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Summary: Nelson's Paul Brenner is flat-out cool
Review: Not only is this a top-notch suspense thriller, it's also the story of a warrior's journey back to the battleground where he must face his own demons.CID (that's the Army's Criminal Investigations Division) warrant officer Paul Brenner is once again in it deep. For those of you who know Mr. Brenner from Nelson's "The General's Daughter", you'll be delighted to know that the old soldier ain't been broke yet. (The dude just can't keep his mouth shut.) Just like anyone else who refuses to conform, Paul is again stuck with the dirty job. A decorated combat vet, Paul finds himself back in Vietnam to question the brother of a dead witness to an unreported, thirty-year-old murder of an American lieutenant by his captain that happened right smack-dab in the middle of the war, and guess what? It just so happens that both these brothers were North Viet enemy soldiers. It's bad enough for Brenner that his refusal to just shut-up and "go along" makes his military career hell, in Vietnam it can get him killed. To make matters even worse, Brenner, who is already in a struggling relationship with his girlfriend, somehow manages to end up with a pretty and possibly deceitful traveling companion. (You really gotta' love this guy!) Don't get me wrong; Brenner is in not another anti-hero with a bad attitude. In fact he's a true boy scout. That's what keeps him in trouble. When it comes to justice, the man's got too much honor for his own good. And can he help it if his commanders, along with his enemies (which are often one in the same) don't appreciate his witty banter? Nelson is one of those writers with the rare magical talent of making one hundred pages read as easy as twenty and his cool heroes stand up for all of us who really wish we could "stick it to the man".
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Summary: Great Read That's Also Educational
Review: "Up Country" is my second Nelson Demille experience, following up the likeable, "The General's Daughter". From the outset, it is very clear that Paul Brenner is taking the same pilgrimmage that the author encountered in 1997 as a Vietnam veteran.
Brenner has a mystery dangled in front of him, drawing the reader in, but, alas, the mystery really only figures in the last 150 pages of the 700 page novel. Instead, the book is largely about coming to terms with the Vietnam experience, 30 years later. While very educational, the book also addresses issues such as present day U.S.-Vietnam relations, the irony of dialogue with former enemies, and the need to come to terms with the past. I would strongly encourage Vietnam veterans to experience this book. It is a wonderful novel.
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Summary: Long But Worth It
Review: Upcountry was more than I ever thought I wanted to know about Vietnam, however, with Demille's irreverant hero, Paul Brenner making a trip back to Vietnam and through his memories of the country and the people as well as the war, it was filled with enough insight and detail that it was a compelling "read" through to the last page. Paul Brenner, a burned out retired career military officer from the Criminal Investigation Division, receives an e-mail from his old commanding officer ordering him to be at the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington. There is a date and a time, but no other information in the e-mail. When Brenner shows up to talk to his old boss he is told that the army is investigation a 30-year old murder. There is a big catch. They don't know who was killed or who was the murder and they want Brenner to return to Vietnam and investigate. What they do know is that there was a witness to the crime in which a US army lieutenant shot a US army sergeant in cold blood. Brenner's assignment is to return to Vietnam and go "upcountry" to find the witness if indeed he is still alive to see if he has evidence. There is a mystery, there is a girl of course, and no one is what they seem to be. The suspense is good and the risks are great, but what I really liked about Upcountry was the sensitivity that Demille showed in writing about the inhumanity of war from both sides. Brenner and Susan Weber make a harrowing trip against unbelievable odds and encounter veterans from North and South Vietnam all with different stories to tell and sometimes about the same battles. The boys that went to Vietnam and returned as changed men, if they returned, should have received better treatment than our country gave them at the time. Hopefully this book will add to understanding a long misunderstood war. It's hard to tell where the fiction begins and reality ends.
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Summary: I don't getcha ...
