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John Corey #3
Night Fall
Based on true events, but unlike anything you've ever read before, #1 New York Times bestselling author Nelson DeMille has created what may be his finest work to date.
It is dusk on July 17, 1996. A man and a woman who are married--but not to each other--make love on a Long Island beach as a video camera records their pleasure...and something more. Out over the ocean, TWA Flight 800 suddenly explodes with 230 victims on board, the terrible blast illuminating the sky. The government's verdict is mechanical failure. But the videotape may tell another story--if it can be found.
Now on the fifth anniversary of the crash, two members of the Federal Anti-Terrorist Task Force set out to reopen the case; John Corey, an ex-NYPD detective, and his wife, Kate Mayfield, a career FBI agent. Together, they hunt for the crucial video...and race towed an elusive truth even more horrifying than the crash itself.
--back cover
It is dusk on July 17, 1996. A man and a woman who are married--but not to each other--make love on a Long Island beach as a video camera records their pleasure...and something more. Out over the ocean, TWA Flight 800 suddenly explodes with 230 victims on board, the terrible blast illuminating the sky. The government's verdict is mechanical failure. But the videotape may tell another story--if it can be found.
Now on the fifth anniversary of the crash, two members of the Federal Anti-Terrorist Task Force set out to reopen the case; John Corey, an ex-NYPD detective, and his wife, Kate Mayfield, a career FBI agent. Together, they hunt for the crucial video...and race towed an elusive truth even more horrifying than the crash itself.
--back cover
692 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 2004
2713 people are currently reading
6967 people want to read
About the author
Nelson DeMille
256 books7,276 followersNelson Richard DeMille was an American author of action adventure and suspense novels. His novels include Plum Island, The Charm School, and The General's Daughter. DeMille also wrote under the pen names Jack Cannon, Kurt Ladner, Ellen Kay and Brad Matthews.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,784 reviews
December 13, 2020
Oh my god. No amount of planning could prepare me to pen a deserving review for Night Fall. I will never ever read such a large book in so short a time. It was unbelievable. This is why I read books. After this, if I have to ditch 10 books in a row, it will be worth it. When I was reading Night Fall, I thought no way does this book get 4/5 stars. But it occurred that all events converged on the remaining chapters. That is the only way an okay setup book jumps from okay to amazing. The most recent film that I've seen that had that structure was Miyazaki's The Wind Rises. The end made the preceding story spine tingling.
I want to convince you that Night Fall is an amazing book. You should read it. Reading, for the moment for me, is so much better than movies or music. It's the remaining medium in which I have faith and which delivers more often than not. Night Fall comprises 672 pages. I went through them like that. For a story of its type there were few people to keep track of. John Corey always surprises me. He keeps needing to remind me that he does detect and solves mysteries, which is usually not the priority in the twist obsessed world of the thriller.
The genius thing about this book is when the hero and his wife are exiled from the USA. We don't see their extradition. Bang, immediately in the next chapter Corey returns home, and takes up the forbidden, conspiracy laced case and follows its trail from the airport. I will not trade that moment for any other memory of any book that I've read. Take a bow Nelson Demille, for this book is surely your masterpiece. I feel strongly about the Jill Winslow character. She was a real tragic figure, and I was against her in the beginning. What a turnaround. This is what good art does. It plays with our emotions without making us aware of the manipulation. I will re read this book soon. I have to. I'm still not sure how this embarking became a stroll in the park.
I want to convince you that Night Fall is an amazing book. You should read it. Reading, for the moment for me, is so much better than movies or music. It's the remaining medium in which I have faith and which delivers more often than not. Night Fall comprises 672 pages. I went through them like that. For a story of its type there were few people to keep track of. John Corey always surprises me. He keeps needing to remind me that he does detect and solves mysteries, which is usually not the priority in the twist obsessed world of the thriller.
The genius thing about this book is when the hero and his wife are exiled from the USA. We don't see their extradition. Bang, immediately in the next chapter Corey returns home, and takes up the forbidden, conspiracy laced case and follows its trail from the airport. I will not trade that moment for any other memory of any book that I've read. Take a bow Nelson Demille, for this book is surely your masterpiece. I feel strongly about the Jill Winslow character. She was a real tragic figure, and I was against her in the beginning. What a turnaround. This is what good art does. It plays with our emotions without making us aware of the manipulation. I will re read this book soon. I have to. I'm still not sure how this embarking became a stroll in the park.
July 7, 2012
This book was 692 pages. For 690 pages it was one of the best books I've ever read and then DeMille completely ruined it with one of the most piece-of-crap, cop-out endings I've ever seen coming a mile away. He even admits that he had no idea how to finish this book and his son came up with the idea for the ending. I guess that's the problem with writing a story based on a real-life event. You can't really change history or present "facts" that didn't actually happen, so he completely wrote himself into a corner and had to find a way out.
I was 3/4 of the way through this book and had it not been so late at night, I would've immediately gone out to the bookstore and bought everything he had ever written. I'm not picking up another one of his books now.
Seriously, the ending of this book is just brutal and it completely ruins how outstanding the rest of the book was. I'm getting disappointed all over again as I write this review. I was actively angry when I finished the book because of what a dumpster-fire on an ending it has.
I was 3/4 of the way through this book and had it not been so late at night, I would've immediately gone out to the bookstore and bought everything he had ever written. I'm not picking up another one of his books now.
Seriously, the ending of this book is just brutal and it completely ruins how outstanding the rest of the book was. I'm getting disappointed all over again as I write this review. I was actively angry when I finished the book because of what a dumpster-fire on an ending it has.
May 12, 2021
The best way I can describe this book is that it seems like DeMille needed a transitional book for his character John Corey and his pre vs post 9/11 world. Since the type of adventures/mysteries Corey gets involved in usually deal with terrorism, it was probably a challenge to figure out how to go from one to the other. It could not just be as simple as releasing a book after the fact and suddenly everything is different. I applaud DeMille for thinking this through and putting it all into a full book.
That being said, this entry in the Corey series was good, but probably my least favorite so far. I think actually some of that might have to do with what I praised in the previous paragraph. Since DeMille had a lot of focus on the build up to 9/11 in the story I feel like it may have affected the organic flow a bit.
So, good – not great – 3.5 stars perhaps (and I will round up to 4 since Goodreads doesn’t take half stars and I don’t want to round down to 3). But, if you have enjoyed the Corey series so far, it is definitely worth reading and I look forward to continuing his adventures past Night Fall.
That being said, this entry in the Corey series was good, but probably my least favorite so far. I think actually some of that might have to do with what I praised in the previous paragraph. Since DeMille had a lot of focus on the build up to 9/11 in the story I feel like it may have affected the organic flow a bit.
So, good – not great – 3.5 stars perhaps (and I will round up to 4 since Goodreads doesn’t take half stars and I don’t want to round down to 3). But, if you have enjoyed the Corey series so far, it is definitely worth reading and I look forward to continuing his adventures past Night Fall.
March 14, 2017
Generally, I’m not a fan of political thrillers. You say to me, “Carol, here’s a political thriller I just know you will love…” and I will not be rushing to the library or my favorite dealer to get a copy. Frankly, I find most of them silly and poorly written. Government conspiracies? Puh-leaze.
Not so believable.
At any rate, this one popped up in discussion and due to enthusiasm from Sharon and recommendations from Alfred (and others, I think–I lost the thread), Sharon and I decided to give it the buddy read treatment.
I'm not a very good reading best friend. because I’m completely one of those people that talks while reading. Or updates. Or tends to drop spoilers. Or really, really wants to share quotes.
John Corey is a rather typical, maverick cop, an ex- NYPD detective who now works with the FBI on part of a dedicated terrorist task force with his wife, a FBI agent herself. Like all great detectives, she has a case that haunts her with its lack of resolution. She persuades John to go with her to the memorial for TWA Flight 800, a Paris-bound airline that broke apart due to ‘mechanical failure,’ killing everyone on board. At the memorial, a CIA agent that John has a highly antagonistic relationship with warns John to let the case be.
Like waving a red flag
John finds himself playing devil’s advocate as Kate gradually takes him through the details of the case, but when they get to an unshakable eye-witness who swears he saw what seemed to be a missile, even John feels niggling doubts. He knows he has to work fast to make progress before he is shut down by his superiors. DeMille is clever with pacing in this book. It begins with a lurid sex scene hinting at potential video tape, and then moves into detailed background building of the investigation of a crashed plane. It could have easily been boring, but I was quickly engrossed in the details, and I enjoyed the complex motivation of justice, stubbornness and independence that keeps John on the case.
“But it wasn’t about Kate or me, or anyone else, in or out of the government. It was about them. 230 of them. And their families and loved ones, the people who had placed roses on the seats of the aircraft, and who had lit the candles and waded into the ocean, and thrown the flowers into the sea. And the people who haven’t been at the service, who sat at home tonight and cried.”
John uses old contacts in the NYPD to do some investigating, and doggedly tracks the pieces leading to the potential videotape. There was a very police procedural aspect to it; it felt real, somewhat slowly methodical, and somewhat maddening as John runs into leads seemingly dead-ended by… someone. Meanwhile, superiors at the Task Force are bringing pressure to bear and threatening both him and Kate. It morphs into a thriller, leading me to turn pages faster and faster by the end.
I enjoyed the characterization. I found John to be rather typical of the maverick detective school; the one who is willing to flaunt authority, but because of his amazing skill remains useful and not completely ostracized. He is, of course, very attractive to the ladies, but avoids further entanglements due to his commitment to Kate. Kate was an interesting foil whose lingering compassion for the loved ones sets off an investigation she is ambivalent about. Although never really fleshed out well, we get a sense that John both loves and respects her, despite occasionally antagonistic behaviors. In fact, they felt like a real couple. I immediately wanted to read more books with him and thought of starting with the first, Plum Island, but basically heard he was exponentially more of a chauvinist (or the writing was) in that one, so it’s a pass until I need a rant-read.
Plotting was solid, with a couple of quirks that will linger.
MILD SPOILER:
VERY MILD SPOILER: I ended up reading faster and faster, but it was the end that was pretty much a solid punch in the face.
I looked a lot like Crowley at the end, without the cuts.
Let’s just say that thanks to Tana French, I know how to take a punch. It was appropriate, but I can appreciate it pissed some readers off.
Overall, a super-engrossing read. Perfect for a sick day with a head cold, where I was completely taken out of my own physical tissue-wasting experience and not thrown back into reality by hack writing. I’ll check out more DeMille.
Thanks, Sharon!!
Not so believable.
At any rate, this one popped up in discussion and due to enthusiasm from Sharon and recommendations from Alfred (and others, I think–I lost the thread), Sharon and I decided to give it the buddy read treatment.
I'm not a very good reading best friend. because I’m completely one of those people that talks while reading. Or updates. Or tends to drop spoilers. Or really, really wants to share quotes.
John Corey is a rather typical, maverick cop, an ex- NYPD detective who now works with the FBI on part of a dedicated terrorist task force with his wife, a FBI agent herself. Like all great detectives, she has a case that haunts her with its lack of resolution. She persuades John to go with her to the memorial for TWA Flight 800, a Paris-bound airline that broke apart due to ‘mechanical failure,’ killing everyone on board. At the memorial, a CIA agent that John has a highly antagonistic relationship with warns John to let the case be.
Like waving a red flag
John finds himself playing devil’s advocate as Kate gradually takes him through the details of the case, but when they get to an unshakable eye-witness who swears he saw what seemed to be a missile, even John feels niggling doubts. He knows he has to work fast to make progress before he is shut down by his superiors. DeMille is clever with pacing in this book. It begins with a lurid sex scene hinting at potential video tape, and then moves into detailed background building of the investigation of a crashed plane. It could have easily been boring, but I was quickly engrossed in the details, and I enjoyed the complex motivation of justice, stubbornness and independence that keeps John on the case.
“But it wasn’t about Kate or me, or anyone else, in or out of the government. It was about them. 230 of them. And their families and loved ones, the people who had placed roses on the seats of the aircraft, and who had lit the candles and waded into the ocean, and thrown the flowers into the sea. And the people who haven’t been at the service, who sat at home tonight and cried.”
John uses old contacts in the NYPD to do some investigating, and doggedly tracks the pieces leading to the potential videotape. There was a very police procedural aspect to it; it felt real, somewhat slowly methodical, and somewhat maddening as John runs into leads seemingly dead-ended by… someone. Meanwhile, superiors at the Task Force are bringing pressure to bear and threatening both him and Kate. It morphs into a thriller, leading me to turn pages faster and faster by the end.
I enjoyed the characterization. I found John to be rather typical of the maverick detective school; the one who is willing to flaunt authority, but because of his amazing skill remains useful and not completely ostracized. He is, of course, very attractive to the ladies, but avoids further entanglements due to his commitment to Kate. Kate was an interesting foil whose lingering compassion for the loved ones sets off an investigation she is ambivalent about. Although never really fleshed out well, we get a sense that John both loves and respects her, despite occasionally antagonistic behaviors. In fact, they felt like a real couple. I immediately wanted to read more books with him and thought of starting with the first, Plum Island, but basically heard he was exponentially more of a chauvinist (or the writing was) in that one, so it’s a pass until I need a rant-read.
Plotting was solid, with a couple of quirks that will linger.
MILD SPOILER:
VERY MILD SPOILER: I ended up reading faster and faster, but it was the end that was pretty much a solid punch in the face.
I looked a lot like Crowley at the end, without the cuts.
Let’s just say that thanks to Tana French, I know how to take a punch. It was appropriate, but I can appreciate it pissed some readers off.
Overall, a super-engrossing read. Perfect for a sick day with a head cold, where I was completely taken out of my own physical tissue-wasting experience and not thrown back into reality by hack writing. I’ll check out more DeMille.
Thanks, Sharon!!
December 29, 2024
What happens when you read a fiction book based on a real incident, and then you have supposed evidence that could change the conclusion of that outcome? What happens is an unexpected ending that will shock you!
But, I am not one to give away endings...just a reason you may want to take this reading journey.
The whole book deals with speculation and conspiracy theories surrounding TWA Flight 800, which exploded off the coast of Long Island in 1996.
DeMille gives a great forward about why he felt compelled to write about the explosion--exploring multiple theories, including the official conclusion--framing events and eye-witness accounts within a fictional detective yarn.
Part of me was up for the journey. Who doesn't like a good conspiracy theory?
The other part of me was skeptical…
But, Nelson DeMille is known for a lot of great fiction…after all, do you remember The General’s Daughter, which later became a major motion picture starring John Travolta?
What I came to experience with this book, was the author being down right sneaky, clever, and just astonishingly intelligent in the way he tells his story.
Just WOW.
How did I feel at the end? Well, you tell me when you get there!
But, I am not one to give away endings...just a reason you may want to take this reading journey.
The whole book deals with speculation and conspiracy theories surrounding TWA Flight 800, which exploded off the coast of Long Island in 1996.
DeMille gives a great forward about why he felt compelled to write about the explosion--exploring multiple theories, including the official conclusion--framing events and eye-witness accounts within a fictional detective yarn.
Part of me was up for the journey. Who doesn't like a good conspiracy theory?
The other part of me was skeptical…
But, Nelson DeMille is known for a lot of great fiction…after all, do you remember The General’s Daughter, which later became a major motion picture starring John Travolta?
What I came to experience with this book, was the author being down right sneaky, clever, and just astonishingly intelligent in the way he tells his story.
Just WOW.
How did I feel at the end? Well, you tell me when you get there!
October 9, 2021
Book 3 in the John Corey series Published 2004
A thought provoking 4 star read.
This is a retelling of what was at the time the worst aviation disaster in American history, the mid-air explosion of flight TWA 800 in 1996 with a loss of 230 passengers and crew members.
The official explanation was a fault with an electrical short circuit caused fuel vapors to ignite leading to an explosion.
At the time there was a lot of alternative reasons for the explosion and it’s this avenue that the author explores.
John Corey, happily married and working now for the FBI, is introduced to a conspiracy theory by his wife, also an FBI agent, who was apart of the initial investigation but has harboured doubts about the official report ever since its release 5 years ago. After listening to his wife's concerns John decides to do some digging on his own time. It’s not long before he is being told, in no uncertain manner, to get his nose out of this case. This only incites John to look deeper and pretty soon some very disturbing information comes to light.
This story held my attention right from page one and although it deviates from the official report Nelson DeMille writes a very convincing slant on a possible alternative.
The tension really cranks up towards the end as the powers that be do everything they can to stop John Corey from revealing what he has discovered.
The end was cleverly done when the greatest disaster in American history occurred, the destruction of the twin towers of 9/11.
Highly recommended for both the history and the Adrenalin rush.
A thought provoking 4 star read.
This is a retelling of what was at the time the worst aviation disaster in American history, the mid-air explosion of flight TWA 800 in 1996 with a loss of 230 passengers and crew members.
The official explanation was a fault with an electrical short circuit caused fuel vapors to ignite leading to an explosion.
At the time there was a lot of alternative reasons for the explosion and it’s this avenue that the author explores.
John Corey, happily married and working now for the FBI, is introduced to a conspiracy theory by his wife, also an FBI agent, who was apart of the initial investigation but has harboured doubts about the official report ever since its release 5 years ago. After listening to his wife's concerns John decides to do some digging on his own time. It’s not long before he is being told, in no uncertain manner, to get his nose out of this case. This only incites John to look deeper and pretty soon some very disturbing information comes to light.
This story held my attention right from page one and although it deviates from the official report Nelson DeMille writes a very convincing slant on a possible alternative.
The tension really cranks up towards the end as the powers that be do everything they can to stop John Corey from revealing what he has discovered.
The end was cleverly done when the greatest disaster in American history occurred, the destruction of the twin towers of 9/11.
Highly recommended for both the history and the Adrenalin rush.
July 11, 2024
Acidente ou não eis a Questão
“A Verdade e a Justiça são coisas belas. Mas mais difíceis de encontrar que um míssil no fundo do Oceano”
Na noite de 17 de julho de 1996, o Boeing 747 do voo 800 da TWA despenhou-se em pleno Oceano Atlântico 12 minutos após descolar do aeroporto JFK nos Estados Unidos, enviando 230 almas para a morte.
O acidente foi atribuído a uma falha mecânica e o caso rapidamente encerrado. Volvidos 5 anos, Kate M, a responsável pela investigação, ainda se mostrava insatisfeita com a solução do caso pois 200 testemunhas oculares alegaram ter avistado um rasto de luz elevar-se do mar e atingir em cheio o malogrado Boeing. Tal ocorrência poderia significar que o avião fora atingido por um míssil teleguiado. Porém, não existindo provas que corroborassem tal suspeita, procedeu-se a uma simulação do acidente que levou a que o dito rasto de luz fosse considerado mera ilusão óptica. Vencida mas não convencida, Kate M. solicitou ao seu dedicado esposo John C., ex-detective de homicídios e atual agente duma brigada antiterrorista, que reabrisse a investigação tornando-a no seu passatempo secreto das horas vagas…
“Não existe um único mistério neste mundo que não tenha solução, se vivermos o tempo suficiente para a descobrir.”
Quando A Noite Cai é uma ficção com sementes de verdade: a queda do Boeing 747 da TWA - Voo 800 ocorreu, de facto, na noite de 17 de Julho de 1996, ao largo de Long Island, Nova Iorque.
http://www.flight800.org/witness-revi...
“A Verdade e a Justiça são coisas belas. Mas mais difíceis de encontrar que um míssil no fundo do Oceano”
Na noite de 17 de julho de 1996, o Boeing 747 do voo 800 da TWA despenhou-se em pleno Oceano Atlântico 12 minutos após descolar do aeroporto JFK nos Estados Unidos, enviando 230 almas para a morte.
O acidente foi atribuído a uma falha mecânica e o caso rapidamente encerrado. Volvidos 5 anos, Kate M, a responsável pela investigação, ainda se mostrava insatisfeita com a solução do caso pois 200 testemunhas oculares alegaram ter avistado um rasto de luz elevar-se do mar e atingir em cheio o malogrado Boeing. Tal ocorrência poderia significar que o avião fora atingido por um míssil teleguiado. Porém, não existindo provas que corroborassem tal suspeita, procedeu-se a uma simulação do acidente que levou a que o dito rasto de luz fosse considerado mera ilusão óptica. Vencida mas não convencida, Kate M. solicitou ao seu dedicado esposo John C., ex-detective de homicídios e atual agente duma brigada antiterrorista, que reabrisse a investigação tornando-a no seu passatempo secreto das horas vagas…
“Não existe um único mistério neste mundo que não tenha solução, se vivermos o tempo suficiente para a descobrir.”
Quando A Noite Cai é uma ficção com sementes de verdade: a queda do Boeing 747 da TWA - Voo 800 ocorreu, de facto, na noite de 17 de Julho de 1996, ao largo de Long Island, Nova Iorque.
http://www.flight800.org/witness-revi...
March 1, 2021
While I respect DeMille's writing, have thought several of his novels are brilliant at every level, 'Night Fall' is an absolute cheat. DeMille is fascinated with the crash of TWA flight 800 in July, 1996. The crash was caused by an electrical-fault explosion in the central fuel tank. But what if it was really an act of terrorism?
