Collection
Series
Genres
Subjects
Publication
Warner Books (2000), Edition: 1st, 677 pages
Description
Detective John Corey, last seen in Plum Island, now faces his toughest assignment yet: the pursuit and capture of the world's most dangerous terrorist -- a young Arab known as "The Lion" who has baffled a federal task force and shows no sign of stopping in his quest for revenge against the American pilots who bombed Libya and killed his family. Filled with unrelenting suspense and surprising plot twists at every terrifying turn, THE LION'S GAME is a heartstopping race against time and one of Nelson DeMille's most riveting thrillers.
ISBN
0446520659 / 9780446520652
Pages
677
Physical description
677 p.; 5.98 inches
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2000
User reviews
LibraryThing member mattrutherford
Well, to take the Ebert approach, in which one judges each work on what it tries to achieve, then this is a full-on 5 star book, and that's what I'm rating it. OK, it's not great literature, but it doesn't try to be, and that's ok. This was one of the best reads I've ever had. I almost literally
Show More
couldn't put it down. I was guessing to the end, and the characters were fairly believable. Granted this is a subject about which I know little, so a more knowledgeable reader might quibble with its verisimilitude, but as far as I'm concerned, it convinced me. Sometimes ignorance is bliss, know what I mean? Show Less
LibraryThing member jmcclain19
Hands down DeMille's best thriller. John Corey is at his best and Asad Khalil is a frighting terrorist that serves as the perfect foil. A good chunk of the novel is written through the perspective of Khalil, and DeMille nailed the creepiness of the fundamentalist side of Khalil's viewpoints with
Show More
frightening accuracy. All the more interesting that the book was written before Sept 11th. It's a thick read but it seems to fly by, and there is a nice twist at the end you don't see coming. Although I'll avoid giving out spoilers, I especially enjoyed the way the book ended. Show Less
LibraryThing member NWADEL
Just about done. Excellent , riveting, fascinating, keeps you turning the pages kind of book. The horrible terrorist is on the move and John Corey and his partner are pulling all the shots to find him. Great thriller , highly recommend.
LibraryThing member zrohit
Great story, again good stlye of writting.
LibraryThing member fishhook7
This is one of those books that I know I've read, but each time I read the description it doesn't sound familiar. Then I read the first few lines and it begins to be familiar and I think I liked it, but is that just because I've read the beginning a few times before, trying to remember if I'd read
Show More
it? Show Less
LibraryThing member SandyLee
John Cory is no longer with the NYPD but works for the Anti-Terrorist Task Force in Washington. A flight carrying a Libyan defector lands in New York but everyone on board is dead. Asad Khalil has a list of people to kill and a host of compatriots stateside to lend him a helping hand. As the body
Show More
count increases, John and FBI agent Kate Mayfield try to figure out Khalil's end game before he finishes his mission and escapes out of the country. Cory, as usual, is hilariously smart-mouthed and somehow, amid all the ruckus, finds time to get romantically involved with Kate. Although a little long (close to 700 pages) it is still another entertaining chapter in the Cory series. Show Less
LibraryThing member joefe
This is the first novel of Nelson Demille that I have read. At first, I thought the book was boring and I had a hard time finishing the first part of the book. But I have proven myself wrong. As I continue reading, I gotten myself hook on the book. It has a lot of element of surprise. This is one
Show More
my favorite book. Show Less
LibraryThing member CynDaVaz
I read this one ages - it's the first John Corey book about The Lion (a 'Radical' Muslim intent on exacting revenge on particular Americans). An excellent book - and one that sets the stage nicely for the latest DeMille thriller, The Lion.
LibraryThing member Schmerguls
This si the 11th DeMille novel I've read. It starts out with great excitement as an airliner lands at JFK airport with all on board apparenly dead. Asad, a Libyan whose mother and siblings were killed in the Reagan-ordered Libyan air raid of Apr 15, 1986, undertakes to kill the men who were on that
Show More
raid. The account is highly exciting, though disturbing because he is so successful. John Corey, an ex-NY cop, is with the Feds, trying to solve the crime. He is working with Kate Mayfield of the FBI but they quickly take up fornicating. The book is marred by undeleted expletives, totally unnecessary to the story line. The book eventually peters out to almost farce. Not DeMille's best book, by any means. Show Less
LibraryThing member Tommie1
This guy never fails to excite me. Another thrilling story in the life of John Corey
LibraryThing member rob80ert
I'm currently reading this pre-9/11 book and it is so eerie how it eludes to the Twin Towers so much.
LibraryThing member Boobalack
The Lion's Game by Nelson DeMille is past scary. It's horrifying. It was written pre-9/11 and is about a Libyan terrorist who is in the USA, killing all the pilots and weapon systems officers, after having killed one of them in England, who took part in the Libyan bombing of April 15, 1986. It all
Show More
rings much too true, especially considering the events in Libya in the past year or so. I'm reading it, now, and am over half way through. It's one of those books you think about, even when you aren't reading it. Disclaimer: In case it gives you nightmares, you've been warned. Show Less
LibraryThing member istop4books
Amazing book written before 9/11 and very relevant. DeMille writes with wit and knowledge and shows that there are two very human sides to our terrorism problems. I lent this book to my 16 year old son who seems to be pathologically allergic to books and he not only read it from cover to cover and
Show More
laughed in some places, but we had long discussions over the plot and current events. Show Less
LibraryThing member ricaustria
The remarkable aspect of this book, aside from its quite inaccessible cast of characters, is that, as a pre-911 book, it points out where the prevailing thinking about terrorist attack on mainland America was off, and where it was presciently right on. First, the assumption in this book is that the
Other than this, there is not much to say about this book. It does romanticize the terrorist to the level of the Jackal mystique - invincible, ruthless and smarter than any of his hunters - making him a stark contrast to the wise-cracking-to-the-point-annoyance character of NYPD cop John Corey. Demille may have been trying to paint the terrorist as a more likeable character than that of Corey. Perhaps, post-9/11 this no longer a PC approach. Not to those who are just six degrees of separation from victims of the fateful and real attack.
Based on this performance, I'm not sure if I'd read another book in this series or from this author. But something may change my mind later ...
Show More
attack would be by a solo daredevil, not the puppet-master running a cabal of Saudi and Egyptian dissidents that binLaden was; second, that it would arise from well-known terrorist supporters as Libya's Gaddafi, not an erstwhile unknown Saudi millionaire, and, that the attack would be on specific revenge targets, such as Ronald Reagan in this book, when the eventual 9/11 target was a generic American public who could be counted on to feel the terror most. On the other hand, the book got the concept of an airplane attack, as a further development of the Lockerbie attack, on the money.Other than this, there is not much to say about this book. It does romanticize the terrorist to the level of the Jackal mystique - invincible, ruthless and smarter than any of his hunters - making him a stark contrast to the wise-cracking-to-the-point-annoyance character of NYPD cop John Corey. Demille may have been trying to paint the terrorist as a more likeable character than that of Corey. Perhaps, post-9/11 this no longer a PC approach. Not to those who are just six degrees of separation from victims of the fateful and real attack.
Based on this performance, I'm not sure if I'd read another book in this series or from this author. But something may change my mind later ...
Show Less
LibraryThing member ecw0647
I was not familiar with DeMille’s writing (gross oversight) but downloaded The Lion’s Game and have been listening while mowing, showering, driving, doing the dishes, etc. It’s a real pageturner, so to speak. But what makes it really fun is
its wisecracking hero, John Corey, and the very
low-key reader, Scott Brick. Corey has all these great lines I wish I had thought of. Stepping up to the airline ticket counter, he is asked, “Do you have a reservation?” “Lots of them,” he replies, “especially about taking this flight.” The agent is not amused. Arriving late at the gate, Corey boards
the plane and is told to take any seat, as they are
leaving in a hurry. “How about that gentleman’s,” he asks. “An empty seat is the flight attendant’s reply.” And you should hear his off-color, politically incorrect remarks during the FBI briefings. Hysterical.
But I get ahead of myself. Corey, recently recovered from being shot while working as a detective for the NYPD, has been assigned to the FBI and its anti-terrorist investigatory unit. His first assignment is to help pick up a defecting Libyan agent. The first clue that something is wrong is
when the tower receives no radio contact from the fully loaded 747, which then proceeds to land without using its reverse thrusters after a near-miss on final approach. The emergency squad finds everyone on the plane dead but one, the novel’s evil assassin, Asad Khalil, who kills the first squad member and easily slips off the plane dressed as a baggage handler in the confusion at the security area where the plane had been towed. Asad (Arabic for “lion”) proceeds to travel
throughout the United States methodically killing all the pilots who had participated in the raid against Moammar Gadhafi’s residence and buildings on April 15, 1986, in which Asad’s family had been killed. Asad is brilliant and fearless, careful to erase all traces of his passage, eliminating even fellow Libyans who help him. The
FBI, CIA and ATTF (Anti-Terrorist Task Force) are clueless as to motive and his whereabouts.
The clues begin to accumulate and finally Corey begins to put the pieces of the puzzle together. As is not atypical for spy novels, there are conflicting motives on the part of the agencies, and we learn that the CIA has its own plans for
Asad. In the end, none of them is smart enough for Asad, and I suspect he may surface in a later novel with John Corey.
Too bad the FBI and CIA didn’t read this book before September 11. Perhaps they might have been less clueless.
its wisecracking hero, John Corey, and the very
Show More
talented,low-key reader, Scott Brick. Corey has all these great lines I wish I had thought of. Stepping up to the airline ticket counter, he is asked, “Do you have a reservation?” “Lots of them,” he replies, “especially about taking this flight.” The agent is not amused. Arriving late at the gate, Corey boards
the plane and is told to take any seat, as they are
leaving in a hurry. “How about that gentleman’s,” he asks. “An empty seat is the flight attendant’s reply.” And you should hear his off-color, politically incorrect remarks during the FBI briefings. Hysterical.
But I get ahead of myself. Corey, recently recovered from being shot while working as a detective for the NYPD, has been assigned to the FBI and its anti-terrorist investigatory unit. His first assignment is to help pick up a defecting Libyan agent. The first clue that something is wrong is
when the tower receives no radio contact from the fully loaded 747, which then proceeds to land without using its reverse thrusters after a near-miss on final approach. The emergency squad finds everyone on the plane dead but one, the novel’s evil assassin, Asad Khalil, who kills the first squad member and easily slips off the plane dressed as a baggage handler in the confusion at the security area where the plane had been towed. Asad (Arabic for “lion”) proceeds to travel
throughout the United States methodically killing all the pilots who had participated in the raid against Moammar Gadhafi’s residence and buildings on April 15, 1986, in which Asad’s family had been killed. Asad is brilliant and fearless, careful to erase all traces of his passage, eliminating even fellow Libyans who help him. The
FBI, CIA and ATTF (Anti-Terrorist Task Force) are clueless as to motive and his whereabouts.
The clues begin to accumulate and finally Corey begins to put the pieces of the puzzle together. As is not atypical for spy novels, there are conflicting motives on the part of the agencies, and we learn that the CIA has its own plans for
Asad. In the end, none of them is smart enough for Asad, and I suspect he may surface in a later novel with John Corey.
Too bad the FBI and CIA didn’t read this book before September 11. Perhaps they might have been less clueless.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Jiraiya
What sorted out this thriller from others of its heft is the dedication of the author to assiduously make every sentence count. Where I used to peg stuff as filler, I counted now as suspense. The most unexpected part was the end. The last chapter negated all the expectations I had regarding who
There were some untruths which made this novel simpler if not naive. E.g moss doesn't grow the northern side of trees. Also, shooting a bullet through an empty plastic bottle doesn't a silencer make. Hell, even real silencers aren't sound proof. I was glad about the fate of Boris. The hero's dubious sense of humor was welcome. I don't mind wise cracking. I wonder why others do. The writing style of the author is ascetic. I am almost sure that this effect is not a side effect but a deliberate choice. Despite lingering on the sex scenes, no details were forthcoming. This book has renewed my interest in thrillers and in this very series. The four stars I give this book are gladly given. Time to move on and keep experimenting with new genres. Bye.
Show More
would live and die. I don't want to spoil, so let us say that such and such gal doesn't die even after the hero proposes something to her. One thing I noticed was that when Arabic or Latin words were cited and quoted, they were in italics, but French words were not. It looks like not only the English but also Americans have inculcated French words into their dictionary. There were some untruths which made this novel simpler if not naive. E.g moss doesn't grow the northern side of trees. Also, shooting a bullet through an empty plastic bottle doesn't a silencer make. Hell, even real silencers aren't sound proof. I was glad about the fate of Boris. The hero's dubious sense of humor was welcome. I don't mind wise cracking. I wonder why others do. The writing style of the author is ascetic. I am almost sure that this effect is not a side effect but a deliberate choice. Despite lingering on the sex scenes, no details were forthcoming. This book has renewed my interest in thrillers and in this very series. The four stars I give this book are gladly given. Time to move on and keep experimenting with new genres. Bye.
Show Less
LibraryThing member jmoncton
A jumbo jet lands at JFK showing erratic behavior. It doesn't respond to any contact from air traffic control and is not flying in a normal manner. When airport police board the plane, they find that all of the passengers are dead, including the flight crew. One of the passengers on the flight was
Show More
supposed to be a Mid-eastern terrorist who is trying to make a deal with the US government. All this happens at the start of the book and the plot just takes off from there. Nothing makes the miles go by faster than a Nelson DeMille thriller read by Scott Brick! Show Less
LibraryThing member quiBee
I found I enjoyed the first book in the series more.
John Corey, an ex-cop, is now the member of an FBI task force who is trying to track down a terrorist.
I found the action sporadic and there seemed to be too many meetings with very little happening (except for all the scenes with the terrorist,
Probably a 2.5 star book for me.
John Corey, an ex-cop, is now the member of an FBI task force who is trying to track down a terrorist.
I found the action sporadic and there seemed to be too many meetings with very little happening (except for all the scenes with the terrorist,
Show More
who is seemingly unstoppable), though I suppose that's probably very true to life. John's wise cracking, while entertaining at first, gets a bit tiresome.Probably a 2.5 star book for me.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Carol420
I was skeptical at first about this book even though I love DeMille's John Corey series. I didn't think I wanted to read anymore war and mayhem, but was pleasantly surprised with how quick this book read. It is funny, exciting, and thought provoking. But I won't say more since virtually everything
Show More
else would spoil the many surprises in the book. Show Less
LibraryThing member Carol420
The Lion was everything I expected from DeMille. The plot was straight
forward, the way I like it. The story was well paced and exciting
without a lot of extraneous dialog and descriptions. This is an action novel,
and that's exactly what you get. Action and tension. I mean, what more do you
want from
forward, the way I like it. The story was well paced and exciting
without a lot of extraneous dialog and descriptions. This is an action novel,
and that's exactly what you get. Action and tension. I mean, what more do you
want from
Show More
a book of its kind? Show Less
LibraryThing member DHH
excellent thriller.
LibraryThing member DrLed
Synopsis: A Libyan defector turns out to be a terrorist. He is being chased by a NYC cop, the CIA, FBI, Homeland and the military. The reason behind his actions seems to be revenge since he is targeting the people who bombed his town. He is also out to assassinate the former president.
Review: Way
Review: Way
Show More
too many words for such a short story. Show Less
LibraryThing member gaillamontagne
25 1/2 hours of listening time....... A crime thriller that gives an "inside the head" look at a Muslim terrorist view of the world. The main character, John Corey, is an ex-NYPD cop that has particular talents that have been inducted into the ATTF, (Anti-Terrorist Task Force) Refreshingly not PC,
The narrator is a pleasure to listen to. He does not use different voices to depict the characters, he uses cadence for characterization
Show More
it takes place just prior to 9-eleven but after the Trade Center bombing, that was not successful, in 1993. It appears we, as a nation, learned nothing about fanatics. The opening of this story is gripping with an usual terriorist attack that takes place on a plane that peacefully lands itself. This is an exciting drama which switches back and forth between the omniscient view of Asad Khalil, the Libyan terrorist, and the 1st person point of view of John Corey, the cop. This story has intrigue, romance, suspense, humor etc. Even though it was written pre-911, it is still relevant. The narrator is a pleasure to listen to. He does not use different voices to depict the characters, he uses cadence for characterization
Show Less
LibraryThing member Andy_DiMartino
I very much enjoyed the continued adventures of John Corey. Have to go get the next one now!!!