AH's Reviews > The Lion

If you haven’t yet read The Lion's Game, you really should read it before you read this book. You don’t have to, but it will be a much more satisfying read if you do. The Lion continues the story of John Corey, a New York City homicide police officer who is now working on the Joint Terrorism Task force and his nemesis the uber-terrorist and all out psychotic scary guy, Asad Khalil.

At the end of The Lion’s Game (sorry for the mild spoiler) John and Khalil have a standoff. They both vow to kill each other. Khalil is now back with a vengeance and he is out to kill anyone in his way. And the body count is high in this book. I even started to keep track of the carnage.

I absolutely loved John Corey. He just seems like a regular kind of guy. He likes to drink, he’s a bit of an ass, he doesn’t really like authority. John has a great sense of humor – a little wry, a little ironic. He is cynical, sarcastic, and jaded. He’s exactly who you want protecting you from the crazies of the world. His internal dialogue is priceless at times and a real tension breaker.

The author takes you inside the terrorist’s mind. Some sections of the book are told from the terrorist’s point of view. Nelson DeMille captures Khalil’s fanaticism and his disdain for the American way of life. Khalil feels repulsed when he sees a homosexual couple in the park. He is disgusted with women’s roles: working outside the home, driving, and immodest dress. Khalil cannot understand the conspicuous consumption of the American people. He compares America to the declining Roman Empire.

Khalil is portrayed as the ultimate killing machine, with no remorse, motivated by hate and his own personal jihad. Khalil is, in fact, avenging the death of his family in 1986, systematically killing anyone that had anything to do with his family’s death. He is in the United States on a mission for Al Qaeda, but he has his own personal mission to accomplish first.

I was impressed with the depiction of how the terrorist cells work, and how terrorists can travel under the radar. The amount of personnel on the ground arranging items such as weapons, cell phones, travel, and lodging was astounding. I was even more impressed with the way the way that the law enforcement agencies worked together to thwart the threat.

The Lion is an exciting and entertaining read. I really could not put the book down. If you haven’t read anything by Nelson DeMille, I recommend that you start with The Lion’s Game.