Plum Island is a best-selling novel written by Long Island’s own, Nelson DeMille. The novel takes place on the North Fork of Long Island during the early 1990’s, and is filled with insightful descriptions of both the area and its inhabitants.
The novel begins when a convalescing NYC detective, John Corey, decides to take up the case of two murdered government scientists and is then plunged into a world of secrecy, suspicion, and betrayal. The novel is filled with mystery, suspense, and surprising twists and turns. It’s main attribute however, is it’s comic relief. John Corey’s egotism, sarcasm, bluntness, and wit saturate the novel and offsets the more morbid and gloomy aspects.
The novel is well-written and the plot is both original and intelligent. Besides this, most Long Islanders will be able to connect with the setting and may actually be surprised at how accurate DeMille’s portrayal of the North Fork is.
Personally, between the well-developed plot, Corey’s humor, and the novel’s ability to engage the reader, I found this to be one of the best novels I’ve ever read.
However, this novel is not for children. It contains frequent uses of vulgarities, violence, and multiple sexual encounters.
Reviewed by Christopher Chevallier, grade 12