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Plum Island (A John Corey Novel, 1) Paperback – January 27, 2015

by Nelson DeMille (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 15,024 ratings
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#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

CELEBRATING THE 20th ANNIVERSARY WITH A NEW FOREWORD BY THE AUTHOR

Wounded in the line of duty, NYPD homicide detective John Corey convalesces in the Long Island township of Southold, home to farmers, fishermen -- and at least one killer. Tom and Judy Gordon, a young, attractive couple Corey knows, have been found on their patio, each with a bullet in the head. The local police chief, Sylvester Maxwell, wants Corey's big-city expertise, but Maxwell gets more than he bargained for.

John Corey doesn't like mysteries, which is why he likes to solve them. His investigations lead him into the lore, legends, and ancient secrets of northern Long Island -- more deadly and more dangerous than he could ever have imagined. During his journey of discovery, he meets two remarkable women, Detective Beth Penrose and Mayflower descendant Emma Whitestone, both of whom change his life irrevocably. Ultimately, through his understanding of the murders, John Corey comes to understand himself.

Fast-paced and atmospheric, marked by entrancing characters, incandescent storytelling, and brilliant comic touches, Plum Island is Nelson DeMille at his thrill-inducing best.
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  1. Book 1 of 8
    John Corey
  2. Print length
    608 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Grand Central Publishing
  5. Publication date
    January 27, 2015
  6. Dimensions
    5.25 x 1.63 x 8 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    145558178X
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1455581788
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author



Nelson DeMille is a former U.S. Army lieutenant who served in Vietnam and is the author of nineteen acclaimed novels, including the #1 New York Times bestsellers Night Fall, Plum Island, The Gate House, The Lion, The Panther and Radiant Angel. His other New York Times bestsellers include The Charm School, Word of Honor, The Gold Coast, Spencerville, The Lion's Game, Up Country, Wild Fire, and The General's Daughter, the last of which was a major motion picture. For more information, you can visit NelsonDeMille.net.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grand Central Publishing; Reissue edition (January 27, 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 608 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 145558178X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1455581788
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 1.63 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 15,024 ratings

About the author

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Nelson DeMille

Nelson DeMille

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Nelson Richard DeMille was born in New York City on August 23, 1943 to Huron and Antonia (Panzera) DeMille, then moved with his parents to Long Island. He graduated from Elmont Memorial High School, where he played football and ran track.

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

After his discharge, DeMille returned to Hofstra University where he received his bachelor’s degree in Political Science and History. He has three children, Lauren, Alexander, and James, and resides on Long Island.

DeMille's first major novel was By the Rivers of Babylon, published in 1978, and is still in print as are all his succeeding novels. He is a member of American Mensa, The Authors Guild, and is past president of the Mystery Writers of America. He is also a member of International Thriller Writers and was chosen as ThrillerMaster of the Year 2015. 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, The Gate House, The Lion, The Panther, The Quest, Radiant Angel, The Cuban Affair and The Deserter. He also co-authored Mayday with Thomas Block and has contributed short stories to anthologies, and book reviews and articles to magazines and newspapers.

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4.4 out of 5 stars
15,024 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers praise the book's storytelling skills, with one noting how the plot is driven by logical clues. They appreciate the humor that can make readers laugh out loud, and find the character development engaging, particularly the smart-alecky John Corey. The writing quality and pacing receive positive feedback, with one customer highlighting how it builds speed to a speeding finish. While some find the book very detailed, others consider it too long.

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768 customers mention "Readability"733 positive35 negative

Customers find the book highly readable, praising its engaging storytelling and well-thought-out plot, with one customer noting they can't wait to read the next book in the series.

"...Southold—a place of fishing, farming, antiques, vineyards, and rich New World history. His friends, Tom and Judy Gordon, are murdered in cold blood...." Read more

"...This earlier book is a good read, but slightly lengthy and the plot is a bit unbelievable so I gave it 4 stars...." Read more

"...and facts that DeMille uses about real places, events and people help sell the story to me as it rarely gets too fantastical..." Read more

"Taut, suspenseful and very entertaining. Demille creates a clever storyline that rings of a modern day Agatha Christie who-dunnit...." Read more

442 customers mention "Plot twist"354 positive88 negative

Customers appreciate the plot twists in this mystery novel, noting that the story is driven by logical clues and takes several turns to its conclusion.

"...The story is driven by logical clues and motives that lead to a satisfying conclusion...." Read more

"...The characters are well crafted, and the plot moves around and around, finishing with an exciting but somewhat unbelievable boat chase...." Read more

"...a good mystery and melds together a lot of what appears to be well researched material surrounding medical mystery, contagious germs, police..." Read more

"...The ending to one character is pretty brutal and will stick with me for a while. The overall mystery is great with some clever twists and turns." Read more

328 customers mention "Humor"299 positive29 negative

Customers enjoy the humor in the book, finding it can make them laugh out loud, with one customer specifically appreciating the brash sense of humor of John Corey.

"...Add to that Corey’s sharp wit and relentless pursuit of the truth, and you’ll want to read all seven hundred pages in one sitting!" Read more

"...Dry witted, sarcastic and yet boyishly charming, he quickly ingratiates himself with the FBI, the CIA, the State Police and the local sheriff who..." Read more

"...original but the way it is told, in the DeMille manner, makes it very entertaining as it builds to a thrilling climax...." Read more

"...The author's style is enjoyable; his plotting is ingenious; his characterizations are fascinating...." Read more

292 customers mention "Character development"248 positive44 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, particularly noting the smart-alecky personality of John Corey and the engaging secondary characters.

"...Add to that Corey’s sharp wit and relentless pursuit of the truth, and you’ll want to read all seven hundred pages in one sitting!" Read more

"...The characters are well crafted, and the plot moves around and around, finishing with an exciting but somewhat unbelievable boat chase...." Read more

"..." language of the book is a turn off to some, as our hero is more straightforward descriptive and less prone to using the phrases that have become..." Read more

"...Crossing paths with several possible suspects, all of whom are colorful characters, Corey find himself second guessing everyone while juggling..." Read more

219 customers mention "Writing quality"194 positive25 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, noting its style similar to Nelson DeMille's work, and one customer describes it as a brilliantly constructed novel.

"...with a "summer read" for most people, but the easy read style and flowing dialog made it hard for me (an admitted non finisher of many books), to..." Read more

"...Demille artfully crafts a good mystery and melds together a lot of what appears to be well researched material surrounding medical mystery,..." Read more

"I absolutely loved this book. The writing, the story, how fast it reads and the very rare humor for a mystery genre! My new favorite mystery writer!" Read more

"...there are plenty of story elements to keep it interesting, and DeMille writes well and it is an easy read with enough suspense to keep the reader..." Read more

182 customers mention "Pacing"140 positive42 negative

Customers enjoy the pacing of the book, describing it as a fast read that builds speed to a speeding finish, with one customer noting it kept them turning pages as quickly as possible.

"...fits more in line with a "summer read" for most people, but the easy read style and flowing dialog made it hard for me..." Read more

"...setting the scene so the audience will know everything, the second half moves very fast and leads to a very exciting ending...." Read more

"I absolutely loved this book. The writing, the story, how fast it reads and the very rare humor for a mystery genre! My new favorite mystery writer!" Read more

"The plot moved too slowly in its development. I was finally hooked on the story by the half way mark of the story." Read more

122 customers mention "Detail"51 positive71 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the level of detail in the book, with some finding it very detailed while others describe it as boring and filled with meaningless information.

"Many sections just drug on and on. Pointless descriptions of things that didn’t matter go on for 5 or 10 pages...." Read more

"...places, events and people help sell the story to me as it rarely gets too fantastical..." Read more

"...I found the protagonist, NYPD Detective John Corey, to be constantly annoying, not nearly as clever as he seemed to think he is, not in the least..." Read more

"...He is relentless in finding clues and very meticulous...." Read more

59 customers mention "Length"9 positive50 negative

Customers find the book's length excessive, with several mentioning it is 50 pages too long.

"...This earlier book is a good read, but slightly lengthy and the plot is a bit unbelievable so I gave it 4 stars...." Read more

"...I think this book was about 50 pages too long and for that I docked it half a point...." Read more

"...Some of the characters, too. The book is a bit too long." Read more

"...It is too long. Too many explanations about things that are not at all interesting...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Jay C.
    5.0 out of 5 stars witty and thrilling
    Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    PLUM ISLAND, by Nelson DeMille, is a mystery thriller set on Long Island’s North Fork. NYPD Detective John Corey is convalescing in the township of Southold—a place of fishing, farming, antiques, vineyards, and rich New World history. His friends, Tom and Judy Gordon, are murdered in cold blood. Was it a burglary gone bad or bio terrorism? It turns out that the Gordons were scientists working in Plum Island—a federal research facility studying deadly animal pathogens like Foot-and-mouth disease, Anthrax, and Ebola. Corey is pulled into the case by the local police chief and soon finds himself in a web of deception and murder. As the bodies pile up, the clues point Corey to dark secrets, some going back more than three-hundred years.
     
    The story is driven by logical clues and motives that lead to a satisfying conclusion. Add to that Corey’s sharp wit and relentless pursuit of the truth, and you’ll want to read all seven hundred pages in one sitting!
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  • Suncoast
    4.0 out of 5 stars Plum Island revisited - still a good read
    Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    From time to time I revisit an early book in some of my favourite series to see how they have stood the test of time. Plum Island is an early book in Nelson Demille's John Corey series and when it was released it knocked John Grisham off the top of the US bestseller lists and held the no.1 spot for five weeks. I have just read and enjoyed "The Panther", the latest John Corey adventure and wanted to see how the character had evolved over time.

    In "Plum Island" Corey is still a NYPD homicide detective and is staying at his Uncle's beachside house on Long Island recovering from three, almost fatal, gunshots in the course of duty. His neighbours, Tom and Judy Gordon, biologists who worked on Plum Island, the site of animal disease research for the Department of Agriculture, are murdered and Corey is hired by the local police to consult on the murder investigation. A smart and attractive detective Beth Penrose leads the team.

    Inevitably the investigations focus first on the possibility that the Gordon's were involved in selling viruses or vaccines to terrorists. The investigation team gets packed with FBI and CIA agents tripping over themselves to prevent a life-threatening tragedy.

    Corey quickly dismisses the Plum Island disease connection and works on his own to look at unusual things in the Gordon's lifestyle which is well overspent. They have a rarely used but very expensive speed boat with a missing ice-chest, and recently purchased an isolated block of land on the beach-side that can't be developed. He also looks at their membership of a local historical society and meets and is instantly attracted to the president of the society, Emma Whitestone.

    Corey is still full of smart alec wisecracks, but IMHO they are better in "The Panther" as he matures. Most people are disarmed and annoyed by his attitude which makes him look a bit idiotic - but it really is a technique to keep people off balance so they don't realise how smart he really is.

    I enjoyed revisiting this early Demille which has an interesting and somewhat unusual plot. The characters are well crafted, and the plot moves around and around, finishing with an exciting but somewhat unbelievable boat chase.

    On balance I enjoyed "The Panther" slightly better which I gave 5 stars. This earlier book is a good read, but slightly lengthy and the plot is a bit unbelievable so I gave it 4 stars.

    My favourite Demille book is still "Word of Honor", which IMHO is one of the best novels about the Vietnam war.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • J. E. Romeo
    5.0 out of 5 stars A pleasant mashup of new and old style mystery
    Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    A sort of modern day version of Film Noir meets Action Movie. Blend together the smarmy talk of an old Bogart mystery (only with more modern chauvinism)with bordering on unbelievable action of a Willis in Die Hard and you get the sort of story and suspense that DeMille has put together.

    The "more modern" language of the book is a turn off to some, as our hero is more straightforward descriptive and less prone to using the phrases that have become running jokes of Noir (i.e. "She was no longer wearing her blazer, so I could see the .38 caliber she had holstered on her back, and the pair of 38D she had holstered up front" rather than the "She was as smooth as butter and sizzled like butter melting in a frying pan"). John Corey is a chauvinist and full of himself to a degree that may offend those of delicate senses (see most of the low 1 star reviews here and that is the major whine... so if you are one of those types, then this is probably not for you), but is quite realistic to anybody that knows a person like a Cory.

    This is in no way what you may consider a "literary classic" and probably fits more in line with a "summer read" for most people, but the easy read style and flowing dialog made it hard for me (an admitted non finisher of many books), to put it down and I could not wait for my next opportunity to grab it and see what was happening next.

    The research and facts that DeMille uses about real places, events and people help sell the story to me as it rarely gets too fantastical (though there are some points that like any action book border on the implausible) and helps make it almost seem like more of a dramatization of real events rather than outright fiction.

    Thoughout my life I have had favorite sleuths, Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew (hey I was a kid), Sherlock Holmes, Ellery Queen, and now John Corey.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • willread
    5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 13, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I give this author five stars for a story that was an absolute pleasure to read. It was interesting, gripping in parts, funny and I felt totally invested in the story. The main characters were superbly created and I loved and hated them as was appropriate, as I'm sure was intended by the author.
    A great book that I would readily recommend.
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  • Riccardo Botti
    5.0 out of 5 stars Enticing book
    Reviewed in Italy on December 13, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Always funny, Nelson Demille writes in a way few other writers do. Very sarcastic and at the same time a true action book!
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  • Rod
    5.0 out of 5 stars number 6 was sooooo good right from the start
    Reviewed in Australia on September 21, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I started to read book number 6 (The Panther) before I realized that it was in a series form, number 6 was sooooo good right from the start, that I stopped reading it. I wanted to get a lot more out of the characters Nelson Demille was writing about, so I bought the first book which is of course, Plum Island, where the main character comes to life so to speak. The book is quick and lively and the humour is non stop. He (John Corey) makes mistakes (don't we all) and is not all the time a by the book sort of bloke. The readers of this book will only have a lot more to look forward to as the last chapter comes to a close......don't disrepair, there are more waiting for you. And already, I am well into the second book and this too, is not disappointing. Rod.
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  • berguenia
    4.0 out of 5 stars John Corey nunca decepciona
    Reviewed in Spain on March 11, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    He escuchado las demás novelas de la serie de John Corey y siempre le identifico con la voz de Scott Brick. Leerlo yo misma ha sido una experiencia un poco extraña pero como esta es la primera novela de la serie ya no la encontré en audio. Aun así, siempre es un personaje divertido .
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  • C. McCarthy
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great
    Reviewed in France on September 25, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    The book is quite interesting ansd since I lived on Long Island for 12 years, it's especially intriguing. Thank you.
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