This is the first book I have read by Nelson DeMille. It was fantastic. How have I been missing out all these years? I have a lot of catching up to do that's for sure. I really enjoyed The Maze. The plot and characters were intriguing. Highly recommend.

John Corey reappears in The Maze by Nelson DeMille. I would like to thank the NetGalley and the publisher for this eArc in exchange for an honest review.
Unlike most of the DeMille books, this one plodded along until the very very end. I usually wish most books wouldn’t end but this wasn’t one of them. Perhaps my expectations going in were too high… I don’t know.

I like Nelson DeMille. I like mixing up my reads--especially a mystery/thriller in between more dense literary fiction. I like dry humor [here often politically incorrect, but...]. I like a fast read. Did I like this book--sadly, not so much.

I've read other DeMille books with John Corey so was familiar with his character. The setting: Corey is "...now in forced retirement from his last job as a Federal Agent with the Diplomatic Surveillance Group. Corey is restless and looking for action, so when his former lover, Detective Beth Penrose, appears with a job offer, Corey has to once again make some decisions about his career—and about reuniting with Beth Penrose." And so it begin--a sinister situation which Corey tackles head on--without filters.

While this book was a fast read, it was a very slow build. I kept wondering when I'd find out the plot trajectory. Not that there were twists and turns [which I like in this type of book], it just wasn't going anywhere and it was very repetitive [to me]. It took until almost 40% in for the reveal--aha--here's where it's going--and going--and going.

So a fast, easy read, but otherwise, meh..

I’ve read Nelson Demille before but this was the first John Corey story. I have to admit, it was a difficult read for me, for a number of reasons. Although, the writing is good, I couldn’t stand the main character – John Corey – he is arrogant, selfish, cocky and basically a PITA. He does what he wants regardless of the situation or possible outcome as his needs/wants/desires seem to come first. I understand characters with flaws but I couldn’t get pass his, I’m doing this my way type of attitude. I felt badly for this former lover, Beth Penrose, why she wanted to be reunited with him escaped me. She does get John to go undercover at a Security Firm which has some sketchy partners and activities. John is investigating the deaths of at least nine prostitutes and possibly also a former police officer. The local police, county police, other officials – judges, prosecutors, etc. all appear to be corrupt or being blackmailed for their sins committed with the Security Firm. The ending didn’t wrap up the murders for me but left things vague at least for me. The title - The Maze – was I’m guessing to represent the different turns/paths of the investigation and not the literal maze that was located next door to the Security Firm headquarters but other than a action pack scene in the maze, I didn’t feel the title fit the book.

Overall, if you like this type of cocky character, corrupt police story, then this is up your alley. I felt both the story and the characters to be lacking. I’ll enjoy other Nelson Demille books.

Having read other books by Nelson Demille I was excited to follow the main character, John Corey, in this book, The Maze. Although this is a sequel to the Plum Island books it can be read as a stand alone story. The book started out slower than his others with the action not happening until half way through the book. The author uses a technique where the main character says something and then you read what he is really thinking. At times it gets a little confusing but it really gives one an inside view to the character. Some of these are very amusing! This story is loosely based on the murders of young women on Long Island some years ago where John has been hired by a private security firm but he is undercover to discover what is really happening at this firm. And as in all the other books, John always has a female love interest and at times it gets a little crude. This was an enjoyable read.

This is book 8 in the John Corey series however this was the first one I am reading and it worked as a stand alone. I will be going back to start from book 1 to really get the back story and feel for the main character. This book was decent, not as engaging as I had hoped for but the basis of the story was good and there was a lot of humor mixed in which I enjoyed.

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and author for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was a little apprehensive to read this book since it was part of a series that I hadn’t read the beginning of but I really enjoyed this I might look into the books that come before this one thanks NetGalley for the arc

Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for an electronic Advanced Readers Copy of this novel.

John Corey, a veteran law enforcement officer, is recuperating in Long Island after being wounded. Effectively retired from federal and state law enforcement, through contacts from one of his former lovers, he gets a job offer from a private investigator firm who likes hiring former officers. He soon gets tangled up in a case involving dead bodies found on the beach, as well as having to deal with the somewhat shady goings-on of the firm.

I had never read a John Corey novel before, so I was a bit lost, especially at the beginning when the author tried to cram all of his history into a few chapters - it was a lot to keep track of, and it was hard to figure out what would be important. He had a lot of past relationships and his current situation was very cloudy. After a while, I stopped trying to remember everything and just let the story unfold.

John Corey seems like an interesting character, all bravado and hard shell on the outside, but you know inside he cares about justice and doing the right thing. He was kind of annoying to me though. Detective stories aren't really my thing, but I can definitely see how this series would be popular.

Just a word of thanks to both Simon & Schuster, as well as netgalley.com for an advanced reading copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

My honest review - I tried to plow through this novel - I truly tried, but it was awful from the get-go. I read through roughly 20% of the novel, and absolutely nothing was gripping to me. Nelson DeMille has had a few John Corey novels in the series, but I cannot see why. There was no hook, no beginning to "grab the reader" in this one.

Disappointing and dull.

I have not read many Nelson DeMille books in the last 10 years or so, but I was pleasantly surprised at "The Maze" and the main character, John Corey. I was intrigued by DeMille's use of the "unspoken" tag lines that followed so many of Corey's spoken lines. A very clever device that, at times, while humorous and gave me quite a few chuckles, became a bit monotonous and overused. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The plot moved along quite well but I had the sense that DeMille needed to finish the book in a hurry because the pace of the last quarter of the book did not seem to fit the preceding chapters. I am intrigued by the “Corey” character and intend to go back to the first several books in the series to see if they are as good as this one was. Truly a delight to read and to re-discover an author I had given up on in the past.

The Maze by Nelson DeMille is an engrossing read from first to last page as all of his books are. Great writing. Highly recommend.

Nelson DeMille is back at it again with his new novel “The Maze.” His famous protagonist, former NYPD homicide detective John Corey, is back from retirement, and back at his uncle’s Long Island house, delightfully staring out at the ocean while imbibing some amount of alcohol. And he’s back at with his former detective buddy, who also is a former lover, who entices John to go undercover to ferret out corrupt guys ( and, perhaps, gals!) undermining law-and-order on Long Island.
Of particular interest to me was Mr. DeMille’s intertwining his plot with the non-fiction, all-to-real story of the Gilgo Beach murders, in real life still unsolved murders of (at least) 9 women found buried near the ocean several years ago. I’ve always enjoyed Mr. DeMille’s writing but had not read his recent books; so thanks to NetGalley I was excited to catch up with DeMille’s fictional world. And as usual I raced through his story, reading it in just a few days. Is there a serial murderer in addition to a widespread conspiracy of corruption? Will Corey say over 100 sarcastic remarks ? 200? 300? How many of those are stated out loud and how many did we the reader here in John’s mind?
I will offer a couple of negative items: (1) I tend to track how far along I am in the book I am reading. I noticed that the action didn’t really get going to a very late stage of the book (won’t say when in fear of giving away any info). (2) I may have become prudish in my older years but the graphic sex narrative just made me feel a bit queasy. To be fair that criticism may reflect the changes in my spiritual journey and not any changes in Mr. DeMilles’ storytelling abilities.
In summary: My reading habits have changed from the days when I read “Plum Island” so I am giving “The Maze”. 3 stars.

I received a free ARC ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Although The Maze is the eighth book in DeMille's John Corey series, it is the first one I have read. DeMille does a great job getting readers up to speed about Corey's past, professional and personal, so that new readers don't waste time wondering about how past situations color the present story.

This is a violent novel concerning serial murders possibly committed by incompetent and corrupt police officers and local polticians; the biggest issue I have is that Corey is a snarky, sexist ass who believes he has the right to dispense justice his way. Corey has a long history as a homicide detective and federal agent so he has proven his mettle. Sure, characters like Corey always have unsuccessful relationships in their past but even Corey says he thinks with his genitalia. And, little things like search warrants are unnecessary when John just knows who is guilty.

This is another book by Nelson DeMille and one of my favorite characters, John Corey. John gets hired into a private detective agency to find out what is happening to several women that have gone missing. It seems that their Thirsty Thursday nights are a cover for blackmail of some of the big names in town.
The book started out slow with the first 100 pages about John and his not so funny smart aleck comments. I’ve always enjoyed John Corey because of what he said and how he said it. But this was too much. His comments were crude and unnecessary. It wasn’t until the last quarter of the book that he was actually working with the agency and then some action took place. But nothing was really resolved at the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my early ebook ARC. I will still read Nelson DeMille, but this is not one of his best.

The Maze by Nelson DeMille

I will begin by saying I am a huge Nelson DeMille fan and have loved all the John Corey books. However, I was disappointed in this latest one.

Maybe it has to be this way for those that haven’t read the other books and didn’t know about John Corey but I found that there was nothing going on for at least the first 30% of the book where he spent a lot of time reviewing past adventures and introducing the characters. It just took too long to get to the new story. Then, I found it to be repetitive and implausible. I have always enjoyed the John Corey sarcasm but it was too much this time out and a bit raunchier than usual.

Sorry to only give this 2 stars but I'm still looking forward to his next book!

I enjoyed the storyline and really enjoy the John Corey character. It seemed to take a very long time to get into the plot for this book. At my estimation, about half the book set the basis for the story. It picks up a lot in the second half but I kept waiting for something to happen in the beginning. I appreciate Corey's sarcasm and wit and it kept me hooked although I was wavering in the beginning. In the end it was a worthwhile read.

In the first John Corey book for seven years we find the former NYPD detective relaxing at his uncle’s waterfront house on Long Island, New York. He knows he’s going to have to move out soon and is considering how he’s going to spend the rest of his summer when a visit from an ex-lover, a local cop, throws him the opportunity extend his stay by working with a group of private investigators. He knows there’s more to this proposition than he’s being told and, in truth, he’s not particularly attracted to the work. But he agrees to consider this option when a potential rekindling of their relationship is dangled.

Corey is a self confessed danger addict and eventually the thought of operating as an undercover insider on behalf of the police (merely his reading of the situation) is something he can’t resist. He’s in. In the background there’s an unsolved case concerning a group of bodies found on a nearby island. Can this in any way be linked to his prospective employers? The link seems tenuous, but in any case any answers to this question will have to wait. At least a third of the book is now taken up with Corey’s exploration and contemplation of his choices – there’s a good deal of ground to cover here before any serious action comes our way. And although this might sound slow and maybe dull, I found it anything but.

Corey is such an interesting guy: an archetypal hard man with his alter ego being a smart talking comedian. Throughout, there are two forms of conversation ongoing here: the exchanges between the various protagonists and JC’s internal dialogue. The former nudges the story forward but I found the latter (his honest thoughts, which are usually the opposite of what he’s actually saying) to be totally hilarious. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so much when reading a book. But not to put too fine a point on it, Corey is a long way from PC - so readers beware.

As for the tale itself, it’s gripping enough as the good guys try to work out precisely who the bad guys are and what exactly it is they’re up to. There’s a good deal of intrigue, but initially not much action. The denouement when it comes throws in twists and is truly dramatic - a finish worth waiting for. It’s a lengthy read, but I’d have been happy to have read a hundred pages more. I absolutely loved it. I’ve read all of the books in this series but I don’t recall enjoying any of them as much as I did this one. Highly recommended.

My thanks to Net Galley and Scribner for allowing me to view this arc.

John Corley is a very experienced ex cop recruited by his ex lover Beth Penrose, an FBI agent, to take a job as an informant in a shady security firm where illegal things are going on and bring back information. John has a lot of baggage with ex wives, lovers, and fear of being killed by Russians. John is a good cop. I liked this story and this was my first book by this author.

My problems were, you did not find out the WHY John was there till past 40% of the book ( read on my Kindle to give percent). The story took so long to build up to that point. The beginning was all potty humor and you hear John talk about his "pocket rocket " and his :"meat puppet." I did not need to read that. Would have made the narrative more enjoyable. If you can get passed that. It's not a horrible story.

The Maze is the eighth installment of the John Corey series that began with Plum Island. The book begins with John staying at his uncle’s cabin. He’s looking over his shoulder for people from his former lives as a NYPD homicide detective and a federal agent that want to kill him. Beth, a detective and former girlfriend, comes to convince him to go undercover as a PI. The firm, Security Solutions, is run by crooked former police detectives. The offices are in a old farmhouse which is located next to a maze. He is there to uncover corruption and find a serial killer. There are cameras throughout the building recording local powerful people attending parties spending some private time with strippers and prostitutes in bedrooms. John tries to escape with the video evidence. I thought it was strange that the firm used VCRs to record. The final showdown takes place in the maze at night.
I appreciate receiving an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC of The Maze for an honest review. It has been a very long time since I read a book by Nelson DeMille. I was excited to have the chance to get back into reading a book of his. Maybe it’s been too long and I am too old now but I just couldn’t get into this book. I’m sure there are many fans that enjoy this type of humor but it’s just not for me. I wouldn’t be able to recommend it.