The Lion    by Nelson deMille Order:  USA  Can Grand Central, 2010 (2010) Hardcover, CD Read an Excerpt     Reviewed by Hilary Williamson Having read all of Nelson DeMille's novels, the ones I've found most entertaining are those starring John Corey (the veteran NYPD cop first introduced in Plum Island and now a member of the Federal Anti-Terrorist Task Force). The irreverent and cynical Corey and his FBI agent wife Kate Mayfield met in The Lion's Game, where they were almost killed by vengeful Libyan assassin Asad Khalil. They continued to work together in Night Fall, and prevented a nuclear holocaust in Wild Fire. Now, a still vengeful Asad Khalil - sponsored by his Al Qeada associates - returns to the U.S. eighteen months after 9/11 to deal with unfinished business in The Lion. Entering the country in Los Angeles, he wends his way from West to East, leaving a swathe of bodies in his wake (his policy being to kill his Muslim assistants as well as his enemies). He begins with Chip Wiggins, the last surviving pilot amongst those who participated in the 1986 raid on Tripoli that killed Khalil's family. Next he targets John and Kate with the most creative - and breathtaking - assassination technique I have ever read about. Unfortunately for the Lion, Corey survives with retribution on his mind - and he has no desire to capture his enemy, only to take Khalil out permanently. Since his superiors in both the NYPD and the FBI are hunting the Libyan terrorist with all the resources they command, and rightly view him as a loose cannon, Corey needs to think outside the box - and evade his own protection detail. Doing so, and with help from an old friend who's now a PI, he makes contact with another of Khalil's targets - former KGB operative Boris Korsakov trained the Lion in Libya before defecting to the CIA. Despite the fact that vengeance, up close and personal, is very much on Corey's mind, he's also aware that Khalil has had Al Qeada help in getting into the U.S. and reaching his targets there. How will he repay that debt? A bomb? A biological attack? A chemical agent? And where? Though we suspect it will all work out in the end, DeMille provides readers the usual ticking clocked thrill ride - accentuated by John Corey's typical wise-ass commentary - to get there. Don't miss The Lion. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews