Plum Island
by Nelson DeMille
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Book Summary Information
Author: Nelson DeMilleEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-01
ISBN: 0446679089
Number of pages: 464
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Book Reviews of Plum Island
Book Review: Plum Island is really a lemon
Summary: 1 Stars
Someone at a party recommended this book to me. I had never read Nelson DeMille before. Which turns out to be good for me. This novel has nothing going for it. Start with a totally adolescent, obnoxious main character and work your way down from there. John Corey is not in the least bit likable, has a "clever" joke (unfunny) for every occasion, and tries oh so hard to convince you he's the smartest guy in the room. Gosh, he's so good at what he does you never get the sense he's ever in any real danger.
Next, make sure to disappoint your readers. A bright young couple who were scientists on Plum Island are found murdered. Anyone expecting this as a launch for a taut scientific thriller, as the title might suggest, is in for a letdown. There is a "twist" in the middle of the story -- unfortunately it introduces a subject matter far more inane and much less challenging to write about. Of course right from the start we get an inkling of this twist to come, as out of all the minds investigating the case only our hero John Corey suspects something might not be what it seems....
We're introduced to a lot of characters. Town police, county police, FBI and CIA. There's a day-long excursion of Plumb Island, which feels like it covers at least 100 pages. Among a large collection of government employees, we meet an intriguing Dr. Zollner. The investigators coerce him to lead them on an extensive tour of the lab. He seems like an amiable fellow, outwardly helpful, but perhaps a little mysterious? Hmmm, what sinister secret could he be hiding? How about the other lab staffers -- the ones who worked closely with the murdered couple? They're helpful too, but somehow a little scripted in their responses, as Corey surmises. What might they have up their sleeves? Turns out nothing! After this tour, none of them are ever heard from again! Oh, and that little scene where John Corey kind of "zones out" at the spectacle of an unfortunate animal in the last stages of a hemorrhagic virus? No, it's not a foreshadowing of some significant event to come. He just has this "thing" about seeing a living thing bleed out of its nose and anus.
Shortly after, the ranking members of the investigation decide they are no longer in need of Corey's services. But Corey continues his investigation on the sly. Now out of the loop and denied access to more advanced resources, he has to take his quest on foot. By his own admission old-fashioned detective work is dull and tedious. The problem is he is absolutely right. The reader suffers though endless questioning of crusty elderly people and a prickly, effeminate vineyard owner. One of his leads in an attractive young historian who naturally falls in love with him in the space of one afternoon ...because he's just so damn charming. How does he repay her for their tryst? Why, with a chamber pot, naturally. I kid you not.
Okay, so on to the conclusion. By this time even DeMille must have realized what a dog he had on his hands, what with characters who disappeared and the storyline dead ends. So in an effort to save a story that couldn't stand on it's own, he falls back on that timeless, cliched literary device: "the storm." A hurricane just so happens to hit the eastern end of Long Island. It makes apprehending the real killer just a little more difficult for Corey as he chases him towards Plum Island on the high seas. But no worries; while piloting a boat for the first time, dodging rifle fire, cracking wise, and yes, swilling a couple of beers, our hero has everything under control. It all makes for a wild and riveting climax on Plum Island! Not.
The rear inner sleeve of the book I had said something like "Be sure not to miss these other Nelson DeMille novels featuring detective John Corey...." Oh, you can bet I will do exactly that.
Summary of Plum Island
The hair-raising suspense of The General's Daughter... the wry wit of The Gold Coast...this is vintage Nelson DeMille at the peak of his originality and the height of his powers...Wounded in the line of duty, NYPD homicide cop John Corey is convalescing in rural eastern Long Island when an attractive young couple he knows is found shot to death on the family patio. The victims were biologists at Plum Island, a research site rumored to be an incubator for germ warfare.Suddenly, a local double murder takes on shattering global implications -- and thrusts Corey and two extraordinary women into a dangerous search for the secret of PLUM ISLAND....Nelson DeMille's narrative engine is one of the best in the business, and it chugs away in grand style in this story of buried treasure and biological warfare on a tiny spit of land off Long Island. As told by a wry, wounded New York City detective who is drafted to explore a couple of murders, Plum Island is a rich pudding of flavorful (if familiar) ingredients, including a ferocious storm at sea. Other DeMille epics in paperback include By the Rivers of Babylon, The General's Daughter, The Gold Coast, Spencerville, and Word of Honor.
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