This non-novel is 500 pages of John and Kate, DeMille's most vivid and entertaining characters, reinvestigating the crash at the five-year anniversary. Hundreds of people witnessed the plane explode in mid-air shortly after takeoff and some of them thought they saw a missile trail from the sea to the plane. Gee, what if someone had recorded video of something that looked like a rising missile? The entire book is John Corey tracking down witnesses to have them repeat what they saw and did on the day TWA 800 exploded, leading eventually to the discovery of video of the explosion. Wow. Now we have witnesses and video. Somebody in the CIA has been covering this up, or maybe not, because the real crash was STILL the result of electrical/mechanical failure. Five-hundred pages of mundane investigation later, Corey is ready to confront his bosses, the FBI, and the CIA with this minor, additional evidence that seems to contradict the official findings. Unfortunately for the reader, the confrontation is to be held on September 11, 2001, in the north tower of the World Trade Center. End of meeting; end of World Trade Center, end of book.
It's not a novel unless it has a resolution. This is NOT a resolution to a novel: leaving the reader with the idea that a real tragedy might have had a more sinister cause. The reader has that idea in the first five pages--why do we need 495 more? The collapse of the I-35 river bridge in Minneapolis could have been the result of a laser-guided smart bomb, launched from a stealth bomber, hijacked by the Beaujolais Boyz, instead of a design flaw in the structural steel. It wasn't, but go ahead and write that non-novel, DeMille.
Deus ex machina sux.
This non-novel is 500 pages of John and Kate, DeMille's most vivid and entertaining characters, reinvestigating the crash at the five-year anniversary. Hundreds of people witnessed the plane explode in mid-air shortly after takeoff and some of them thought they saw a missile trail from the sea to the plane. Gee, what if someone had recorded video of something that looked like a rising missile? The entire book is John Corey tracking down witnesses to have them repeat what they saw and did on the day TWA 800 exploded, leading eventually to the discovery of video of the explosion. Wow. Now we have witnesses and video. Somebody in the CIA has been covering this up, or maybe not, because the real crash was STILL the result of electrical/mechanical failure. Five-hundred pages of mundane investigation later, Corey is ready to confront his bosses, the FBI, and the CIA with this minor, additional evidence that seems to contradict the official findings. Unfortunately for the reader, the confrontation is to be held on September 11, 2001, in the north tower of the World Trade Center. End of meeting; end of World Trade Center, end of book.
It's not a novel unless it has a resolution. This is NOT a resolution to a novel: leaving the reader with the idea that a real tragedy might have had a more sinister cause. The reader has that idea in the first five pages--why do we need 495 more? The collapse of the I-35 river bridge in Minneapolis could have been the result of a laser-guided smart bomb, launched from a stealth bomber, hijacked by the Beaujolais Boyz, instead of a design flaw in the structural steel. It wasn't, but go ahead and write that non-novel, DeMille.
Deus ex machina sux.
March 14, 2017
This book and I may have gotten off on the wrong foot. I wanted to revisit Nelson DeMille--I read Plum Island years ago and remembered really enjoying it, especially protagonist John Corey's smartass sense of humor. I recall very little about the book, other than a row between Corey and a villain which ends up with Corey disemboweling him, and proceeding to lay the contents on his open stomach with a flourish ("'Your guts,' I declared."). That's a line that stays with you when you're young.
Upon recommendation (thanks, Don!), I picked up Night Fall, not giving the synopsis a glance. This may have been an issue, as the whole book deals with speculation and conspiracy theories surrounding TWA Flight 800, which exploded off the coast of Long Island in 1996. I had just graduated from high school and remember hearing the news quite vividly. I remember all of the initial eye-witness accounts reporting what seemed to be a missile heading towards the plane before its explosion, and then how all of those reports seemed to just die down. Mechanical trouble, the final report stated.
DeMille gives a great forward about why he felt compelled to write about the explosion--exploring multiple theories, including the official conclusion--framing events and eye-witness accounts within a fictional detective yarn. Part of me was up for the journey. Who doesn't like a good conspiracy theory?
The other part of me was conflicted about the subject matter. What I liked most about DeMille's main guy last time around was his sarcasm, and I just didn't know if I could stomach sarcasm or jokes about something that felt like it happened yesterday. I've suffered from a fear of flying my whole life, so when I hear about a plane crash, hijacking, etc., I go to a bad place.... and stay there. For an uncomfortable amount of time. It's a tragic event, and while I think DeMille's intentions were good, this obviously impacted any pleasure I was hoping to glean from a light, fun read. I mean, I was BUDDY READING this book! (More on that later.)
Anyway, I read somewhere once in "the rules of crime-solving" that a detective can't solve a case until he turns in his gun and his badge; that any grocery bag has to have a baguette peaking out from the top; that a man can take a gunshot wound like a champ but will flinch in distress if a woman is cleaning out his paper cut--many of these cliches hold true in this novel, but DeMille is clever enough to make them part of the fun. And as the story moves farther from the details of the crash, and deeper into the intricacies of Corey's detective work and one-liners, I felt my enjoyment cautiously growing. Nelson knows how to get you to turn those pages, and as Corey's wife Kate must do on multiple occasions, you just want to roll your eyes when Corey's being the colossal dick he fully acknowledges he's being. ... And then give him a big old bear hug and say fondly, "oh, John."
...Until all enjoyment abruptly stopped. When I registered where the final pages were headed (and I had my suspicions early on), I couldn't help feeling tricked and disappointed. Harsh? Maybe. But in the interest of being spoiler-free, let's just say my initial intuition that the subject matter was too much for me was accurate. And I certainly didn't get the resolution that is so satisfying in detective novels.
Would I read another DeMille? I would; he knows how to write page turners, and make me chuckle. This just happened to be the wrong pick for yours truly. Rating: 4 for readability, 2 for subject matter, 2 when I compare it to the other DeMille I've read, Plum Island. 5 for book-club worthiness. I settled on a 3.
This marks the second book of the year that I have "buddy read." The first being The End of the Affair with Joe Valdez (spoiler: He hated it! I loved it!); this one with whip-smart Carol. I love all "you people" on Goodreads, but Carol is one of my faves. I always look forward to her smart, opinionated reviews: she has a critical, discerning eye, which she applies to any genre she reads: fantasy, sci-fi, mystery. She loves strong women, kickass authors like Octavia Butler, and when I picture her writing her reviews, I picture her thoughtfully staring into space like her awesome avatar. I also discovered quite recently that she is a speed reader :) Check out her review of Dune; you won't regret it.
I'm very curious to see where Carol lands with Night Fall, but regardless of her final rating, I'm sure I'll enjoy the review.
Upon recommendation (thanks, Don!), I picked up Night Fall, not giving the synopsis a glance. This may have been an issue, as the whole book deals with speculation and conspiracy theories surrounding TWA Flight 800, which exploded off the coast of Long Island in 1996. I had just graduated from high school and remember hearing the news quite vividly. I remember all of the initial eye-witness accounts reporting what seemed to be a missile heading towards the plane before its explosion, and then how all of those reports seemed to just die down. Mechanical trouble, the final report stated.
DeMille gives a great forward about why he felt compelled to write about the explosion--exploring multiple theories, including the official conclusion--framing events and eye-witness accounts within a fictional detective yarn. Part of me was up for the journey. Who doesn't like a good conspiracy theory?
The other part of me was conflicted about the subject matter. What I liked most about DeMille's main guy last time around was his sarcasm, and I just didn't know if I could stomach sarcasm or jokes about something that felt like it happened yesterday. I've suffered from a fear of flying my whole life, so when I hear about a plane crash, hijacking, etc., I go to a bad place.... and stay there. For an uncomfortable amount of time. It's a tragic event, and while I think DeMille's intentions were good, this obviously impacted any pleasure I was hoping to glean from a light, fun read. I mean, I was BUDDY READING this book! (More on that later.)
Anyway, I read somewhere once in "the rules of crime-solving" that a detective can't solve a case until he turns in his gun and his badge; that any grocery bag has to have a baguette peaking out from the top; that a man can take a gunshot wound like a champ but will flinch in distress if a woman is cleaning out his paper cut--many of these cliches hold true in this novel, but DeMille is clever enough to make them part of the fun. And as the story moves farther from the details of the crash, and deeper into the intricacies of Corey's detective work and one-liners, I felt my enjoyment cautiously growing. Nelson knows how to get you to turn those pages, and as Corey's wife Kate must do on multiple occasions, you just want to roll your eyes when Corey's being the colossal dick he fully acknowledges he's being. ... And then give him a big old bear hug and say fondly, "oh, John."
...Until all enjoyment abruptly stopped. When I registered where the final pages were headed (and I had my suspicions early on), I couldn't help feeling tricked and disappointed. Harsh? Maybe. But in the interest of being spoiler-free, let's just say my initial intuition that the subject matter was too much for me was accurate. And I certainly didn't get the resolution that is so satisfying in detective novels.
Would I read another DeMille? I would; he knows how to write page turners, and make me chuckle. This just happened to be the wrong pick for yours truly. Rating: 4 for readability, 2 for subject matter, 2 when I compare it to the other DeMille I've read, Plum Island. 5 for book-club worthiness. I settled on a 3.
This marks the second book of the year that I have "buddy read." The first being The End of the Affair with Joe Valdez (spoiler: He hated it! I loved it!); this one with whip-smart Carol. I love all "you people" on Goodreads, but Carol is one of my faves. I always look forward to her smart, opinionated reviews: she has a critical, discerning eye, which she applies to any genre she reads: fantasy, sci-fi, mystery. She loves strong women, kickass authors like Octavia Butler, and when I picture her writing her reviews, I picture her thoughtfully staring into space like her awesome avatar. I also discovered quite recently that she is a speed reader :) Check out her review of Dune; you won't regret it.
I'm very curious to see where Carol lands with Night Fall, but regardless of her final rating, I'm sure I'll enjoy the review.
June 17, 2021
Wow.
Oh DeMille, you sly SOB...
Here we are at Book 3 of the wonderful John Corey series, by an author who wasn’t even on my radar up until about a year ago. Arguably the best book in the series so far, this one has Corey, who works essentially in Homeland Security, looking into the closed case of TWA Flight 800. This was a real world event, so I was wondering exactly how DeMille was going to handle it. I was not disappointed.
TWA Flight 800 went down just off Long Island New York in 1996. The official cause was fuel tank explosion via electrical short, but there are still people to this day, including former FBI agents and airline personnel, that believe this was terrorism. Hundreds of people claim to have seen a missile hit this plane, but as far as we know, no evidence other than eyewitness accounts exist for the most part. There’s far more to it of course, and this subject alone is a rabbit hole you could spend a few hours on—there are documentaries, websites, books, etc dedicated to TWA Flight 800. This novel kicks around the idea that two people, having an extramarital affair, just so happened to catch the explosion on videotape while filming themselves having relations on the beach… Did the FBI and the CIA ever actually locate these people and this video? Will John Corey be able to figure out who these people were, or will it elude him just like it supposedly did back in 1996…? Does the video even still exist, and if so, does it hold the key to what really happened on July 17, 1996?
The book takes place a few years after the crash, and Corey and his now-wife, Kate Mayfield, unofficially decide to reopen the case and go poking around. This book is filled with information, both factual and fictional, and for me there was literally not a single dull moment in the whole book. On the other hand, this book ends up taking a massive left turn at the end that I must admit I saw coming, it was still very powerful. Saying any more about it would be a huge spoiler.
DeMille’s writing is as on point as ever, and the more I read by him, the more I fall into a groove with him stylistically. Nelson and I are on the same page, and that is exactly what you want, whether you’re a reader or a writer. His books are detailed yet consistently entertaining, and as I’ve said before, he is a master at ratcheting up the tension slowly, until you eventually realize you’re white-knuckling the book like you would grip the steering wheel while driving a bit too fast down a twisty mountain road. John Corey is the same smart-assed jokester that we have come to love (or hate) by now, though I will say that DeMille has (perhaps smartly) significantly toned down his male-centric thoughts and comments that could be construed as sexist, and he did it without really altering the character. Well done, Mr. DeMille.
As I’ve said, this book is a bit different, even for DeMille, because of the ending. After reading a few reviews, I see that some readers hated it. Meh…that’s to be expected. I loved it, and found it to be existential and powerful. I have previously stated that The Lions Game was my favorite in the John Corey series, but now I’m not so sure-this one may have taken over the number one spot. 4.5/5
Next up very soon, Wild Fire.
Oh DeMille, you sly SOB...
Here we are at Book 3 of the wonderful John Corey series, by an author who wasn’t even on my radar up until about a year ago. Arguably the best book in the series so far, this one has Corey, who works essentially in Homeland Security, looking into the closed case of TWA Flight 800. This was a real world event, so I was wondering exactly how DeMille was going to handle it. I was not disappointed.
TWA Flight 800 went down just off Long Island New York in 1996. The official cause was fuel tank explosion via electrical short, but there are still people to this day, including former FBI agents and airline personnel, that believe this was terrorism. Hundreds of people claim to have seen a missile hit this plane, but as far as we know, no evidence other than eyewitness accounts exist for the most part. There’s far more to it of course, and this subject alone is a rabbit hole you could spend a few hours on—there are documentaries, websites, books, etc dedicated to TWA Flight 800. This novel kicks around the idea that two people, having an extramarital affair, just so happened to catch the explosion on videotape while filming themselves having relations on the beach… Did the FBI and the CIA ever actually locate these people and this video? Will John Corey be able to figure out who these people were, or will it elude him just like it supposedly did back in 1996…? Does the video even still exist, and if so, does it hold the key to what really happened on July 17, 1996?
The book takes place a few years after the crash, and Corey and his now-wife, Kate Mayfield, unofficially decide to reopen the case and go poking around. This book is filled with information, both factual and fictional, and for me there was literally not a single dull moment in the whole book. On the other hand, this book ends up taking a massive left turn at the end that I must admit I saw coming, it was still very powerful. Saying any more about it would be a huge spoiler.
DeMille’s writing is as on point as ever, and the more I read by him, the more I fall into a groove with him stylistically. Nelson and I are on the same page, and that is exactly what you want, whether you’re a reader or a writer. His books are detailed yet consistently entertaining, and as I’ve said before, he is a master at ratcheting up the tension slowly, until you eventually realize you’re white-knuckling the book like you would grip the steering wheel while driving a bit too fast down a twisty mountain road. John Corey is the same smart-assed jokester that we have come to love (or hate) by now, though I will say that DeMille has (perhaps smartly) significantly toned down his male-centric thoughts and comments that could be construed as sexist, and he did it without really altering the character. Well done, Mr. DeMille.
