This was my 1st Nelson DeMille book. He died at age-81 in 2024.

Different. Original.

I’ve already put in holds for future books in the series.

Plum Island (1997) is written in first person, following a linear plotline in which the reader moves along with the main character.

Unfortunately the main character is John Corey, a bored, unhappy former homicide detective, medically retired from the NYPD with 3 gunshot wounds.

Corey is an asshole. Cynical, irreverent, insensitive, horny. He views the world with heavy sarcasm, wit, and street-smart skepticism. Hates all authority figures.

This book is way too long. For the story it tells, it should be about half the length.

There’s no way we needed to diverge one night to a casino, for example, so Corey can lose $2000. It added nothing.

Somehow, John Corey kept me reading anyway.

The Inciting Incident: A local, attractive young couple—Tom and Judy Gordon—are found shot to death on their patio. Because Corey knew the couple, the local police chief drafts him to assist with the investigation. 

The Core Mystery: The Gordons were biologists on Plum Island, a heavily guarded, real-world government animal disease research facility located just off the coast of Long Island.

The Stakes: The investigation quickly spirals into a massive conspiracy. As federal agencies like the FBI and CIA step in to control the narrative, Corey must figure out whether the couple was killed for smuggling a deadly biological pathogen, a new vaccine, or something entirely unexpected …