After his day in jail, Thomas joins Minho. They run through Sections Eight and One of the Maze, then draw maps of those sections and add them to a trunk holding all the other daily maps. The other Runners do the same. That night, Teresa telepathically tells Thomas she has “triggered the Ending.” The next day, Minho and Alby go into the Maze to find the Griever, who, it turns out, was only pretending to be dead. By dinner, they haven’t returned. At the West Door, Thomas sees Minho half-carrying Alby, who has been stung. When Thomas realizes that they won’t make it into the Glade before the Doors close, he jumps into the Maze to help them. The Maze finally gives DeMille’s readers the John Corey fix they’ve been craving. There’s no other character in modern literature like him. . . . kudos to Nelson DeMille, the master of smart, entertaining suspense." — Book Reporter I’d been chilling here for about three weeks, and as I’d said the last time I was borrowing Harry’s summer house, the problem with doing nothing is not knowing when you’re finished.

The Maze Runner (Maze Runner series book 1): book 1 in the The Maze Runner (Maze Runner series book 1): book 1 in the

Anyway, as I said, I’m John Corey, former NYPD Homicide detective. After I left the job on a line-of-duty three-quarter disability—the result of three bullet wounds—I took a job as a contract agent with the Federal Anti-Terrorist Task Force. I left the ATTF under unusual circumstances and landed another Federal gig, this one with the Diplomatic Surveillance Group, which terminated last month—also under unusual circumstances. I was also once an adjunct professor at JJC—John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan. Now I am NYU—New York Unemployed. The next day, Alby is still alive on the wall, and he is taken down by other Gladers and given the Grief Serum. The Keepers are divided on what to do about Thomas: he violated the rules by entering the Maze, but he also saved Alby’s life. Minho and Gally fight over Thomas’ fate, and it’s finally decided that Thomas will spend the next day in the Slammer (the Glade’s jail), then join Minho as a Runner. Barricaded in a Homestead room, Newt, Alby, Minho, and Thomas hear the Grievers approach. Alby, very troubled, runs to the Map room. Gally bursts in and says the Grievers will kill one Glader each night until they’re all dead. As a Griever breaks through the window, Gally throws himself at it. The Griever takes Gally through the West Door and the other Grievers follow. Now I had to make an important decision. Should I get up and grab another beer? Or sit here until I have to pee? Also regarding my love life, there is Tess Faraday, who was my partner when I was working what turned out to be my last assignment with the Diplomatic Surveillance Group: the case of the killer Russians. Tess, who was undercover for State Department Intel, got under the covers for John Corey, but unfortunately, our relationship has transitioned from romantic to platonic. Not sure how that happened, but it happens, though she sometimes hints that benefits are still available if I were divorced or in the process thereof. Meanwhile, I haven’t had sex in so long I can’t remember who brings the handcuffs.Word comes that Alby is awake and that he wants to talk to Thomas alone. Alby tells Thomas that during the Changing he learned some disturbing things about Thomas and the girl, and that he knows about “the Flare,” which means nothing to Thomas. Just as Alby is explain further, he starts to strangle himself. After Alby is restrained with Newt’s help, he says that an outside force was in control of his hands. Alby then gives Newt two instructions: “Be careful with the girl,” and “protect the Maps.” A second escape was planned, this time involving a gun battle, from the Crumlin Road jail in Belfast I should have had Walsh brought up on misconduct charges, but that would have hurt Kate’s career, so I didn’t. I will, however, settle with Mr. Walsh at the first opportunity. Or should I thank him? Harry lives in the city, Upper East Side, not far from my condo. If you ask him what he does for a living, he says, “I’m in organized crime,” then adds, “Wall Street.” Gets a laugh every time.

The Maze by Nelson DeMille | Waterstones The Maze by Nelson DeMille | Waterstones

Second in the military crime series featuring Special Agents Scott Brodie and Magnolia "Maggie" Taylor, after The Deserter (2019). As Corey digs deeper into this case, he comes to suspect that the failure of the local police to solve this sensational mystery may not be a result of their incompetence—it may be something else. Something more sinister. Aside from my former colleagues, I have some real enemies, starting with the perps who I’d put behind bars in my NYPD days. Then there were the Islamic terrorists whose pals I had capped or captured when I was with ATTF. Those A-holes definitely wanted my head separated from my body. But perps and terrorists are mostly stupid, and I didn’t lose any sleep worrying about them. The real pros were the guys I tangled with when I was with the Diplomatic Surveillance Group—the guys from SVR, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, the equivalent of our CIA, and the successors of the Soviet KGB. Those bastards are tough and they’re good at what they do. And what they do is kill people. Which a few of them tried to do to yours truly. I’m still here. They’re not. The SVR would like to settle that score. And I’d like to see them try it. As Corey digs deeper into this case, which has made national news, he comes to suspect that the failure of the local police to solve this sensational case may not be a result of their inexperience and incompetence—it may be something else. Something more sinister. When Thomas visits the girl, she tells him telepathically that her name is Teresa. In her coma, she still has memories and says she and Thomas caused this and were sent to end it. Thomas retreats to sleep in the south corner of the Deadheads.Clearly, I was going nuts. In fact, people often ask me, “Are you crazy?” I was glad there was still some doubt. I worked on the Times crossword awhile—a seven-letter word starting with “u” that means ointment… “Up yours”? No, “unguent.” I finished my beer and contemplated lunch. Or did I just drink lunch? The screams are from a boy named Ben; he was stung by a Griever, one of the monsters that lives in the Maze. After receiving an antidote called Grief Serum, Ben is going through “the Changing,” a painful process during which the victim is flooded with memories of his life before the Maze. Gally, a bully who went through the Changing and recovered, confronts Thomas, saying that he saw Thomas during his Changing and doesn’t trust him.