The Lion's Game

In ex-NYPD cop and terrorist Task Force contract agent John Corey, author Nelson DeMille has created a character that is a replica of what a real NYPD cop should be -- brass but effective, wise-cracking but intelligent, and street-smart but knows how to navigate his way in and out of the system. He may be obnoxious to others, but he's also loyal to his job and peers.

Asad Kahlil (aka The Lion) is on a mission -- to kill the men responsible for his family's death, in this case, the pilots and navigators of the F-111s that raided Al 'Aziziyah in Libya in retaliation for Libyan involvement in various attacks against American interests in Europe.

The moment the commercial Boeing 747's 'unusual flight' from Paris landed at the JFK Airport, the game was on and the players were put into motion.

Nelson DeMille plotted this novel with attention to some historical events and data incorporated into the course of the story. The dialogues are laden with cop jargon and street lingo but are also serious and humorous in substance at other points.

In a novel of this proportion, some miscues and inaccuracies are inevitable, but the misses are few and forgivable. And the author has more than redeemed himself with crisp pacing and superb storytelling.
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The Lion's Game (2000)