August Author Birthday—Nelson DeMille

As the days of summer start to wind down (although, let's be honest, they're finally just starting to gear up here in Halifax), it seems like there is still time to highlight one last bit of summer beach reading—and why not do so in celebration of an author's birthday?

American thriller author Nelson DeMille was born on August 23, 1943 in Queens, New York. The biography from his website notes that he moved to Long Island as a child, where he completed high school and began university before joining the military and seeing action in Vietnam. He returned to the the US after the war to complete his university degree.

DeMille writes plot centered, action packed thrillers that Novelist have described as "vivid and complex". His most recent book The Lion (2010) features anti-terrorism agent John Corey tracking a Libyan terrorist on the loose in the United States. It's a follow up to his 2000 book The Lion's Game, which are both part of a series featuring Corey as a recurring character.

Other books by DeMille include Night Fall—which centers on the crash of TWA flight 800 off Long Island in 1996, The Charm School—a spy novel set in Russia and filled with KGB intrigue, and Up Country—set in post war Vietnam, when a former American soldier returns to find a man who witnessed a murder.

DeMille's writing could appeal to fans of plot centered books with lots of action, but peppered with insight into an issue, country or culture. Readers already familiar with Lee Child's Jack Reacher series, Daniel Silva's Gabriel Allon series or the military adventure fiction of Tom Clancy may find something to enjoy in DeMille.