Plum Island by Nelson DeMille

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on November 3rd 2015 (originally April 1st 1997)

Genre: Crime, Thriller, Mystery

Pages: 608

Format: Paperback

Source: Purchased

Summary: Taking the best elements from two of his most outstanding bestsellers, The Gold Coast and The General’s Daughter, Nelson DeMille combines the breathless suspense of an expertly wrought murder mystery with his wry perspective on a peculiarly American social scene to deliver an enthralling and compelling story.

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.

The early signs point to a burglary gone wrong. But because the Gordons were biologists at Plum Island, the offshore animal disease research site rumored to be involved in germ warfare, it isn’t long before the media is suggesting that the Gordons stole something very deadly. Suddenly a local double murder becomes a crime with national and worldwide implications.

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 [x].

Review: I’m going to be honest. I probably wouldn’t have picked this book up if I saw it with the original cover. Above you can see this is the edition that I chose and the minimalistic design is what drew me to it. Then I proceeded to pick it up and read the back cover and I knew this book was for me. I love crime solving/mystery books and was excited about the aspect of Plum Island.

John Corey was the main character in this book. The convalescing NYPD. There were times that I hated him and times that I cracked up laughing. His sarcastic humour got annoying every now and then as well as him always thinking about sex. If you think about it he was written perfectly. The author did such a good job at creating this character. He was very well formed.

The pace of the book was a little slow and I wondered what I had gotten myself into but as soon as the “murder” happened it really picked up. It truly didn’t feel like I was reading a 600 page book. I feel like crime/mystery novels need to be at this length if they want it to be good. But that’s my opinion. I’m sure others would disagree.

I wish, however, that Plum Island had more to do with the book. That’s what mainly drew me in to the book and I was hoping that more would have been done with it.

This was my first book read by Nelson DeMille and I believe I would pick up another one of his books in the future.

Rating: 4/5 stars!