Review: Gee, why even read a novel anymore - half the people reviewing DeMille's newest give away most of the plot! At least give a heads-up that a teaser's coming. The main complaint I've read is that this is a travelogue and not a thriller, but I beg to disagree. This is vintage DeMille, one of his best. Sure, it forces you to be a big more diligent during the first 300 pages or so, but if you put in the time and energy you actually learn a hell of a lot about Vietnam. I would probably never pick up a non-fiction book about the war, but now I don't have to. And it's all wrapped up in an incredible story, populated by very real and believable people. Don't let anyone tell you that it's boring and just a travel book - every time I read that I know that this person didn't finish the book. If he had, the rating would be five stars, every time.
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Summary: Glad my number was never called
Review: At 46 years of age, I had a draft card and a number that was never called for the Vietnam War/conflict LOL - Too bad DeMille couldn't get 1400 hundred pages published for this story, because the drama, struggle and relationships are that good... who eles could make you laugh out loud being up to your neck in leaches? I hope he's started writing his next tale.
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Summary: Good read but a bit over written
Review: I Have read just about everything Nelson Demille has written.I ENJOY him as an author and look forward to his books,but.....this one was over long I think.The story is terrific and the plot is absorbing.I think it would have been better if instead of 700 pages...a little editing would have reduced it to around 500 pages or so.but that is just my opinion.I did enjoy it and would suggest it to other readers.
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Summary: wheres the ending?
Review: I was sorely disappointed with the ending of this book. It is the most "left hanging" one that I have ever read.
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Summary: Maybe not his best, but still better than the rest
Review: Okay, this was not Charm School, or Gold Coast or Plum Island, which I rate as the author's best books. But as usual, I was in heaven reading all 700 pages of this book and was disappointed when it was over. This is, in fact, a far superior read to the General's Daughter. I enjoyed the "travelogue" nature of the book and found myself hungry for more information about the war and Vietnam in general. Colonel Mang is one of DeMille's best villains, a guy you could hate and almost root for at the same time. And I didn't care if the plot was totally believable or the ending completely satisfying. It was all about a great road trip that I found myself happy to be along. The only annoying aspect of the book was the incessant love patter between Paul Brenner and Susan Weber. Just once, I would like to see DeMille write a thriller where the female character doesn't fall in love with the central protaganist 10 seconds after they meet.
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Summary: Nelson Demille is my fav author!
Review: I am reading it right now and am about half way through it. Love it so far. I like books about the Vietnam war era.
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Summary: Paul and Susan's Unlikely Adventure
Review: It's right up there with "The Lion's Game" as the best of DeMille. Paul Brenner is back, more like John Corey than his former self in "The General's Daughter". His ex-boss Karl Hellmann lures him out of retirement to go back to Nam and investigate a 30-year-old murder. Karl tells Paul a US Captain shot a US Lieutenant and that a VC soldier saw it. Paul has every reason to walk away, but then there'd be no story. There's a lot of ink about Viet Nam today, but the critics who say it drags the story down miss the point. The contrast between then and now and how Brenner discovers and reacts to it are at the heart of the book. The real reason for Brenner's "mission", when it comes, provides the second half of a great one-two punch. Susan Weber is a bit of a stretch, too cool and too perfect, but by the end of Book III she's even more intriguing, the Viet Nam stuff still works for me and there are still 400 pages to go. Col. Mang the Vietnamese intelligence guy who is not a fan of Brenner reappears near the end of Book V, and some real heated in-your-face exchanges follow. When Paul and Susan find Tran Van Vinh, a duty roster among Vinh's souvenirs shows Paul who the killer was 30 years ago, and a great end game begins. 100 pages to go and Paul and Susan are in Hanoi aggravating Mang more than ever, a sure bet to be heading for the torture room until Paul tells Mang that they'll be missed at the Ambassador's VIP reception. Mang now realizes who the murderer was, too. In a great twist, his and Brenner's interests are aligned, and Brenner tells him, "You have the evidence and you have Tran Van Vinh. But be careful. You have a tiger by the tail." All in all it's as good as "The Lion's Game" but with the same reservation, the ending. It's abrupt leaving the reader to think about a whole bunch of more interesting scenarios. But hey, after 700 pages, I guess he had to wrap it up somehow.
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