1585. Blood Lines by Nelson DeMille & Alex DeMille

Five months ago (book time, not real time), Army CID detectives Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor were sent separate ways following their mishaps in the search for an Army deserter in Venezuela. But they’ve been recalled. Harry Vance, a fellow CID officer stationed in Germany was found dead late late one night, killed by a sniper’s bullet in a dingy park in Berlin. And one of Vance’s eyes had been carved out of his head. Trophy? Warning? Message?

The park was adjacent to a middle east neighborhood. Terrorism is one theory. Collateral damage from a local gang war is another theory. Vance was amid a divorce and in Berlin unbeknownst by his senior CID agents or even his partner. Maybe his death was connected to that. Another theory. Vance could’ve been working another case on his own time.

It’s a jurisdictional nightmare. The Army, CIA, State Department, Berlin police and German federal police are expected to play nice with each other to find the killer. The Germans withhold information from the other investigators. The CIA is listening in on cell phone calls. The State Dept is more interested in following protocol and not offend their German hosts. And Scott and Maggie have been told, in no uncertain terms, that they must remember they have to jurisdiction, no weapons, no mandates, no permission to interview anyone, no specific task. Just keep their eyes and ears open and report back to their Army bosses.

None of that sits well with the two Army detectives who barely survived Venezuela and all the non-disclosures they had to sign that followed that debacle. They both want to find justice for Vance, capture the perps, and get back to the big cases they used to work.

The Germans have concluded that the hit was by a small cell of terrorists. Too simplistic considering this cell died in an explosion supposedly from an IED they were constructing. Amongst the debris are clues that (conveniently) point to these terrorists were responsible.

For Brodie and Taylor, it’s all too neat. Despite being told to pack up and return to the US, they push on, coming across odd clues dating back to the old East Germany, its war plans vs. NATO, the Stasi, weapons manufacturing that boggles the imagination, and Vance’s Berlin girlfriend.

Hard to go wrong with DeMille (or should I say the DeMilles). The dad (Nelson) has a fistful of literary awards and honorary degrees to his credit (should have more of his work made into movies beyond The General’s Daughter). And if you’ve not read any of his books featuring NYPD detective John Corey, then just shame on you; those are the ones I look for. The son works behind the scenes in Hollywood. Nelson penned what I think is one of the very best spy novels I’ve ever read (The Charm School. Haven’t read it? Find it. Read it.). Guessing this won’t be the last we see of Brodie and Taylor. Compelling characters with their own flaws and demons that play/fight well with each other. Neither is all that willing to follow the chain of command when justice is the goal. 

NetFlix? Prime? Hulu? Are you paying attention?

ECD

The Maze by Nelson DeMille

It’s been a while since DeMille’s previous John Corey book, 2015 to be exact (or was it 2012?). No matter. Corey can be summed up simply – world class homicide detective for NYPD – piss of his bosses – then work for NY Joint Terrorism Task Force – piss off his bosses – then work for the feds in the Diplomatic Surveillance Group – piss off his bosses – get married to a lawyer – piss off wife #1 – remarry a different lawyer – piss off wife #2 and she moves to DC with an FBI coworker of John – along the way, he thinks more with his little head than his big head bedding (or fanaticizing about) various lady cops – gets shot a few times – may or may not have a GRU or Islamic shooter looking for him - smart ass jerk with a never ending stream of insults/swears/tirades/put downs that sometimes are warranted, other times, maybe not.

All in all. John Corey is a hoot, and a helluva ballsy cop.

He’s back out on the far eastern end of Long Island (again). He’s been shipped out by the feds on a ¾ disability and is recovering in a house owned by an uncle. One of the local cops he knows from an earlier adventure, Max, alerts him that a local private investigative company is looking, and Max thinks Corey is a good match. The office, a converted farmhouse, sits in the rural outlying area where the primary landmark is a next door corn maze.

So does Beth Penrose, Max’s subordinate homicide detective and former paramour to Corey. Corey doesn’t think the PI business (wayward husbands, stakeouts, tracking down missed alimony payments, etc.) is too interesting. But he needs something seeing as how his uncle has rented the house and Beth Penrose not only is trying to help John find a job, but she’s also willing to take him in to be more than a roommate.

John’s not interested in the job, but he is interested in Beth so he agrees to an interview. The boss PI, Steve Landowski, is a former vice cop from NYC. On the payroll are two other former cops as PIs, a slew of freelancers, a disbarred lawyer, a deviously hot receptionist, and a couple of middle-aged bookkeepers/file clerks. Landowski wants to hire Corey to use Corey’s notoriety to snare new and bigger paying clients and maybe do a little actual PI work. Besides, Landowski offers some enticing perks like invites to Landowski’s ledgendary parties and his weekly Thirsty Thursdays (exotic dancers one week, Date night the 2^nd week, open bar and poker the third week, party girls/all-bets-are-off the fourth week-attendance by invitation only). 

