Night Fall (novel)
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Literature |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Founder | Nelson DeMille |
| Products | Novel |
Night Fall is a novel published in 2004 by American writer Nelson DeMille.
Plot
The narrative opens with the 1996 disaster involving TWA Flight 800 near Long Island, New York. A pair engaged in a secret relationship on the shoreline witness the incident and flee after unintentionally recording footage that seems to show a missile ascending from the sea toward the aircraft.
Set five years later, the story follows detective John Corey of the fictional Anti-Terrorist Task Force (ATTF), an FBI division inspired by the Joint Terrorism Task Force. Encouraged by his wife Kate Mayfield—who participated in the initial inquiry that officially attributed the crash to mechanical failure—Corey is persuaded to reopen the case.
As a continuation of The Lion's Game, Night Fall brings back multiple characters from that earlier work. The subsequent installment, Wild Fire, was published in 2006. CIA agent Ted Nash, a recurring figure in DeMille’s stories, acts as Corey's rival during his tenure with the ATTF.
A significant portion of the storyline revolves around tracking down the couple who inadvertently filmed the explosion responsible for downing TWA Flight 800. Corey's probe centers on witness statements suggesting that a missile, rather than a mechanical malfunction, caused the crash.
Despite receiving directives from higher-ups to cease his investigation, Corey is temporarily reassigned along with his wife to counter-terrorism missions in Yemen and Tanzania. Upon their return to the United States in early September 2001, Corey uncovers pivotal evidence that is subsequently overshadowed by the events of September 11.
Release
Upon its release on December 12, 2004, Night Fall debuted at number one on the New York Times Best Seller List and maintained its position for eleven weeks.