Rating: 
Summary: Fast start, good read, little payoff.
Review: "The Lion's Game" really takes off out of the starting gate, with a bloody opening scene, a vicious villian, and the return of the wisecracking John Corey from DeMille's terrific mystery/thriller "Plum Island." DeMille hits his narrative stride in the (too-long) middle of the book, but the killings become all too repetitive and the love story adds a little heat but no light. The good news is that Corey keeps the book enjoyable throughout--DeMille's dialogue is funny and sharp (though perhaps not quite in Robert B. Parker/Spenser's league). Downside: the lengthy setup serves to telegraph where the story's going. I'll be surprised if most readers don't have it all figured out 1/2 to 2/3 of the way through. DeMille tries a couple of twists, but there are thinly veiled hints like yellow signs warning you of the curves ahead. And without giving the ending away, I wanted a "showdown" and a big payoff, and in my opinion, the book doesn't deliver--quite a letdown after several hundred action-packed pages. A sequel seems inevitable. All in all, I'd recommend "Lion's Game" as a solid beach or weekend read, with lots of violence and some laughs, but don't expect to give five stars to this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Master of the Game
Review: Apologies to Sidney Sheldon for stealing his book title, but after reading DeMille, it seems the growing pains as an author are behind him and he seems to have found his groove, first with Plum Island, now with Lion's Game. In DeMilles earlier novels, particularly Talbot Oddessey and Gold Coast, the first 300 pages were almost painfully slow, finally rewarding the ardent reader with a splendid conclusion. He manages to keep a dizzying pace throughout the Corey series. Admittedly, I enjoyed the character of John Corey more in the first installment. He was more cutting, more humorous. Then again, that adds to the brilliance of DeMille. Too often it seems characters that carry over from novel to novel suffer a case of ADD, that they are completely unaffected by incidents seen in previous novels or even earlier in this novel. Corey should have the right to be less glib, more brooding, especially considering what Plum Island put him through. DeMille's research on Muslim faith, the attack on Libya, and the peripherals regarding Asad. He managed to make Kahlil a sympathetic character without overstepping into hero status. I guess I was disappointed in the ending, however, as everything was left wide open for a rematch. While the characters are intriguing and the evolution of Corey may continue, it really leaves DeMille in danger of putting out a highly predictable sequel with soap opera-esque cliffhangers. Is really dead? Will Kate become another "Bond girl" or is she there to stay? Should Corey spend a little more time in California, waiting for the Jihad to continue? So many of these questions have seemingly predictable answers, but if DeMille continues to evolve as a writer, the predictable will not be the actual.
Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding Read
Review: Lion's Game is the first Demille novel I have read, and I was thrilled with it. I had difficulty putting it down. It was interesting that when I looked up Demille on Amazon, it mentioned, among other similar auithors, John Forsythe, who wrote Day of the Jackal. I read that one thirty years ago and considered it great. The movie or its remake did not do it justice. While reading Lion's Game, before seeing that reference on Amazon, the book frequently reminded me of Day of the Jackal.Anyway, Demille's book portrays the travels of a Libyan killer, Asad Khalil, who travels about the United States, seeking to avenge the bombing raid on Libya that occurred in 1986. The book takes place in 2000. It also follows the work of the hero, John Corey, a NYPD detective, temporarily assigned to the FBI's Counterterrorism unit. Demille is able to put the reader inside the heads of both his main characters as the story progresses. The suspense builds rapidly and the reader is locked into the story within a few pages. Demille's writing style is excellent. He balances suspense with humor, and while parts of the story are a bit contrived, it never goes overboard in that way. I would strongly recomment this book to anyone liking spy or detective stories, and I am looking forward to reading another of his books.
Rating:
Summary: Slightly flawed novel from a great author
Review: Nelson DeMille has been around for quite a while and he never disappoints--he's been one of my very favorite authors for years and I'm always delighted to find a new book of his. That said, I did not think that The Lion's Game was his best work, although it certainly was well written and beautifully plotted, as all his books are. The climax of the book, while believable, was somewhat anti-climactic, and the big mystery of the assassin's unknown target, while unusual, was no big surprise to me. The hero of this novel, John Corey, is a carryover from DeMille's earlier book Plum Island. I believe this is the first time DeMille has repeated a major character, and I hope that he doesn't fall into the series-mania that is so prevalent today. Although Corey is entertaining, I found his humor at times annoying, and occasionally (as at the climax of the novel) unrealistic--it reminds me a bit of comic book superheroes like Spiderman wisecracking as they are taking a beating, knowing that ultimately they will prevail. To his credit, DeMille makes Corey a character who is aware of his ability to annoy; but I do think that DeMille has created more interesting and memorable characters and frankly I found it odd that Corey is the one character to return. One more peave--DeMille needs a more demanding editor. The paperback, at over 900 pages, is really excessive. While the book is full of interesting and often amusing commentaries on this and that (DeMille gives a discreet nod to the movie of his book The General's Daughter, and takes a potshot at a particular movie critic), these, and the descriptions and detail do build up to bog down the story. Do we really need to know who got in the car's front seat, and who got in the back? But, these criticisms aside, DeMille is still a powerhouse at plotting, writing some of the most interesting storylines around. No one needs to outrun machinegun fire or handgrenade explosions in a DeMille book--the action makes sense in a real-world context. The beginning of The Lion's Game is as good as they come, with a truly terrifying and believable mass murder. If you've not read DeMille, I heartily recommend him--but read Plum Island before The Lions' Game. Cathedral or The General's Daughter or By The Rivers of Babylon are DeMille at his very best.
Rating:
Summary: Page turner, exciting and believable book
Review: I'm new with Nelson Demille, but for sure I'll read the others. I was recommended to read this book by a friend. Didn't read it until all this hijackings took place recently. Start reading the book on a trip, and couldn't put it down. Nelson Demille is very good with all the intricate details of how the terrorist's mind works and how the government agencies work. Very easy to read. His humour is fantastic, although the way he gets his women is something else, must be a man thing. How can he decide to get married after knowing the girl for a few days, and dumped the other one for no reason at all, other than not being there. Romance is definitely not his cup of tea. But there's plenty of action, suspense. I was kept to wonder what's next with Asad Khalil. Those CIA,FBI and anti terrorists are so slow. You wander how anyone could be safe with all their politics. I love this book, you will laugh through it. Suspense and humour. Must read. No regrets. I'll read the others and please write new ones, soon.
Rating: 
Summary: Game over
Review: Nelson Demille's The Lion's Game, featuring the enigmatic John Corey begins with considerable premise before descending into stereotype and obscurity. The type is typical action/mystery fare- a flight arrives in America with all its occupants dead. While this may seem riveting initially, Nelson Demille continues unsuccessfully to maintain interest through a string of murders as John Corey pursues the antagonist, with limited success. By far the book's biggest drawcard is its realism- Corey is often confused and at a loss to explain his failure to catch the assassin. However, this alone is not sufficient to raise the reader's interest. The ending, in particular is not satisfying.
Rating:
Summary: What a great book!
Review: This is just a wonderfully told story with a fabulous plot line.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I read this book before 9/11 and at the time found it contrived, flippant and generally disappointing. After 9/11, I find it extremely offensive. The book begins rather well with a riveting description of the bombing mission over Lybia in 1986 and proceeds downward from there. Asad Khalil, the terrorist du jour, lost his family in that bombing raid while concurrently deflowering his reluctant girlfriend in defiance of the law, religion, etc. He also murders said girlfriend at the same time to stop her from screaming in fright as the bombs drop near their rooftop love nest. This, in his twisted way of thinking, gives him one more reason to hate the vile Americans. Swearing vengeance - and possibly to escape his own death sentence based on his tryst on the roof - Khalil vows to make the Americans pay. He receives training in the necessary skills to murder and maim from a dubious character named "Boris" and presto-chango turns from a bungling juvenile rapist into a brilliant terrorist operative who can thwart the powers that be at every turn. From that point on there are so many twists and turns in the story it makes one sea sick. No matter how absurd the circumstances, Khalil manages to be three or four steps ahead of everybody while killing infidels left and right. Enter John Corey complete with a new girlfriend, Kate, (what ever happened to the "love of his life" from Plum Island?) to somewhat save the day. Never mind that just about everybody is dead by the time Corey and Kate manage to figure things out. DeMille's books up to now have been quite good. I especially liked Plum Island. Corey's quick witted character fed up with administrative overkill and bungling in that book made sense. The John Corey in "The Lion's Game" has the same "I-don't-give-a-rip" attitude, only this time his witticisms come off as juvenile and very annoying. To sum up my feelings at the end of the book - the weak come off as strong and the strong end up dead. If you like that kind of plot, you will love this one.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent novel, couldn't put it down
Review: Another fantastic novel by DeMille, I can't believe some of you guys aren't eating this up. If you like suspense/mystery/cop/thillers this is it. Middle East terrorist stuff, love, sex, guns, murder, this book has it all. I found a fault in "Plum Island" and it was that the antagonist wasn't believable enough because the book was written in the first person in its entirety and therefore the actions of the bad guy only happened in front of the main character. The Plum Island story preceded this book so read that first if you haven't already been turned on to DeMille. There is enough back story so that you don't have to read it first, but it would make the second book better in my opinion. Anyway, in this one, DeMille uses the first person in a chapter and then goes to the third person in a chapter, jumping back and forth between our hero and the murderous terrorist. What it does is make the novel flow much better than the previous one and turn it into a real blockbuster. It is interesting how much better a novel is when you are able to feel and empathize with the bad guy a little bit. Excellent story the whole way through. I can't recommend DeMille enough, he has it all, page turning books with suspense and a wonderful sense of humor. And when I say funny, I really mean good solid witty humor here, the man has a razor sharp wit and a great insight into the male/female relationship. Strong recommendation here, it's my second favorite after "The Gold Coast" which is a novel in a class by itself.
Rating:
Summary: A twist in the tale.
Review: I picked up Lion's Game after hearing good reports about Demilles' writing from my brother and wife. The book certainly was gripping stuff. I found his writing style quite similar to that of Andy McNab, very off the cuff and personal. My only real gripe is that the last 25 pages or so was a real let-down. The closure of the story seem to be unduly hurried, and loose ends were tied up in a most unappealing manner. Possibly this is due to the lack of the terrorist point-of-view in the final chapters - a view which I highly enjoyed. This book is not a deep read at all, perfect for a lazy summer afternoon, or when you are getting interrupted/reading in short bursts, but be warned you will crave to get back to reading.
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