The Panther (John Corey, #6)

Feb 17, 2013 Dougw rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like 15 likes · see review

Dec 29, 2012 Christa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook-arc

I don't know how to begin to express how much I love the character of John Corey. He is often so obnoxious and inappropriate, yet somehow to me remains adorable and attractive. I admire the character of Kate, who is well matched to handle John and his antics. They make a wonderful couple. This installment in the series captured my attention in the beginning and held it throughout. I liked the storyline, and thought this book did justice to the series, which is one of my all time favorites.

John C...more

like 10 likes · see review

Oct 16, 2012 Thomas Block rated it 5 of 5 stars

A story that is vintage John Corey (and his wife Kate). The two of them travel into 'the belly of the beast' this time. It's got the usual DeMille array of laughs, insights and top-notch action - a great read!

like 13 likes · see review

Nov 07, 2012 Debbie rated it 5 of 5 stars

John Corey NYPD retired and Kate Mayfield FBI have more in common that marriage, they work together for the multi-departmental, Federal Anti-Terrorist Task Force. They’ve been through a lot together and fighting terrorists is nothing new. A past threat has risen, an American born jihadist and al-Qaeda top guy known as The Panther. He’s the suspected mastermind of the USS Cole bombing plus any number of atrocities against innocent victims and men-at-arms in the name of radical Islam. Kate and Joh...more
John Corey NYPD retired and Kate Mayfield FBI have more in common that marriage, they work together for the multi-departmental, Federal Anti-Terrorist Task Force. They’ve been through a lot together and fighting terrorists is nothing new. A past threat has risen, an American born jihadist and al-Qaeda top guy known as The Panther. He’s the suspected mastermind of the USS Cole bombing plus any number of atrocities against innocent victims and men-at-arms in the name of radical Islam. Kate and John are offered an assignment to go to Yemen and apprehend this monster and being on the al-Qaeda kill list, because of their killing the terrorist known as The Lion, makes them great bait to use to lure The Panther into a trap. In Yemen they are paired with associates from various lettered agencies to help get the job done. There are many dangers in the Yemeni desert, John and Kate hope to be able to count on their partners in arms and that the only homegrown threat comes from The Panther and not from the one lettered agency that they have a troubled past with, the CIA.

Nelson DeMille delivers an explosive new novel staring our old friends John Corey and Kate Mayfield with an added bonus of Paul Brenner from “Up Country” &” The General’s Daughter” novels. This is one of his best Corey and Mayfield novels. His fast paced, action filled story takes place in the near past, the country is still reeling from 9/11, the citizens are still flying flags and the terrorists are just getting infamous. My heart rate tripled as he took me deep into enemy territory and I, like our heroes wondered whom I could trust and who to doubt. It’s not just his story-line that get’s A pluses, his characters are unforgettable both the good and the bad. As far as his stars go, Kate is the true professional and a real hero of mine and as for John, well in a recent interview I did with Mr. DeMille he said “The male readers enjoyed John Corey’s sarcasm, cynicism, and offbeat humor, and the female readers loved John Corey for reasons that I can only guess at.” Well I’ll answer that question personally, John Corey is this married woman’s worst nightmare and fondest desire in one all male package, he’s my husband every time he’s embarrassed me in public but who’s honesty, and loyalty are my dream come true. And Kate is his true match in every way, quip for quip and glib for glib but all done in a love that comes across to me as very authentic.
If you’re looking for a read after heart surgery, you may want to wait until you’re stronger. But if it’s non-stop, pulse-pounding from page one to the end action you’re looking for, if you need a hero to look up to, or an evil doer that’s par-none and worth every one of it’s 640 pages. Then it’s “The Panther” that you want to make your next Must Read.
Mr. DeMille thank you for this incredible journey, I’ll have my bags packed and ready to go in time for the next one.

(less)

like 4 likes · see review

Oct 19, 2012 Mindy is currently reading it

Can't wait!

like 4 likes · see review

Jan 10, 2013 Jeffrey rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Hard fans of Corey and DeMille

Shelves: read-in-2013, thriller

The October 12, 2000, terrorist attack on the USS Cole, an American guided missle destroyer at port in Aden, Yemen is the historical backdrop of the latest John Corey- Kate Mayfield thriller from Nelson DeMille.

Bulus ibn al-Darwish, an American born Al Qaeda terrorist operating in Yemen has been identified by the CIA and FBI as the mastermind behind the Cole attack, in which 6 American sailors died and over 30 were wounded. Al-Darwish, known as the Panther, needs killing, but he is hiding in Yem...more The October 12, 2000, terrorist attack on the USS Cole, an American guided missle destroyer at port in Aden, Yemen is the historical backdrop of the latest John Corey- Kate Mayfield thriller from Nelson DeMille.

Bulus ibn al-Darwish, an American born Al Qaeda terrorist operating in Yemen has been identified by the CIA and FBI as the mastermind behind the Cole attack, in which 6 American sailors died and over 30 were wounded. Al-Darwish, known as the Panther, needs killing, but he is hiding in Yemen and the US is not sure of his exact whereabouts. He is suspected of being near Marib, where, we the readers know, he massacred innocent Belgium tourists killing a young teenager and an old lady personally with his knife.

The CIA and FBI concoct a plan involving using Corey and Mayfield as bait to lure the Panther out of hiding so he can be brought to justice. It is thought that the Panther might be interested in taking out Corey and Mayfield because they killed an international Al Qaeda terrorist in the far better previous Corey novel "The Lion", which itself was a sequel to Corey novel #2 "The Lion's Game".

So Corey and Mayfield meet Buck Harris, an American operative, who tells them about Yemen and about the plan to send them to capture or kill the Panther. They are then sent to Yemen, a lawless country involved in internal strife and warfare, where Al Qaeda operates, the Beduin tribes are hostile to the government and lying and killing are simply part of everyday life. DeMille paints a vivid picture of this ugly country and of the Americans forced to work there for the good of American interests.

When Corey and Mayfield arrive in Yemen, they meet an old veteran DeMille character Paul Brenner, who was last seen in "The General's Daughter". Brenner is clearly a good guy in the DeMille universe, and Corey and Mayfield definitely feel that he is a straight shooter. Corey and Mayfield make their presence felt around Yemen so that the Panther knows they are in country. There are some good scenes in Sana and Aden and on the road to Aden.

But in general this part of the novel is excessively talkative. Corey spouts off quips and humorous asides on practically every two pages. Although at times amusing, Corey's quips soon feel forced.

Although Corey and Mayfield trust Brenner and his colleague Zamo, an experienced soldier and sniper, the same cannot be said for the other two American operatives, Buck the long time operative and Chet Morgan, the CIA agent sent to help with the capture/killing of the Panther. Corey suspects that the CIA has never forgotten or forgiven Corey and Mayfield from killing a CIA operative in one of the earlier DeMille novels or for foiling a CIA sponsored illegal plan to detonate nuclear bombs in the Mid-East. Corey suspects that Chet might have more on his mind than killing the Panther.

Chet informs Corey, Brenner and Kate that the CIA has a diabolical plan to get to the Panther. They will use the Beduin tribes to fake the kidnapping of the Americans and when the Panther comes to meet the Beduins to get the Americans, Chet will use Predator drones armed with Hellfire missiles to take out the Panther, and it turns out the Beduin sheik as well. It seems that the Beduin sheik is not trusted by the Yemen leader and this betrayal is necessary.

Needless to say the showdown between the drones and the Panther and Corey's suspicions of the motivations of the CIA are revealed in the last 150 pages in which Corey must act fast to survive. It pays to know who your real friends are in Yemen and in DeMille's books.

This novel is a far cry from the best of the Corey series, but if you can make it to the last quarter of the story and you enjoy Corey and by extension DeMille's humorous asides, there is enough action in this fairly predictable novel for any fan of this series.

(less)

like 2 likes · see review

Apr 19, 2013 Clara rated it 3 of 5 stars

As far as DeMille books go, this is the lower-middle end of the road. The jokes often fall flat, especially in the latter half, and John Corey's culturally insensitive ("politically incorrect")commentary on the Yemenis is both hackneyed (ex: how many camels does it take to...?) and actively infuriating. I get that Corey is not the most cultured/sensitive/scholarly man in contemporary "lit," but his portrayal of Yemenis is so confidently one-sided that I nearly put the book down. I'd rather see t...more

like 2 likes · see review

May 08, 2013 Ruth added it

Shelves: suspense-thriller

A historic fiction, suspense-thriller novel places the reader in the old treacherous country of Yemen. Ninety-eight per cent (98%) of the civilization are Muslim, and the rest are Christians, Jews, Hindus and an unclear amount of Al Qaeda terrorists. This novel is about a husband and wife team, he John Corey, Anti-Terrorist Task Force; and she Kate Mayfield, FBI agent; they accept a mission in Yemen (The Badlands) to find ‘The Panther’ a high ranking Al Qaeda terrorist who plotted the bombing of...more

like · see review

Mar 08, 2013 Gloria Feit rated it 3 of 5 stars

It must get harder and harder for an author to sustain a popular series. In time, the characters become long in the tooth, and the plots more difficult to create. Such is the case in this 600-plus-page novel in the John Corey/Kate Mayfield series. This time, following the last adventure in which they killed The Lion, the husband-and-wife team is tasked with finding an American, known as The Panther, who returned to Yemen to lead an al Qaeda terrorist group.

Apparently The Panther was instrumental...more

like 2 likes · see review

Feb 25, 2013 Anita rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: action-adventure, spies-espionage, suspense-thriller

John Corey and his wife Kate Mayfield of the Anti-Terrorist Task Force in New York are sent to Yemen to bring down the mastermind of the U.S.S. Cole bombing circa 2004, more than 3 years after the event. Evidence points to the Panther, a New Jersey-born al-Quaeda operative whose familial roots are in Yemen and where he now operates. John is tasked with either arresting or killing the Panther, and Kate has the paperwork in hand to ensure an arrest is legal. John figures out that he and Kate are t...more

like · see review

Feb 08, 2013 Ralph Hermansen rated it 5 of 5 stars

The name of the book is "The Panther" and the author is Nelson DeMille. I hereby declare this book to be my favorite read in 2012. I have long been a big fan of Nelson DeMille and have read almost all of his novels. He is a masterful author and one that writing students should study to really learn the art of fiction writing. In "The Panther", we once again see the world through the eyes of NYPD homicide detective, John Corey. Along the way, another of DeMille's protagonists joins the special te...more The name of the book is "The Panther" and the author is Nelson DeMille. I hereby declare this book to be my favorite read in 2012. I have long been a big fan of Nelson DeMille and have read almost all of his novels. He is a masterful author and one that writing students should study to really learn the art of fiction writing. In "The Panther", we once again see the world through the eyes of NYPD homicide detective, John Corey. Along the way, another of DeMille's protagonists joins the special team, namely Paul Brenner. Corey was introduced in "Plum Island" and in total, has been the hero of six novels. Two of those novels deal with a Libyan terrorist called the Lion. These particular adventures are background to why John Corey was assigned to tracking down the Panther in Yemen. Paul Brenner was introduced in the book, "The General's Daughter", which was made into a major motion picture starring John Travolta. Paul Brenner reappears in the book, "Upcountry" which involves his adventures in postwar Vietnam.

John Corey and his wife Kate, are assigned to an anti-terrorism network in New York City. Now they are strongly encouraged to accept an assignment in Yemen that John Corey recognizes as very dangerous. However Kate is anxious to do something new and wants to accept the assignment. Once in Yemen, John and Kate meet their other team members. Paul Brenner with a background in military intelligence is one of the team members. Paul seems to take the shine to Kate which provokes mental wisecracks from the mind of John Corey. Another team member called Buck is a vehicle for the author to present information about Yemen, most of which is not conducive to making you wish to visit. At times, DeMille gives us a birds eye view of what the Panther is up to. The Panther is a transplanted American of Yemenis descent. He is extremely power-hungry and abnormally bloodthirsty. Add to the mix, one devious CIA agent named Chet Morgan, who heads the team and the plot gets ever more complex.

This is not a short novel. It is 630 pages and about 500 of them are devoted to developing a background for the reader. However once the action begins, you will not be able to turn the pages fast enough. If you have not read Nelson DeMille before, prepare yourself for a most delightful experience. He has a way of writing that is enjoyable even when nothing exciting is happening at the time in the plot. I give this book my highest recommendation.

Ralph D Hermansen, December 6, 2012 (less)

like · see review

Jan 30, 2013 Warren rated it 3 of 5 stars

Another in the series with John Corey, the central character, taking on terrorists and the fighting the CIA at the same time. A consistently sarcastic former NYPD police detective John Corey and his wife match wits with an Al Qaeda terrorist born in New Jersey now mounting attacks from Yemen. The CIA directs a plan to use John and his wife as bate to lure the terrorists into the open so that he can be eliminated. In predictable fashion there are twists in the tale and the plan ultimately culmina...more

like · see review

Jan 21, 2013 Malcolm rated it 3 of 5 stars

For the first time, John Corey seemed like a bit of an a** to me.

This book tracks John and his wife through an adventure into Yemen against a known terrorist (the Panther, no spoiler there). The exploration into International intrigue was interesting, but there was a quality of stupidity to his character that grated on me, just a little bit.

One particular example (which I will keep vague, no major spoilers again) involves the procedures for interacting with foreign intelligence/police personnel...more For the first time, John Corey seemed like a bit of an a** to me.

This book tracks John and his wife through an adventure into Yemen against a known terrorist (the Panther, no spoiler there). The exploration into International intrigue was interesting, but there was a quality of stupidity to his character that grated on me, just a little bit.

One particular example (which I will keep vague, no major spoilers again) involves the procedures for interacting with foreign intelligence/police personnel ... he is part of a team, and the leader of that team gives an order to stay put and then engages the personnel and our "hero" takes his arrogant butt out into the middle of the show for sport and swagger. Not brave, stupid.

But ok -- in that very vein, kudos (as usual) to Nelson DeMille for writing so well that I'm having an emotional relationship with his fictional character. He writes from the gut and it's always entertaining.

However ... since this is the MacOSX Version 3.0 of The Lion's Game and The Lion ... there's some obvious predictability to it. It's not so much tedium as a disconnect from tension ("oh no, what ever will happen? Is the bad guy going to do something terrible? No! Is the good guy going to win? Yay.", etc...) -- so ultimately, this is a character study more than a new story.

What DeMille missed, I believe, is the opportunity to look into Yemen and Yemenese life with more than a distant "foreigner fearing" American viewpoint ... I think I would have liked to see more indigenous interaction -- they went to a market and bought some chatychkes and trinkets -- and that's about it ... granted, they were in a tense situation in which that wasn't really possible -- but Nelson DeMille could have created a situation in which there was SOME visibility into domestic life in Yemen ... even if it was simply by tracking other characters. Sadly, every American visit to a place was standard ugly tourism, and every camera cut to another character was a terrorist staring off in the distance sharpening his sword (allegorically) ... a wife or two, a man putting his hand on his son's head and wishing violence wasn't necessary -- anything ... but onward - we have a predictable story to tell.

As it stands, we have a standard zone defense vs. drive to the basket plotline ... all the bad guys are terrorists who spend every waking moment being bad (no family, no children -- just references to same way in the distance), the terrorists spread out in a predictable pattern - and our hero (and his wife) work a standard "run to the climax" storyline that is mundane and expected; but still a little rich in personality and character depth.

Read this on a beach or plane -- it's meant for that ... and at that level, as always - it's quite satisfying. If you are a prior John Corey fan, he's here and he's ready for you ... if you haven't read any John Corey books yet, go back to the beginning with Plum Island - don't worry, he'll be here too, DeMille knows how to keep a character well developed.(less)

like 5 likes · see review

Jan 11, 2013 Jim rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebooks, fiction, thrillers

Bad guys take root in Yemen and it's up to John Corey and company to flush them out and protect American interests. While serving as bait for the big bad, of course. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Paul Brenner, another familiar name to DeMille fans, plays a significant role in this one, along with the Coreys. And I'd already heard the complaints about excessive snark (even for Corey) in this one, and I can't say that I entirely disagree. I'm a fan of the old "less is more" adage, and DeM...more

like 1 like · see review

Dec 23, 2012 William Arsenis rated it 4 of 5 stars

I’ve been a Nelson Demille fan forever. Okay, not forever, but at least since the last millennium.

He’s funny, clever, and squeezes in fascinating information, drawing upon extensive research he does for almost all his novels.
THE PANTHER is a very good example of this.

It is a great, fun read. I learned a lot about Yemen, and I enjoyed seeing the familiar heroes—John Corey and Paul Brenner—fighting side-by-side. However, both these characters are too similar, and there wasn’t enough tension betwee...more

like · see review

Dec 18, 2012 Mysterious Ed rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: action, espionage, political, thriller

#6 in the John Corey series. With a substantial supporting role, this is also #3 for ex-Army CID officer Paul Brenner, after Up Country (2002) and The General's Daughter (1992) - apparently, Brenner reappears at 10 year intervals. Ex-NYPD homicide detective John Corey and wife, FBI agent Kate Mayfield are in their fifth novel as members of the Anti-Terrorist Task Force and to maintain being posted together in NYC are urged to accept a posting to Yemen for up to a year. As John soon figures out,...more

like 1 like · see review

Dec 10, 2012 Linda Munro rated it 5 of 5 stars

Just to let you know; I LOVE these John Corey books.

I am positive that some people will criticize the character because he seems snide, a joker, someone who would even joke about the imminent death of someone; well, that is true, but it would also be a coping skill and in some cases, those who are making that complaint are showing the general problem their coping skills. Let me explain further; when a specific person of no biological relation to me passed away, I was asked to give the eulogy....more Just to let you know; I LOVE these John Corey books.

I am positive that some people will criticize the character because he seems snide, a joker, someone who would even joke about the imminent death of someone; well, that is true, but it would also be a coping skill and in some cases, those who are making that complaint are showing the general problem their coping skills. Let me explain further; when a specific person of no biological relation to me passed away, I was asked to give the eulogy. While this person was not biologically related to me, I called her Aunt, my entire life. This person was as much a part of my life and as much a part of my family as my Mother and Father. I honestly did not know if I could stand before a room full of people and speak without breaking down and sobbing; but I had two days to prepare myself. I dug through my memories; things my aunt said that never came out right (like: throw the horse over the fence some hey, or throw grandpa down the stair his hat) and from my loss came a smile, so I started thinking of other things that my aunt would say to us kids that made us laugh (like: You kids get out of the pool, it's raining, you'll get wet) and I started laughing. My memories became my coping skills, from depression and heartache came smiles and laughter and that also became my eulogy. I can't say that I didn't choke up here and there, but I can say that nearly everyone i n that crowded room asked me to do their eulogy when they passed, because they had never heard or witnessed someone who could bring a crowd to tears one second, then have that same crowd rolling with laughter the next.

Coping skills; I think Demille's character uses his smart assed remarks as a way to cope in a world that is full of hatred and situations of danger. I also like the way Demille links his John Corey stories, for example Corey's unauthorized investigation into the flight 800 explosion, which led him to be sent to Yemen to investigate the USS Cole incident, as punishment, returning to NY in time to witness the attack at the World Trade Centers and now being sent back to Yemen because his wife had killed a CIA agent (in an earlier book) while uncovering a CIA plan to nuke the mideast. So, now John Corey and his wife Kate seem to be not only on an Al-Qeada kill list for killing the Lion, he is also on the COA kill list for knowing too much...the question is, who will survive....(less)

like · see review

Dec 08, 2012 Revo rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: NO ONE

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. It took two weeks (12 days longer than it takes for me to read a good DeMille book) but I finished. I feel like I deserve a prize.

What was wrong? Plenty.

-The villian was a lightweight, both underexplained and dull.
-In the few times the villian is featured, he's introduced with his full name followed by 'the Panther', in case we all forget the name of the book.
-There were enourmous stretches of Yemeni history (about 6 straight pages worth at one point) that did NOTHING to add to the story.
-John...more It took two weeks (12 days longer than it takes for me to read a good DeMille book) but I finished. I feel like I deserve a prize.

What was wrong? Plenty.

-The villian was a lightweight, both underexplained and dull.
-In the few times the villian is featured, he's introduced with his full name followed by 'the Panther', in case we all forget the name of the book.
-There were enourmous stretches of Yemeni history (about 6 straight pages worth at one point) that did NOTHING to add to the story.
-John Corey now boldly thinks what he's going to say, claims to say what he was thinking, then says something else after punctuating it with 'well, I really didn't say that' -- a lot.
-Some editor needs to limit NDM's use of the word 'anyway' to start a paragraph.
-There are more dialog tags (many pointless) than one will find in an MG book.
-Corey, along for the ride as his wise-cracking self, this time cranked up to annoying levels, suddenly is given operational control even though he's brought NOTHING to the table besides being bait and a pain in the ass.
-Kate is no longer the duplicitious harpy with her own agenda, and is now neutered to the point of being a logic-impaired, armed Jume Cleaver (Ward, can you tell the Beaver to stop puctuating everyones conversation with stupid comments?)
-Paul Brenner, the most likeable of the disturbingly similar John Corey, John Sutter, wise-ass rebel trifecta, is painfully underused and is essentially--a prop
-The Corey's boss still wants them dead, as does the CIA, The bedouin, the rest of US government, the arab anti-defamation league and, now you can add me to the list. (I get it Nelson. You don't like Muslims. Move on)
-The Ted Nash thing is referenced about a dozen times more than is needed.
-The ending is reasonably exciting but again...nothing is resolved in regards to 'Operation Clean Sweep's' TRUE plan. Meaning, the next book will have the Intelligence Community baddies, as well as the next, and the next...
-Corey books are officially more formulaic that a James Bond story.
-The book is about 600 pages but reads like about 6,000.

What was right? It's over. I survived a little wiser and a lot more bored. I can only pray that NDM's next book is a new story and he remembers how to be a top writer again.

Nelson, baby, I read your website quip that called this 'the strongest John Corey book yet'. That would be true if the other five didn't exist, but they do, so that statement is wildly dellusional. You are well on your way to losing a huge fan that has read every book of yours and sees that the last four do not meet muster.

(less)

like 21 likes · see review

Nov 03, 2012 J.r. Locke rated it 4 of 5 stars

Demille pulls off another action packed, realistic and amusing installment in the adventures of Alpha Male John Corey, this time in Yemen battling terrorists with his wholesome and sexy wife in tow. An interesting twist is inserted into the narrative as John Corey comes face to face with Paul Brenner a protagonist from another Demille series with a similar Alpha male personality.

J.R. Locke, Author of Possible Twenty a Gangster Tale and Down and Out in Manhattan, a New York Tale

[[ASIN:B007GYM6S2P...more

like · see review

Nov 01, 2012 Liz rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Panther by Nelson Demille is a continuation of the John Corey saga. A former NYPD homicide detective, Corey’s new career in the FBI Anti-Terrorist Task Force once again has him face to face with Al Qaeda terrorists in Yemen. Written in Demille’s engaging narrative style, the book is a page-turner that keeps you wanting more, and I always end up reading his books far too quickly.

In this book, as in the last, I am a little troubled that the Corey character is able to accept a mission that put...more

like 2 likes · see review

Oct 28, 2012 Jonathan Tomes rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: suspense, thriller

In The Panther, Nelson DeMille continues the adventures of John Corey, a disability retired New York City cop who now works for an anti-terrorism task force consisting of FBI and CIA agents, as well as contract employees like John. In the previous John Corey novel, The Lion, he and his wife, an FBI agent, broke up a serious terrorist plot against the United States. Now, the task force sends them to Yemen to kill or capture an Al Qaeda terrorist mastermind, the Panther. But now, both John and his...more

like 1 like · see review

Oct 28, 2012 Shelley Fearn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: manly-fiction

The opening chapter in The Lion's Game hooked me in what has turned into DeMille's John Corey series. That title was followed by The Lion that continued the fight against terrorism with Corey and his wife Kate Mayfield, members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force. However, I think it's time for the series to end.

In the latest installment Corey and Mayfield are sent to Yemen to track down one of the Al Queda masterminds behind the Cole bombing. What could have been a thrilling novel is hindered by...more

like 8 likes · see review

Oct 25, 2012 Kimberly rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Only those who've read the first John Corey books.

Recommended to Kimberly by: Me, myself and I.

I really wanted to give this book five stars. This book went past the point of believability, even for someone who loves conspiracies. I love John Corey, but he was hard to handle in this book. His sarcasm went over the top and made him not very likable. Kate and John are called into their boss's office and told that they are needed in Yemen to capture and bring back an American citizen who is now an Al Quada leader and had masterminded the bombing of an American ship, killed Americans and other...more

like 2 likes · see review

Oct 21, 2012 Leslie Wenzel rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: action, cops, spy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I am a major DeMille fan. I ordered The Panther the moment it was announced. I was so excited it was coming. On publication day when I heard Paul Bremmer was in the book I was gleeful.

I cannot begin to express how let down I was by the experience of reading the book. There are many factors that contribute to my low rating

1] The characters are becoming caricatures. John Corey is the wise cracking hero. I know Mr. DeMille pictures him as Bruce Willis; but this is turning into all the 'one-liners'...more I am a major DeMille fan. I ordered The Panther the moment it was announced. I was so excited it was coming. On publication day when I heard Paul Bremmer was in the book I was gleeful.

I cannot begin to express how let down I was by the experience of reading the book. There are many factors that contribute to my low rating

1] The characters are becoming caricatures. John Corey is the wise cracking hero. I know Mr. DeMille pictures him as Bruce Willis; but this is turning into all the 'one-liners' from the 4 Die Hard films. Let's see John hates his in-laws, the CIA, much of the FBI & the rules. Kate is sadly under used in this seemingly only there to foil for John or to be used as an example of how woman are treated in Arab cultures.

2] Paul Bremmer as a sidebar. Here's the problem with bring these tow together. If you read Mr. DeMille's statement about The General's Daughter he admitted writing Paul as Bruce Willis, and as I note above John is also Bruce Willis. So either he would need to write this as a wacky 'WOW this two are similar' book or make Paul Bremmer a side bar. The addition of Paul does nothing for the plot and it annoys fans of Up Country & The General's Daughter. There is little Paul here. One thing that would have made it interesting would to have been to write some of the chapters from Paul's perspective so we can see what he thinks of Mr. Corey & Mrs. Corey. As I read further into the book I started wondering if Mr. DeMille would be writing a second version from Paul's perspective.

The talking: If you saw Clerks 2 there is a funny scene comparing Star Wars sage & Lord of the Rings which I will sum up like this "walking, walking, walking even the trees walk." This book can be summed up as talking, talking talking. Much of the book is running dialogue or the dialogue in John Corey's head. The more I read the more I starting things Mr. DeMille is going to kill John off because he is making him unlikeable.

I think John Corey jumped the shark in the Panther.(less)

like 6 likes · see review

Jan 02, 2013 Judi/Judith rated it 5 of 5 stars

John Corey, the wisecracking member of the Anti-Terrorist Task Force, first appeared in Nelson Demille's Plum Island. Since then there are six novels in the series. There are three that seem to be within the series with an Al Qaeda theme, The Lion's Game, The Lion and "The Panther". "The Panther" can be read as a stand alone novel because there is plenty of background information to bring you up to date. I promise you if you read The Panther you will want to go back and read the previous two and...more

like · see review

Nov 28, 2012 Heather Boustead rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: action-adventure, thriller, adult

The Panther
John Corey Book Six
By Nelson DeMille

Agent John Corey and his wife Kate Mayfield have just been posted overseas in Yemen. Their mission is to track down the Panther, a high ranking Al Qaeda operative. But once they arrive in Yemen they realize the reason they were sent to Yemen was not to track down the Panther but something much more sinister.

This book doesn’t actually pick up until the end and when you read a book that is six hundred and twenty-five pages long you expect more than j...more

like · see review

Dec 30, 2012 Kate rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I just finished this book after practically reading it non-stop. Nelson DeMille never disappoints me. I was only a few chapters into the book when I started texting recommendations to my book friends.

Despite the seriousness of the subject matter, I found myself laughing at John Corey's caustic humor and sarcasm. (I can totally relate to that part of his character.) On the surface, he appears not to take much about his role in Yemin seriously. He pushes everything right to the edge, doesn't foll...more

like · see review

Feb 18, 2013 James Sparks rated it 2 of 5 stars

I am a big Nelson DeMille fan. I loved The Lion's Game, Night Fall, and Wild Fire.

Unfortunately, DeMille seems to now be interested in authoring Big Cat Diaries!

The Panther was massively disappointing. Perhaps it was a self-inflicted disappointment as I had such high expectations and over eagerness in waiting for the next John Corey installment.

It seems to be a steady decline from DeMille. The Lion's Game was great but the follow up, The Lion, seemed to miss the spot a bit. I put that down as a...more

like 2 likes · see review

Jan 02, 2013 Judi/Judith added it · review of another edition

John Corey, the wisecracking member of the Anti-Terrorist Task Force, first appeared in Nelson Demille's Plum Island. Since then there are six novels in the series. There are three that seem to be within the series with an Al Qaeda theme, The Lion's Game, The Lion and "The Panther". "The Panther" can be read as a stand alone novel because there is plenty of background information to bring you up to date. I promise you if you read The Panther you will want to go back and read the previous two and...more

like · see review

Nov 04, 2012 Webster Bull rated it 2 of 5 stars

This was my first Nelson DeMille thriller, and it will be my last. There's just not enough time in life for a novel that is 500 pages old before it gets to the point and, along the way, subjects you to the insufferable class-clown narration of NYPD cop–turned–anti-terrorist John Corey.

"The Panther" concerns a US anti-terrorist team that travels to Yemen to search for and destroy the Bin Laden–like Al Qaeda mastermind of the bombing of the USS Cole. If DeMille's latest is representative of Ameri...more This was my first Nelson DeMille thriller, and it will be my last. There's just not enough time in life for a novel that is 500 pages old before it gets to the point and, along the way, subjects you to the insufferable class-clown narration of NYPD cop–turned–anti-terrorist John Corey.

"The Panther" concerns a US anti-terrorist team that travels to Yemen to search for and destroy the Bin Laden–like Al Qaeda mastermind of the bombing of the USS Cole. If DeMille's latest is representative of America's most popular fiction, I'll switch to math books. There's a lot of information strewn through the narrative—about Yemen, its history, its regional and social divides; about Al Qaeda; about US anti-terrorist efforts; and so on. Presumably most of it is accurate, since DeMille spends most of his acknowledgments on editors and fact-checkers "without whom" etc.

But always there's John Corey telling us this stuff and us having to listen to him. Except for two grisly tone-setting scenes in which terrorist leader Bulus ibn al-Darwish (The Panther) slashes innocent throats with the traditional curved Yemen knife known as the jambiyah, Corey's narrative voice carries the entire novel. Corey is the kind of guy who finds himself so funny that, until the action starts rolling over 500 pages into things, he wants to tell a joke at the end of every paragraph. Many of his jibes are to himself, and you can hear him laughing at his hilarity, like a monotonous rock drummer firing a rimshot at the end of each measure. Get it? Get it? Get it? Get it?

Most annoying of all is Corey's habit of saying that he said something funny, then saying, "Actually, I didn't say that. What I said was—" This routine repeats itself frequently in talks with his wife and partner Kate Mayfield, whose sincere love is met mostly with irony. For example, Kate says to him, "I feel better that we're together and can look out for each other." Corey answers, "Right," then thinks to himself: "I remembered an old Arab saying, 'When walking through a minefield, make one of your wives walk fifty paces ahead of you and your camel.'" That jest is arguably amusing—OK I laughed. But then Corey immediately undercuts his own humor by trying to trump it: "I didn't say that of course, I said, 'If I had three more wives, we'd have a whole five-person team looking out for each other.' Actually, I didn't say that either. I said, 'We always look out for each other.'"

Corey is almost always "just kidding," as in: "FBI means Fabulously Boring Individual. Just kidding." If DeMille or his editor cut only the one-line rimshots that stand alone as "paragraphs," "The Panther" would be 30 pages shorter.

The "hero" of five previous DeMille thrillers boasts at one point: "I pride myself on a low level of introspection and zero self-awareness." He should have added other-awareness. His characters are uniformly two-dimensional. Corey notes that "human beings are very complex" then tells us that his boss is narcissistic and heroic. How very complex! DeMille/Corey's vocabulary is equally limited. Through the magic of the Kindle's search feature, I can report that the narrator uses the word "shithole" 18 times and "suck" as a verb 22 times. There are 48 F-bombs in "The Panther" and 68 "assholes." I am not offended by these words particularly. What I'm offended by is a "best-selling" book with so little verbal variety.

As troubling as anything are Corey's attitudes toward Arab culture and Islamic terrorism. Arabophobic jokes abound, with many not-so-subtle references to the sexual relations between Yemeni men and their animals. "In Yemen," we are told, "the men are men and the camels are nervous." The beaches in Yemen are "topless," Corey says. "You get your head blown off." Under a veneer of thin irony, John Corey's character is founded on a desire for revenge. In a previous book, he was in Yemen investigating American deaths in the Cole bombing in 2000. Now he's out to get the guy who planned the attack. I'll give you that terrorism is a bad thing and that we ought to get the bad guys. But there's something disturbing about such a long book being driven by revenge alone, without a single voice to balance or comment on the narrator's—especially when the narrator is so annoying.

"The Panther" taught me that it's possible to introduce several dozen characters without ever describing any of them beyond names, genders, and a couple of adjectives. It also taught me that it's possible to write a best-seller without a paragraph longer than ten lines, or more than two complete sentences for each incomplete one. Finally, apparently it's also possible to build a book around a narrator with a voice as annoying as Eddie Haskell's. If you're too young for that 50s TV reference, Google "Leave It to Beaver." US anti-terrorism efforts should not be left to the likes of John Corey and his team of stick figures. (less)

like 11 likes · see review

topics	posts	views	last activity
Kate Mayfield, strong female character.	6	47	Mar 19, 2013 04:38pm
Huntsville-Madiso...: Staff Picks -- The Panther	1	9	Nov 23, 2012 01:36pm

title link	preview: The Panther
avg rating	preview: The Panther Goodreads rating: 3.80 (3882 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13526026-the-panther?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1338763739l/13526026.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13526026-the-panther?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Panther by Nelson DeMille[/url]

The Panther (John Corey #6)

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (25)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Nelson DeMille

Books by Nelson DeMille

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About The Panther