As I’ve said, this book is a bit different, even for DeMille, because of the ending. After reading a few reviews, I see that some readers hated it. Meh…that’s to be expected. I loved it, and found it to be existential and powerful. I have previously stated that The Lions Game was my favorite in the John Corey series, but now I’m not so sure-this one may have taken over the number one spot. 4.5/5
Next up very soon, Wild Fire.
August 20, 2015
Wow. I'm shattered, shocked and awed by this novel. Pay special close attention to the time frame in the book. TWA Flight 800 tragedy 1996, the 5 year anniversary 2001. I was so engrossed in this fast paced, action packed, novel that I absolutely did not see the end coming. “Holy Shit” I said to myself and “No Way”. I had to go back and look. When you read this you'll be in for the ride of your life and the tension will grow and grow, and you will become shattered at the end. I hate cliffhangers but I'll make an exception this ONE time and only because this thriller was written by a mastermind of a writer. Nelson DeMille is sneaky, clever, and just downright astonishingly intelligent when it comes to creative writing. Just WOW.
John Corey is still his obnoxiously sarcastic self and one of the most fun alpha males in the fictional world and he kicks butt. For truth, for justice and with much patriotism as well as ‘doing the right thing’. However, in the real world, he would not get any second, third or fourth chances and so some of DeMille’s choices in his writing can be a ‘roll eyes’, ‘yeah, right’, type of read but quite entertaining!
READ THIS BOOK! It will shatter you too!
John Corey is still his obnoxiously sarcastic self and one of the most fun alpha males in the fictional world and he kicks butt. For truth, for justice and with much patriotism as well as ‘doing the right thing’. However, in the real world, he would not get any second, third or fourth chances and so some of DeMille’s choices in his writing can be a ‘roll eyes’, ‘yeah, right’, type of read but quite entertaining!
READ THIS BOOK! It will shatter you too!
December 17, 2023
This has to be one of the most thrilling and heartrending books I encountered in 2023.
Scott Brick delivers a riveting performance. It was mesmerizing listening along as John Corey worked tirelessly in his quest to find concrete evidence about what actually caused TWA flight 800 (en-route from NYC to Paris) to inexplicably blow apart soon after takeoff on July 17, 1996.
Educational, thrilling and very real. DeMille always keeps me spellbound.
Scott Brick delivers a riveting performance. It was mesmerizing listening along as John Corey worked tirelessly in his quest to find concrete evidence about what actually caused TWA flight 800 (en-route from NYC to Paris) to inexplicably blow apart soon after takeoff on July 17, 1996.
Educational, thrilling and very real. DeMille always keeps me spellbound.
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March 1, 2025
4.5-Stars >> 5.0-Stars - "I thought this was an excellent book"!
Nelson DeMille - John Corey #3 - Nightfall 2004
Audiobook: 14:49 Hours - Narrator: Scott Brick
I am still on my back for too long each day to consider a 'proper' review, so in the meantime here are some thoughts taken from "My Listening Activity":
06-Oct-24 @31% :"Commenced 06/10/24"
07-Oct-24 @61% :"Very good listening when I am needing to spend too much time under my "Doona". I enjoy the "John Corey" character, with his light-hearted witticisms and dialogue which keep me 'turning the pages' - and that's a good thing if you're feeling off-colour."
09-Oct-24 @99% :"There was nail-nibbling excitement a-plenty while listening to the last few hours of this great 'action' story, which was well-narrated by a younger Scott Brick."
Nelson DeMille - John Corey #3 - Nightfall 2004
Audiobook: 14:49 Hours - Narrator: Scott Brick
I am still on my back for too long each day to consider a 'proper' review, so in the meantime here are some thoughts taken from "My Listening Activity":
06-Oct-24 @31% :"Commenced 06/10/24"
07-Oct-24 @61% :"Very good listening when I am needing to spend too much time under my "Doona". I enjoy the "John Corey" character, with his light-hearted witticisms and dialogue which keep me 'turning the pages' - and that's a good thing if you're feeling off-colour."
09-Oct-24 @99% :"There was nail-nibbling excitement a-plenty while listening to the last few hours of this great 'action' story, which was well-narrated by a younger Scott Brick."
September 18, 2020
Tied with Plum Island as my favorite book of all time
February 28, 2013
Once again Mark Twain’s formula for an American crime writer of killing everybody off at the end is followed. This time September 11th does it, wiping out witnesses and conspirators alike. Too bad!!
For almost 500 pages we surely want to know who targeted this flight and why was there a cover-up?
There is much humour and suspense through-out but the essentials are unanswered.
For almost 500 pages we surely want to know who targeted this flight and why was there a cover-up?
There is much humour and suspense through-out but the essentials are unanswered.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 21, 2014
This novel is not as good as others he's written. There is some good writing, some repetition and I wasn't exactly thrilled with the ending. 4 of 10 stars
April 29, 2012
Provocative, frightening, and based on True Events.
It is dusk on July 17, 1996. A man and a woman who are married - but not to each other - make love on a Long Island beach as a video camera records their pleasures...and something more. Out over the ocean, TWA flight 800 suddenly explodes with 230 victims on board, the terrible blast illuminating the sky. The government's verdict is mechanical failure. But the videotape may tell another story - if it can be found.
Now, on the 5th anniversary of the crash, two memebers of the Federal Anti-Terrorist Task Force set out to reopen the case: John Corey, and ex-NYPD detective, and his wife, Kate Mayfield, a career FBI agent. Together, they hunt for the crucial video...and race toward an elusive truth even more horrifying thatn the crash itself.Love Nelson DeMille...a great story teller...and this John Corey guy has a fantastic dry sense of humor that keeps you chuckling. And checking the interenet to see if what they're talking about is REAL!!!!! YIKES!
It is dusk on July 17, 1996. A man and a woman who are married - but not to each other - make love on a Long Island beach as a video camera records their pleasures...and something more. Out over the ocean, TWA flight 800 suddenly explodes with 230 victims on board, the terrible blast illuminating the sky. The government's verdict is mechanical failure. But the videotape may tell another story - if it can be found.
Now, on the 5th anniversary of the crash, two memebers of the Federal Anti-Terrorist Task Force set out to reopen the case: John Corey, and ex-NYPD detective, and his wife, Kate Mayfield, a career FBI agent. Together, they hunt for the crucial video...and race toward an elusive truth even more horrifying thatn the crash itself.Love Nelson DeMille...a great story teller...and this John Corey guy has a fantastic dry sense of humor that keeps you chuckling. And checking the interenet to see if what they're talking about is REAL!!!!! YIKES!
November 24, 2018
DeMille's wit is in full effect in the suspenseful thriller! Made me laugh over and over and over again. The characters are likeable and believable, the story has the right level of sophistication and many of the theories in the book are based on verifiable facts and eyewitness statements regarding TWA Flight 800. Some readers have been and will continue to be displeased by the last couple pages. I, on the other hand, felt it was a perfect conclusion to a fastastic and wildly entertaining story.
December 25, 2014
I don't know what to say about Night Fall, the premise is very different than the first two books in the series. It's about the attack on Flight 800, which I didn't know much about until reading this book, a few nights ago I did some research on the real thing, and I learned more about it. This book also seemed to have a more serious tone to it than the first two.
The ending really shocked me, I never saw it coming. I don't want to spoil it for anyone so I won't give anything away. However it was still a great book, highly recommended.
