The Lion

May 10, 2010
Asad Khalil (aka "The Lion"), the ruthless Libyan terrorist who menaced ex-NYPD cop John Corey in The Lion's Game (2000), returns to the U.S. 18 months after 9/11, bent on finishing old business in DeMille's fast-paced fifth John Corey thriller (after Wild Fire). In Los Angeles, Khalil dispatches the last of the eight American pilots who dropped the bombs that killed Khalil's family in the historic 1986 raid on Tripoli. In New York City, a daring encounter with Corey, a member of the federal Anti-Terrorist Task Force, and Corey's FBI agent wife, Kate Mayfield, who's also a member of the ATTF, sets the stage for the mano a mano struggle both Corey and Khalil crave. DeMille splices gripping action scenes with accounts of Khalil's horrifically inventive attacks and the ATTF's futile countermeasures. While Corey isn't much more appealing than his foe, those who enjoy starkly black-and-white battles between good and evil will be satisfied.

Scott Brick's tongue-in-cheek narration of the principal character's reluctant skydiving adventure first makes one smile, then break into laughter. Soon enough, though, protagonist John Corey's attempt to save his wife's life as a terrorist tries to murder her on the way down crackles with tension. The juxtaposition of the two moods as delivered by Brick demonstrates the superb quality of his reading. Once again, Asad Khalil, the perfect killing machine from THE LION'S GAME, is on Corey's trail. Khalil is back to avenge the killing of his Libyan family by an American air strike years ago. He got away in the last adventure, but now he's unstoppable--almost. As the body count mounts, Corey is determined to kill or be killed. Brick's accents are highly credible, and his ironic inflections most entertaining. Don't miss one of DeMille's best thrillers. A.L.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine