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Joe Ryker #5
Night of the Phoenix
Jorgenson is a smooth-talking CIA agent investigating the murder of one of his own. The victim's body bore the markings of a killer skilled in exotic torture. Ryker's on the case, too--and discovers a world of double-dealing spies and cold-blooded CIA hit men.
- GenresMystery
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
152 people want to read
About the author
Nelson DeMille
262 books7,396 followersNelson Richard DeMille was an American author of action adventure and suspense novels. His novels include Plum Island, The Charm School, and The General's Daughter. DeMille also wrote under the pen names Jack Cannon, Kurt Ladner, Ellen Kay and Brad Matthews.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 27, 2021
Attention All Nelson DeMille Fans !:
Mr. DeMille published six early books under the pseudonym Jack Cannon before he felt like he'd hit his stride. If you think you've exhausted his output, these are a treasure trove. I've been looking for them in our Half Price Bookstore (Independence, Missouri) for a while now. My wife suggested that I ask the clerk to see if one of their other area stores have any, and they got this one for me, and only charged me a dollar ! My copy of Night of the Phoenix, written in 1975, was printed in 1989 after being updated by DeMille, but still bears his pseudonym on the cover, unlike the cover shown over my review. I'm not sure how involved the rewrite was, but I came across the word "badass", which I don't remember being in our lexicon in 1975 - correct me if I'm wrong.
In the prologue, we are introduced to one particular badass, Morgan, who murders for money, in the swamps of Viet Nam. Like most DeMille tales, the story then moves to (then) present-day New York City, where we meet NYPD Seargent Joe Ryker, a homicide detective. He gets involved in the case of CIA agent Julian Engels, who has been held in a bathtub, waterboarded and sucked dry by leeches. His wife called the CIA first, and by the time NYPD is notified, it looks to Ryker like the CIA took enough time to remove evidence, making him believe it was an inside job, which CIA officials later agree seems to be the case - the work of a rogue agent. Could we be looking for Morgan now ?
Although it bears no particular importance to the plot, one of the more interesting details, especially to a reader who grew up during the last decade of the Viet Nam War, is that of a CIA plan to succeed there while conventional military strategy was failing by employing a sustained program of middle- and high-level assassinations.
Night of the Phoenix, by its publication date alone, is LITERALLY vintage DeMille. It isn't as polished as his later work, but it's very enjoyable, with a patented smartass hero, and, especially in Chapter Eight, some excellent criminal element vs. NYPD action. And the novel, as many DeMilles do, moves to a satisfying finale on Long Island.
Mr. DeMille published six early books under the pseudonym Jack Cannon before he felt like he'd hit his stride. If you think you've exhausted his output, these are a treasure trove. I've been looking for them in our Half Price Bookstore (Independence, Missouri) for a while now. My wife suggested that I ask the clerk to see if one of their other area stores have any, and they got this one for me, and only charged me a dollar ! My copy of Night of the Phoenix, written in 1975, was printed in 1989 after being updated by DeMille, but still bears his pseudonym on the cover, unlike the cover shown over my review. I'm not sure how involved the rewrite was, but I came across the word "badass", which I don't remember being in our lexicon in 1975 - correct me if I'm wrong.
In the prologue, we are introduced to one particular badass, Morgan, who murders for money, in the swamps of Viet Nam. Like most DeMille tales, the story then moves to (then) present-day New York City, where we meet NYPD Seargent Joe Ryker, a homicide detective. He gets involved in the case of CIA agent Julian Engels, who has been held in a bathtub, waterboarded and sucked dry by leeches. His wife called the CIA first, and by the time NYPD is notified, it looks to Ryker like the CIA took enough time to remove evidence, making him believe it was an inside job, which CIA officials later agree seems to be the case - the work of a rogue agent. Could we be looking for Morgan now ?
Although it bears no particular importance to the plot, one of the more interesting details, especially to a reader who grew up during the last decade of the Viet Nam War, is that of a CIA plan to succeed there while conventional military strategy was failing by employing a sustained program of middle- and high-level assassinations.
Night of the Phoenix, by its publication date alone, is LITERALLY vintage DeMille. It isn't as polished as his later work, but it's very enjoyable, with a patented smartass hero, and, especially in Chapter Eight, some excellent criminal element vs. NYPD action. And the novel, as many DeMilles do, moves to a satisfying finale on Long Island.
October 25, 2023
I had read this and several other Ryker books in yhe mid 70s when they originally came out. Tough cop who swam upstream and loved to rattle the bosses.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews