10 July 2015

Review #268: Radiant Angel (John Corey, #7) by Nelson DeMille



My rating: 4 of 5 stars


“Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war than we know about peace, more about killing than we know about living. We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount.” 


----Omar Nelson Bradley, a senior U.S. Army field commander in North Africa and Europe during World War II, and a General of the Army in the United States Army



Nelson DeMille, the #1New York Times best-selling author, pens the seventh book, Radiant Angel in the John Corey series, that features the famous detective, John Corey, who is a former NYPD detective and a former member of the Anti-Terrorist Task Force, the last job forced him to leave it and join hands with Diplomatic Surveillance Group, and this book accounts yet another adventure from John Corey's life.




Synopsis:

After a showdown with the notorious Yemeni terrorist known as The Panther, John Corey has left the Anti-Terrorist Task Force and returned home to New York City, taking a job with the Diplomatic Surveillance Group. Although Corey's new assignment with the DSG-surveilling Russian diplomats working at the U.N. Mission-is thought to be "a quiet end," he is more than happy to be out from under the thumb of the FBI and free from the bureaucracy of office life.

But Corey realizes something the U.S. government doesn't: The all-too-real threat of a newly resurgent Russia.

When Vasily Petrov, a colonel in the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service posing as a diplomat with the Russian U.N. Mission, mysteriously disappears from a Russian oligarch's party in Southampton, it's up to Corey to track him down. What are the Russians up to and why? Is there a possible nuclear threat, a so-called radiant angel? Will Corey find Petrov and put a stop to whatever he has planned before it's too late? Or will Corey finally be outrun and outsmarted, with America facing the prospect of a crippling attack unlike anything it's ever seen before?


This is the first book that I read by this author so I'll review it like I don't know John Corey or about the nature of his work or anything about his background.

John Corey, a former ATTF, is now a part of DSG, who is asked to keep a close watch on a Russian diplomat working for Russian U.N, Vasily Petrov, who is under suspicion that he might be a former KGB as well as Russian terrorist who have come to New York City on a mission. The book opens on 11th September, when Corey along with his new partner, Tess Faraday is following the car of Petrov. Sensing the follow-up, Petrov visits one of his Russian diplomat friend in East Hampton, where he throws a suspicious party consisting of prostitutes and other notorious Russian terrorism key players. Unsure of the whole situation, Corey along with Tess enters the party as caterers, where he finds something really mysterious that doesn't really allow him to point fingers on Petrov so confidently on his terrorist attack plans on NYC. But Petrov is here not to blast a typical bomb like an Al-Qaeda terrorist, he is here on a bigger mission that will guarantee him a promotion. But what are his plans?


The writing style is good enough and really fluent which engages the attention of the readers right into the rhythm of the storyline. The prose is eloquent and polished with lots of tightly packed action that happens non-stop in a curious as well as nail-biting manner, thus keeping the readers on the loop. The story-telling is fantastic and the narrative is layered with humor and drama and with Corey's POV, it sounds more like a fun read despite of the gravity of the possibility of a terror attack.

The not so strong factor of this book and that also puts the readers bit off the edge is the characterization. Well, I thought that the books from the John Corey series can be read like a standalone where in each book the author intricately sketches his protagonist's demeanor just like the first time.

Honestly, I felt John Corey like a vague shadow with very less idea about his back-story in his both professional as well as personal life. Yeah, I will agree that John Corey is a daring and fun-loving guy and takes his country as well as job very seriously. Moreover, he turns every serious situation into a witty thing with it's funny bone. Almost all through out the story, I got a notion that John Corey and his wife, Kate are not on a very good terms, in fact, he knows that his wife is cheating on him, still, when he leaves a voice message on Kate's phone, he says "I love you", whereas it is very clear, that John is not trying hard to get Kate back on his life or to make things right with Kate! Weird!

The supporting characters like Tess, is really a nice and sweet partner to John, who is very kick-ass and brave to stand beside John and the troubles that he calls in. The rest of the cast, which consists of Petrov and his pack of Russian diplomats are strikingly portrayed, that instills a fear straight into the minds of the readers with his third person POV. 

The theme of the book is quite enlightening, which is about terrorism. The author shows us how the people, who are responsible to control terrorist attacks on America, are working their ass off to save their country land. That patriotic feel is very strongly featured among each and every character- be it the evil ones or the good ones. The author also focuses on the relationship between America and Russia and there it seems the author have struck a chord with this portrayal. This book is less of mystery, and more of police-thief chasing story, which the author have depicted with some vivid adrenaline-rushing action scenes. And those scenes are intricately and descriptively painted into the storyline, thus letting the readers see through the thrill clearly. And yes, at times, the constant chase gave me goosebumps because of the way the story has been unfolded by the author. And I'm sure the readers will feel like taking a roller-coaster ride all through the New York Harbor with some fancy yachts and police trailers.

Overall, this is a thrilling as well as compelling book where an unusual detective named John Corey takes on a suspicious believed-to-be a Russian terrorist, living in the New York City, who plans to attack the city whereas John is determined to stop this man from destroying his country one more time after 9/11.

Verdict: Crime fiction fans will love to read this book and I believe Nelson DeMille is a must-read author for everyone.

Courtesy: Thanks to the author's, Nelson DeMille, publicist from Grand Central Publishing, for giving me an opportunity to read and review this book. 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author Info:
Nelson Richard DeMille was born in New York City on August 23, 1943 to Huron and Antonia (Panzera) DeMille. He moved as a child with his family to Long Island. In high school, he played football and ran track.

DeMille spent three years at Hofstra University, then joined the Army and attended Officer Candidate School. He was a First Lieutenant in the United States Army (1966-69) and saw action as an infantry platoon leader with the First Cavalry Division in Vietnam. He was decorated with the Air Medal, Bronze Star, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry.

DeMille returned to the States and went back to Hofstra University where he received his degree in Political Science and History. He has three children, Lauren, Alexander, and James, and still lives on Long Island.

DeMille's earlier books were NYPD detective novels. His first major novel was By the Rivers of Babylon, published in 1978 and still in print, as are all his succeeding novels. He is a member of The Authors Guild, the Mystery Writers of America, and American Mensa. He holds three honorary doctorates: Doctor of Humane Letters from Hofstra University, Doctor of Literature from Long Island University, and Doctor of Humane Letters from Dowling College.

Nelson DeMille is the author of: By the Rivers of Babylon, Cathedral, The Talbot Odyssey, Word of Honor, The Charm School, The Gold Coast, The General's Daughter, Spencerville, Plum Island, The Lion's Game, Up Country, Night Fall, Wild Fire and The Gate House. He also co-authored Mayday with Thomas Block and has contributed short stories, book reviews, and articles to magazines and newspapers. He wrote the Joe Ryker series under the pen name Jack Cannon.
 
Visit him here


Book Purchase Links:

3 comments:

  1. I've seen this author's books before but I never read any. I definitely want to try at least one. I would love to read more Crime Fiction, or at all. I can't remember if I have. Another great review!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I like the idea of a book with such a heavy theme and plot to it still being slightly humorous as well. I think that is quite a talent to have in writing!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for your feedback!