The crash of TWA Flight 800 in 1996 has left more questions than answers. This novel is DeMille's attempt at a theory.

John Corey, a former NYPD Detective now with the Federal Anti-Terrorist Task Force, goes on the hunt for a videotape rumored to show a missile taking the doomed airliner down. Encouraged by his wife, FBI agent Kate Mayfield, Corey follows a trail of old leads in hopes of getting to the truth. Blocked at every turn by government officials, he grows increasingly determined to dig up the facts.

"Night Fall" is a compelling and fast-paced adventure, except for two major events.

The story is disrupted by assignments that take Corey and Mayfield to two different hot spots on the other side of the world. Although the point is made that these temporary assignments are meant to teach them a lesson, it only serves to jolt the reader out of the story, which resumes where it left off when Corey returns.

The ending was a disappointment, as the events of the day were predictable. The story ended on September 11, 2001. DeMille uses the terrorist attacks of that day to end the plot action. Without giving anything away that couldn't already be figured out by the reader, I will say I felt cheated at the end. The events surrounding Corey's case can be interpreted in a number of ways, and it left me hanging. Perhaps that was the author's intent. Artistic license allows for ending like this. However, I felt the plot missed something that could have helped to gel it together while still leaving the reader various interpretations.

The characters were outstanding, as was the premise. Unfortunately, I can only give three out of five stars due to the aforementioned issues.

-C.W.

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