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Week of Nov 22 | Nelson DeMille
PLUM ISLAND was a stand-alone book and Mr. DeMille had no plans on bringing him back. But the response from his fans was of a different nature than it had been with his previous novels. Prior to John Corey, most of his fan letters focused on the plot of the novel. With PLUM ISLAND, then with the second John Corey novel THE LION'S GAME, many of the letters he received dealt with how much his readers liked the character of John Corey. So Corey has returned in NIGHT FALL, published by TimeWarner Books. NIGHT FALL deals with the crash of TWA Flight 800, which crashed off the coast of Long Island in 1996. The tragic accident, which actually happened, is the basis for the plot of the novel. Corey attends the fifth anniversary memorial of the crash with his wife, Kate Mayfield. He meets several people who saw what appeared to be a missile that hit the TWA flight. Part of the novel's intrigue involves a couple who taped the explosion inadvertently while they were having an extra-marital tryst on the beach and captured the event on tape. Corey must track this couple down to offer proof of what actually happened that day. The accident has been classified as an accident involving the fuel system of the jet, but Corey and Kate believe the government came to their conclusion too quickly and too conveniently. Mr. DeMille has had characters appear in more than one novel before, Paul Bremer appeared in THE GENERAL's DAUGHTER and UP COUNTRY, but John Corey is the first series character according to Mr. DeMille's definition. Part of this is the fact that the stories are told in the first person narrative. One of the refreshing things about John Corey is his lack of political-correctness. DeMille lets Corey drink scotch, make off-color jokes, and have sex without ending up on the therapists couch the next day. Corey reminds me of Travis McGee, the protagonist of the late, great John D Macdonald. Macdonald and McGee cared a great deal about what the developers were doing to their native Florida. Travis McGee loved women and he loved Florida. He was very concerned with justice. McGee was no cad, he never bedded a woman for the sake of casual sex, and if a reader re-reads the Travis McGee series they will learn much about our country's history and the things that mattered most to John D Macdonald when he wrote his novels. I believe John Corey has a lot in common with Travis McGee. Corey cares a great deal about our country, and he is bothered by much of what he sees. I believe the same is true of Nelson DeMille. We have not seen the last of John Corey and Asad Kahlill. There is too much unfinished business between the two men. Mr. DeMille and I discuss this during our interview. NIGHT FALL is a very satisfying read. I strongly urge you to read all three of the John Corey novels. I also urge you to read THE CHARM SCHOOL and WORD OF HONOR. Mr. DeMille has a way of pulling you into a story that is very effective. I consider THE CHARM SCHOOL one of the finest novels written about
the Cold War period. I hope you enjoy our interview. Mr. DeMille does not do a lot of audio interviews and I feel quite honored that he took the time to talk so openly with me. Pick up a copy of NIGHT FALL, it's worth it.
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