Review - The Maze by Nelson DeMille
I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
The Maze is the latest installment in DeMille’s John Corey series. These are contemporary detective stories. In this book, John is recently retired from his job in federal law enforcement. He’s enjoying some downtime at his uncle’s summer house when he’s approached by an old flame and a job offer with a private investigation firm.
Sometimes it doesn’t work to jump into a series in the middle, but DeMille does a decent job of catching a reader up with John’s history without getting too bogged down. I never felt like I was missing anything about the protagonist/narrator that would have helped the story.
Although DeMille is a prolific author, I had never read any of his books before. I didn’t realize what I was getting into.
Let’s just say that John Corey is portrayed as “a man’s man” and a “cop’s cop.” He’s a hyper-masculine, chauvinistic character with a fair number of ex-wives and ex-girlfriends in his wake. He rebels against authority and is a smart-ass. He’s borderline belligerent and obviously objectifies women. And yet somehow, this man keeps getting women to sleep with him.
So I had a hard time getting into this book because I really did not like John Corey.
But the mystery that is set up was intriguing enough to keep me reading, hoping John would grow on me. Spoiler alert: he didn’t.
John is entangled in an off-the-books investigation of a private investigation firm that smells of corruption. He gets hired on as a consultant at the firm and quickly alienates most everyone there, compromises the investigation, and nearly gets himself killed. He also has time to hatch elaborate plans and join in for the “Thirsty Thursday” strip show, courtesy of his new employer.
In the process, he does help uncover some crimes and corruption, culminating in an intense chase sequence where John is outnumbered and outgunned. Then, the book ends so suddenly that the reader isn’t given concrete answers on some of the book’s biggest mysteries.
This book was a miss for me, though I have to give DeMille credit for creating an intriguing mystery, a plausible conspiracy, and establishing backstory without overwhelming a reader new to the series. The Maze was released October 11.
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