I read the 576-page novel Plum Island by Nelson DeMille. Unlike my brother-in-law, I won’t be moving on to other books featuring former homicide detective John Corey. Corey isn’t for me. And, I felt as if Plum Island was too bloated. It needed editing.
John Corey is recuperating at his uncle’s rural Long Island home after being shot three times. He’s lucky to be alive, but he’s getting restless. When the local police chief offers him $1 to assist with a homicide investigation, he agrees. But, the victims were Tom and Judy Gordon, a couple who had befriended Corey. They had just arrived home by boat, and someone shot them each in the head. Corey wants to find the person who killed his friends.
The Gordons were biologists on Plum Island, a research facility off the coast. When the FBI and other groups became involved, rumors floated that the Gordons had stolen secret germs or vaccines. Others seem satisfied with that theory, but Corey and Detective Beth Penrose from the Suffolk County Police Department think there’s more to the story.
For 576 pages, Corey investigates. He learns more than he needs to know about wine growing, Plum Island, Captain Kidd’s treasure, and everything else, including chamber pots. He becomes involved with a woman, a business owner, although he’s also attracted to Penrose.And, he has his own way of irritating everyone.
I can’t even say this story kept me riveted. I plowed through the book to find out who did it, although Corey was right in his suspicions. But, the book went into way too much detail as to Plum Island and other elements. And, I dislike foreshadowing as when Corey says, “I blame myself for what happened”, when there are almost 150 pages to go. Foreshadowing bothers me in every book I read, not just this one. To top it off, Corey is a hound dog, attracted to every woman he sees.
I know Plum Island was a bestseller, a debut that led to other bestsellers. It just wasn’t for me.
Nelson DeMille’s website is https://nelsondemille.net/.
Plum Island by Nelson DeMille. Grand Central Publishing, 1997/2017. ISBN 9781455581788 (paperback), 576p.
FTC Full Disclosure – Library book
I’ve read a couple of others in the series. The best was Night Fall, about TWA Flight 800. We’re only supposed to talk about approved conspiracy theories, these day, apparently, though.
Foreshadowing isn’t bad if it’s done well, but it so seldom is, that it probably shouldn’t be used at all, unless you’re Samuel Clemens or Leo Tolstoy or someone like that.
I agree, Glen. I just hate it when they say, well, if only I’d known.
I like that “approved conspiracy theories”.
I like the way DeMille dovetails fiction with fact, in Night Fall, Flight 800 has a lot of fact. Then having the couple on the beach videoing their tryst and having the contrails leading up to the plane. Which by the way, a lot of the beach witnesses observed. It’s still vague what really happened.
Then incorporating FBI Agent John O’Neil into the story, with the ending of how he was going to be the head of Security for the WTC, beginning the next day 9/11. DeMille’s style has a lot of detail because it gives the reader a clear picture of the characters and their surroundings.
Had I but known, I wouldn’t have started the book…
How’s that for foreshadowing. I gave up after less than 100 pages. I was interested in the setting at first, but he killed it with TMI.
Jeff, I love your foreshadowing! You’re right. And, page 100 is about when it started to go bad. You didn’t miss a thing.
I thought many of DeMille’s needed editing. I finally stopped reading him because they all seemed like the same story in different settings
Mary Ann, This was the first, and probably the last of his that I read. Yes, someone should have edited it, and cut at least 100 pages.
I thought I might have read this one way back, but I don’t think so. I’m fairly certain it was one I started and then decided it wasn’t for me. In any case, don’t feel compelled to add it back on my list. LOL
I don’t think you should feel any compulsion to add it back on a list, Kay. There are much better books out there!
I did not read any of his John Corey series, but I remember reading others he wrote while I was thoroughly entrenched in Cold War spy novels by Deighton, Ludlum, le Carre, etc. I do recall enjoying Demille’s The Gold Coast which was not a John Corey
Kaye, I don’t think you missed much by not reading the John Corey novels. David did say his favorite DeMille was Gold Coast, so I might be missing something by not reading that. That’s okay.