviewers have complained that it's too much lecture and not enough action with Corey's wise cracks just hanging out there and not funny enough or pertinent enough to make this a good book. These reviewers seem to like The Lion's Game better. Hmmm, I'm the opposite. I found the unremitting action in the Lion's Game a little over the top.

One reviewers commented, "Anyone who gives this sophmoric clap trap more than two stars is as stupid as the characters in this poorly written tome." Well, I guess I'm sophomoric. Three point five stars and I always round up. On the other hand, many of the negative reviews appeared to object to the premise of the book, i.e., that of a right-wing cabal that would engage in such action. Personally, right-wing or left-wing, true-believers, I believe, are quite capable of such end-justifies-the-means behavior. The book does have a Dr. Stragelove quality, albeit without the Peter Sellers mad scientist. Personally, I drink only Diet Mountain Dew, not wanting to pollute my bodily fuids. (WARNING: This joke may be totally lost on anyone who has not seen the classic movie - you know you're getting old when you feel compelled to explain your jokes.)

One little scene I really liked was when John and Kate were checking in to a very expensive resort, The Point. (Lots of "what's the point? jokes.) Rooms are $1200 per night and Kate, knowing they will face a hassle if they use their government credit card, urges John to use his personal one. "It was stolen," he says. "When?" she asks. "Four years ago," was the reply. "Didn't you call the police to report it?" John replies, "No, the thief was spending much less than my ex-wife." Chortle.

DeMille is always fun, no matter. NOTE: I listened to the unabridged (why would anyone ever even consider abridged?) read by Scott Brick.

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One conclusion I've come to reading Wild Fire, is that John Corey, the hero of these adventures, plays his game like a chess grandmaster. That is, he doesn't eliminate all bad options, but instead chooses what he believes to be right by using every atom of his guile and experience. As for the

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obligatory villain in this story, the more insane he seemed to Corey, the more impressed I was with him. I started reading this book waiting pointedly and consciously for the first sentence in this book that would make me sit up and take notice.

Soon I was engrossed and had lost my self consciousness. Isn't that what is important for any book aspiring for success? I don't know how he does it, but Nelson Demille can procastinate the intense bits and still retain your attention. Well the exception to that form is the Charm School. But let's focus about the good ones here. Wild Fire is definitely readable and then some.

There are a few moments where clues about crimes on behalf of Bain Madox, and miscalculations about initiatives by Corey occur. Without going into spoilerish details, let's just say that really motivated and careful people don't forget the details in staging a murder of staking a villain's den. I've heard rumors of Nelson Demille losing his mojo in subsequent books. I hope that's not true. Maybe in recent books he is stretching out the jokes in disfavor of the plot. That's not a problem. His way of handling the English language is delicate, rare and praiseworthy. Should we part ways prematurely, I'll think of Demille's greater works. But there's more to come from him. Strange thing though, I imagined three actors from the Good Wife as Ted Nash, Kate Mayfield, and John Corey. Their age don't match, but boy do their personality do.

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With a few exceptions, I don't usually like it when an author uses the same main characters in different books because the author often gets too attached to the characters and nothing bad can be expected to happen to them. That was the case with this book. It was well written, like all of DeMille's

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books, but there was never any real mystery and it was always obvious what was going to happen next. Plus, the main character sweared up a storm, which was quite annoying, as real people don't talk that way.

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How have I missed DeMille as an author? Once again, an audio by Scott Brick made this just terrific, especially with an interview with DeMille at the end. Brick admitted that he laughed so much during the taping that they had to do many sections -- John Corey's quick comebacks were fun although

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DeMille admitted that he usually had to sit there for several minutes to come up with them so they weren't all THAT quick. Great listening!!

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Bain Madox is the over the top movie villain. The megalomaniac who has to reveal his entire plan to the enemy.

The classic villain who says "before I kill you, let me tell you my entire plan." Which of course leads to his down fall.

I didn't like John and Kate's relationship. She seemed annoyed with

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him, not amused or understanding. I felt it would have worked just the same if they were just co-workers. It made no sense that they were married.

This is part of a series, so perhaps the relationship makes more sense if you start from the prior books.

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This book started me on the John Corey quest. I love this character. He's smart, he's funny, he's gentle and he's dedicated to finding the bad guy - and he doesn't take anything off of anyone including his boss. The books don't necessarily have to be read in order but you get a better idea of the

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stories progression if you do read them in order. Can't wait for more.

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