Nelson Richard DeMille (born August 23, 1943) is an American author of

action adventure Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

and suspense novels. His novels include '' Plum Island'', '' The Charm School'', and '' The Gold Coast''. DeMille has also written under the

pen names A pen is a common writing instrument that applies ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Early pens such as reed pens, quill pens, dip pens and ruling pens held a small amount of ink on a nib or in a small void or cavity whi ...

Jack Cannon, Kurt Ladner, Ellen Kay and Brad Matthews.

Biography

DeMille was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

on August 23, 1943. He moved as a child with his family to Long Island. He attended Elmont Memorial High School where he played football and ran track. After spending three years at Hofstra University, he joined the Army and attended

Officer Candidate School An officer candidate school (OCS) is a military school which trains civilians and enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a commission as officers in the armed forces of a country. How OCS is run differs between countries and services. Ty ...

. He was a First Lieutenant in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

(1966–69) and saw action as an infantry platoon leader with the First Cavalry Division in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

. He was decorated with the

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establish ...

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

, and the

Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry The Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross also known as the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross or Vietnam Cross of Gallantry ( vi, Anh-Dũng Bội-Tinh) is a military decoration of the former Government of South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam). The medal ...

, and was awarded the

Combat Infantryman Badge The Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) is a United States Army military decoration. The badge is awarded to infantrymen and Special Forces soldiers in the rank of colonel and below, who fought in active ground combat while assigned as members of e ...

. DeMille returned to the States and went back to Hofstra University, where he received his degree in political science and history. He has three children, Lauren, Alexander, and James. He resides in Garden City, New York. DeMille’s earlier books were

NYPD The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...

detective novels. His first major novel was ''By the Rivers of Babylon'', published in 1978 and still in print, as are all his succeeding novels. He is a member of

American Mensa Mensa is the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. It is a non-profit organisation open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardised, supervised IQ or other approved intelligence test. Mensa formally compr ...

, the Authors Guild, and past president of the

Mystery Writers of America Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is an organization of mystery and crime writers, based in New York City. The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday. It presents the Edgar Awa ...

. He is also a member of the

International Thriller Writers International Thriller Writers (ITW), was founded October 9, 2004, at Bouchercon XXXV, the "World Mystery and Suspense Conference", in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Six months later, some 150 authors with more than one billion books sold worldwide h ...

, who honored him as 2015 ThrillerMaster of the Year. DeMille holds three honorary doctorates: Doctor of Humane Letters from Hofstra University, Doctor of Literature from Long Island University, and Doctor of Humane Letters from

Dowling College Dowling College was a private college on Long Island, New York. It was established in 1968 and had its main campus located in Oakdale, New York on the site of William K. Vanderbilt's mansion Idle Hour. Dowling also included a campus in Shirley, ...

. DeMille is the author of '' By the Rivers of Babylon'', ''

Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

'', '' The Talbot Odyssey'', '' Word of Honor'', '' The Charm School'', '' The Gold Coast'', '' The General’s Daughter'', '' Spencerville'', '' Plum Island'', '' The Lion’s Game'', '' Up Country'', '' Night Fall'', ''

Wild Fire Wildfire is a fire in an area of combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or rural areas. Wildfire or Wild Fire may also refer to: People * "Wildfire", Chippewa name of sculptor Edmonia Lewis (c. 1844–1907) Arts, entertainment, ...

'', '' The Gate House'', '' The Lion'', '' The Panther'', '' The Quest'', '' Radiant Angel'', and '' The Cuban Affair''. He also co-authored '' Mayday'' with Thomas Block and ''The Deserter'' with his son, Alex DeMille, and has contributed short stories, book reviews, and articles to magazines and newspapers both online and in print.

Writing style

Many of DeMille's books are written in the first person, and as such his books follow a linear plotline in which the reader moves along with the main character. Although the tone of his writing varies from novel to novel, one consistent tool is DeMille's liberal use of sarcasm and dry humor. Most DeMille novels, especially the more recent, avoid "Hollywood endings," and instead finish either inconclusively or with the hero successfully exposing the secret/solving the mystery while suffering in his career or personal life as a result. There are generally loose ends left for the reader to puzzle over, '' Night Fall'' being a perfect example.

Works

DeMille often uses Long Island, where he currently lives, as a setting in his novels, as in '' The Gold Coast'', '' The Gate House'', '' Plum Island'', '' Word of Honor'', '' Night Fall'', and '' Radiant Angel''. His most recent novels have followed two main characters, John Corey (starring in seven novels) and

Paul Brenner Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity * Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

(starring in two novels, with also a part in Corey's sixth novel). In earlier works, the storylines were completely separate, but there have been hints in the novels that they are part of a larger "DeMille Universe" that references events and characters in earlier novels, such as '' The Gold Coast'' and '' The Charm School''. DeMille spends approximately 16 months creating each of his novels due to the extensive research involved, and because he writes them longhand on legal pads with a number one pencil.

Bibliography

John Sutter series

#'' The Gold Coast'' (1990) #'' The Gate House'' (2008)

Characters

John Sutter, Susan Sutter, Felix Mancuso, and several other characters of ''The Gold Coast'' reappear in the sequel ''The Gate House''.

Paul Brenner series

#'' The General's Daughter'' (1992) #'' Up Country'' (2002) #'' The Panther'' (2012), Paul Brenner teams up with John Corey on a case.

Characters

Paul Brenner, a criminal investigator/ Special Agent for the

's Criminal Investigation Division (CID). He was introduced in ''The General's Daughter'' and reappears in ''Up Country'', and ''The Panther''. He now works as a Special Agent for the US State Department's

Diplomatic Security Service The Diplomatic Security Service (DSS or DS) is a security and law enforcement agency that acts as the operational division of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, which is a branch of the United States Department of State. Its primary mission is ...

(DSS). His girlfriend is US Army CID investigator/ Special Agent Cynthia Sunhill. Colonel Karl Hellman is Brenner's superior officer at the CID. He appeared in ''The General's Daughter'' and ''Up Country.''

John Corey series

#'' Plum Island'' (1997) #'' The Lion's Game'' (2000) #'' Night Fall'' (2004) #''

'' (2006) #'' The Lion'' (2010), direct sequel to '' The Lion's Game'' #'' The Panther'' (2012), John Corey teams up with Paul Brenner on a case. #'' Radiant Angel'' (2015) #''The Maze'' (2022)

Characters

*John Corey, a former homicide detective, medically retired from the NYPD with 3 gunshot wounds, now working for the FBI’s Anti-Terrorist Task Force. He was introduced in '' Plum Island'' and reappears in '' The Lion's Game,'' '' Night Fall,'' ''

'', ''The Lion'', ''The Panther'', and ''Radiant Angel''. * Kate Mayfield, an F.B.I. special agent. Introduced in ''The Lion's Game.'' She marries Corey and reappears in ''Night Fall'', ''Wild Fire'', ''The Lion'', ''The Panther'', and ''Radiant Angel''. *Asad Khalil, a Libyan terrorist. His family was wiped out in an American military attack in 1986, for which he swore revenge. *Ted Nash, a CIA agent and arch-rival of Corey, who is introduced in ''Plum Island'' and reappears in ''The Lion's Game,'' ''Night Fall,'' and ''Wild Fire.''

Joe Ryker series

#'' The Sniper'' (1974) #'' The Hammer of God'' (1974) #''

The Agent of Death ''The Agent of Death'' is the third of Nelson DeMille's novels about NYPD Sergeant Joe Ryker. It was published in 1974, and then republished in 1989 with the DeMille pseudonym Jack Cannon as the author and ''The Death Squad'' as the title. The ...

'' (1975) #''

The Smack Man ''The Smack Man'' is the fourth of Nelson DeMille's novels about NYPD Sergeant Joe Ryker. It was first published in 1975 with the protagonist originally as Joe Keller. Then republished in 1989 with the author listed as Jack Cannon. The novel foc ...

'' (1975) #'' The Cannibal'' (1975) #'' The Night of the Phoenix'' (1975)

Characters

NYPD Sergeant Joe Ryker, a tired, no-nonsense detective assigned to the NYPD Detective Bureau, whose natural understanding of his environment gives him an enhanced instinct for tracking down criminals. A loner, he carries two weapons: a standard police snub-nosed .38 Special revolver in an ankle holster, and a .357 Magnum revolver carried in a shoulder-holster. He appeared in the first six novels by DeMille. All were republished in 1989 bearing DeMille's nom-de-plume "Jack Cannon".

Stand-alone novels

:1. ''The Quest'' (1975, re-released 2013 ) :2. '' By the Rivers of Babylon'' (1978) :3. ''

'' (1981) :4. '' The Talbot Odyssey'' (1984) :5. '' Word of Honor'' (1985) :6. '' The Charm School'' (1988) :7. '' Spencerville'' (1994) :8. '' Mayday'' (1998) :9. '' The Cuban Affair'' (2017) :10. ''The Deserter'' (2019)

Characters

Colonel Petr Burov/Boris/Boris Korsakov: Though not explicitly stated, DeMille hints that Burov, the antagonist in ''The Charm School,'' is the same person as the mysterious "Boris," a character in ''The Lion's Game'' and ''The Lion'' who trained Asad Khalil.

Short fiction

#''The Mystery at Thorn Mansion'' (1976) #''Life or Breath'' (1976) #"Revenge and Rebellion", in ''The Plot Thickens'', (1997) #''The Rich and the Dead'' (2011) #''The Book Case'' (2011) #''Death Benefits'' (2012) #''Rendezvous'' (2012)

Other novels

#''Hitler's Children: The True Story of Nazi Human Stud Farms'' (1976) ''(as Kurt Ladner)'' #''Killer Sharks: The Real Story'' (1977) ''(as Brad Mathews)''

Non-fiction

#''The Five-Million-Dollar Woman: Barbara Walters'' (1976) ''(as Ellen Kay)''

Contributed works

#''The Plot Thickens'' (1997) #''Getting Your Book Published for Dummies'' (2000) #''Takeoff!'' (2000) #''The Best American Mystery Stories'' (2004) #''Dangerous Women'' (2005) #''The Book that Changed my Life'' (2007) #''In the Shadow of the Master: Classic Tales by Edgar Allan Poe'' (2009) #''The Rich and the Dead'' (2011) #''The Book Case'' (2011) #''Long Island’s Gold Coast'' (2012) #''OHEKA Castle'' (2012) #''Death Benefits'' (2012) #''Rendezvous'' (2012) #''The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook'' (2015) #''The Books that Changed My Life'' (2016) #''Great Minds Think and Write: 50 Years of the Mensa Bulletin'' (2016) #''The Artists’ and Writers’ Cookbook: A Collection of Stories and Recipes'' (2016) #''MatchUp'' (2017)

Filmography

References

External links

The "official" DeMille webpageBlogTalkRadio interview with Rodger Nichols Jan 24, 2018 - The Cuban Affair
{{DEFAULTSORT:Demille, Nelson 1943 births Living people People from Garden City, New York People from Jamaica, Queens Hofstra University alumni American thriller writers American crime fiction writers United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War Mensans 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists People from Elmont, New York American male novelists United States Army officers 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers