52 Books in 52 Weeks: Book 33: "The Lion's Game"

Terrible he rode alone,

With his Yemen sword for aid;  

Ornament it carried none.

But the notches on the blade. 

John Corey is a wise-cracking, foul-mouthed former NYPD homicide detective who has been brought in to the ATTF (Anti-Terrorist Task Force).  His assignment is to help the FBI process Asad Kahlil, a defecting Libyan terrorist code-named "The Lion".  But when the plane Kahlil and his FBI escorts are arriving on lands, everyone on board is found dead in their seats.  And Kahlil is missing.  Most of the experts on ATTF believe this horrific act of terror was Asad Kahlil's end game.  John Corey knows it was just the beginning.  Corey works to stop Kahlil as he travels through the United States, carrying out his detailed plan of revenge killings.  But he is always one step behind this resourceful terrorist.  Can Corey catch The Lion before he reaches his ultimate target?

This novel is gripping and suspenseful, and reminded me of the TV show 24, with John Corey as the Jack Bauer character.   DeMille goes into Asad Kahlil's background to show us what drives his fierce determination to kill.  This made him a much more sympathetic character, and I found myself relating more to Kahlil at times than to Corey, who is a very unlikeable protagonist.

I would consider this book "R-rated" because of the amount of foul language and some sexual content.

The interesting and kind of creepy thing about this book is that it was published in 2000. In 2001, most Americans may have been stunned by the idea of middle-eastern terrorists waging war on our soil & using planes as weapons, but Nelson DeMille was not.

Sojourner