Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Sadly, 2 stars was the most I could give this book - I just didn't really enjoy it. On the positive side, it had an interesting premise that's always good for a thriller - a whole bunch of corrupt ex-cops, cops, and public officials, all either blackmailing or being blackmailed, and with plenty of heavy duty armaments and other equipment, and happy to use it.

But, on the downside, we had an incredibly tedious and annoying main character, John Corey. Way too many snarky comments that were supposed to be clever, but that were enormously over-used and tedious. The sexism was over the top, including constant "cute" references to women's body parts. The egotism was absolutely unbelievable, as he repeatedly told us how he was the cleverest, toughest detective ever, and was just too awesome to ever use common sense rather than relying on his balls to guide his actions. And, there was apparently no woman in the world who wasn't panting along after him, just insanely committed to having sex with him.

Basically, all of this made the book tedious and annoying.

Before reading The Maze, I had never read anything by Nelson DeMille.. But I can now see why his writing is so popular. The Maze is the latest in a series of DeMille novels involving the exploits of former NYPD detective and FBI agent John Corey. And like his prior novels, this one is also set on Long Island. DeMille's eminently readable prose is rich with dialogue, interspersed with Corey's snarky thoughts.
The premise for Corey's latest adventure is that he is now on disability, but not very disabled and, although still craving for dangerous assignments, is talked into taking a presumptively cushy job with a private security firm by a detective who happens to be his former and soon to be current lover. Unsolved murders, a suspicious suicide and possible corruption of pubic officials are wrapped together in a very entertaining read. I highly recommend it.

Over the years, I have matured, as should be hoped, and I have become much more aware of acceptable social interaction. John Corey is well aware of how he should be treating people and refuses. While the mystery part of the story was engaging and interesting, Corey's flip commentary was not as funny as it used to be. Reader beware.

I have read Nelson DeMilld in he past and he’s a good author. This wasn’t one of my favorites that he’s written. The plot was slow and the language inappropriate. Just couldn’t get into this book. Thank you for net galley and the publisher for an ARC of this book

The Maze is apparently book 8 in the John Corey series. I haven’t read any of the other books, so this can easily be a stand alone book.

This was an old school, hard boiled detective story and I enjoyed it. Plenty of sarcasm and politically incorrect humor. Not so much a mystery as we know who the bad guys are, the mystery is whether or not John Corey will win or will the bad guys win.

The story builds kind of slowly, but then really kicks it up a notch at the end. Even though we generally know who the bad guys are, there is enough fluidity and uncertainty in some of the characters to keep you guessing.

I will definitely read more in this series and more from this author. I received an ARC of the book.

A thrilling story from start to finish! A storytelling masterpiece that captures the reader's attention from the beginning and doesn't let go until the final twist. The characters come alive on the pages of the story, and it takes a talented storyteller to achieve this. I highly recommend this book.

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for this review copy, I received this review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I've read all of the previous John Corey books and enjoyed them. for some reason, I found this one to be more of a slog. To me, the many snide "sidebars" were distracting and, in the volume presented, to be too many. While this won't stop me from reading more books in the series, I can say that this one was not a favorite.

Nelson Camille has written some of my favorite books and while I've enjoyed his John Corey character in the past, this one just didn't cut it. I could not get into and didn't even want to waste my time finishing it. I think I'm done with this series but may read future books by this author. My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a galley of this book for review.

Thank you for the advance of this title. It’s been a while since I read a john Corey. I was able to put the misogyny aside for the suspense and I found the novel to be a fast read. Although the characters weren’t as likable as I’d remembered ( John and Beth) I was glad to see them together again. Fast paced and a page turned. A bit predictable at times. Love the setting out east and the shout out to some favorite local spots.

I have always enjoyed this writer's work, and was certainly not disappointed this time. I do have to admit that the intro regarding his new love talking the hero into this adventure was getting a bit tedious, but just as I was ready to quit, the story took off and I was up til 3 AM to finish.

I was disappointed in the new Nelson DemIlle novel, "The Maze". I found it predictable, almost silly at times and not much different from the last one of his I read. I got through the first third and then skimmed the remainder because I lost interest. Hoping the next one in the series will be better.

This is the 4th 'John Corey' story that I've read (& the 8th that DeMille has written).......& while it has been a while since I've read in the series.....I don't remember the hero of the story being so caustic. While some of the humor drew a audible chuckle, more of it was not that funny at all. I just didn't feel the 'thriller' aspect of past Nelson DeMille books, which I really enjoyed......this one felt a couple steps down from his usual output....I gave 3 stars, but probably could've gone with 2.......as I actually finished 2 other books while reading this one... I was able to put the book down & opt for another. I think I wanted to like this book more than I actually did, just because of my past history of liking DeMille's works. I'd probably read the next 'John Corey' book, but if it continues in this vein ....I'll probably be done. I guess, all in all, it was ok read....but not up to normal N. DeMille standards.....in my opinion! (I did like the Acknowledgements & Author's Note at the end where he addresses the naming of his characters.)
In the interest of full disclosure, I did receive a free ARC from publisher Scribner via NetGalley, in return for reading & posting my own fair & honest review. These are my own opinions.

If you like police procedural books, then you will probably like this one. I thought it was a good sequel, but not a great standalone. I do think there were a lot of moments that were definitely not PC, so content warnings are important.

I haven't read any part of this series, and after reading this book I don't want to read any more of it.

This book was excruciating to get through. John Corey was absolutely horrid, and I could not stand any part of him. I also couldn't stand the repetition of his big plan and how full of himself he was. I get that he's a big bad cop and he's famous for the things he has done but I don't need to hear about it every other word. Nor do I need to read him constantly mentioning himself in the third person.

I have seen mixed reviews from readers who have actually read the previous books in this series and how they can't stomach this one either. That has to say something about where this series is going and I'm neither interested in going back no forward with it.

I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. Unfortunately this is not one that I recommend.

I’ve read all of Nelson DeMille’s books, and I likedd them, especially the John Corey books. However, in this book it seems like Corey and the other male characters have gone back to a time where sexist and misogynistic language was accepted and considered humorous.

The language really crossed the line unfortunately, and it detracted from the plot. 3 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

This is the 8th book in the John Corey series and I think people will either love it or hate it. There isn't going to be much in between here. This series started long ago and though times have changed, John Corey has not. I liked that about the book. He is still a self loving, egotistical, arrogant, misogynist, who always get the girl! Some people have complained that the author didn't make the MC change with the times, but I am glad he stayed true to the character. I thought the inner dialogue, though funny, was a little too much with this one. I also thought it started slower than most of DeMille's books. I felt like I was reading for a long time before anything happened. The last half though was great! It was fast paced, racey and full of tense action. I love that he was reunited with Beth, while of course having other temptations pulling his attention. I am a fan of the series and will continue to read them as long as they are written, but beware if this type of character triggers you.

A n interesting story with a unconventional PI. The characters are little over the top but interesting with lots of twists and surprises.

This book was a great read. I really enjoyed it and I am looking forward to seeing the next installment in the series. Some of the book was predicable but I got lost in the world that Nelson DeMille created . This book is crass in some parts so if locker room banter and comments offend you please stay away.

Yikes! It has been a long time since I have read Nelson Demille, and I was not super happy with this novel. The tone felt off, lots of misogyny undertones, and just way too off beat humor that I didn't think was funny.

Plum Island was a fave of mine years ago, and I was so happy to dive back into this world. I left feeling quite disappointed and this was almost a DNF for me.

John Corey cannot succeed at retiring. He fails his latest attempt when he is called into service to join a Private Investigation agency that may be doing much more than investigating. Corruption, murders of sex workers, embezzlement - it's all possible, if only Corey can go undercover deeply enough to investigate them and find out the extent of the company's illegal activities. A quick read with Corey's usual wit and "charming" quips will draw DeMille readers in once again for a wild ride.