Loved this book! I love John Corey and his wife Kate. Exciting through and through. I can't help it. I'm already smitten, so....

Nelson DeMille’s WILDFIRE continues the raucous adventures and career of former New York Police Department homicide detective John Corey. DeMille’s latest scenario takes place a year after 9/11 with newspaper and cable news blaring headlines that President Bush is about to launch an invasion of Iraq. Corey, who retired on disability after being wounded three times is a special contract agent who is attached to the Federal Anti-Terrorist Task Force (ATTF). The ATTF is an amalgam of FBI agents, NYPD detectives, special agents, Immigration and Custom Enforcement agents, Port Authority detectives, and of course CIA types. The story begins when special agent and former NYPD detective, Harry Muller is sent on a surveillance mission in upstate New York designed to gather information concerning the Custer Hill Club, or as Muller describes as the “right wing loony lodge.” While taking photos and observing the membership, Muller is captured and taken inside the club.

Once inside the reader meets Bain Madox, president and owner of the Custer Hill Club and Global Oil Corporation. Other members of this right wing cabal include Scott Landsdale, a CIA official; General James Hawkins, USAF and a member of the Joint Chiefs; Paul Dunn, a member of the President’s National Security staff; and Edward Wolffer, Deputy Secretary of Defense. After his seizure, Muller observes an executive board meeting of the Custer Hill Club where he learns of the memberships concern about a possible nuclear attack from a dirty bomb on American soil. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union a number of these small nuclear devices, referred to as “suitcase nukes,” have been disseminated worldwide. At the meeting Muller learns of a secret government protocol developed during the Reagan administration called “Wildfire,” a hardwired, meaning the American response to any nuclear attack will happen automatically with no presidential influence. The response is focused on an Islamic terrorist nuclear attack against the United States that is designed to destroy the Islamic world. Muller sits in the meeting and wonders if this is a fantasy of the “wacko birds on the right,” or were these men serious.

Since Arab governments were informed of “Wildfire” it was designed to operate like the Cold War concept of mutually assured destruction or MAD, and it provided governments a strong incentive to control any terror plots in their countries. An added bonus for Madox and company was that any US response would also allow the seizure of Arab oil fields. Since the likelihood of any nuclear terror attack by Islamic extremists was low, Madox argued that the US should attack two of its own cities which would trigger “Wildfire.” For Madox this made sense because the US was about to launch an invasion of Iraq and as a Vietnam veteran he argued once war begins one does not know where it will take you. The Custer Hill Club members developed Project Green, an immediate attack on two US cities that would launch a nuclear response and destroy the Islamic world, negating a need to invade Iraq. Landsdale believed that Muller was sent to scare the Custer Hill Club into action, ordered by higher ups in the government that were not club members. The man behind the plot is Ted Nash, a former CIA operative who was supposedly killed in 9/11. Nash was also an old enemy of John Corey, who with his wife Kate Mayfield, an FBI agent, were committed to solving a murder that would lead them to “Wildfire.”

DeMille scenario is extremely scary. However, if one thinks about the last fifteen years of American policy in the Middle East is it beyond the pale that someone might have thought of it and possibly kept it on the back burner for the appropriate time. I am certain that the reader will engender some of these thoughts as they read DeMille’s novel as John Corey and Kate Mayfield are dispatched to locate Harry Muller and they soon confront the possibility of a nuclear holocaust.

DeMille provides his usual sharp and crisp dialogue, enhanced by Corey’s sarcasm and witty comments. The characters that are created are purely fictional, but DeMille tries to leave some doubt in the reader’s mind that they are 100% fictional. As usual the conflict and poor communication that existed before 9/11, and probably still exists today between the NYPD, State Police, CIA, and many other agencies is well represented in the plot. Overall, the conclusion of the story is predictable, but because of DeMille’s talents, WILDFIRE is a good read.

John Corey is hilarious. He is also extremely intelligent. What happens when you put a madman who is just as intelligent against him. You get Wildfire. Corey got personal with this one. When his friend goes missing, Corey and his wife Kate go to search. Along the way, they find out no one can be trusted, and the people they are dealing with are absolutely insane. The story is fun. However, it is at times repetitive and seems like everything has to be over explained. The scenario is absolutely horrifying, but it's also out there, I mean, conspiracy theorists would eat this up. I enjoyed it for the humor and how everything played out, but at times, it dragged with DeMille over explaining and describing everything. Good read, though. On to the next one.

I can't comment, in that I gave up on the book about 20% into in. The plot seemed too implausible, and characters too over the top, and I just couldn't buy into the story. I felt I could foresee the likely outcome, and decided to cut my losses and move on to another book.

Wise remarks every page

I will never read another novel in the John Corey series. It is difficult to get to the story as almost every page is met with Wise ass remarks that add nothing to the content of the story. Every paragraph is filled with the F word seemingly when the author cannot think of anything else to write. I suppose they are suppose to add humor but the subject matter is not of a humorous nature. I will avoid the mistake of reading another of these novels.

horrible...the main plot line unfolds in the first few chapters and then you're stuck with the next hundreds of pages and nothing new to learn...

2.5 stars
This is another departure in format as half the book is told from Harry's POV. And the villainous plan is revealed early on.
I like Corey & welcomed his humor once again. To be honest, i'm a bit lukewarm on Kate but yeah...she puts up w/a lot in her husband so i gotta give her credit. And they have good chemistry in so they balance each other out as characters.
As someone who was in NYC on 9/11, i liked that they were still dealing w/the aftermath of that trauma. (the previous book ended w/9/11).
Also, while this is fiction, I know DeMille does research and I imagined that some of it was close to reality. 9/11 was obviously a huge turning point in our country & many things changed. (most specifically, federal organizations guidelines/procedures for investigations)
definitely some surprises along the way. and the suspense was good b/c you weren't sure which characters to John could trust.

Negative- too long & slow moving.

Need a run-away train story that will keep you on the edge of your seat biting your nails to the quick?
Pick this!
DeMille is the King of action story-telling. He gives just enough back-ground to wrap the reader into a tightly-springed coil. The main character is a sarcastic rogue government employee who pushes his way into the investigation of his friend's apparent murder.
I won't spoil the read for you!

Although I liked Night Fall better than this installment it is still a really great book. John Corey continues to make me laugh and make me think. He is a diligent detective who is smart and funny and sarcastic. I just read a few other reviewers and one of them compared him to the character Hawkeye Pierce from the television show M*A*S*H, and I could not agree more. Another reviewer compared Nelson DeMille to Robert Ludlom, which, if accurate, means I need to go buy a Ludlom book.

I have liked old DeMille since Plum Island, he spins a fast paced yarn that makes you titter and desire some sort of manly man man.

Have you ever read a book that was so bad you actually HOPED they would make a movie of it, just so you could have a good laugh at the sheer amount of money being wasted on the project and the scathing reviews? Well, fear not, I’ve done half the work already by writing a script that I think is pretty dang close to the original. If any hotshot producers out there want to give me a gajillion dollars right now, I would not be opposed. It goes a little something something like the following:

SCENE 1
INT. VILLAIN'S SECRET UNDERGROUND BUNKER THINGY

We are in a secret underground bunker thingy. BAIN MADOX, an evil oil baron preferably played by either Clint Eastwood or C. Montgomery Burns, stands before a chair on which is tied the struggling DOOMED AGENT GUY, whose name I can't remember because I read this like three years ago and don't care enough to look it up.
DOOMED AGENT GUY: What the eff do you plan to effing do with me, you effing effer?
BAIN MADOX: I'm going to spend the next hour telling you about my diabolical scheme to detonate a doomsday device in San Francisco and pin the blame on the Islamists, thereby inciting nuclear retaliation against the entire Middle East! (Taps fingertips together.) Excellent.
DOOMED AGENT GUY: Effin' serious? Then you're going to let me go, right?
BAIN MADOX: Uhhhh...sure.
As promised, Bain Madox spends a whole hour of movie time explaining his scheme. This does not vary from the book in the slightest. Then, huge plot twist no one could ever see coming in a million skillion years--Bain Madox SHOOTS Doomed Agent Guy.
DOOMED AGENT GUY: Ow! My effin' torso! (dies)

SCENE 2
NEW YORK CITY SOMEWHERE - DAY

We meet JOHN COREY, a wisecracking detective/agent/CIA guy/army guy of some kind. And his wife/supervisor, KATE MAYFIELD, who, as the book tells us about sixty times, is HOT.
JOHN COREY: Hey, what do you suppose ever happened to my old friend Doomed Agent Guy? What say we head to upstate New York and find out?
KATE MAYFIELD: John, as your supervisor at the CIA or FBI or NYPD or wherever it is we work, I am definitely going to have to put my foot down on this one.
JOHN COREY: Shut your yapper, woman!
KATE MAYFIELD: Ohhh, you're so cute when you verbally abuse me and others! Let's hit the road!

SCENE 3:
AN AIRPORT IN UPSTATE NEW YORK SOMEWHERE - DAY

John has just finished berating a desk guy who was just DOING HIS JOB. He winks at the camera. Kate is visibly turned on.
JOHN COREY: Wisecrack wisecrack. Okay! Now that that's done, let's go stop that Bain Madox guy.
KATE MAYFIELD: Shouldn't we get approval from HQ first?
JOHN COREY: Screw `em.
KATE MAYFIELD: Good point! Let's make out.
JOHN COREY: Hey, do you think there are any bears in these woods? I can't imagine how that could possibly become important later. Wisecrack.

SCENES 4 through 11:
Just repeat Scene 3 six times, swapping out the airport for a gas station, a ranger station, a luxury hotel, a general store, a bait shop, and a gun store.

SCENE 12
VILLAIN'S SECRET UNDERGROUND BUNKER THINGY

Bain Madox has captured John and Kate and is holding them hostage in his bunker thingy.
BAIN MADOX: Now that you're in my clutches, I'm going to do the same as every other lame movie bad guy since the dawn of time and wait to kill you until after my nefarious scheme is successful! Which should give you plenty of time to escape and kill me. But you didn't hear that from me. Now to blow up San Francisco!
JOHN COREY: Are you sure you want to do that, Bain Madox?
BAIN MADOX: Uh, I think so.
JOHN COREY: Are you really really sure?
BAIN MADOX: Pretty sure. Why?
JOHN COREY: Because I've got a lot of friends in San Francisco, and, to be honest (snicker), I just don't know if I could BEAR it.
John Corey shoots Bain Madox in the face with a flare gun designed for scaring off bears.
BAIN MADOX: That was the stupidest thing I ever heard. (dies)
JOHN COREY: Cool cool. Hey Kate, wanna make out?
GUY FROM HQ: Corey, you're a loose cannon. But you did save the world and stuff. So we'll let it slide just this once.
JOHN COREY: Wisecrack wisecrack. (Winks at the camera.)

Detective John Corey and his FBI agent wife Kate Mayfield take on the looney far-right in the U.S. The loons have formed a group known as the Custer Hill Club and very powerful CEOs and policticians are part of the group. The CHC think the leadership of the U.S. is too wimpy and has a plan to over-ride the involvement of the president in starting a war. The plan is known as Wild Fire. John and Kate start out to investigate the disappearance of their colleague and freind Harry Muller who was sent to spy on the club. They stumble onto much more than they could ever have imagined. I did learn about ELF transmitters - interesting. John and Kate are continuing characters. John is a bit hard to take with his unrelenting sarcasm, which he does not tolerate in others. I wish DeMille would tone Corey down a bit, but I'm not a guy; maybe guys like constant smart-assery.