This is my first and definatley last John Corey book. A little too long-winded about himself and too much juvenile commentary for me to handle. I stopped reading. Perhaps if I had been with the series from the beginning John would have grown on me. Thank you for the chance to check out this book.

John Corey and his detective skills are amazing in this mystery after the Plum Island novel
The story is so well crafted with layers that struck so many emotions and thoughts about the situation as well as the characters.

A spine chiller story that is full of suspense and thought provoking ideas.

This book was the first one I read in the John Corey saga. It was good because it gave a lot if background if you haven't read the other books. The story was easy to follow and a fast easy read. I am from New York so I remember the bodies that were found on Gilgo Beach. It was a sort of side story to the main storyline. Without giving to much away, John Corey is recruited to go undercover at Security Solutions, a PI firm that is hiding something. All the local cops, detectives, judges and politicians are being black mailed by the owner, Landowski. With all the locals in his debt it gives Land oasis the ability to do whatever he wants including get away with murder literally. It's up to Corey to get information to a group of detectives working secretly to get the the goods to bring down the entire operation. If you follow Corey in other books you know he doesn't always play by the rules and things don't always go as planned.

Hard to put down in the end with a fast paced finish. John Corey is as wise-cracking as ever and never backs away from a bad guy or a challenge. Lines blur between the good guys and the bad when blackmail is involved. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced readers copy. DeMille kept me on the edge of my seat and did not disappoint.

It’s been awhile since I read a Nelson DeMille novel and I was looking forward to catching up. At first I really enjoyed it; John Corey reminded me of Harry Bosch only with a sense of humor. But after awhile I got tired of the sex jokes, the ex-wife jokes, and they stopped being funny, so I stopped reading. I didn’t finish, so maybe it got better but I did get about half way through. I loved DeMille’s prior works, maybe I’ll read them again.

The eighth Nelson DeMille thriller featuring John Corey opens with the retired NYPD homicide detective and federal agent contemplating what looks to be a very boring summer. That is, until a former colleague and lover approaches him with a job offer. Although she is not quite straight with him, he soon figures out the job with a detective agency is meant to give Corey the cover to investigate a possible serial killer. Since Corey is a danger junkie, there is no doubt he will be applying for the job.
Reading a John Corey adventure puts me in mind of another favorite, Jack Reacher, but although just as skilled as Reacher, Corey’s personality could not be any different. Where Reacher is a man of few words, Corey takes on the task as narrator and spins the story with outrageous humor and braggadocio. Where Reacher has no romantic entanglements, Corey has a trail of marriages, divorces, liaisons and one-night stands, and all without apology.
Aside from a section of the narrative which slows down while Corey explains to the reader all his strategies, the rest of the book is thoroughly entertaining. The action was slow arriving, but when it finally started we were ready for Corey to do what he does best — think fast, take risks, and beat the bad guys.

Who's not excited when a new Nelson DeMille book comes out? And John Corey no less! Very nice. Right away let me say, Recommended. Really enjoyed this story, I think maybe in part because I got a little bit of a Gold Coast vibe on this one. Maybe its just the setting. Our boy John is chilling and bored at Uncle Harry;s place out of the city as we begin. Bored John is not a good thing. In walks a few old friends and exes and viola! John is back in action. Under-cover action as a PI. Not the greatest gig in his mind, but maybe, just maybe, he can get shot at or something, so there's that right? Thats the set up and that's what makes this one different for me. There is not a lot of action in the first two-thirds of the book, but ends with a big bang. However, during that 2/3's Mr. Corey is hitting it on all cylinders! Laugh out loud funny, smart ass conversations, interesting characters and of course the mystery that we're looking into at the odd farmhouse that is his new work place. It all comes boiling to a head as John unravels the mystery, the lies and the good ones from the bad. Excellent dialog and a quick pace made this a fun, enjoyable book. Love Mr. DeMilles books.

Wise-cracking, snarky former NYPD detective John Corey is taking a holiday in Long Island after being forced to retire from both the FBI and the Diplomatic Surveillance Group when he meets up with his former lover Beth Penrose. She suggests that he take a job with a local investigative service whose head, a former vice-squad cop, is thrilled to have the fabled Corey on staff. But not all is as it appears with the firm or its staff, and there's what appears to be a serial killer at work in the quiet beach community too. Never one to let well enough alone, Corey promptly puts his foot in a deep layer of muck as he tries to unravel everything going on, from Beth's motivation for reconnecting to the local PD's inaction on the murders, to his new colleagues.

The problem with The Maze, however, is that everything's telegraphed so early that there's no mystery nor any sort of surprise at any point in the book. Even as it comes to its dramatic final act, the reveals are so ho-hum that revealing them wouldn't count as a spoiler [don't worry, I won't reveal anything!]. DeMille is an excellent writer and the book is a fast read, but it's a summer beach thriller that has lazy plotting and leans too much on Corey's no-BS, sarcastic personality. An occasional candid thought followed by him saying something different is fun, but when every single sentence has that format, it's overdone and becomes tedious. Disappointing.

I will leave a review on Amazon and B&N on Oct. 11th

The Maze is the eight book in the John Corey series by Nelson DeMille. I had only previously read one of his books, it also was from this series that one for me was much too busy, but I really did enjoy this one a lot more. John usually appears to be at loose ends either recovering from gunshot wounds or some other type of disaster. In this book he reunites with one of his old flames, lol he certainly does get around. Going undercover things don't go as expected but that too is to be expected I have found in only reading two of these books. I most definitely would recommend it to others.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Scribner, the opinion expressed here are all my own.

This was my first book by Nelson DeMille, and likely my last. While I know it's a disservice to start mid-series, the problems in this book went beyond that. The protagonist reads like a fourteen-year-old boy's power fantasy trapped in a middle-aged body. Maybe he would have been more likable if I'd gotten to know him over the course of previous books, but my gut says no.

I counted three mazes in this well-named book. First there is the ongoing maze that has been John Corey’s life—a maze consisting of past wives, girlfriends, and divorces as well as the twists and turns of his career path. I was once told that a good detective should be a flawed person and Detective John Corey definitely fits that bill.

Then there is the maze-like case that his latest girlfriend, Beth Penrose, has convinced him to take up. It is filled with a vast assortment of potential blind alleys, twists, and turns as Corey tries to determine who are the crooked cops, the dirty politicians, and the judicial personal on the take.

Finally there is the large hedge maze adjacent to the Security Solutions property that Corey now calls his workplace. All three mazes take front and center at some point during the novel.

Unfortunately the journey through the maze of Corey’s past and beginning to understand the framework of Security Solutions and the case set before the detective slowed the novel down. When I finally got to the suspense portion of the novel, things picked up and became very interesting, but getting there was slow going.

For those who are dedicated fans of the John Corey books by Nelson DeMille, this latest novel in the series should not be missed. For me, however, it did not match up to the first couple in the series.

A group of dead bodies were discovered on Fire Island, a resort area off the coast of Long Island. Investigators discovered that they were the bodies of young prostitutes who had been killed elsewhere. Homicide detective Beth Penrose investigated the murders and was led to Security Solutions, a private detective agency in Suffolk county. The agency was run by Steve Landowski, a former NYPL detective and most of his employees were also retired law enforcement officers.
Steve seemed to have well connected friends in law enforcement and political circles in Suffolk county. So Beth was told to stop her investigation and reassigned. Beth and a covert group of mostly female police officers were convinced that Security Solutions employees were involved in the murders. So she asked her one time boyfriend, John Corey, to seek a job at that business to snoop around. John, a hero NYPL detective and former FBI investigator, was bored in his forced retirement and agreed to join the detective agency.
John quickly discovered that Landowski and his employees lavishly entertained local police officials and politicians at stag nights in their headquarters which was filled security cameras. So John decided to gather evidence of corruption to present to the FBI.
This is one of a series of John Corey adventures. John is famous for his politically incorrect comments and thoughts which are all over this fast moving book. I enjoyed it as well as other books by this author. The Gilgo Beach murders, upon which this book is based, are still unsolved.
I received this ARC from the publisher and Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

The Maze is the first book by Nelson DeMille that I have read. I must admit that it was only OK for me. It was like being in John Corey's head and listening to all his thoughts. This was OK in the beginning of the book but became tiresome. The author should let the reader think about what is going on in the background. I wanted to say get to the point. I must admit that I thought about not finishing this book but kept going. Actually the ending was quite good. If only the rest of the book was like that. I hope the next DeMille book I read will be better.

Thank you to #netgalley for a copy of this book for review.

Mystery story featuring retired detective and former FBI agent John Corey. While vacationing at his uncle's house, he is roped into investigating the murders of multiple women. The more involved he gets, the more he has to hide from his lover and the more he has to lose.
As a person, John can be brash and obnoxious. But, as a cop or undercover agent, he often gets the job done.

I begin by saying that I have read and enjoyed the prior John Corey books by Nelson DeMille. This one, however, was a disappointment. Several things seemed off to me including the incessant imaginary comments that Corey made. They became boring and repetitive and sounded quite like those of an adolescent… no insult to teens! The plot was marginally believable but his relationship with Beth Penrose seemed forced, fake and developed way too quickly. There are other examples of unrealistic happenings but they would be spoilers. It was difficult to care about most of the secondary characters because there was very little background about them. The finale strained credibility. If John took similar risks in prior escapades he would not still be with us.
Let’s hope the next appearance of John Corey will be a more engaging one!

When the opportunity came up from Scribner and NetGalley to review a new DeMille John Corey book I grabbed at it, since it had been a long time since I last read one in the series. I was disappointed at the older but supposedly more mature John Corey, which might explain why I really did struggle with this book. The young Corey was idealistic, a good guy who always wanted to do what was right. Of course, he was full of himself back when, but now very experienced in police work, CIA, and FBI entanglements and antiterrorism he just is so full of himself. Five divorces didn’t help much. The Corey of today is so full of himself that it took almost the first half of the book to establish his new but boring character taking a way from what was a decent plot.
Wallowing away in retirement, taking some time off to regroup at his Uncle Harry’s, but anxious to get back in the game, an old flame, Beth Penrose approaches him to do become a confidential informant for her as she works a case of suspected murder and corruption. Murder, corruption, crooked politicians, and sex are all intertwined providing a full mix of plots. What you don’t get is the John Corey that wasn’t so sure of himself, hard working and determined to get the bad guy.
As the book’s title suggests what you do get is a “Maze” of corruption for John to figure out. Being his old impetuous self drives the second half of the book as he weeds the corruption in small town New York.
Again thank you to Net galley and Scribner for [providing me an ARC of this soon to be published book.

Nelson DeMille once again uses Long Island as the setting for another shoot 'em up good guy v bad guy novel.

Though the premise is a little off the wall, the story is well told with enough twists to retain a reader's interest.

The main character, a former NYPD detective, former FBI agent etc is a mite too glib and nonchalant for my taste but his glibness to temper a bit as the book progresses. Also I felt that too much of the book was spent "setting the scene" and a bit too little doing what the character does best.

All in all, a good beach/vacation read.

“The Maze” by Nelson Demille, is a great novel, and at times It definitely will keep you on the edge of your seat. John Corey, the main character has a great sense of humor especially with his unsaid comments. I have not read any of Demille’s John Corey novels but was still able to understand what was going on and I will definitely read more!
John is retired from many law enforcement agencies including the FBI. After several years John’s ex-girlfriend, Beth contacts him with the pretense of getting back together, but she has an ulterior motive! She and a co-worker want John to go back to work as a PI in a prestigious firm. This is just the tip of the iceberg as the PI agency is a front for lots of illegal activity. John reluctantly accepts the job and uncovers disturbing activity.
I really enjoyed this novel. The beginning gives you a lot of information about the characters and what they are planning to do. When you get towards the end it is so suspenseful and action packed that I could not put it down!! If you enjoy a great mystery/thriller with lots of sarcastic humor, you will love this book. Thank you to Scribner and Netgalley for this ARC.

I am so disappointed in this, the latest John Corey adventure, by Nelson DeMille. I should have realized that the first time he presented the character was the charm. Going forward it is only trying for sales. There were a few laughs in the beginning...a few noteworthy John Corey quotes. Then is became ridiculous and tedious. Sorry Nelson DeMille. I really, really wanted to love this.

It's been a few years since I've read anything by Nelson DeMille but I'm glad I got the opportunity to dive into another one of his novels. This is the first John Corey book I've read - so now I'll definitely go back and read the rest. The storyline was exciting and kept me interested. If I was the editor I would probably remove some of the sarcastic asides that are funny...but too frequent. The story and the character holds its own without the need for all the extra jabs. I will definitely recommend this book for anyone loving DeMille-style books.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC!