Radiant Angel

There are a couple of categories of "good writing": the kind that is poetic, lyrical and just-plain-gorgeous and the kind that you don't really notice because you are so engrossed in the story. I value both kinds. Mr DeMille writes the second kind and he does it very, very well. The only problem is that I zoom through the books so quickly they are done after 2-3 days. They are so enjoyable you just don't want to stop. I mean this with the highest possible praise: There may be no better smartass among writers, living or dead. I want to take notes along the way and wish that I could be that funny. John Corey is my hero! (I think his other characters are smartasses, too. Doesn't matter; they are just fun to read.) Mr DeMille weaves near-current events into his stories in a very compelling way. I always feel like I should start paying more attention to real life after finishing his books. In this book, he has the Russians starring as the bad guys. (One does tire of Middle-Eastern heavies all the time,) The plot has John Corey trying to thwart the bad guys from achieving major mayhem. You know how it is going to end. It doesn't matter; it is the ride that is enjoyable not the destination. I don't think I have ever reviewed one of Mr DeMille's books before. The shame is mine. I think I have read them all, or at least close to all. I have enjoyed each of them immensely. I would give them all 5 stars. Some may be better than others but, I think, they all deserve high praise. I only wish he could write faster.

RADIANT ANGEL (John Corey book 7) by Nelson DeMille. Colonel Vasily Petrov, a Russian SRV/KGB spy assigned to the Russian U.N. mission in New York, receives an encrypted message that he is to carry out a mission of major destruction on the American homeland. Our immortal hero, John Corey, retired NYPD detective, now a contract agent with the DSG (Diplomatic Surveillance Group), is assigned to shadow Petrov. Tess Farady, supposedly a trainee with DSG, is assigned to Corey for a 12-hour shift of observation on Petrov and his thugs. Corey’s wife, FBI special agent, Kate Mayfield, is on assignment in Washington with her boss, Tom Walsh. This arrangement generates a few questions for Corey but he must put them aside for now. John and Tess become our prime characters. Their relationship grows with each hour of prolonged tension while tracking Colonel Petrov and his Russian cohorts who Corey believes may be on assignment to carry out mass destruction of a U.S. city. Like most DeMille novels the venue is Long Island. Corey’s wit and delivery of one-liners keeps the story alive. I thought the ink devoted to the Russian characters in mid-story could have been condensed to a single chapter—that part of the story was lengthy, redundant and boring. I must say, Radiant Angel is not one of DeMille’s finest works. I did find the plot and particularly the John and Tess relationship interesting and feel sure the author will follow up with these two characters again, I hope so. The story is an enjoyable read but I cannot give it a higher rating than 4-stars.

I believe this is the 7th one of the john corey series. My husband's tore through them in a binge reading rampage. I read only the last one which is the maze but this character is cool!

Nelson DeMille is a highly regarded author of numerous fiction novels in the international crime and espionage genre. I know this because he comes highly recommended by friends who read in this category as I do. Plus, Bill O'Reilly put in a plug for DeMille's latest, Radiant Angel (John Corey #7) during a recent O'Reilly Factor show. An earlier DeMille novel, Up Country, set in Vietnam was among the more compelling and engaging tales I've encountered, though as the story unfolded, the parallels to Coppola's Apocalypse Now and indeed Conrad's Heart of Darkness were all too apparent, and even acknowledged by the author in the course of the story. Though his settings and storylines may seem familiar to those who pay attention to these sorts of things, DeMille's skills as a writer keep you from wondering where you've seen this movie before. His stories are clean, neat and well-paced. Plus his seemingly insider knowledge of policing, spycraft and intelligence methods keep the his stories grounded in reality, unlike others who ply this genre who have a tendency to go spiraling off into fantasyland (are you listening, Mr. Baldacci?). Yet, as the plot line of Radiant Angel began to take shape, my train of thought could not help wandering back to 1985 and the epic tale from Frederick Forsyth, The Fourth Protocol. The threat of nuclear terrorism, as perpetrated by the old Soviet Union, and in the DeMille book, modern day Russia, is the thread that spans the years and links these two stories inextricably. Let's stipulate that the demise of the Soviet Union and the KGB not only put a lot of spies out of work, but it also forced espionage writers to shift their attention to the threat of Islamic terrorism. If you read Radiant Angel, you will discover that the bad old Soviets are back with scores to settle. But where Forsyth imbued his KGB bad guys with chilling malevolence, and animated by complex geo-political trends, DeMille's Russkie bad guys are comparatively cartoon-like, animated by only a vaguely described sense Russian ethnocentrism. A powerful force no doubt, but not commensurate to the threat that unfolds in this the latest Corey tale. If you have a fascination with the existential threat to western civilization posed by nuclear terrorism, OK, read the DeMille entry and enjoy the ride from Southampton to the New York harbor. If you want this plus the sweep of history, and the nuance of cold war politics, artfully displayed, The Fourth Protocol sets the standard.

Demille always writes interesting and compelling work and the is no exception. It might not have all the Bruce Willis/Did Hard nonstop action of some of the thrillers these days but makes up for it with a compelling plot, great dialogue and better characters. Definitely a book to read.

Es lo que se espera de John Corey. Nada fuera de lo normal. Un libro para una semana. Esta bien leer en EN.

I have thoroughly enjoyed Mr. DeMille's books, not just the "John Corey" series, right from Plum Island up to The Lion - which I'm reading at the moment - so, imagine my excitement when I was confronted with the possibility of a JC-series book that I might have missed! So, ordered this (Radiant Angel) through an Amazon UK market place trader at a very reasonable price & they were even kind enough to knock a further 0.50p off the price when they discovered a tear to the DJ prior to shipping... Anyway, it transpires that this Angel is not so Radiant, in fact it's the American edition of the UK publisher's version entitled: A Quiet End - which I'd already got & was maturing on the bookshelf patiently awaiting its time in the sun to be read. This is a (minor) example of "caveat emptor" in practise - or even: don't judge a book by its cover. The local charity shop will be receiving another offering in the very near future - that's just because I now have 2 copies of the same book.

John Corey langweilt sich. Auch wenn er es nicht zugeben will, sein neuer Job bei der Diplomatic Surveillance Group, die wie Kletten am Allerwertesten der Diplomaten der UN kleben sobald sie ihre Nase aus dem Gebäude zeigen, bringt ihn zwar in maximaler Entfernung zu seinem Schreibtisch at 26 Fed, impliziert aber auch eine Routine ohne größere Zwischenfälle. Und Corey liebt größere Zwischenfälle. Das ändert sich als Colonel Petrov ihm den slip gibt und mit einem ehemaligen Atomphysiker und einem bekannten SVR Assassin während einer Party mit einem Boot und zwölf Hookern verschwindet. Was wie eine Verlegung der Party an einen anderen Ort aussieht, entpuppt sich als eine nie dagewesene Bedrohung für die USA im Allgemeinen und Manhattan im Besonderen. Zusammen mit Tess Faraday, die auch nicht diejenige ist, die sie zu sein scheint, und seinem alten „Freund“ Buck, der ihn im Yemen double crossed und zum Sterben ausgelegt hat, beginnt ein dramatischer Wettlauf mit der Zeit, der Bürokratie, diversen Zuständigkeiten, einem saudischen Princen mit seiner Yacht und einer kleinen, aber feinen Suitcase Nuke aus Motherland Russsia. Wunderbar geschrieben. Locker-leichte Dialoge wie wir sie kennen. Ein John Corey, trotz persönlicher Probleme mit Kate, in smarta** Höchstform, der seinem Instinkt gnadenlos folgt, dabei alle Zuständigkeiten ignoriert und am Ende vor der Frage steht, roter oder grüner Draht. Nelson DeMille ist ein Meister der Dialoge, der Ironie und Sarkasmus, in einer old school Story im Cold War zwischen Russia und den USA, der jederzeit hot werden kann. Klasse, wirklich klasse. Vielen Dank für dieses wunderbare Lesevergnügen.

The Quest なんぞでお茶を濁し、ながらく手抜きしていた作者の久々の復活に期待した。昨今の米・露・サウジの微妙なベクトルの変化も盛り込み、 主人公のヨタ話も健在で楽しめたものの、短すぎて不満が残る。この作者の通常600ページ前後の分量からすると200ページも少なく、かつページ稼ぎとしか思えない前半部の殺戮場面の繰り返しは全くの興ざめである。面白かったが少し損した気もする。最後に主人公が妻と別居することなどに触れているので 次回作がある、と期待したい。