John Corey

John Corey is a fictitious recurring character in Nelson DeMille novels. He is smart alecky and cocky, but would be considered by most to be a brilliant detective. He is currently married (fictitiously) to Kate Mayfield. Before his marriage to Mayfield, Corey was married to a defense attorney and was romatically linked to both Emma Whitestone and Beth Penrose.

Corey first appeared in DeMille's novel "Plum Island." Since then, he's appeared in "The Lion's Game", "Night Fall," and most recently, "Wild Fire".

The character has a healthy disrespect for authority, a dry and engaging wit, and frequently crosses the powers that be. His outside persona is one of bemused detachment, however once he locks in on a problem, he's a merciless powerhouse who refuses to stop until he's solved his case.

In "Plum Island", Corey is a New York policeman on medical leave. However, beginning with "The Lion's Game", Corey works for the fictional FBI Anti-Terrorist Task Force in New York. While the Plum Island case is a local matter, the three succeeding novels deal with international conspiracy and terrorism as fitting his change in occupation. Corey both meets and works with Kate Mayfield in the Anti-Terrorist Task Force, a fact which involves them both working on cases and getting into trouble together.

Before "Plum Island", Corey is shot by two Hispanic criminals of unknown origin, which is the initial set up of the novel. In "The Lion's Game", he is also pursued and shot by the Lybian terrorist Asad Khalil. Both shooters are still at large.

Trivia

*Corey was never meant to be a recurring character, and DeMille's foreword in the newest edition of "Plum Island (novel)" indicates that Corey was only brought back by popular demand.
*Was once married to a defense attorney, and good friends with Beth Penrose.
*As many of DeMille's characters, Corey frequently dates or marries much younger women (Mayfield, for instance, is more than 10 years his junior).
*Teaches at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
*Prefers beer over other beverages to the extent that he was "forced" to masquerade beer as champagne during a haute garden party in "Plum Island" and to use red wine as a washing solution for his windshield (he has also been known to drink scotch, as do many of DeMille's other male protagonists). He is also exceptionally fond of pigs in a blanket with deli mustard and asked that they be prepared by a French chef in a $1,200 per night hotel in "Wild Fire".