The Book Case
A John Corey Short Story
Nelson DeMille

Hachette Audio
November 1, 2011 / ISBN B0061YX9MU
Audiobook / Unabridged / Run Time: 1 hour, 58 minutes
Mystery
Amazon

Reviewed by Jo Rogers

Nelson DeMille brings us a short story that lets us get acquainted with a young Detective John Corey, long before The Lion·s Game.· At this time in his life Corey shows his potential as well as a bit of a smart-Alec attitude.

In The Book Case, New York City Detective John Corey was trying to order his breakfast from a Spanish-speaking waiter when his cell phone rang. It was his boss, Detective Ruiz. He told Corey to wait for breakfast until he finished his work at the Dead End Book Store. Ruiz wanted a detective to tell him if the accident at the book store was really an accident, as the patrolman thought. When Corey asked what the situation was at the book store, Ruiz refused to tell him. He wanted a fresh, uncontaminated point of view.

It was a puzzled John Corey that wandered into the Dead End Book Store. There, he found that a half-ton book case had toppled over onto the proprietor, killing him. Was it an accident or was the man murdered? Corey needed to determine, within the next hour, which it was.

This is a tongue-in-cheek story, sprinkled with humor. The profanity is much sparser than in the usual DeMille novel, a plus in my book. The violence isn't graphic and the sex is just mentioned as having occurred not described in embarrassing detail. It is one of the most enjoyable Nelson DeMille stories I've ever heard, and I·d like to see more of them. Listen for yourself and see what you think. Let us know if you agree or disagree.