In “The Lion” by Nelson DeMille, recurring protagonist Federal Agent John Corey is on the hunt for a masochistic avenger. Corey — lead commander of the Anti-Terrorist Task Force in New York — must catch his predator before he, his loved ones and the United States become targets of one man’s illustrious plans.
Asad Khalil is a terrorist and enemy of the state, however, with a backstory of his own, fighting for a cause he believes worthy. Corey and Khalil, though two very different people from two very different worlds, manage to demonstrate an unknowing commonality: Revenge is universal.
The book, based on true events and people, is somewhat fictionalized in order to protect people, locations and events. After 9/11, both fiction and non-fiction terrorism books swarmed bestsellers lists to the point that some readers became desensitized. However, several years later, DeMille manages to discuss the events by employing dry wit with the truth about those who live and die for revenge.
At first, the novel seems slow, paced in such a way that readers don’t know what to expect. That is until the reader comes to chapter nine, where the plot not only goes from mild and crotchety but also to insanely comical and threatening.
For instance, for any reader who has seen the 1991 film, “Point Break,” there is a large probability that you will enjoy this book, or at least chapters nine through 10. Without giving too much away, the chapters manage to bring skydiving to a whole new level so that you, too, may wonder how a person could manage artillery at such high elevation.
It is apparent that DeMille does not lack a sense of humor. In fact, while some writers, reviewers and the like might consider his writing to be somewhat dry, it remains that humor that is glued in the reader’s mind.
Every chapter or so, readers could find themselves letting out a subtle laugh or sigh indicating how in some ways DeMille reminds you of your father or grandfather — the type of man who says what he wants no matter how perverse or ballsy it may be, but he somehow manages to get away with certain lines, like: “I had no idea where Big Bird was going, but he was heading toward the Theater District and Times Square, where these guys sometimes went to experience American culture, like strip joints and titty bars.”
The conclusion, which ends appropriately at Ground Zero, leaves readers concerned to the very last line.
“The Lion” paints a vivid image of those who were not only affected by the aftermath of 9/11, but also those who survived it. The novel, though playful, witty and even sometimes over-the-top, is more than anything else a homage to our nation’s protectors.
Rating: W W W
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