The invitation list for the 4^th week is a who’s who of Long Island and New York law enforcement bosses, defense and district attorneys, judges, politicos and other elected officials. And being no fool, Landowski has the entire office space covered with cameras. Anything that happens on the Island that might help or hurt the business can be handled with a little arm twisting and video evidence.

What Landowski wants from Corey differs from what Beth and Max want from him. They have some long-standing cold cases. Nine ‘working’ women have been found in various shallow graves on the outer reaches of the island. A part-time PI committed suicide. A reporter hasn’t been heard from for a couple years. And for reasons not initially apparent to John, the local cops don’t seem too keen to do much investigation. Max and Beth want John to go undercover to learn what he can learn.Everybody want something from John.

John, Max, and Beth spend an inordinate amount of time playing the ‘maybe’, ‘what if’, ‘why’, ‘or’ game as they try to piece together just what the hell is going on in that farmhouse, who might be involved, who benefits, who kills.

I’ve read many of DeMille books, all of which are top shelf. DeMille also wrote what I still consider to be the best espionage book I’ve ever read, The Charm School. With that at the top of my DeMille pile, the John Corey books are right behind. Written for a male audience (ya think?), most any guy with an ounce of testosterone who likes police mysteries will find a friend in John Corey.  If he’s a new character to you, start with Plum Island and work your way forward. Each book can be a standalone, but Corey’s work/relationship history will be clearer by reading them in order. There’s 7 or 8 as I recall.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance reviewer opportunity. The Maze will be released on October 11.

ECD

The Deserter by Nelson Demille and Alex Demille

Desertion is serious. When the deserter is a member of Delta Force, it’s even more serious. When the deserter is a decorated Captain in the Delta Force, that’s even worse. Then, this Captain shows up as a prisoner in a Taliban video. Next, he is rumored to have escaped and disappears into thin air. Another classified video shows Mercer beheading five Taliban before looking directly into the camera and ‘resigning his commission.’ Lots of people want to find Capt Kyle Mercer and bring him to justice.

Any clues about a deserter are to be brought to the Army. A few years after the reported escape, a former bootcamper of Mercer’s was in a Caracas bordello, saw a man he thought was Mercer and approaches him. The guy just up and leaves. The report of a Mercer sighting is relayed up the chain of command. The head of the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division assigns Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor, an investigative team known to aggressively carry out the CID’s motto: “Do What Has to be Done” to find, arrest, and bring Mercer back to the US. But under no circumstances, was Mercer to be interrogated.  

Brodie and Taylor arrive in Caracas and meet their local contact, a Colonel Worley who is of questionable loyalties (Army or CIA? Hard to tell) and agendas. He helps Brodie and Taylor navigate the many conflicting issues currently at play in Venezuela. But so does Brodie's driver, Luis.

It’s a complex chase through various gangs, cops, secret police, barrios, and hookers, but Brodie eventually finds Mercer’s favorite girl at the bordello (that specializes in underage girls). Her information sends Brodie and Taylor deep into the jungle where they find Mercer leading a bunch of local mercs that do the bidding of Venezuelan General Medoza.

Brodie and Taylor are captured, but then they escape and take Mercer into custody. Now loyalties are seriously tested, and trust becomes a casualty.

Full disclosure here: I’m a Demille fan and have most all of his books, many before we started this blog. Three books of his are reviewed here. The first book of his I read, The Charm School, is still probably the best spy novel I’ve ever read. His book, The General’s Daughter, made the big screen. Alex is his son who works in various capacities in Hollywood. Demille is a decorated Vietnam vet and proudly cites his Mensa membership. Why The Charm School hasn’t been made into a movie or one of those 6-10 episode features is baffling. He also does something interesting. People who donate money to his favorite charities get their names used as characters in his books. Two such characters appear.

While reading this book, I saw multiple parallels with Apocalypse Now. Brodie and Taylor = Captain Willard; Mercer = Kurtz; the jungle setting far up a forgotten river; the lawless band of loyal followers; and more. Make no mistake about taking up this book. It’s a beast. Nearly 600 pages. But that’s what Demille writes. Big books. But it’s all tightly sewn together with the smartass Brodie, the deeply bruised Taylor, the deserter Mercer, the settings and the people who struggle day to day to survive in what was once a vibrant country.

If you like our selection of books that we post on this blog, this is one not to be missed.

Available TODAY! 22 OCT 2019

East Coach Don

The Cuban Affair by Nelson DeMille

Daniel “Mac” MacCormick is a US Army veteran with two tours of duty under his belt as an infantry officer in Afghanistan where he earned two Purple Hearts and the Silver Star.  Now he lives the good life as captain and owner of a forty-two foot fishing boat which he charters out of Key West.  The good life… drinking heavily, chasing women for one night stands, and smart mouthing anyone who will listen… it’s all good expect for the monumental loan on his boat and a yearn for the adrenalin rush from the action he saw in the army.

One day a Miami lawyer approaches Mac about entering a fishing tournament in Cuba, a promotional event that is part of the US move, known at the Cuban Thaw, to improve relations with long chastised Cuba.  But the lawyer has more purpose in mind than fishing.  He offers Mac two million dollars to help Sara Ortega, a Cuban American from Miami, recover cash ($60 million) and valuable documents now hidden in Cuba that once belonged to her anti-Castro grandfather.  As a cover, Sara and Mac join a Yale travel group to Cuba that is coincidently concurrent with the fishing tournament.  Mac’s first mate captain’s the fishing boat to Cuba with the intent of breaking away from the tournament to rescue Sara and Mac after they recover the treasure.  Mac is skeptical about the mission but he needs the money and longs for the action.  Plus Sara Ortega is beautiful and he has to admit his chance to romance her enhances the adventure.

But the mission is not simple.  Castro regime spies are everywhere in Cuba and are particularly suspicious of Americans.  Many would like to create an international incident that would squelch the Cuban Thaw.  Gathering the guns and transportation needed for a successful mission proves more dangerous than Mac thought particularly when he learns the true objective of their trip.  This caper may be more than he can master even with his combat training and battlefield experience.

DeMille is an excellent story teller.  He delves deep into the personal lives and motivations of his protagonists and gives you a history lesson along the way.  He holds your interest with several key plot twists and with the bold and brazen personality of Mac, the lead character.  The book is well researched, well written, and entertaining.  Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the advance look.

Radiant Angel by Nelson DeMille

The Diplomatic Surveillance Group is a contract arm of the FBI. The job is simple. Watch diplomats that the FBI is curious about and report back what/where/when said diplomat is doing. Depending on the mark dictates the extent of the surveillance. 

John Corey, former NYDP detective, former Joint Anti-Terrorist Task Force, and probably 'former' a couple other corners of law enforcement, is now a part of the DSG and in charge of a team watching Vasily Petrov of the Soviet mission to the UN. Supposedly he's part of the mission's HR office. But given that his daddy is part of the old KGB and Vasily is a Colonel with lots of lethal experience in Chechnya, it's not likely he's logging hours and checking employee benefits. 

It's a Sunday morning in September. John has a new trainee with him, Tess Faraday, and they sit in their Blazer outside of the Soviet mission offices. Got a couple more agents in another car and more on foot. A car and driver are idling in front of the offices waiting for Petrov to go somewhere, anywhere. When Petrov appears, another HR underling (Viktor Gorsky, a known compatriot of Petrov and skilled assassin) and an unknown third looked to be dressed for a late summer beach party. Photos are taken and relayed back to John's bosses to ID the third guy.

Now these diplomats are limited to a 25 mile radius from the mission offices and when the car crosses over to Long Island and keeps driving, everyone's radar becomes more sensitive. This little line of cars heads far east out toward the Hamptons eventually entering the estate of Georgi Tamorov, one of those Russian oligarchs who got obscenely rich with the fall of the Soviet Union. And it is a party. Lots of Russians, prostitutes, loud music, booze, sun, and sand. The third guy is ID'd as a Dr. Urmanov, Russian nuclear physicist who, by the way, managed to enter the US under an alias.

Corey is the very definition of an 'ask for forgiveness, not permission' type and routinely acts by the seat of his pants (and probably why he has 'former' multiple times on his resume). The party is being catered so he and Tess corner the caterer into hiring two more employees for the day. The DSG is to surveil and not lose the target, so he needed to get on the property.

The party goes along for the day, but Petrov, Gorsky and Urmanov are sitting off and not socializing or drinking, the latter of which apparently is highly unusual for a Russian. Around sunset, an unmarked amphibious vehicle rolls up to the beach. The now three persons of interest board along with about a dozen of the ladies.

Supposedly headed for another party. This time aboard the massive luxury yacht belonging to a Prince of the Saudi royal family. But John's charge is to surveil and not lose his subject, so he calls on the local harbor police to search for the boat and it's destination, but it just disappears and the lineup of ships queueing up to enter New York harbors presents John with a needle in the haystack quandary especially when the yacht turns off all electronics and identity beacons effectively going dark to all authorities.

By the way, that Dr. Urmanov is an expert in miniaturizing electronics and things controlled by those miniature electronics.

I love DeMille and have read a number of his books over the years, mostly pre-blog. DeMille's not a member of the book-a-year club so when something new is released, it's probably worth the wait. He wrote what I think is one of the best espionage books ever, The Charm School (a must read for lovers of the genre). This is about #5 in his John Corey series and Corey is one of the more fascinating continuing characters going. A lovable cad who has no filter whatsoever with friends and foe alike. He says what we all wish we could think quick enough to say and acts decisively from gut instinct that only an NYPD detective can.

When I saw DeMille had a new book out, a Corey book at that, I quickly reserved it from the library. But with most every DeMille book, I hold my breath when I finally get it because DeMille has a history of these 600+ page monsters. But this one, at a brisk 308 pages, is practically a novella by DeMille's standards. And the 308 pages takes Corey from mid morning Sunday toward a 846am Monday deadline. Take my advice. Clear out a day or two for this book because you're not likely to be engaged in much else. DeMille tells one helluva a story that damn well better never happen.

East Coast Don

The Panther by Nelson DeMille

John Corey and his wife Kate are part of the Anti Terrorism Task Force and based in NY. He’s former NYPD detective and she is FBI. They have the dubious distinction of being on a top 10 list. Trouble is, the list belongs to Al Qaeda and both are targeted for extermination. See, John killed one of their leaders who was known as The Lion (in Demille’s previous John Corey book) and Al Qaeda ain’t happy.

The CIA isn’t all that happy about not having caught the mastermind behind the bombing of the USS Cole in a Yemeni port. Corey had been part of the investigative team and everyone knows that Yemen’s local Al Qaeda chieftain, Bulus ibn al-Darwish, aka al-Numair, aka The Panther. Also goes by Paul. That’s because he is an American born of Yemeni parents, grew up in Perth Amboy, NJ and graduated from Columbia University. But, obviously he has grown marginalized and now hates America with every fiber of his being. He lives in a cave, trains a cadre of believers way back in the mountains, and conducts missions against American targets with good, but not perfect, success.

So, the CIA has come to John and Kate with an offer. Go to Yemen and try to pick up the trail of the Panther, especially now that al-Numair has surfaced with a few recent attacks on Western targets. The problem is that Bulus/Paul is an American citizen and as such has rights that foreign born terrorists aren’t accorded, such as Miranda and due process, even in a dump like Yemen. The State department has even placed a lawyer on the team, which includes Paul Brenner (another DeMille character played by John Travolta in The General’s Daughter).

There is more at play. In a previous Corey book, rogue CIA agent Tom Nash was caught and cornered by Kate who then killed him. The guy was dirty, but the CIA didn’t agree, making Kate persona non grata with The Company.

Thus, Operation Clean Sweep. John is sure that Clean Sweep is not just about finding the Panther, but also about payback for Nash. And John and Kate are less ‘investigators’ and more ‘bait’. The local CIA agents have a plan. Make John and Kate visible in Sana’a and Aden, pay off a tribal warlord (who is not liked by the Yemeni military) to ‘kidnap’ the team and offer them up to the Panther for ransom. Once the deal is struck, Predator Hellfire missiles would wipe out the meet taking out the Panther (for the US) and the warlord (for the Yemeni gov’t) while F/18s bomb the training camp into oblivion, John and Kate then head home to NY. Good deal all around.

The meet is set. The Panther and his team are prepared to make the exchange with the warlord. John is all ready to place eyes on the guy he’s been after since the Cole bombing and watch him fry from Hellfire heat or put a couple 9mm into his skull, either works. But when the CIA schmuck running the operation says that John and Kate’s role is done and that one of the warlord’s guys is waiting to take them out, John paranoia goes into overdrive. He’s sure that one of those circling Predator’s will target their transport and they’ll get chalked up to accidental friendly fire. Payback making Clean Sweep a clean sweep.

I’ve read a number of books by DeMille. Actually one of the very best spy novels ever (in my insignificant opinion) was written by DeMille (The Charm School). You just have to know what you are getting in for with DeMille . . . long books. This even felt heavy in my Kindle. This book has three components. First is a heavy commentary on Yemen’s history and culture and on that level, was quite interesting. Better to learn about it this way rather than in some dry non-fiction description. Second is the actual story of stealth and deceit on the SW corner of the Arabian peninsula. And DeMille knows how to bring the goods. You don’t get repeat trips to the NY Times best seller list if you can’t. The third component is the wise-ass, irreverent, my way or the highway attitude of John Corey; subtracting that aspect of book might shorten the whole thing by maybe a quarter, but then it wouldn’t be a true John Corey book. That’s what his fans like. Great story telling, cool John Corey, nasty bad guys, and exotic locations (if you think a country that resembles the bottom of an outhouse can be considered exotic) all make for a terrific, if a bit long, escape from what passes for winter here in NC.

East Coast Don