Night Fall by Nelson DeMille Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Night Fall
Book Review: A fast-paced, well-researched, and compelling read
Summary: 4 Stars
It is July 17, 1996, on Long Island. Two lovers engaged in an illicit affair are having a secret rendezvous on a secluded beach--and, for added excitement, are recording their sexual escapades on a video tape to be watched later in the privacy of their hotel room. At 8:31 p.m., TWA Flight 800, bound for Paris and carrying 230 passengers, explodes in mid-air. There are no survivors. The official report rules the accident as a result of mechanical failure--but the events caught on the couple's video tape, as well as the eyewitness accounts of more than 200 people, tell a different story: one that includes a targeted missile colliding with the plane, causing a massive explosion that makes flames dance on the sea for hours afterward.
So begins Nelson DeMille's daring new novel NIGHT FALL. Five years after the crash, in 2001, John Corey--ex-NYPD detective and a current member of the Federal Anti-Terrorist Task Force--attends a memorial service for the victims of TWA Flight 800 with his second wife, Kate. Kate, who also works for the FBI and was involved in the questioning of witnesses in 1996, has always found fault with the conclusions of the FBI report regarding the TWA accident. After the memorial ceremony that evening, she tells John top-secret details about the investigation, piquing his interest in the case. John, as a favor to his wife, immediately sets out to find out the truth about what really happened to the Boeing 747 that met its fate thousands of feet over the Atlantic Ocean. What he ultimately uncovers is a conspiracy among the highest echelons of national security.
I don't want to reveal too much of the plot, because I don't want to ruin it for future readers. DeMille's new novel is fast-paced and full of surprises that keep the pages turning quickly. NIGHT FALL is well-researched, intertwining fact and fiction effortlessly. I'm a big fan of conspiracy theory novels a la THE DAVINCI CODE, and this novel is no exception. DeMille is clearly a master story-teller--but I had to dock NIGHT FALL a star because the actual writing of the novel is quite mediocre. The characters are somewhat bland; John Corey is a sarcastic tough-guy, but the reader has no sense of what motivates him and makes him this way (I understand from reading other reviews that Corey is the hero of two other DeMille novels, so maybe if I read those I would feel differently about the character). His wife, Kate, is the perfect combination of femininity and toughness--and of course she is remarkably beautiful. Dom Fanelli, John's ex-partner on the NYPD, seems like the stereotypical Italian cop from New York City. The humor sometimes falls flat; the dialogue is often stilted.
It was the plot, not the prose, that made me enjoy this book so immensely. NIGHT FALL is compelling and relentless, putting readers in a position of omniscience; we know what's coming but are powerless to stop it (and are powerless to stop reading). DeMille's combination of fact and fiction is seamless, but, in a novel like this that is based on real events, he can only stretch the truth so far; he can't change the past. If the end of the novel is unsatisfying to some readers, this may be why. One last thing I had a question about, however: Who takes a 40-minute shower?
If you enjoy novels about conspiracy theories, NIGHT FALL is a must-read.
Book Review: A good blend of fact and fiction
Summary: 4 Stars
Not one of his best but definitely worth reading....I read this in one sitting however I had to read the end twice. I wanted it to be different - I wanted answers and came up empty handed... that was disappointing....so beware.
Book Review: A good read - not a great literary achievement!
Summary: 4 Stars
John Corey former NYPD homicide detective is back and is now assigned to the Federal Anti-Terrorist Task Force five years after the explosion of TWA Flt 800 and before September 11, 2001. He's thrown into the cauldron of conflicting theories about the cause of Flt 800 and sets out to solve the mystery.
He single handedly confronts a government conspiracy to cover up the real cause of the crash of Flt 800 but does not give short thrift to the government's case. In fact, both sides of the controversy are fairly presented.
This actually, despite some bogging down, is a pretty good read. As I mentioned, this is not a literary tour de force, but a worthwhile enjoyable escapist read.
The story comes to its climax on, you guessed it, September 11th! I won't say any more so as not to give away the story. The last sentence of the book opens a huge door to a new book based on Corey's discovery. I hope he writes it because he really piqued my curiosity.
If you enjoy the wise-cracking Corey he is at his irreverent best in this book. While this book is NOT among his best it is a worthy effort and an enjoyable read.
Book Review: A good read...but
Summary: 3 Stars
Ok, I have read a few Nelson DeMille books and I do like them for entertainment. His hero, John Corey propels the story forward and I do like John's irreverent humor as well as Nelson's well-crafted action and well researched stories.
Like many stories the beginning is very good and so is the middle, a place where many books start to get mushy. Sadly, Night Fall has a far too predictable ending which I had anticipated but really did not think DeMille would actually use such a weak ending.
SPOILER: Unfortunately, with this one I found the ending a bore. Not plausible. I had guessed early in reading that possibly the WTC event would factor into the ending. But I dismissed that notion as too simplistic of an ending for Nelson. By the time I was mid-way in the story I began to fear that the conclusion would devolve into the WTC on 9/11 and unfortunately it did. I think there was a better ending than having the main witnesses and video tape et al disappear at the explosion at the WTC. Otherwise it was a good read with a disappointing ending.
Book Review: A memorable, resonating novel
Summary: 4 Stars
Nelson DeMille hastens to tell us in his introduction to NIGHT FALL that this is a work of fiction, based on fact. Indeed; NIGHT FALL revolves around an unofficial reinvestigation of the midair explosion in July 1996 that took TWA Flight 800 and the 230 poor souls entrusted to it into oblivion. This is the vehicle by which DeMille, through his two popular, recurring characters, examines what occurred and reaches some uncomfortable, though plausible, conclusions.
The catalyst of NIGHT FALL is an illicit tryst between a man and a woman --- married, but not to each other --- on a July evening in 1996 on a Long Island beach. Props include a hotel blanket, a bottle of wine and, most significantly, a video camera that preserves for posterity not only their activity but also the last moments of TWA Flight 800 as it explodes. The official explanation is that the terrible incident was the result of mechanical failure; five years later, however, doubts remain.
John Corey, a contract agent with the Federal Anti-Terrorist Task Force, attends the annual memorial service for the victims of the disaster. Corey's attendance is occasioned by his wife, Kate Mayfield, a career FBI agent who was part of the original Flight 800 investigation. Mayfield is dissatisfied with the conclusions of the investigation and feels that the evidence --- much of which was ignored in the original report --- needs a fresh look. Corey, who has never encountered a rule he couldn't break in pursuit of the greater good, is not entirely convinced that the original conclusion is incorrect, although the eyewitness accounts of trained observers --- accounts that note the presence of what appears to be a missile speeding toward the plane --- are difficult to discount.
What ultimately causes Corey to clandestinely revisit the evidence is the vehement resistance he encounters as he begins to slowly but surely uncover a conspiracy to conceal the truth of what actually happened. A former New York City Police detective, Corey is not without a network of contacts, and as he begins calling in favors and connecting evidentiary dots, he discovers that a crucial piece of evidence, thought to be destroyed, still exists --- and establishes the truth of what really happened on that fateful July night.
A substantial portion of NIGHT FALL --- close to the first third of the novel --- is given over to a discussion of the conflicting evidence. DeMille not only makes the discourse a fascinating one but also argues the opposing points so well that no matter how convinced one might be about the cause of the Flight 800 explosion, they will walk away full of doubt. I say this as a person who, upon first hearing the news of the disaster, said, "That was a...rocket."
At the same time DeMille keeps the narrative crisp, building suspense page by page, and quietly but effectively dropping surprise after surprise from beginning to end. DeMille also plays fairly; attentive readers will see where he is going, though they won't know what will happen once he gets there. The end result answers some questions, and raises others.
While it has a definite ending, this novel leaves open the possibility, even the need, for a sequel. Still, NIGHT FALL stands on its own as a memorable, disturbing work that resonates long after the final page is read. Recommended.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub