Rating: 
Summary: Just missed
Review: This could have been an excellent book. Dialogue was wonderful. The first 150 pages started out fast-paced making it hard to put down. The bad guy was awesome!! The pace slowed. Then it virtually stopped. And to top it off, there wasn't a conclusion. Too bad!When reading a book that relies completely on the plot, the pace has to be at a break neck speed. There is no room to stop the story to develop a weak romance and characters who are fleeting to begin with. And setting up for a sequel does nothing more than irritate me and makes me feel as if my time was wasted in reading the book. I won't be buying the sequel...or any other DeMille books.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book but the Ending Detracts
Review: This long book kept me intersted but the ending was uninspired. How could the "lion" get away? The crime went unpunished and the criminal vanishes. The relationship between John and Kate had some good quips but no substance. "The Charm School" remains my favorite. "The Gold Coast" was also excellent.
Rating:
Summary: Great Story, Horrible Ending.
Review: I bought this book when it first came out in paperback and finally picked it up this year. This massive book (just under 1000 pages) led me to believe I was going to be reading this for a while. Not the case. The book flew by in less than 3 days. The main character John Corey and provides some punchlines and humor while his femme fatale partner provides the sexual tension. The "bad guy" Asad Khalil is a masterful planner which made myself believe that the guy was crazy and had an obsessive compulsive disorder. The many chapters switch between Corey's first person view on the incidents and Khalil's expeditions in the third person. The book is a 5 star effort from DeMille until the last 20 pages. It is all downhill from there. I would recommend this book to anyone but with a warning, actually a demand, that they skip the last 20 pages, for their opinions of this book will be soured.
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Read (or Listen!)
Review: Regarding: audible's audio version of this book, unabridged & narrated by the talented Scott Brick (25 hours & not a boring detail). Scott makes Corey's character really come alive! Followed by an interview with Nelson Demille about the writting of the book. What a story! What wonderful main characters! I started reading this book after 9/11/01 and was stunned at how current & chilling the story is. This book is a must read (or listen!) Provides good insight into the mind of a terrorist. Excellent, intriguing game of cat & mouse.
Rating:
Summary: An Intelligent Thriller With New Relevance
Review: Written several years ago, Nelson DeMille's "The Lion's Game" is not so far removed from reality any longer. In fact, I would be surprised if there were not at least one group similar to the task force described in the book that is working right now. This could be a good thing or a bad thing, at least in John Corey's (the book's main character) eyes. But, that is another story. "Lion's Game" is a combination of intense (I *refuse* to say "taut") thriller and scathing satire on the business of Protecting National Security. John Corey, NYPD homicide cop, father, and wannabe stand-up comedian lets us in on the secrets of international crime-fighting. Of course, he graciously offers us his own interpretation and commentary on the events he finds himself caught up in. His is the sort of black humor often found in those underappreciated individuals who just try to do a good job without the upper brass getting in the way. Unfortunately for Corey, the "upper brass" in this case are the FBI, CIA, and several more alphabet agencies who have a vested interest in catching one Asad Khalil, a terrorist from Libya who decides to make his international debut in New York City. (...)The novel moves back and forth between the first person (Corey) and third person (Khalil). Corey is the one whose head we get into, but we are still offered insight into Khalil's motivations. What we see is chilling. His logic, to himself, is flawless. His reasoning is perfectly clear. Is this the way all terrorists think? The secondary main character is the requisite love interest, FBI Agent Kate Mayfield. (...) A well-drawn character, at least for this genre, she has her own quirks and foibles. I read a review of this book written about a year ago, and the plot was described as "far-fetched". Well, so...
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down
Review: I loved every minute of this book. I've read one other and while it was also great, The Lion's Game is my favorite. It grabs you from the first chapter on. Put this one on your reading list!
Rating: 
Summary: Hauntingly timely...
Review: I would imaging one who read this pre-September 11 would have a very different experience than post 9/11. As one who just finished it -- it is a fascinating read, and somewhat scary -- as there are some close parallels. We are all trying to dissect and understand the minds of fundmamenalist organizations -- why they hate us, why they are willing to sacrifice their lives to kill us -- this book does a lot to get to the heart of it. (As much as a fictional book can). This book also exposes the American naivete towards our safety -- and arrogance about the extent that these factions will go to play out their blood feuds -- and our ability to detect and stop it. The characters are wonderful -- Corey is the cocky, somewhat vulnerable "all American" cop with a great sense of humor and perspective -- bucking the "feds" (and sometimes the rules!) -- to make progress through this case. Khalil is frightening and intriguing -- particularly after 9/11 -- his psyche and motivation seems to be carved right out of our recent headlines. The supporting cast and crew are well developed too. I thoroughly enjoyed this book -- my only disappointment was the end -- which, I guess if you look at "real life" -- might be the way it turns out for us, too...
Rating:
Summary: This man is clairvoyant
Review: "It's a little disturbing when your own country becomes the front lines." That is a quote from this book, The Lion's Game. It was published sometime in 2000 and written, of course, during some years before that. But the author, Nelson DeMille, could have been referring to Sept. 11, 2001. In fact, while DeMille does not get the details of Sept. 11 right, he is so dead-on about the circumstances surrounding it that he might as well have. This is a story about John Corey, the unconventional hero from DeMille's book 'Plum Island'. Corey is on the trail of an Islamic terroist from Libya, Asad Khalil, who comes to America to exact revenge for the USA's bombing of Libya in the 1980s. While I found myself questioning whether DeMille really knows anything about Islam, I found his characterization compelling nonetheless. Further, he is sensitive to the position in which Arabs in America find themselves right now, that fine line between being true to one's heritage without appearing to be an Islamic extremist at a time when there is a lot of suspicion aimed at Muslims. DeMille also describes in shocking detail how a terrorist might go about causing death and destruction while avoiding detection. He adds new angles to the old arguement of freedom versus security. If Sept. 11 had never happened, this would be a darn good book, a real page-turner in the DeMille tradition. After Sept. 11, this is a must-read for all Americans concerned about the state of our country in a world of Muslim fundamentalism.
Rating:
Summary: A must read.......
Review: This was the first Demille book that I have read. I love the characters and the writing style. The story is fast paced, changing back and forth between one location and the other. In light of September 11, this should be required reading for all Americans. It offers a lot of insight into the Jihad mindset. It's spooky that this book was written before the terrorist attacks on our country. As one reads Lion's Game, it would have seemed inevitable.
Rating:
Summary: An exciting can't put it down book
Review: It's a big one, over 900 pages but it's never dull. I was impressed from the first hair raising chapters to the last page. A story way too close to what's happening in the world today. The story has everything. A modern tale of the terrorism written from the point of view of the detective and the terrorist. A great read. Mr Demille always seems to throw in a love story to humanize his character and it works well in this and his other books. A book well worth reading. It's not as good as Charm School but damn close.
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