“The Maze” is Nelson DeMille’s latest offering in the John Corey series. Those who are Corey fans will probably love it. I haven’t read a Corey novel in quite some time. Even though I’m a great fan of Nelson DeMille’s, I’m giving this three stars.

As the novel begins, Corey is somewhat at loose ends. Having ticked off various superiors at the FBI and other federal agencies, the former NYPD detective no longer works for federal law enforcement. And having enraged a number of terrorists and criminals, he’s gone to ground at his uncle’s place on the North Fork of Long Island where he’s watching his back and ducking ex-wives and girlfriends. Enter ex-girlfriend Detective Beth Penrose who wants Corey’s undercover help investigating a string of grisly murders and to re-connect with Corey romantically. Corey agrees and enters a world in which he’s sure to infuriate some very powerful people.

My problem with the novel is Corey himself. He just won’t get out of the way of the story. His wise-cracking is incessant. Most of his jokes are not very funny. Many are of a sexual nature. Some are in really bad taste. Tasteless or not, they’re distracting and interfere with the flow of the story.

And they cannot camouflage the fact that, at least in this story, there’s very little that’s special about Corey. He’s supposed to be a brilliant detective. But none of that supposed brilliance is on display. He uses no special skills to discover evidence. He makes no stunning deductions. Instead, DeMille uses him to broadcast assumptions, based on barely any proof, in order to move the story along. Otherwise, he’s kind of a “bull in a china shop,” more blunt instrument than creator of clever solutions. Moreover, he’s hardly heroic. In fact, he’s only a little less morally compromised than some of the “villains” he’s pursuing. All the wise-cracking in the world can’t disguise that.

Nevertheless, there is a story here. And there are characters and settings. And the writing is professional. And the ending is somewhat exciting, albeit not all that surprising.

On a final note, some readers may wish to be advised that “The Maze” includes a good amount of sexual and violent content including murder, prostitution, voyeurism, nudity, and profanity as well as scenes that are sexually explicit.

My thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with an electronic ARC. The foregoing is my independent opinion.

God, John Corey is such an asshole. Like, I would HATE this guy if I ever met him in real life and if, you know, he were a real person. That said, I love to read his adventures. If you've never experienced John Corey, stop reading my silly review and go pick up a copy of Plum Island, the first book by DeMille featuring this absolute jackass who always manages to get the job done.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. When I saw that there was a new John Corey book coming out this fall, I was beyond excited. I started reading the series over a decade ago and am always happy to see a new installment.

The Maze starts similarly to Plum Island. Corey is unemployed and spending the summer at his uncle Harry's house on Long Island again when he gets sucked into a murder investigation with some old friends. As always, Corey is sarcastic, bullish, and impossible but still somehow endearing (again, probably because he's fictional... this guy in real life would be a nightmare). The Maze is just as entertaining, suspenseful, and funny as the other books in the series and I highly recommend it!

So happy to read another John Corey story! This one does not disappoint! A dicey situation (always) and John's sarcasm is on point! Keep them coming!!!

A real page-turner. Starts out with John enjoying a lot of downtime and, of course, a wicked shoot-out at the end. It starts so slowly that the reader thinks this is just a normal part of John's life. Accelerates so quickly into a fantastic mix of evils. Unfortunately, to me, as the book goes on, it needs to be redacted more and more for the language. Otherwise a great read.

This book was a bit different! I did enjoy reading this book but I didn't like the almost every other paragraph the main character would tell like an inside joke?! I don't know at first it was funny but it went on through the whole book?! It was like ok enough already! lol but it still was a good book besides that! It had suspense, intrigue, action, and a good storyline! I would recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! That one thing just aggravated me lol thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Hey Nelson, the 50’s are calling…they want their misogyny back. Whatever enjoyment I may have gotten from a quick read action book like this was seriously undermined by the unbelievable, 1950’s era misogyny peppered throughout the book. The smug, quip spewing, swaggering protagonist, John Corey, gives us such gems as “she has a new guy, making me think she’s had more fresh mounts than a pony express rider” and “somewhere under her form-fitting jacket was a 40-caliber Glock, with room left over for her big guns.” Seriously, it’s 2022, this is just not cool and gave me Travis McGee flashbacks. I was thisclose to not finishing it, something I reserve for the worst of the worst, but soldiered on, hoping for better things. The plot was action-packed, with a tease of linkage to the tragic and still unsolved Gilgo Four murders. This tease never really went anywhere, and seemed like a cheap attention grab and pointless plot device. There was also a large bunch of stereotypical law and order caricatures, all fairly unlikeable. So after all was said and done, this was an uncomplicated, basic throwaway action book undermined by its mix of equal parts of annoying BDE & horrible, soulless, corrupt characters. Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC.

I'm a huge fan of DeMille and have read all of his; and the John Corey books are my favorite so I loved this one! Seriously, I was laughing out loud as Corey is a self-effacing and downright hilarious character! In this novel, he's back with a former girlfriend (yes, many girlfriends and wives) and is "invited" to be part of Security Solutions with a lucrative salary and many "perks" that only select men can enjoy. The action is non-stop and the tension is high which kept me reading until the end--which is always satisfying even when we aren't sure who the bad guys are! I will continue to read these novels as they are entertaining and keep me laughing! And on a side note, I met DeMille 22 years ago at a book signing in SD for The Lion's Game and he's just as awesome as Corey is!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

I was disappointed with The Maze. The book was over 900 pages and would have been better at half that page count. Sadly I found the book to be excessively verbose to the point of it detracting from the plot.

Another incredible read by DeMille! John Corey is one of my favorite characters! There is intrigue, corruption, action and Corey's signature sarcasm and wit! I spent equal time biting my nails and laughing out loud. The story is part of a series, but you can easily read it as a stand-alone book. There is enough foundation in the book to fill in past highlights. That said, I have really enjoyed reading the books in order to see how Corey has developed as a character and to see how his priorities and relationships have changed with him. Corey is downgrading recently from international to national, and now to small town corruption. He brings his "I have a better plan' with him to all situations. He is not always right, but he knows how to capitalize on any situation! Love this author! Loved this book!

In exchange for a review, I received a free copy of this book. Therefore, I read the book to the end. The book moved slow and the ending was predictable.

Thank you to The Publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an Advanced Copy of The Maze. Plum Island was the first book I recall reading in my adult life, that started my love of reading. The Maze is the 8th installment in the John Corey series, but the first since Radiant Angel in 2015, so it has been a long time coming for my first favorite character.

Note to potential readers: If you have not read any of the John Corey novels before, or are too Politically Correct, then Detective John Corey's demeanor may not be your style. On the flip side, if you like your characters to be full of bravado and crass humor, along with some sexual content, then this is the book for you.

Former NYPD detective, John Corey, finds himself back at his Uncle Harry's cottage where we first met him in Plum Island. We also get reacquainted with former lover Beth Pinrose, though he is still married (estranged) from Kate Mayfield. In typical John Corey fashion he thinks with his small brain more often than his big brain and finds himself in another dangerous situation which is the only way he wants to live.

This time he finds himself pursuing a potential new career as a PI. Detective Beth Penrose thinks it will be good for him since he has burned all bridges from prior employment, plus offers him a living arrangement she knows he won't say no to. Of course Corey is not interested in a PI gig, but he can't refuse the opportunity to be with Beth again, so he decides to check it out, only to realize this is a new case that he has been lured into.

Working for Security Solutions comes with fringe benefits and working with old comrades who are all retired Police. But what is behind Security Solutions enterprise is what John Corey intends to find out, in only true John Corey fashion with a fast mouth and guns blazing.

I fear this may be the last time we see Detective Corey from the monthly emails i receive from Nelson Demille, although i truly hope not. Nelson Demille is a fabulous author who i love to read anything and everything he writes. Do yourself a favor and Pre-Order The Maze, and make sure you are caught up to date on all previous John Corey novels.

John Corey is staying at his uncle’s home in the Hamptons, Trying to relax but if afraid people are out to kill him. This is in fact left over from a previous novel (which I didn’t read) but it helps to get to know the character. At first, I thought he was a bit paranoid. He is then asked to apply for a job with a PI firm, but he really doesn’t want to. But he does want to bed the police detective that asked him to. They were once involved (and I guess this happened in previous stories). He figures out (being a good detective) that he is to be an undercover informant as the PI firm is doing some very bad things, including murder. John takes things into his own hands. This is a fast paced novel, with a lot of sexual situations and conversations John has inside his head. At first I didn’t care for that, but it grew on me and made him more comical. Overall, it was a very enjoyable read and leaves it open for more stories of John on the east end of Long Island.

Inspired by, and based on the actual and still unsolved Gilgo Beach murders, The Mazeputs fan favorite John Corey on a dangerous hunt for an apparent serial killer who has murdered nine—and maybe more—prostitutes and hidden their bodies in the thick undergrowth on a lonely stretch of beach.

As Corey digs deeper into this case, which has made national news, he comes to suspect that the failure of the local police to solve this sensational case may not be a result of their inexperience and incompetence—it may be something else. Something more sinister.

The Maze features John Corey’s politically incorrect frat boy humor, which at times is hard to take. As he blunders along in his quest to take down corrupt police and politicians who may be protecting the murderer, he does everything but take them down. By the shocking end, this reader wondered if it wasn't"t past time for John Corey to be put out to pasture for good.

I have read all of the John Corey books and this latest offering does not disappoint! Great read that keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole ride!

I've read almost all of Nelson DeMille's books over the years, and enjoyed them, including this series. For some reason the voice of the main character, the dialogue, his inner monologue, didn't appeal to me. Not sure what the difference is, since as I said, I have read most of this other books. We will definitely buy multiple copies, but I decided to move on to read something else. Thanks for an early look :)

This was my first DeMille book so I didn't know what to expect. The main character, John, has some funny and cute quips (mostly sexual) while pretty much nothing is happening in the book. You get a little background - he's ex law enforcement. The second main character, Beth, is current law enforcement and is a hottie and attracted to John, and yes, they have a history. About 40% through the book, Beth narrates the entire plot of the book (except the ending) This goes on for a few chapters - and it's just me, but I'd rather have the plot unfold from the beginning. Anyway, John takes a job Beth pressed him to get, and on the surface, the company is law enforcement but not attached to any agency. But underneath, shadows and death lingers. John starts on a Thursday and that evening there is a party - with strippers - of course! This is after the "receptionist" gives him a blow job.
The word "fuck" is used prolifically. I got tired of reading all the sexual innuendoes and gave up. Some people will really love this book - certainly men will and probably women. I couldn't take any more. You can have a good murder mystery without referring to your dick on every page.
Are all his novels like this?

I love this series and the main character. He is full of himself but I like that about him! I think the suspense was good and I really liked all of the other characters in this book. You need to read the whole series to appreciate the main character. Thanks for letting me review this book!

The most amazing mid-summer gift fell into my lap last week. Yes, of course, it was a book. Not just any old book though. It’s the latest from Nelson DeMille. Titled The Maze, it’s scheduled for release in October.

I’ve been waiting for it for a while since its protagonist is retired NYPD homicide detective, John Corey who was introduced to us in 1997 in DeMille’s bestseller, Plum Island. That thriller was set on the North Fork as is my own latest thriller, Fool Her Once. In The Maze, DeMille was expected to bring John Corey back to the North Fork. To say I was waiting impatiently would be an understatement.

Then, out of the blue, I received an email from NetGalley, a service that provides advance digital review copies, aka galley proofs, from authors and publishers to bloggers and book reviewers. Regular consumers too can request books but are not always likely to be approved — like I was not several years back before my blog took off and before Fool Her Once was published.

Total Surprise

Anyway, there it was, an unexpected, unsolicited email from NetGalley with the subject line: “Read Nelson DeMille’s The Maze now.” I downloaded the review copy into my Kindle immediately.

Then, I cleared my schedule for the day. Which means I interrupted my clean-up and re-vamp of this website (It’s going very slowly which is why my blogs are a little sporadic lately!)

Also, I temporarily set aside The Last Goodbye, the novel I was in the middle of reading (Sorry, Eldon, I’ll be coming right back to it!) I cooked hardboiled eggs for lunch (10 minutes!) and settled into my summer reading nook.

Hooked From The Start

Nelson had me hooked me from the very first sentence of Chapter One: “You can’t drink all day unless you start in the morning.” Yesssss!!!

John Corey is back in all his retirement glory, sitting with a beer on the back porch of his uncle’s North Fork house overlooking Long Island’s Great Peconic Bay.

Of course, the idyll doesn’t last because pretty soon his former lover, Beth Penrose, a detective in the Suffolk County homicide squad stops by and co-opts him into helping solve a string of murders close to home. The nine victims are mostly sex workers who have been found on deserted marshland on Fire Island, the barrier island on the Great South Bay.

Sound familiar? It should –if you’ve been following the real-life Gilgo Beach murders either in the news or as a dramatized version on HBOMax. The real life murders are, as of today, unsolved. DeMille in his Author’s Note acknowledges that The Maze is inspired by these real-life murders.

Undercover

In The Maze, Corey is persuaded to go undercover as a consultant to a sketchy private security outfit located in Riverhead. As a sideline, the private security firm organizes “Thirsty Thursdays” — social events featuring exotic dancers and escorts for a slew of well-connected Suffolk County politicians, judges and high-level cops and law enforcement officials like the Chief of Police, Ed Conners and the county District Attorney.

Any one of these could be the serial killer, but one of the chief suspects is the Police Chief himself who in The Maze has ordered his homicide squad not to co-operate with the FBI; and who has a history of abusing women including sex workers, and carries a bag of snuff porn and bondage paraphernalia in his SUV, with his misdeeds being covered up by — maybe the D.A. himself?

Based on Real Life?

Again. Sound familiar??? It certainly should to any reader of this blog or anyone who has read Jimmy The King, the real-life, true crime account of how Suffolk County Police Chief James Burke and Suffolk County District Attorney, Tom Spota were convicted and sentenced to jail terms. Burke for the bodily assault on a suspect –who stole a bag (containing porn and dildos) from Burke’s SUV –and Spota for helping him cover it up.

Author/journalist Gus Garcia-Roberts steers clear of certain media reports and accounts which raise a suspicion that former police chief Burke was involved in some way in the Gilgo Beach murders other than not co-operating with FBI profilers who tried to assist.

But The Maze Is Fiction

So, what will John Corey uncover in this spine-chilling, fictional thriller where he finds himself in “society’s worst nightmare” –where the law and order guys are themselves criminals? That’s the question that made me race to the finish of The Maze.

On the way, I revelled in the return of the brash, sometimes politically incorrect, John Corey. I loved him from the very first Corey book, Plum Island. Okay. Okay. Corey may sound like a bit of a throwback sometimes in this book, but his sardonic, often self-deprecating humor and wit has always made me laugh. His inner monologue which runs alongside his first-person narration is deliciously-paced and brilliant. I could have enjoyed this novel just for John Corey’s banter and dialog alone.

Full Disclosure
In the interests of full disclosure: Nelson DeMille wrote an author blurb for the cover of my very first thriller, Scandal. That was back in 1996, as anyone who has spent any time on this website knows. But, even before then, I was a total DeMille fan after reading Gold Coast (1990) The General’s Daughter (1992), and Spencerville (1994)

Then, came Plum Island (1997) which I referenced in a CrimeReads article after Fool Her Once was published. In that article, I wrote about the paucity of thrillers set on the North Fork of Long Island.

None of this has any bearing on the fact that my review of The Maze is honest and unbiased and my very own. I’m sorry the rest of DeMille’s fans have to wait till October to read this one.



Like1

First bookI’ve read by the author. It kept my attention for most of the book. However, if it had been about 50 pages shorter I would have liked it a lot better. The story was too drawn out for my liking.

I’ve been a fan of Nelson DeMille for yours and was excited to get a chance to read The Maze. That is until I was 1/4 of the way through the book and NOTHING had happened. I’m not sure that I’ve ever tried to read such a plodding, dull book. Life’s too short for boring books, so this one is going on the digital DNF pile.

Many thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read it.