The Lion's Game

Although initially intimidated by the length, it turned out to be a non-stop thrill ride. Excellent book with engaging characters. Even though the subject has become slightly dated it is still very much captivating. Superb reading by Scott Brick.

This book was a feat of foresight. Almost two years before 9/11, DeMille understood the depth of anger of some Arab Muslims, the lengths to which they would go to strike at Americans, and the fact that these Muslims aren't buffoons, as some Americans thought after the first World Trade Center bombing.

DeMille researched and explains all this for his readers. Therefore the pace is somewhat slower than breakneck. This reader finds the explanations, and DeMille's depiction of even minor characters' thoughts, interesting and edifying.

In fact, I think DeMille is more correct than our politically correct media and politicians about why some Muslim men are angry. They don't hate our freedom. They hate what we do with it, especially sexually, and most of all they hate the possibility of losing control of their women.

Is the lead character, John Corey, a smart-aleck? Yes, and his wisecracks sometimes made me laugh out loud. Is the romance entirely plausible? No, but it enabled DeMille to carry the duo into two sequels, WILD FIRE and NIGHT FALL.

Of course, the proof is in the numbers. THE LION'S GAME came out in January 2000, has been in print for over nine years, and yet still ranks #16,718 on Amazon.com. Boring doesn't sell, and continue to sell, millions of books.

This book is well worth your time.

The Lion's Game was an excellent listen for these reasons:
- Credible, modern storyline tainted only by the faster-than-the-speed-of-light romantic subplot
- First person narrative style, along with typical sarcastic, biting NYC cop humor and observations about the world makes this an extremely conversational listen
- Outstanding narration by Mr. Brick; truly, he brings this story and each character to life. His timing, change of pace, accents and inflection are remarkable and he deserves tremendous credit for never losing steam, even near the end of the novel.

I love 20 hour books and this book does not disappoint. You get drawn in from the beginning, and stay to the end. My favorate character is the "villian", the book goes into his past helping you understand actions. After listening to well over 100 audio books I can say this ranks among the tops on my list.

I only wish he would continue the story, I was left wanting to know what is going to happen afterwards... Telling any more and I'd spoil the ending :-)

Nelson Demille hit a homerun with this title. Not only was the main character, John Correy, interesting but he was extremely likeable. I hated coming to the end of this book. You may want to read "Plum Island" first, because there are references made to it in regards to understanding interactions between some of the characters. Well worth your time. I can't wait for the next installment!

The main character's personna took a little while to grow on me. His NY style personality seemed to be your stereo typical male chauvenist type...but he grew on me nonetheless because it was smartly written. The author knows how to create interactions among his characters that were devoid of annoying behaviors, yet still have their imperfections. This is an important criteria since annoying characters can really ruin a good story. Last, but not least, it was well read. I found myself laughing and chuckling quite a bit while i listened to this book. It was very entertaining.

Detailed and yet fast paced. Pulled me along the whole way. Scott Brick is a great reader and it shows here.

-LM

This is one of those books where you can really fall in love with the characters. The main character, ex-NYPD Detective John Corey, is hilarious and heart warming. He is very un-politically correct, which is so refreshing these days. Yet, he is such a good guy at heart. The characterization of the Libyan terrorist, Asad Kalil, is equally brilliant. You really get inside the minds and motivations of the characters, and the plot and action start with a bang and keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the story. For those of you who like some steamy romance, you'll find plenty of that woven throughout the story as well. I also learned a lot about the military and politics. I was very sad when it ended...Enjoy!!

I've only just started, but this one is great! I chose it after listening to DeMille's UpCountry, which I loved and didn't want to end. I'll feel the same way about this one. It's eerie to listen to this, written before 9/11. Scott Brick, the narrator, is EXCELLENT

Although I have always loved suspense stories and this came highly recommended by both friends and reviewers, I couldn't get past the wooden characters and corny dialogue. The reader was supposed to be wonderful, he made me cringe. I made it half way through the book, but after the scene at MacArthur airport, I changed my iPod to Lyle lovett and waltzed the rest of the way home to music. Nelson DeMille is no John Le Carre, that's for sure.