Cathedral by Nelson DeMille
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Book Reviews of Cathedral
Book Review: WHEN IRISH EYES ARE SMILING...
Summary: 5 Stars
This is another exciting, well-written thriller by the author. In this one, the struggles of Northern Ireland are featured, and the writing is exceptional. Suspenseful, with an intricate plot and well-fleshed characters, this book will keep the reader riveted until the very last page is turned.
Irish Republican Army (IRA) soldier, Brian Flynn has emerged from the heat of conflict in Northern Ireland with a master plan for seizing world renowned St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City on St. Patrick's Day. His plan includes the taking of three very special hostages, one of whom is a former IRA terrorist turned peace activist, who just happens to be Flynn's former lover and main squeeze, the beautiful Maureen Malone. The others are Sir Harold Wilson, the British Consul General in New York, and his eminence, the Cardinal.
Due to the fact that a former IRA terrorist and the British Consul General are joining the Cardinal on the steps of his Cathedral for a historic photo opportunity, the press is there in full force, as are members of the New York City Police Department (NYPD). Among them is Irish American Lieutenant Patrick Burke from NYPD Intelligence. When all hell breaks loose, the hostages are taken and NYPD discovers too late that the Cathedral has been booby trapped. With the hostages facing almost certain death, it is up to Burke to make sure that they survive, as the cards are stacked against them, with a traitor inside NYPD and a British Intelligence officer with his own secret agenda working against their survival.
This is a nail biter of a book, with many twists and turns interwoven within the complex, highly detailed plot and subplots. The characters are well-fleshed and, given the situation in which they find themselves, set the stage for great human drama that captures the reader. This is simply a wonderful, well-executed book that all those who enjoy well-written thrillers will love.
Book Review: Great introduction to Demille
Summary: 5 Stars
Cathedral is a prescient tale of what happens when terrorism is brought into the American backyard, in this case NYC and St. Pat's Cathedral on St. Patty's Day. We're not talking about Middle East terrorism of course, but if you don't catch some present-day parallels here, let me be the first to welcome you to planet earth. I've read all of DeMille's novels and I still think this is his best. Great plot development, crackling good dialogue that's both smart and funny, and well rounded characters. To his credit, Demille depicts the IRA outcasts as real people that you actually feel for and the lines between good and evil are blurred. Let's face it, the Brits aren't saints in this battle at all. You don't condone their actions, but you understand the pain that's brought these IRA (or Sinn Fein) members to this point. Hickey might be one of the craziest, scariest and funniest characters Demille has ever created and Major Martin one of the most sinister. Demille really did his homework on St. Pat's Cathedral too, and the church remains virtually the same. I confess that I actually read some of this book in there, because I thought it'd be cool. I will now dodge the lightning bolt. Anyway, I've read this book twice and it's one of the most satisfying reads I can remember. After 25 years, it still holds up and I strongly recommend.Book Review: A cathedral's worst nightmare
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm starting to like Nelson Demille's work. Cathedral was as intense as other political thrillers, and seeing that this is related to real historical events, that makes it so much better. Published back in the early 80's, this tells of the hellish conflicts in Northern Ireland. Brian Flynn and his fellow "Fenians" have come from Northern Ireland to seize St. Patrick's Cathedral during St. Patrick's Day. This would become a shocking historic day, as the cathedral will blow if all demands are not met the next morning. This is a tense thriller, with complex characters and a suspenseful third act. So many characters (Flynn, Hickey, Burke, Baxter, Bellini, Murphy, etc.) have their own distinctive personalities, and we can't really tell who we should root for? Should we feel sympathy for Flynn or Burke? And that's why this book is so brilliant. Ultimately, the ending isn't completely satisfying, but it is a most perfect ending, at least to me.
I'll be looking forward to reading more of Demille's other works. He's made it to my "Favorite Thriller Authors" list.
Book Review: Another must-read by DeMille
Summary: 5 Stars
Cathedral is absolutely one of the top ten best books that I have ever read. DeMille gives the reader a great history lesson on the struggles of Northern Ireland, an indepth look into the psyche of the people who know no other world than one of violence begetting violence, and a glimpse at what our government officials will do to further their own careers no matter the cost. This is my fourth Nelson DeMille novel, and I find it interesting, having read some of is later works first,how his style has evolved over the years. I found that Cathedral read much like The Charm School as far as the writing syle went, and possibly Burke's character in Cathedral laid the groundwork for John Corey in DeMille's later works, Plum Island and The Lion's Game.
With each novel I have a greater appreciation for DeMille. He may not pump out books every 6 months like some of constituents, but the time in between each novel is obviously spent doing painstaking research. He leaves no stone unturned.
Keep 'em coming Mr. Demille
Book Review: Outstanding
Summary: 5 Stars
I've read a number of books by DeMille.I've fouind them to be intelligent, well-written and highly entertaining.
Cathedral, which describes an abortive attempt by some IRA defectors to blow up St Patrick's cathedral in New York, has deep resonance in view of the attack on the WTC.
The plot was engaging and gripping. Flynn, the Irish protagonist was the perfect anti-hero. Indeed, I found myself longing for him and his band of conspirators to win - odd, as I spent a number of years fighting against the IRA in Ulster.
Plots within plots, strings being pulled by unknown puppet-masters, the story drew me from page to page like a driven animal. I just had to find out what happened. The book was unputdownable!
One thing i noticed (being English) is that Demille uses English forms of verb past tenses rather than American. Wonderful!! At last an author whose characters 'shone a light' rather than 'shined a light', who 'lit a cigarette' rather than 'lighted a cigarette'.
I'd happily buy any book from this author.