John Corey, former NYPD homicide detective, assigned to the Federal Anti-Terrorist Task Force in the pre-millennium 90's, makes a return appearance in a thoughtful novel offering an alternative to the government's "official" position on what really happened to TWA Flight 800, which crashed off the Long Island coast in the summer of 1996. Accompanying his wife Kate to a memorial marking the five-year anniversary of the crash, Corey's curiosity is aroused by what appears to be a concerted effort by Kate's fellow federal agents to keep him--and her--from investigating a case that appears to be closed. Corey's detecting skills lead him to two witnesses to the crash, who were enjoying an adulterous interlude on the beach at the time the plane went down--and videotaping their sexual escapades while what appears to be a terrorist missile attack takes place in the background. What ratchets up the tension in this capably written thriller is what the reader knows but Corey doesn't as he heads for a showdown with those responsible for the official cover-up as the clock ticks down to the morning of September 11, 2001. DeMille's deft touch with a riddle wrapped in an enigma--what really happened to Flight 800--makes his "what if" scenario a more than plausible theory; you don't have to believe in conspiracies or government cover-ups to find his latest engrossing, entertaining, and enlightening. --Jane Adams

Amazon.com Exclusive Content

Nelson DeMille on Night Fall: An Exclusive Essay
It was a true story, the explosion of TWA Flight 800 off the coast of Long Island in 1996, that inspired Nelson DeMille to write the fictional Night Fall. Read this Amazon.com exclusive essay for insight into the coincidences that made this tragedy a subject DeMille couldn't ignore.




From Publishers Weekly
Demille's latest is sure to be a #1 bestseller—but it's also sure to be controversial. The book is centered on an investigation of the July 1996 crash of flight TWA 800, "when... a big Boeing 747 bound for Paris with 230 passengers and crew on board, exploded off the Atlantic coast of Long Island, sending all 230 souls to their deaths." In July 2001, Federal Anti-Terrorist Task Force detective John Corey, a brilliant, smart-ass detective last seen in Plum Island and The Lion's Game, accompanies his FBI agent wife, Kate Mayfield, to the fifth anniversary of the disaster. John, whose wife worked the crash in 1996, understands that Kate has brought him along because she doesn't buy the official finding of "mechanical failure" and wants him to mount his own investigation. There are 200 eyewitnesses who swear they saw a missile lift into the clear night sky and bring down the airplane, a charge dismissed by the CIA as an optical illusion. Though Corey is warned away from the investigation, like any good fictional detective, this only serves to spur him on. He uncovers evidence that a man and a woman, on the beach that fateful night videotaping their adulterous affair, inadvertently caught on tape the missile hitting the plane. The book is primarily about John tracking down the couple, but as the end nears, readers will begin to understand the perilous direction in which Demille is leading them. The pages will turn in a blur as a feeling of dread grows, until the end comes and one's worst fears are confirmed. Readers will think about this one for a long time. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From AudioFile
In July 1996, TWA Flight 800 was climbing over the Long Island Sound on its way to Paris. Suddenly, an immense burst of light was seen by hundreds, who watched in horror as the 747 exploded and fell to earth. Many of those same people swore under oath that they also saw a stream of light leaving from the horizon and arcing up to intersect the massive aircraft. Scott Brick lends his superb voice to Nelson DeMille's fictional account of what happened on that July night. As narrator, Brick does not resort to artifice. He differentiates gender with just the slightest change in tone, delivering a skilled recitation of dialogue. This abridged version of DeMille's latest thriller should be popular. J.L.C. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
In The Lion's Game (1999), DeMille left open the possibility for a sequel, and here it is. Former NYPD cop John Corey now works for the Federal Anti-Terrorist Task Force, but, no, the story is not about our current war on terror--at least, not exactly. The book opens in the summer of 1986 with two seemingly innocent characters witnessing the real-life crash of TWA Flight 800 over Long Island Sound. Cut to the fifth anniversary of the crash, which finds John Corey and his wife, FBI agent Kate Mayfield, who was on the team that investigated Flight 800, still not convinced that mechanical failure caused the 747 to explode in the sky, especially given the fact that hundreds of witnesses saw a white streak of light ascending toward the aircraft prior to the crash. Could terrorism have played a role? Is there a government cover-up? The no-nonsense John doesn't usually buy conspiracy theories, but this time the facts drive him and his wife to unofficially reopen the case, much to the chagrin of some powerful people. By setting the story during the summer of 2001, before the events of 9/11 made us forget Flight 800, DeMille underscores both the many unanswered questions about multiple plots against the U.S and the turf wars that have resulted in miscues among the various intelligence agencies. A timely and intense thriller starring a thoroughly likable hero, whose final scene promises yet another return. Mary Frances Wilkens
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
On a Long Island beach at dusk, Bob Mitchell and Janet Whitney conduct their illicit love affair in front of a video camera, set to record each steamy moment. Suddenly a terrible explosion lights up the sky. Grabbing the camera, the couple flees as approaching police cars speed toward the scene. Five years later, the crash of Flight 800 has been attributed to a mechanical mal-function. But for John Corey and Kate Mayfield, both members of the Elite Anti-terrorist Task Force, the case is not closed. Suspecting a cover-up at the highest levels and disobeying orders, they set out to find the one piece of evidence that will prove the truth about what really happened to Flight 800-the videotape that shows a couple making love on the beach and the last moments of the doomed airliner.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

#1 New York Times bestselling author Nelson DeMille brings back Detective John Corey of The Lion*s Game and Plum Island in a provocative new novel inspired by actual events.

On a Long Island beach at dusk, Bob Mitchell and Janet Whitney conduct their illicit love affair in front of a video camera, set to record each steamy moment. Suddenly a terrible explosion lights up the sky. Grabbing the camera, the couple flees as approaching police cars speed toward the scene. Five years later, the crash of Flight 800 has been attributed to a mechanical malfunction. But for John Corey and Kate Mayfield, both members of the Elite Anti-terrorist Task Force, the case is not closed. Suspecting a cover-up at the highest levels and disobeying orders, they set out to find the one piece of evidence that will prove the truth about what really happened to Flight 800--the videotape that shows a couple making love on the beach and the last moments of the doomed airliner.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Demille's latest is sure to be a #1 bestseller-but it's also sure to be controversial. The book is centered on an investigation of the July 1996 crash of flight TWA 800, "when... a big Boeing 747 bound for Paris with 230 passengers and crew on board, exploded off the Atlantic coast of Long Island, sending all 230 souls to their deaths." In July 2001, Federal Anti-Terrorist Task Force detective John Corey, a brilliant, smart-ass detective last seen in Plum Island and The Lion's Game, accompanies his FBI agent wife, Kate Mayfield, to the fifth anniversary of the disaster. John, whose wife worked the crash in 1996, understands that Kate has brought him along because she doesn't buy the official finding of "mechanical failure" and wants him to mount his own investigation. There are 200 eyewitnesses who swear they saw a missile lift into the clear night sky and bring down the airplane, a charge dismissed by the CIA as an optical illusion. Though Corey is warned away from the investigation, like any good fictional detective, this only serves to spur him on. He uncovers evidence that a man and a woman, on the beach that fateful night videotaping their adulterous affair, inadvertently caught on tape the missile hitting the plane. The book is primarily about John tracking down the couple, but as the end nears, readers will begin to understand the perilous direction in which Demille is leading them. The pages will turn in a blur as a feeling of dread grows, until the end comes and one's worst fears are confirmed. Readers will think about this one for a long time. Agent, Nicholas Ellison. (Nov.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

It's summer 2001, five years since TWA Flight 800 went down in the ocean under mysterious circumstances. The official explanation is mechanical failure, but John Corey and wife Kate Mayfield (last seen in The Lion's Game) suspect a cover-up involving a steamy videotape and a guided missile. Even though both Corey and Mayfield work for an antiterrorist task force made up of cops and CIA and FBI agents, there is resistance to their finding anything to contradict the official reports. As usual, DeMille spins a well-crafted, timely, and exciting tale. Corey is a cynical and sarcastic ex-cop who's been around the block at least once too often, while Mayfield is a straight-arrow FBI lawyer who wants desperately to do right for the dead of Flight 800. To do so, they must deal with sinister forces within their own government as they unknowingly count down to 9/11. Strongly recommended for most popular fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 7/04; see Q&A with DeMille on p. 70.]-Robert Conroy, Warren, MI Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

AudioFile

In July 1996, TWA Flight 800 was climbing over the Long Island Sound on its way to Paris. Suddenly, an immense burst of light was seen by hundreds, who watched in horror as the 747 exploded and fell to earth. Many of those same people swore under oath that they also saw a stream of light leaving from the horizon and arcing up to intersect the massive aircraft. Scott Brick lends his superb voice to Nelson DeMille's fictional account of what happened on that July night. As narrator, Brick does not resort to artifice. He differentiates gender with just the slightest change in tone, delivering a skilled recitation of dialogue. This abridged version of DeMille's latest thriller should be popular. J.L.C. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews