This book did not end up capturing me, and I did not complete it. It was not quite what the summary suggested.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner books for this advanced reader copy. I love Nelson DeMille's books and John Corey is one of my favorite fictional protagonists. Here, John is recuperating from his last outing, laying low at his uncle's summer home fully expecting Russian agents to pop out of the woodwork at any second in retaliationfor his last outing. Instead he's visited by an old girlfriend, Detective Beth Penrose, who along with another old police officer friend suggest he join a local PI firm with dodgy participants and links to serial homicides. John instantly becomes suspicious and realizes he's being used in some way. As always, John's personality and character come shining through with witty dialogue and writing, but I found it hard to understand why it took almost half the book to get to the crux of the plot. Once the author got down to business and started moving the action along, the book picked right up. Would definitely recommend as it was very entertaining.

I've been a fan of Nelson DeMille's books for decades, but The Maze was a disappointment. John Corey seemed stale and predictable, and the plot twists were unsurprising. While I have enjoyed John Corey's sarcasm and wit in past books, in The Maze his "humor" came across as misogynistic and offensive. It's a shame his character hasn't evolved more with the times.

I appreciate NetGalley giving me an ARC. This is the rare galley that I found wanting

Has Nelson DeMille been living in a cave for the last few years? I found this book to be pretty offensive and one in which misogyny played a key role.

I have so enjoyed this author's previous books like Gold Coast being a former resident of the area DeMille is rather fond of, but unfortunately in his striving to be funny and quick witted, his character, John Corey comes off as a total Sh**head, and one that made my skin crawl. Everyone has met a man like John, and if smart has run the other way.

This book did both shock and sadden me as the author thought this kind of book was appealing. Sad to say, it did not appeal to me one iota.

Thank you for NetGalley for a copy of this book.

I have read all of the John Corey stories and have enjoyed all of them, matter fact, I don’t remember ever laughing so hard at a story as I have in the John Cory series. This eighth story in the series has me a little on the fence. It doesn’t seem to be of the same caliber has the previous stories before it. I guess I would say read it for yourself and see what you think.


I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Interesting story line of ex detective John Corey. He’s led an interesting life and now everyone wants him to work at a PI agency. As soon as he walks through the door he sees why everyone pushed him to go. At times the character can be a little vulgar but the plot keeps you entertained.

I haven't read any other Nelson DeMillie books so I was not aware of what I was getting myself into. The main character, John was not likable and that ruined a fair amount of the story. The plot itself was good as I am fascinated by true crime and it is based on a true crime case in long island where a serial killer was murdering sex workers. Overall I may have enjoyed it more if I had read the other books in the series first so I knew what I was getting myself into. I may go back and try the first book in the series but I am not decided on that for sure yet.

John Corey is getting to be a bit much with the jokes after the me too movement. He was once charming but has lost some of that as he ages and comes across at times a dirty old man. However, he still has mad skills and the action doesn't disappoint. Not a bad read just not my favorite.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

I enjoyed this book especially being I live on Long Island where it is based. Nelson DeMille never disappoints. Glad he is back!

Nelson DeMille has written yet another gripping tale of a serial killer who is systematically murdering women in the sex trade and dumping/hiding their bodies on a Long Island beach. The story is a fictionalized version of a real events that occurred on Long Island, New York. With few clues to go on, there was seemingly little effort to find the killer of these women. John Corey just can’t sit back and enjoy his retirement. After all he didn’t truly want it and he is his work. Initially he believed the lack of evidence mixed with incompetence & lack of concern were why there was no resolution to the murders. Once he starts to investigate he starts to believe something more sinister is afoot. And so he continues to relentlessly dig what he finds is chilling. It was a good read and nice to revisit with John. Not my favorite in the series, but still great to be back with John Corey and Nelson DeMille.

The was my first Nelson DeMille book with the John Corey character. I did not care for this character at all … finding him to be obnoxious and full of himself. This totally detracted from my enjoyment of the book.

I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Maze is the eighth and latest book in the Detective John Corey series. I hadn't read any of the other books, so I was happy that this one stood fine on its own without requiring any previous knowledge.

The writing and pacing kept me reading and the plot was enjoyable, though predictable.

My main issue with the book lies with its main character, John Corey. He was fun for a while but became more and more difficult to like as the book progressed. I can't say for certain since I haven't read the earlier books in the series, but I'm going to guess that the character, who would have been your average cool detective two decades ago, hasn't evolved since he was first introduced back then. This is perfectly fine if the author is targeting a specific older generation to be his primary audience, but maybe not if he's looking to gain readers under the age of 50.

Criticism aside, I didn't dislike the book, I just wouldn't be interested in reading any of the others in this series.

I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

DNF: 13%

I wanted to read this mostly for the inspiration material. I'm very familiar with Long Island and I've heard of the Gilgo Beach murders. I enjoy the occasional police/FBI/CIA procedural. Sarcasm and dry humor are my bread and butter. This seemed like it would be a slam dunk - an easy but entertaining read.

I could not have been more wrong.

John Corey is a terrible character. He's a crass, xenophobic, misogynistic pig. He reads like a Boomer who hates that the world has changed and who has almost zero self-awareness. The things that annoy him - the server's "No problem." in response to a request - are classic Boomer complaints. He doesn't fit into the world of today.

This feels like copaganda - and poorly done copaganda at that. Since the story is told in first person from John's point of view, we're able to see how he misses "the good ol' days" when cops were treated like royalty and weren't held accountable for their actions. But he's such an a**hole that it doesn't engender any sympathy. It just makes him seem more out of touch and cranky.

Based on other reviews from fans of this author's work, this is a despicable departure in quality from his existing body of work. Avoid this book at all costs!

Unfortunately, I will not be finishing this book. I did not connect with John Corey or relate to his sense of humor. I found him to be obnoxious and full of himself. I read just under 20% of the book before calling it quits and I had yet to see the start of the hunt for the serial killer. If you are a John Corey fan please do not let my review keep you from reading this book. I imagine fans of John's will be thrilled he is back.

Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5 stars
John Corey is an out of the box thinker with a New York state of mind and cavalier attitude.

This case is interesting and keeps you on your toes. It also sees the return of Beth from Plum Island.

I highly recommend you read the books in order or you’ll be left in the dark even though it’s explained, you won’t get the full picture.

I really liked the detective plot line of this book and the John Corey novels, what I didn’t like is the “personal life” plot line. In my opinion, that could/should have been less prevalent. I found myself skipping those parts as they didn’t pertain to the story at hand.

If you don’t mind the personal life sideline brought forth during an active investigation, then you will really like this book/series.

Even though I've always enjoyed John Corey's sharp, occasionally biting humor, I must admit that I struggled with the most recent book in this series. Even though I occasionally laughed, I found the persona of John Corey to be disrespectful for the most part because I just couldn't handle the "humor." He may have been really entertaining when I first started to like him, but circumstances have changed, and John Corey now comes across as a misogynistic pig. In all honesty, the problem might just be that John hasn't developed the same level of social and self-awareness that I have. Regardless, I'm the wrong person to read this series right now.
Even the mystery itself was lacking in many ways.

Great book. It was very slow getting started, but once the action began, it really took off. My husband and I both enjoy DeMille's books.

DeMille books I had read include The Charm School, The Generals Daughter…. I had never read a John Corey story before this one and I will certainly be looking them up now!
John is a retired NYPD officer and has much experience with other agencies, not always in a good way.
His rapid thinking, speechifying, grandiose dialogue is amusing on many levels. Underneath all of this bravado is a truly good cop.
In this story he is recruited by an ex flame to help solve nine murders in a small town.
Full of action and humor, this is a great read. Entertaining and fast chapters make it fun guessing how and who are involved.
Highly recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me this ARC.

good new entry into the john corey series. you know what you will be getting into, no surprises for the ill but not earth shattering and redefining the series.

"The Maze" by Nelson DeMille is a good, fast paced thriller, full of twist and turns in the plot as well as many references to Long Island (which I personally appreciated). Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the review copy. All opinions are my own.