The Panther

By: Nelson DeMille

Narrated by: Scott Brick

New York Times best-selling author Nelson DeMille returns with another heart-pounding John Corey thriller—this time including Corey’s FBI agent wife Kate Mayfield...and their mission is to catch an elusive terrorist mastermind before he catches them.

Anti-terrorist Task Force agent John Corey and his wife, FBI agent Kate Mayfield, have been posted overseas to Sana'a, Yemen—one of the most dangerous places in the Middle East. While there, they will be working with a small team to track down one of the masterminds behind the USS Cole bombing: A high-ranking Al Qaeda operative known as The Panther. Ruthless and elusive, he's wanted for multiple terrorist acts and murders—and the US Government is determined to bring him down, no matter the cost. As latecomers to a deadly game, John and Kate don't know the rules, the players, or the score. What they do know is that there is more to their assignment than meets the eye—and that the hunters are about to become the hunted.

Filled with breathtaking plot turns and told in John Corey's inimitable voice, The Panther is a brilliant depiction of one of the most treacherous countries in the world and raises disturbing questions about whether we can ever know who our enemies—or our allies—really are.

©2012 Nelson DeMille (P)2012 Hachette Audio

Enjoyed it very much

As with all of the John Cory books I thoroughly enjoyed this one. My only criticism is that I wish the author had spent a little more time fleshing out the Panther character a little better. My opinion is that the character in the Lyon was more enjoyable to me because I felt I know him more personally due to the efforts of the author. Never the less I thoroughly enjoyed the Panther and I have recommended it to my friends. As with all the other John Cory books Scott Brick does a masterful job of bringing all the characters in the story to life. I continue to be a Nelson DeMille/Scott Brick fan.

Somewhat flat....but you gotta love John Corey

I enjoy Nelson DeMille's book, and this was good. However, there is not much action going on, more narrative and lot of "talk". The main character John Corey, makes the story, I enjoyed his sarcasm and wit, although sometimes a bit overdone. As always there are twists and some surprises to the story. If you like this genre, and say you loved the Charm School then this book is 2 levels below the Charm School.. The narrator Scott Brick did an excellent job. Some cussing, some violence. I would recommend the book.

Great tale of Al Qaeda in Yemen

Would you listen to The Panther again? Why?

I almost never read a book twice

What other book might you compare The Panther to and why?

The Brad Thor novels, like Black List

Any additional comments?

I love crime, terrorism and intrigue, and am planning a trip to Yemen, so this book gave me a lot of insight into the place -- even though (disappointingly) the author has never been there. Loosely follows from the real-life story of Anwar al-Awlaqi and the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole. The first-person protaganist hero is a prolific wise-guy. The book depicts the CIA in a very scary and frightening light.

Good Story...Not a good listen.

This is one I would have rather read just to avoid Scott Brick's narration of John Cory. Since most of the book is related through Cory, Scott's "wise guy" interpretation gets old quick. And of course, DeMille just can't seem to let up with the wise cracks that soon become trite and boring. When one reads the book, only the wise cracks have to be tolerated. And since most of them are trite enough to become predictable, your eyes and brain soon team up and you just skip and ignore them. This allows you to concentrate on the story which is above average, but not a megahit. Cheers.

Great book and realistic, but not the best.

I like everything ever written by Nelson DeMille and Scott Brick is the most amazing narrator EVER. But this was not my favorite in the series or by DeMille. I would say the book is 90% talk and education and 10% action. In fact the action really doesn't begin until maybe the last 20 chapters (65 of 85) or roughly the last 5 hours of the 21 hour book. The rest was interesting but not action packed. It was more of a first person character explanation of 2000 years of life in Yemen. And of course the sarcastic/sardonic wit and persistent ankle biting of John Corey is funny and clever until it is just annoying and you really have to agree with his wife: Give it a rest. But, all of that said I enjoyed the entire book and never once thought about quitting it or even skipping ahead. In short, great just not the best.

Great as always

I love John Corey the hero, and Scott Brick the narrator is the best. I sincerely hope DeMille continues writing for the series, keep John alive!

It's okay, but not as good as previous in series

Would you try another book from Nelson DeMille and/or Scott Brick?

I will read future DeMille books, but this one is not among his best. The story was strained and tedious, although John Cory's humor is just as much fun.

Would you recommend The Panther to your friends? Why or why not?

I have already told a few friends not to bother with this one.

Too long!!!

What did you like best about The Panther? What did you like least?

His books tend to be drawn out affairs with just enough wit to keep you reading, but the plots really are tedious, and too transparent to warrant 20+ hours of listening.

Disappointed

Is there anything you would change about this book?

It seems the plot is a bit shallow. Mainly wisecracking and I feel he dragged out what should have been a chapter into an entire boo,

Any additional comments?

Of the Nelson DeMille, it was my least favorite.

The story drug on and on. Slow in developing.

Would you consider the audio edition of The Panther to be better than the print version?

Easier to listen to than to read through this long story.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I forgot who the characters were.

What does Scott Brick bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I am not sure.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Murder in Yemen