I finished the maze …. I had forgotten how funny Nelson DeMille is! I think this book is much more entertaining than Plum Island. It had been so long since I read Plum island that now I need to go back and reread it. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I highly recommend it.

Nelson DeMille is a prolific and accomplished author. His books lie mainly in the mystery and action/thriller categories. The first book I read of Mr. DeMille’s was a sophisticated book of intrigue. The Maze is quite a different sort of novel. It is the eighth book featuring retired NYPD detective John Corey. I have read only one of the previous John Corey books and found his inner narrative witty and acerbic. In The Maze, though, his wit has turned from sarcastic to thoughts of all things sexual – constantly. I still thought some of his thoughts were humorous but those were greatly in the minority. For this reason, some women may not like this novel as much as they would some of his others. I had no problem reading this line of thought but missed the former humor. John Corey is recruited by a former lover and a friend to investigate a private investigation company suspected of crimes involving murder and extortion by accepting a job at the company. Corey likes to do things his own way which causes a number of problems. The Maze is not really a mystery, as we know who the bad guys are and what crimes they have committed early on. The book is a fast, easy read. I didn’t hate it but miss the John Corey of the earlier book. Although I prefer the more sophisticated books of DeMille, the John Corey novels require less time and concentration which I consider perfect for certain situations.
Thank you to NetGalley, Scribner, and Nelson DeMille for the ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

I loved John Corey. In the past, he was one of my favorite, memorable characters. But, in The Maze, John Corey got on my nerves. I barely made it through the first part of the book as he went over his past exploits. I would say this book was just okay for me, but if you've never read any of the author's books in this series before, I definitely recommend Plum Island. I actually found The Maze a bit boring.

I enjoyed this read. I love mysteries and this is a great one. I didn't like the sexual fixation with the character, but that is just personal preference. All in all great read. Will look into more by this author!!

John Corey is back. He is bored and that means trouble, He is going to get involved with Beth Penrose again and she has him working undercover. John is a man who appears to make a wrong decision every time, he is an alpha male for sure. But he is enjoyable to read about, this book has lots of action and twists and will keep you glued to the pages until the end. DeMille is a genius for sure.

The Maze somewhat disappointed me. I have not read any of the other books in this series. I appreciated the synopsis of John’s adventures up to this point. I even enjoyed his snarky attitude. But I felt like there was too much talking and not enough action. I definitely would have liked a more definitive wrap up to some of the crimes they assumed Gad been committed by the idiots at the detective agency.

I've been reading Nelson Demille for a long time. One of the things I've always loved about this author is that he doesn't churn books out 5 and 6 a year. They are usually well thought out with multiple threads going on and with a lot more depth. This one was just okay. I found it to be quite repetitive. I could have done without all the debauchery and sex scenes - that's not why I read his books. I found this one to be just meh.

Thank you #netgalley and #scribner for the eARC.

I've read Nelson DeMille books before but this was my first John Corey book. John is an interesting character with a great deal of law enforcement experience. Now, not knowing the character prior to reading this book was a disadvantage. The author gave you what you needed to understand the story in context to the previous books, but not John. For example, in the beginning John is talking about enemies coming after him and you don't find out until much later that he likes to daydream about things happening with said enemies, so if you've not read the other books, you're thinking things could happen or are happening & it turns out it's his daydreams or almost wishful thinking. Was it a big deal? No, but I would suggest people read previous books or maybe just the first book to learn John Corey. I kind of enjoyed the book, but there were too many jokes (that weren't funny), sarcasm, and constant references to women as objects (and I'm not counting the exotic dancers/hookers which were a part of the storyline). John seemed to be okay although he did some too. And Beth... was she real or a robot? Even her speech was very short or clipped and formal. She came across as a man. There was some excitement at the end but it drug on so long, I just wanted it over. And then the ending just cut off. The author built up this huge criminal enterprise and no real resolution. Since I've not read this series, is this how they end to carry on in another book or what? Ultimately, it could have been shorter, except it needed a better ending.

Reading John Corey’s every thought took away from THE MAZE. Now a Private Investigator, Corey comes across as flippant and sarcastic. Corey certainly has an impressive background, but he over impressed with himself. However, the story picks up and gets more interesting as it progresses and certainly had a strong ending that was different than what I was expecting. By the end, Corey was much less sarcastic and I appreciated reading his thought process as he scrambled to survive. I will definitely be purchasing PLUM ISLAND, Nelson DeMille’s novel that introduced Detective John Corey.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I've read the first book in the series, Plum Island and liked it. John Corey was a former NYPD homicide detective who has fallen out of the good graces of his former employers. He decides to spend some time at his uncle's home on Long Island. Soon his ex lover Beth wants to reunite with him. Next thing you know he is getting a job with a local private investigator. The ruse is he just needs a job but he is investigating the murders of a former employee of the PI firm who was investigating the real life Gilgo beach murders (which is an interesting story).

It seems like the men in this book are a bunch of gross pigs, to be nice. There is lots of prostitution. The first half of this book just kinda dragged and could have been condensed. The last part was good and I enjoyed it. I had a few questions at the end that were never answered.

3/5 stars for me.

The Maze by Nelson DeMille
John Corey is back for another adventure. This time his shortcomings are used by his friends to maneuver him into infiltrating a PI firm that his friends feel is bogus.
I’ve not read any Corey stories lately. I recall them more fondly than this book. John Corey in this book has a boundless ego and little self-control. Snark usually amuses me but it was carried to extremes in this characterization. It was almost like DeMille was trying to write a eminently dislikeable character.
I enjoyed the book anyway but this would not rank in my top five DeMille books.

This is DeMille's 8th book featuring John Corey and it's another great one. This time Corey finds himself out of work after the events of the previous book, Radiant Angel, where he got into some trouble with the Russians and the Diplomatic Security Group. Not content to while away the summer on the East End of Long Island, he reconnects with old flame Beth Penrose and gets a job as a PI at Security Solutions.

Not all is as it seems at Security Solutions, however, and there is much more to this place than meets the eye. Corey must figure out what's going on and how high up the corruption goes. Of course, he does this with his trademark arrogance, swagger and humor.

This is another enjoyable chapter in the Corey files. It took a bit too long to really get going for my liking and I found bits very repetitive. But overall, it was a good, quick read and I'd recommend it if you're a DeMille fan! Thanks @netgalley for the ARC!

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

John Corey is an arrogant pain in the ass. I'm sure many of those who would call him a friend in these novels would say as much. He's also a great detective. A veteran of the NYPD and work with the feds, he finds himself dragged into the investigation of a dark conspiracy on the east end of Long Island.

The problem with Detective Corey is that a little goes a long way. Granted, I've enjoyed this series. I think I've now read nearly all of the series (I might have one or two to go back and get), and some, like "Plum Island," I found to be excellent. In this case, I felt like too much of the book was background and the sharing of Corey's smartass thoughts. We didn't really get to the exciting parts until maybe the last 15% of the book.

So, not a bad book, but not Mr. DeMille's finest work. It was entertaining and had a satisfying ending, but a lot of it dragged.

THE MAZE finds John Corey back where it all started "… sitting with a cold Bud in a deep wicker chair on the back porch of my uncle Harry’s big Victorian house overlooking the Great Peconic Bay."

Corey is a retired NYPD detective who worked as a contract agent for the FBI/NYPD joint task force, the Federal Anti-Terrorist Task Force, then did a stint with the Federal Diplomatic Surveillance Group. Let us not forget that he was also an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Along the way he picked up attitude and a way of looking at a crime scene that led to positive results. The big problems are his ego and the fact that he loves to ride the adrenalin high.

I recommend reading the Author's Note at the beginning and at least the first several pages of the Acknowledgements at the end. A good thriller needs some basis in reality, and Nelson DeMille explains his research into various aspects of the organizations with which John Corey becomes associated.

Although an argument can be made that each book in the series can be read as a standalone, I don't recommend it. Yes, there are brief recollections of the cases that came before; however, you can't get the emotional impact that each book delivers as you read them all in publication order.

As much as I have relished all eight books in the series, I am OK with this being the last. It has that full-circle finality some series lack.

Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for accepting my request to read and review The Maze.

Author: Nelson DeMille
Published: 10/11/22
Genre: General Fiction (Adult) -- Mystery & Thrillers

Argh 432 pages hearing Charlie Brown's teacher: blah blah blah blah with swear words sometimes entwined and other times just spewed randomly. John Corey is back with book #8. I'm at a loss for words. John is roughly 40 and freely walks, talks, and thinks like at best a 15-year-old. When he is not talking about getting or wanting oral sex, he does elaborate on past escapades.

John and Beth apparently are reunited in book #8, and under normal circumstances I would ask why. The Maze is not a normal circumstance. Their relationship was full of I love you from her, him following up wanting sex, to her hiring him to work with prostitutes but not have thoughts or urges. There was a lot of bantering.

The story moved slowly. I wondered for a long time if I had been duped. I was not entertained. Two stars is generous.

Definitely not a favorite read for me.
I really like the character of John Corey and to say I was a bit disappointed with him in The Maze is a understatement. Having to say this is not what I was expecting to say in my review. The author had him saying (or, thinking) the most insane, sexist remarks and just general unnecessary things. Why???? Ok he’s a lady man. We get it. Definitely a hard read for me to get through.
With that said, I will be looking forward to reading the next book in the series just to see if I can get through it without much eye rolling and grimacing.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Maze is book nine in the John Corey series, but horror of horrors it’s the first book I have read in the series. I didn’t have any trouble picking up this book and taking off. John is a former NYPD detective who worked with the FBI and some federal agency that handles foreign dignitaries. Now in forced retirement from a partial disability sustained on the job, John is a wise guy sitting around waiting to die. A former girlfriend and friend pushes John to take a job with a sleazy PI firm and John’s hackles are raised as he knows there’s more to the story. The perfect blend of smart aleck, fearless, and vigilante John takes the hard way to justice in a wild ride of a thriller. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

This is the eighth and very last book in the John Corey series. I haven't read any of the others, but I was interested in trying one since Lisa Scottoline mentioned it on her Facebook page. I found this works well as a standalone. There was enough background information in the beginning that I felt that I was up to date with where John Corey was in his life.

First of all, I wasn't all that thrilled about John Corey's attitude. In a way, he comes across as a guy who gets along reasonably well with the ex girlfriends and wives in his life; however, the constant references about his sex life in the first chapter were over the top, and not at all amusing or interesting.

The story itself was pretty good, so overall I think this is a four star book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for a review.

I really enjoy Nelson Demille's book and am always excited to get my hands on a new one. But I didn't really like this one. John Corey was amusing in the past, with his HUGE ego (he is the BEST detective, lover, soldier, etc) and his cocky disregard for anyone else's ideas or viewpoint. But this time, it was just all too much.

Police Chief Maxwell and Holly Penrose, who we first met in Plum Island, again figure prominently in this story. Corey has been dismissed AGAIN from a job and is AGAIN passing time at his uncle's place when he is drawn into the investigation of a local PI firm who may be just a little too good, or a little too lucky, or a little too bent. Corey hires on as a consultant to help them get their operation working better and also find out exactly what else they are involved in.

Of course, he knows better than anyone else how to go about this task, and he disregards any and all warning signs and warnings and, once again, almost gets himself killed.

He doesn't really get the evidence that is needed to take down the corrupt officials and PI firm, but he DOES put them out of business.