The ending really shocked me, I never saw it coming. I don't want to spoil it for anyone so I won't give anything away. However it was still a great book, highly recommended.
July 5, 2010
Suspenseful tale built on TWA-800 crash - but sloppy ending!
We are loyal followers of DeMille's entire bibliography, so looked forward to "Night Fall", especially once we got the drift it was based on fact and embellished with fiction (ala the Da Vinci Code). The author concocts two eyewitnesses to the crash of TWA flight 800 in 1996, who not only claimed to have seen a "missile" streak skyward toward the plane, but may have videotaped it as well, as part of a secret, sex-filled beachside rendezvous! Enter John Corey (from Demille's "Plum Island" and "Gold Coast"), now part of an FBI anti-terrorist task force, and now married to Kate Mayfield, another FBI-type who personally interviewed many of the some 200 people who also claimed to have seen a missile-like object heading toward the plane. Corey attends a 5-year memorial service re the tragedy and starts looking into matters never very well resolved by the official explanation of mechanical failure that brought down the airliner. He doesn't know about the sexy couple at first like we do, but sensing a conspiracy or cover-up, pursues them all book-long in a suspenseful prelude to a showdown with federal officials. The book ends in a predictable yet unexpected fashion -- and the loose ends left flapping bothered us a bit just as it did many other readers.
DeMille has written a clever book that makes the pages fly. As the timeline of the book proceeded throughout 2001 toward that now fateful day of infamy, we wondered how he would handle the outcome of his main story. To us, the abrupt dissatisfaction of the ending detracted from an otherwise well crafted yarn - one that looks to be backed up with substantial research. Give us a better ending, and a fifth star would be no problem!
We are loyal followers of DeMille's entire bibliography, so looked forward to "Night Fall", especially once we got the drift it was based on fact and embellished with fiction (ala the Da Vinci Code). The author concocts two eyewitnesses to the crash of TWA flight 800 in 1996, who not only claimed to have seen a "missile" streak skyward toward the plane, but may have videotaped it as well, as part of a secret, sex-filled beachside rendezvous! Enter John Corey (from Demille's "Plum Island" and "Gold Coast"), now part of an FBI anti-terrorist task force, and now married to Kate Mayfield, another FBI-type who personally interviewed many of the some 200 people who also claimed to have seen a missile-like object heading toward the plane. Corey attends a 5-year memorial service re the tragedy and starts looking into matters never very well resolved by the official explanation of mechanical failure that brought down the airliner. He doesn't know about the sexy couple at first like we do, but sensing a conspiracy or cover-up, pursues them all book-long in a suspenseful prelude to a showdown with federal officials. The book ends in a predictable yet unexpected fashion -- and the loose ends left flapping bothered us a bit just as it did many other readers.
DeMille has written a clever book that makes the pages fly. As the timeline of the book proceeded throughout 2001 toward that now fateful day of infamy, we wondered how he would handle the outcome of his main story. To us, the abrupt dissatisfaction of the ending detracted from an otherwise well crafted yarn - one that looks to be backed up with substantial research. Give us a better ending, and a fifth star would be no problem!
August 25, 2014
Demille's books seem to be reliably good (at least this series has been so far). I'm getting these from the public library (hey, I'm already looking at having to reduce the size of my own library...a lot. i can't buy every book I read). That means i usually have to put these on hold and wait to get them.
As I did this one.
This volume of the lives of our heros begins a little more slowly or maybe I should use the word "obliquely" than the first two. Hang in there it will grab you.
Kate (Mayfield) has ghosts haunting her and as the book opens a particularly tricky and dangerous one.
And she gets John (Corey) involved.
Things go down a somewhat predictable road after that but there are enough twists and turns leading to the strange conclusion that it's all worth it.
And be ready to want the next novel. Recommended. Enjoy.
As I did this one.
This volume of the lives of our heros begins a little more slowly or maybe I should use the word "obliquely" than the first two. Hang in there it will grab you.
Kate (Mayfield) has ghosts haunting her and as the book opens a particularly tricky and dangerous one.
And she gets John (Corey) involved.
Things go down a somewhat predictable road after that but there are enough twists and turns leading to the strange conclusion that it's all worth it.
And be ready to want the next novel. Recommended. Enjoy.
December 1, 2007
****Spoiler****
I love Nelson Demille books. I love conspiracy theories. I absolutely can not stand it when there isn't an ending and nothing gets solved.
I rated this a 3 because it was highly entertaining. But as I was nearing the end I thought that there was a good chance we wouldn't get any answers...and we didn't. Though it isn't like this book is a history book that has all the details. I know it's a piece of fiction but, come on, finish the da*n story. I"m frustrated, but I literally just finished it. Perhaps tomorrow I'll like it more.
I love Nelson Demille books. I love conspiracy theories. I absolutely can not stand it when there isn't an ending and nothing gets solved.
I rated this a 3 because it was highly entertaining. But as I was nearing the end I thought that there was a good chance we wouldn't get any answers...and we didn't. Though it isn't like this book is a history book that has all the details. I know it's a piece of fiction but, come on, finish the da*n story. I"m frustrated, but I literally just finished it. Perhaps tomorrow I'll like it more.
September 8, 2025
Uhm, what the fuck was that?
The book is clearly written in the early 2000 and is a byproduct of those times. It's American through and through, and you can sense that in the way the main character referred to different ethnic and social groups. It was a definite bubble burst as I've focused mainly on contemporary books, so I found it beneficial to see how noughties literature fares up.
All of these being said, I was sucked into the action quite quickly and was fully invested. The audiobook was nicely done and I had no trouble picking it up. I just wished the author would have given us a bit more.
The book is clearly written in the early 2000 and is a byproduct of those times. It's American through and through, and you can sense that in the way the main character referred to different ethnic and social groups. It was a definite bubble burst as I've focused mainly on contemporary books, so I found it beneficial to see how noughties literature fares up.
All of these being said, I was sucked into the action quite quickly and was fully invested. The audiobook was nicely done and I had no trouble picking it up. I just wished the author would have given us a bit more.
August 11, 2018
This book was a real disappointment for me: The story was at times boring and predictable and had some weird twists and turns that went nowhere. I also really detested the narrator with all his prejudices, racist and sexist jokes and blind arrogance. Since the book even seems to applaud this attitude, I really have a problem with the novel as a whole. I read Word of Honor by the same author a while ago and it also showed some of these tendencies, but given the context of the Vietnam war, it did not appear to be so distasteful to me. The only element I liked was the idea behind the book: What if the conspiracy theories behind the TWA 800 disaster were true? Unfortunately, the story then does not deliver on the promises of this premise.
I will touch on some spoilers in the following rant ;-)
Overall, this was just an incredibly frustrating and at times boring and infuriating reading experience. If you want to read a suspenseful thriller, go somewhere else!
I will touch on some spoilers in the following rant ;-)
Overall, this was just an incredibly frustrating and at times boring and infuriating reading experience. If you want to read a suspenseful thriller, go somewhere else!
August 17, 2025
DeMille's third novel with Corey takes a very different path. Night Fall starts about a year after the incidents of the last installment, and both Corey and his (now) wife Kate still work at the ATTF, e.g., the anti-terrorism task force, in NYC. From the prologue, we know this novel will focus on the TWA flight 800 that blew up off Long Island in 1996, killing all on board. I remember this, and all the controversy that surrounded it. Many, many eye witnesses claimed they saw a streak of light going toward the plane before it blew. Was the plane actually shot down? Not in the official version.
Kate worked the scene back before she met John Corey and the actual novel starts with the two of them going to a memorial service on Long Island on the 5th anniversary of the tragedy. Obviously, Kate is not happy with the official version (the center fuel tank blew due to an electrical fault), on on the way back to NYC, she has Corey interview a few witnesses, as well as the head engineer who worked the case. Some very contradictory messages! Some claim a missile, others reject it. So, Corey decides to find out what's what...
Corey seems to have grown up a bit in this one, although he is still a smart ass. DeMille really paced this one well. Kate did not play much of a role here, unfortunately; this is really the John Corey show all the way. I also liked the constant questions regarding the supposed conspiracy. If it was covered up, why? If a terrorist did it, why hide it? If the missile was friendly fire from a near by navel war games, than how to you keep that quiet? It just does not make much sense. Yet, most people, then and now, thought there was a cover up. Wikipedia has a good page on this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TWA_Fli...
I was not impressed with the ending, unfortunately, or I might have given this all the stars. 4.5 explosive stars!!
Kate worked the scene back before she met John Corey and the actual novel starts with the two of them going to a memorial service on Long Island on the 5th anniversary of the tragedy. Obviously, Kate is not happy with the official version (the center fuel tank blew due to an electrical fault), on on the way back to NYC, she has Corey interview a few witnesses, as well as the head engineer who worked the case. Some very contradictory messages! Some claim a missile, others reject it. So, Corey decides to find out what's what...
Corey seems to have grown up a bit in this one, although he is still a smart ass. DeMille really paced this one well. Kate did not play much of a role here, unfortunately; this is really the John Corey show all the way. I also liked the constant questions regarding the supposed conspiracy. If it was covered up, why? If a terrorist did it, why hide it? If the missile was friendly fire from a near by navel war games, than how to you keep that quiet? It just does not make much sense. Yet, most people, then and now, thought there was a cover up. Wikipedia has a good page on this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TWA_Fli...
I was not impressed with the ending, unfortunately, or I might have given this all the stars. 4.5 explosive stars!!
October 22, 2011
I liked this book much more than The Lion's Game. I suspect it has a lot to do with the fact that this story had more of the hands-on approach than the rest. Whereas the 'mystery' in the previous Corey book was solved in the last pages of the book, "Night Fall" was shrouded in mystery to the end and only slowly revealed its secrets.
John Corey seemed to be more in his element in this book. Or perhaps, all that chasing around masked some of the cynicism and bravado. Don't get me wrong, I like his dry sense of humor and witty cynicism but it can be too much at times. Especially since he used it on everybody and everything, making me wonder at times if we really loved his wife or how much trust he had in some people. It took the last heart wrenching pages of the book to read about John and Kate's emotions without the veil of sarcasm.
I loved the mystery of the book and John's deductive abilities as well as his 'fuck-you' attitude towards authority. It showed a world where good guys could win if they had good arguments, evidence and balls of steel. But it also portrayed America as victim, having the whole world against it (which I doubt).
The ending of the book took me by surprise. I would have loved to see how the situation would have been resolved but since it was based on a true case, I suppose such twists and turns to the story wouldn't have been well received by the public. I was actually saddened by the list of friends lost but I guess it's just an sliver compared to the grief experienced after the Towers fell.
Overall, it was a good book. Mystery, murder, conspiracy theories and a witty detective to solve the puzzle.
John Corey seemed to be more in his element in this book. Or perhaps, all that chasing around masked some of the cynicism and bravado. Don't get me wrong, I like his dry sense of humor and witty cynicism but it can be too much at times. Especially since he used it on everybody and everything, making me wonder at times if we really loved his wife or how much trust he had in some people. It took the last heart wrenching pages of the book to read about John and Kate's emotions without the veil of sarcasm.
I loved the mystery of the book and John's deductive abilities as well as his 'fuck-you' attitude towards authority. It showed a world where good guys could win if they had good arguments, evidence and balls of steel. But it also portrayed America as victim, having the whole world against it (which I doubt).
The ending of the book took me by surprise. I would have loved to see how the situation would have been resolved but since it was based on a true case, I suppose such twists and turns to the story wouldn't have been well received by the public. I was actually saddened by the list of friends lost but I guess it's just an sliver compared to the grief experienced after the Towers fell.
Overall, it was a good book. Mystery, murder, conspiracy theories and a witty detective to solve the puzzle.
August 27, 2020
You have to be kidding me! It is bad enough that DeMille spends more time on listing street names and directions instead of addressing plot, but then he comes up with a total non-ending ending worthy of the Deus Ex Machina lifetime achievement award. It was like reading a 500 page Agatha Christie mystery while she develops a long trail of clues and suspects about “who killed the butler”, then on page 498 she has Darth Vader pull up in the Death Star and destroy the planet...the end.
March 29, 2018
SOME QUESTIONS WILL REMAIN UNANSWERED AND SOME INCIDENTS WILL REMAIN UNSOLVED ..
I DEFINITELY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK .
IT'S TOTALLY A PAGE TURNER,I WAS SO ENGROSSED,SHOCKED AS I CAME TO THE END .
DIDN'T REALLY THINK THE END WOULD BE LIKE THIS .
IT WAS MY FIRST OF NELSON DEMILLE'S BOOK AND DEFINITELY NOT THE LAST .
I DEFINITELY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK .
IT'S TOTALLY A PAGE TURNER,I WAS SO ENGROSSED,SHOCKED AS I CAME TO THE END .
DIDN'T REALLY THINK THE END WOULD BE LIKE THIS .
IT WAS MY FIRST OF NELSON DEMILLE'S BOOK AND DEFINITELY NOT THE LAST .
May 19, 2024
Highly recommended 👋🏻
July 3, 2007
This was one of those novels that the pre-release hype was so great that as a reader, I was not sure what to expect but Night Fall with a few small exceptions lived up to the media hubbub. The novel starts with a flashback scene that takes us to the Atlantic coast on the fateful night of the TWA flight 800 crash. On the beach, two "consenting adults" are enjoying their night out and for posterity sake filmed the evening. On this tape, the "accident" and a strange shooting light is trapped on celluloid.
Cut to five years later and we are introduced to FBI consultant John Corey and his wife Kate Mayfield, recurring characters from DeMille's other works. Mayfield having been an investigator at the original scene is concerned with eye witness discrepancies, the TSA's official cause and other miss steps. As her concern builds, her husband becomes interested as well.
What follows is a tightly scripted story with twists at every turn right up until an explosive ending that can leave the reader with an adrenaline high or a sense of bewilderment. Overall, Night Fall was a wonderful read but may disappoint readers who are looking for answers and not just a compelling novel.
Cut to five years later and we are introduced to FBI consultant John Corey and his wife Kate Mayfield, recurring characters from DeMille's other works. Mayfield having been an investigator at the original scene is concerned with eye witness discrepancies, the TSA's official cause and other miss steps. As her concern builds, her husband becomes interested as well.
What follows is a tightly scripted story with twists at every turn right up until an explosive ending that can leave the reader with an adrenaline high or a sense of bewilderment. Overall, Night Fall was a wonderful read but may disappoint readers who are looking for answers and not just a compelling novel.
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