Wisecracking John Corey, whom we first met in PLUM ISLAND, is once again hanging out at his uncle’s waterfront home overlooking Great Peconic Bay.

After he medically retired from the NYPD homicide division, Corey went on to work with the Federal Anti-Terrorism Task Force, which earned him some new accolades --- and scars --- but ultimately new enemies. Most recently, he tried the Diplomatic Surveillance Group, but that wasn’t a good fit either. So now he’s unemployed and kicking around at loose ends, wondering what to do next while he awaits divorce papers from his FBI wife and tries to avoid discovery by Russian agents and terrorists who wouldn’t mind neutralizing him.

"THE MAZE finally gives DeMille’s readers the John Corey fix they’ve been craving. There’s no other character in modern literature like him."

Laying low at his uncle’s beautiful home might sound like a dream life, but Corey gets bored easily, especially when the danger level gets dangerously low. So he’s about to run into some luck when Detective Beth Penrose, one of his ex-girlfriends, pays him a visit with a job idea. Security Solutions, an investigative firm located a short distance from Beth’s place, would love to have a high-profile private investigator on their payroll to help draw in more business. They’ll pay big bucks, and Corey can pretty much choose his own hours. Nonetheless, he’s not interested. The way Beth describes it, the job sounds too tame, not the kind of gig that gets his juices flowing.

Knowing that her ex-lover has to vacate his uncle’s place soon, Beth suggests that Corey move in with her; she has a spare guest bedroom. Naturally, he translates that into a chance to sleep with his new landlady. That certainly sweetens the pot and prompts his promise to at least interview with Security Solutions. Maybe he’ll even give it a try for the summer, which for him means sticking around for a week, possibly two. He’s not sure he can tolerate even that long, truthfully, mostly because the firm smells downright rotten.

For one thing, the money is too good. So are the perks. As for the client list, that’s a huge red flag. And the entertainment for the guys and the special guests? Let’s just say it’s raunchy at best and borders on highly pornographic. Something fishy is going on, that much is clear, which excites Corey’s sense of risk. Now he likes the ladies as much as the next guy, but Security Solutions plays a little too loose with the law. Couple that with the discovery of several women’s bodies on nearby Fire Island, and Corey has himself a real puzzle. Why did Beth push him into this?

THE MAZE finally gives DeMille’s readers the John Corey fix they’ve been craving. There’s no other character in modern literature like him. The guy’s sarcasm tops the list of the most clever smart alecks, and his daring deeds make him fun to watch. Corey wades deep into treacherous waters without seemingly a care in the world (probably because he’s not using the part of his body that’s normally used for thinking). He somehow always tends to escape, though not necessarily unscathed. At least he will live to make bad decisions another day.

Once more, kudos to Nelson DeMille, the master of smart, entertaining suspense.