The Lion

by Nelson DeMille

Other authorsScott Brick (Narrator), Hachette Audio (Publisher)
Digital audiobook, 2010

Status

Available

Call number

813.54

Collection

Publication

Hachette Audio (2010), 16 pages

Description

Asad Khalil, the notorious Libyan terrorist otherwise known as "The Lion," has returned to America to make good on his threats and take care of unfinished business. John Corey, former NYPD Homicide detective and special agent for the Anti-Terrorist Task Force, will stop at nothing to find and kill Khahil.

User reviews

LibraryThing member detailmuse
He’s back -- and on game!

And by “he” I mean both John Corey (former NYPD and current loose-cannon contract agent on the federal Anti-Terrorist Task Force), and Nelson DeMille (author extraordinaire of political suspense and hilarity, whose last couple of books started to worry me about the
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extraordinaire part).

DeMille’s 16th book, fifth in his John Corey series, is a post-9/11 sequel to The Lion’s Game. Here it’s 2003 New York City and Asad Khalil is back to finish his revenge against the 1986 military attack on Libya that killed his mother and siblings. And to finish John Corey.

But that’s enough said about the plot ... which, whether it’s terrorism, conspiracy or the KGB, really isn’t the reason I read DeMille. I read him for his smart-ass, alpha-male-with-tender-underbelly protagonists. And while a few sections here are by necessity in the third-person perspective of other characters, they thankfully aren't the long stretches like in Wild Fire. Instead, the majority is first-person Corey, narrating more of a police procedural than rollicking thriller, and that slower pace lets us revel in the Corey persona. Also making their usual cameos are the good guys of New York’s Finest; the bungling FBI; and the evil CIA. And a caution: there are brief scenes of graphic violence.

DeMille gives enough background for readers new to the series to enjoy this work (and I recommend that they then read the earlier books, particularly Plum Island -- first and still the best). The novel’s pacing is good, its length is great (it’s not repetitious or bloated like The Gate House) -- and its final four sentences are perfection.

(Review based on an advance reading copy provided by the publisher.)
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LibraryThing member daisygrl09
Very good. Exciting. DeMille has another thumbs up in my book.
LibraryThing member Papa51
Predictable story line; gruesome villain, thrilling tight hurried ending.
LibraryThing member shazjhb
Even the dectective in the novel stated the outcome was predictable. So if the author knew it was a predictable outcome why not change the novel. I was very happy I did not buy this book. It does not even qualify as a popcorn read - shame on DeMille he is better than this book.
LibraryThing member stumpworks
The Lion disappointed me. Repeat characters, plot, and a tired formula. Slash and chase, slash and chase.
Positive points for the Russian night club and Boris the KGB retiree, but nothing else.
Cannot belittle the tragety of 9/11 or the importance of the war on terror, but DeMille does not deliver
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with Lion.
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LibraryThing member dhaupt
John Corey is back and better than ever.
In this latest thriller Nelson takes us back and re-introduces us to The Lion who in reality is international terrorist Asad Khalil who is on a personal jihad to avenge the killing of his family by the US military in 1986 which was interrupted the last time
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he tried it by none other than John Corey and Kate Mayfield. Well now things are a little different John and Kate have married, the US post 9/11 has a tighter rein on terrorist infiltrating our borders. Or do we.
The Lion is a heart racing, pulse pounding thriller, just as you’d expect from the master himself Nelson DeMille, and believe me he will not disappoint you. His plots are always timely and very controversial and this one is no different. He’s not afraid to take on the heavy hitting topics of the day and turn them into action adventure novels. His storytelling is unequaled in his genre, he knows how to keep a readers interest and keep the pages turning long after lights out until the end. His characters are always entertaining, but in my humble opinion there is none better then the combination of John Corey and Kate Mayfield where he mixes the irreverent, smart aleck and insubordinate John Corey with the ultra professionalism of Kate Mayfield, who I may say in the several years of marriage with John has unfortunately for her superiors and fortunately for we readers rubbed off on her, which only makes her a much more humanly flawed character. His co-stars in the novel, most of who we’ve met previously are an intricate part of the telling of his tale, especially the villain The Lion, who is so far above any other villain out there that there’s just no comparison, the extent of his evilness will appall you and make you shudder in your shoes and break out in goose bumps. But have no fear because one of the things I love about Mr. DeMille is his love of country and that good will crush evil, maybe not every time but often enough to give us hope, so that even as dark as his novels can get he always gives us a ray of light at the end.
This is an instant best seller and right now is #9 on the New York Times best seller list. Pick this one, you will not be sorry you did.
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LibraryThing member Tasker
Very-enjoyable read where I actually looked forward to carving out the time to sit down for a few hours to read this book. I had forgotten the amusing and agressive character of John Corey, the banter he has with his wife, Kate, and, of course, a truly good villan in the name of Asad Khalil. This
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book was well worth the investment of time and money.
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LibraryThing member Jarratt
DeMille does it again. John Corey is such a fantastic character. There's not many writers who can make me laugh as much as DeMille when he writes Corey. In some ways, Corey reminds me of Greg House (from Fox's "House M.D."). Just a great smartass, but a good guy underneath. The good news about "The
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Lion" is that you don't need to have read the previous Lion books (although you should).

Here, Asad Khalil returns to cause more pain and suffering to those American airmen who bombed his home in Libya back in '86. But he's also got a bone to pick with Corey and Corey's wife, Kate Mayfield, who thwarted his actions three years earlier.

The humor really carries this book, I think. Because, thinking back now, I can't recall a tremendous amount of action. But DeMille does create some good tension by making us wait (along with Corey) for that final confrontation with The Lion.

If you're looking for an easy read, and a character you can really enjoy (for both his view of current world situations...warning, Corey's not PC...and his views of the FBI, CIA, and NYPD), most of DeMille's John Corey books are great (save for "Up Country"). "The Lion" is no different.
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LibraryThing member mainrun
This is one of those stories where the evil guy spends years (three in this case) training and planning a terrorist/revenge attack while the "hero" spends the time drinking and being a wise ass.

The evil guy then executes the plan with superman like abilities: killing skilled adversaries and getting
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things done with out any roadblocks. The 'hero" continues to wisecrack and drink. The only ability the hero seems to have is an uncanny sixth sense that puts him in the right spot at the right time. This is very convenient if you are a thriller author.

In the end it comes down to a knife battle between the highly trained, superman-ish villian, and the wise cracking, beer drinking, thriller-author-helpful clairvoyant hero. Don't bother to read. The hero wins.

Nelson Demille, I am calling you out. I LOVED Cathedral, The Charm School, The Lion's Game, Night Fall, Plum Island, Up Country, and Word of Honor. What is up with crap like The Lion, and the other clunkers, Spencerville, The Talbot Odyssey, Wild Fire, and The Gate House?
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LibraryThing member sriddell
A chilling look at the mind of a terrorist killer. This book continues the story line started in The Lion's Game. It kept me on the edge of my seat - lots of suspense.
LibraryThing member repb
Although I enjoyed the book I found it a little too violent and graphic. Major plot is about a returned Libyan terrorist against the rest of the world, and one man in particular- and that's about it. The hero (John Corey) is such a wise ass I found myself cheering for the terrorist about half of
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the time. But that's the book and it did what it was supposed to do.
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LibraryThing member PatrickJIV
Bust out laughing humor, major wit with wisecracks on just about every page. There is also major suspense. This was my first read of this author, but he is now on my "favorites" list. Excellent read!
LibraryThing member bettyejune
A fun read and if you had read the Lion's Game, you will really enjoy it.
LibraryThing member misterron
An easy and delightful read. I love listening to the chatter in John Corey's head; all the comments he thinks about making aloud, but refrains. A nice end to the Lion series, though we all knew how it was going to come out, the journey was still suspenseful and entertaining. Thanks again, Mr.
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DeMille.
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LibraryThing member mchwest
just as good as his others, and I always LOL at John Corey commentary... left me a litle flat at the end though
LibraryThing member Jenners26
2 words that describe the book―Smart-Ass Cop Thriller

3 setting where the book took place or characters I met

* Setting: New York City, modern day

* Former NYPD Detective, terrorist task force member and perennial smart-ass John Corey returns to face-off against the "one that got away."
* Libyan
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terrorist Asad Kahil ("The Lion") previously faced off with Corey in The Lion's Game, but the stand-off ended in a stalemate. This time, only one will be left standing.

4 things I liked or disliked about the book

* I liked visiting with my favorite smart-ass cop John Corey. I've been a fan of DeMille's Corey books since I first read Plum Island, and I always look forward to the next installment. There is just something about Corey that I find incredibly amusing.

* I disliked that this book felt a bit tired. I'm not sure if it is me or DeMille, but I didn't enjoy this Corey installment as much as I did previous outings. Perhaps it was the plot, which had quite a lot of "sitting around waiting for the other guy to make a move."

* I liked the intense sky-diving scene. As I was reading, I could totally envision it happening in a movie. (And I wonder if there are any Corey movies in the works? He seems tailor-made for the silver screen.) Perhaps part of my disappointment with the book was that this scene took place near the beginning, and I felt the rest of the book never lived up to that level of excitement.

* I disliked that I found myself actually wishing for one of the major characters to die. After the set-up that DeMille gives, I felt it should have happened, and I think it was a bit of a cop-out to have the character recover so easily. Plus, it would have made for more of an emotional read, which I think the series has been lacking.

5 stars or less for my rating:

I'm giving the book 4 stars. I'm a big fan of John Corey books, and although I thought this was one of the weaker books in the series, it was still a fast, exciting read. Even when he isn't at his best, I think DeMille does thrillers better than most writers out there. For Corey fans, you'll enjoy seeing your favorite wise-ass back in action. For newbies, start with Plum Island and work your way through the books to get to know Corey better. If you enjoy fast-paced thrillers with a smart-ass edge, this book would be a fine choice.
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LibraryThing member MaryWJ
Much better than the last one, and I like this series. But this character is becoming increasingly annoying with his insistence on hiding crucial details of investigations from his colleagues - for no good reason. At least this time they acknowledge that his doing so cost lives. Good story though.
LibraryThing member Justjenniferreading
This was a great story! I wasn't instantly drawn into it, but once it got going I couldn't pull myself away from it.

I hadn't read the first in this series, so there was a bit that I think I was missing from this one, but I don't think it deterred from the story at all. I was able to piece together
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what had happened in the first book and pieced together the back story.

I've never read DeMille before, but I'd heard great things about his writing. I wasn't disappointed! There is quite a bit of wit in the writing. I don't know if it was just the nature of the main character, John Corey, or if it's a common thing for DeMille, but it made this story easier. I think without the witticisms this could have been a very difficult and dark book.

I really liked Cory. He was witty, he was strong, and (like us all) he had faults. His drive to finish what The Lion started was so strong. While not all of The Lion's actions were meant to egg on Corey, Corey seemed to take them all quite personally. Although since The Lion promised Corey that he would be back to finish what he started I guess there was a vendetta to settle, and since Corey knew what The Lion's plans entailed I can see how he took everything personally.

The story was pretty intense. But again, the wit helped to break it up. It didn't make the story any less serious, but it made it not so dark and hopeless.

The narrator was pretty good. He wasn't mundane, but he wasn't the most lively narrator I've ever listened to. He gave the characters their own voices, and did a pretty good job at helping the listener to differentiate who was talking.

A review copy of this title was provided by the publisher.
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LibraryThing member SalemAthenaeum
When international terrorist Asad "The Lion" Khalil re-enters the life of Federal Agent John Corey after September 11th, Corey can only imagine the amount of damage that will be dealt to the already destabilized country. Khalil has a list of victims and is making his way through it with alarming
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amounts of speed. It is up to Corey and his partner, FBI agent Kate Mayfield, to find and stop The Lion before he kills them both.
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LibraryThing member FrankErrington
I guess I'd have to say it wasn't as good as The Lion's Game, but I'd only be saying it because it's a shorter novel. I love these characters. So clearly defined. If you subscribe to Nelson Demille's newsletter, it's easy to see where, lead character John Corey, gets his dry, twisted sense of
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humor. Just enough to break the tension and believe me, there is plenty of tension. The last time the Libyan terrorist, Asad Khalil, known as The Lion, was in the US he left behind a bit of unfinished business. Now he's back to rectify that by killing John Corey and his wife, the former Kate Mayfield. Although the book stands alone, it's so much better if you've read The Lion's Game. There is a ton of backstory there. If you need some excitement in your reading, check out The Lion.
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LibraryThing member jakesam
A thriller with lots of humor, I enjoy Mr DeMille's books.
LibraryThing member Schmerguls
This si the sequel to The Lion's Game, read by me on 25 Apr 2011. In a way it is a better book since one knows that the evil Asad will die at the end ot eh book. There is lots of gore, incredible happenings, and less undeleted expletives. Nearly all the events occur in New York state and New York
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City and the final chapters have not one but two climaxes. I enjoyed the book and one has to take off one's hat to the ability of DeMIlle to make highly exciting the ending one knows will come.
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LibraryThing member SalemAthenaeum
When international terrorist Asad "The Lion" Khalil re-enters the life of Federal Agent John Corey after September 11th, Corey can only imagine the amount of damage that will be dealt to the already destabilized country. Khalil has a list of victims and is making his way through it with alarming
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amounts of speed. It is up to Corey and his partner, FBI agent Kate Mayfield, to find and stop The Lion before he kills them both.
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LibraryThing member starkravingmad
Picks up following "The Lion's Game" with the Libyan terrorist on a continuation of his original mission. Very fast paced thriller with some grpahic violence.
LibraryThing member buffalogr
Fine sequel. The cynicism of Corey is infectious. Enjoyed the book.

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2010-06
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