Rating: 
Summary: Not really a suspense novel
Review: Up Country is Nelson DeMille's second VietNam novel (Word of Honor being the first) and I think he wrote it more for himself than for his audience. It's an OK book, but it's not really the suspense novel it's billed as, though there are suspenseful elements to it. I was unsure whether I would give it three stars or four right up until I began this review, and may revise the number up there before I finish. If you want it rated as a suspense novel it's a weak three, but if you're looking for a VietNam novel it's a strong four. Paul Brenner (the CID investigator from The General's Daughter) is called out of retirement to look into a strange case. A letter has surfaced in the posession of an American army vet, looted from a dead NVA soldier 30 years before. It details a murder that the writer of the letter (not the dead NVA soldier, but his brother) witnessed during the Tet offensive in January 1968. From details in the letter, the writer's name and home village are discerned by army investigators. During the Tet holiday, everyone in VietNam returns to their ancestral village, so if Brenner visits the village then, if the witness is still alive, he'll probably be there. Brenner's sent to interview him, masquerading as a soldier turned tourist visiting all of the places he fought in 30 years ago. If this were a suspense novel, it'd be about half of its length. You can sustain suspense for 800 pages, but it's difficult to do, and either DeMille doesn't know how, or he's interested in other things, because this book doesn't even try. When Brenner arrives in the country, he's harrassed by the police, but we know he's not going to be killed or imprisoned because the book has 700 more pages to go. There are a few chases and that sort of thing in the middle of the book but no real suspense. By the time the book reaches its climax, if you haven't figured out the bare bones of the conspiracy, you've not thought about it much. The book is, however, a fictionalized account of an American army vet returning to the country where he fought 30 years ago, and trying to come to terms with the country and what he did there when he was young. If you can live with this as the basis and the majority of the story, then you'll be fine. I can, mostly because DeMille's a facile and engaging writer. I was somewhat annoyed with Brenner, the main character, at times, though. He's basically interchangeable with any of DeMille's other characters (the guy in The Lion's Game, and the one in Plum Island, come to mind) and they all have a penchant for annoying and often lame humor. It's more than a bit annoying. Given that, I enjoyed the book, and would recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: A sequel in the loosest sense of the word.
Review: Nelson DeMille has written some of the best novels I have ever read: Word of Honor, Charm School, Gold Coast. Up Country, I'm sorry to say, doesn't stand up there with my favorites. The only connection this book has to The General's Daughter is it's hero, Paul Brenner. Paul is coaxed out of retirement to investigate the murder of an Army officer by another during the Tet Offensive of 1968. No one, including the reader, believes that this is a simple murder investigation and we have to wait almost 600 pages to have that fact confirmed in what is by then a weak climax. The most interesting moments come when Paul revisits the sites of his former battles when he served with the First Cavalry during the Viet Nam War. I think that veterans will especially find much of interest in these segments. I know for me, they gave me a renewed appreciation of what combat conditions were like for the young men who were sent into the maelstrom. It was facinating to see through Paul's eyes, the irony of these places where he had fought for his very life turned into tourist attractions. The book is least interesting when it delves into the romantic connection between Paul and the beautiful (of course) woman who is assigned to be his guide and interpreter. Too much time is spent developing this romance that we all know is going to happen the minute she makes her first appearance. Paul is only mildly conflicted about blowing off his girlfriend from The General's Daughter. The very same plotline was followed in DeMille's other sequel, The Lion's Game. Doesn't anyone live happily ever after in DeMille's world? I'm no hopeless romantic myself but it stretches credibility a little to see the hero who is crazy in love with one woman simply toss her aside in the sequel to repeat the process again with another. If you have never read a DeMille book before fear not. It is not necessary to read The General's Daughter or any of DeMille's previous books before starting Up Country. In fact, I think it will work in your favor as you will not have a frame of reference to compare it to. After reading Up Country however, I strongly urge you to read the above mentioned titles.
Rating: 
Summary: not really a sequal to generals daughter
Review: this book is technically a sequal but it isn't really necisary to read the genreals daughter thoguh you should. this book tells the story of Paul Brenner and his trip to Vietnam to solve a 30 year old murder mystery that happened in the middle of the Vietnam War. This book explores Paul's emotions as he travels back through his memories while he also fights to figure out his true love all while doing his job. When Paul finds out the truth will he do the right thing? read this book and find out Also this book has taught me a lot about Vietnam and I think Veterans of Vietnam should be honored and thanked for their bravery that many people denied them when they where my age.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but probably best appreciated by Vietnam Vets
Review: I DID enjoy this book, but I would have to say it was not one of my favorite DeMille novels. Taken solely as a novel, I didn't enjoy it as much as some of DeMille's other works... The plot was less believable and maybe not quite as gripping, although still suspenseful.
That being said, I'm really glad I read this book, if for no other reason than to better understand my father's time in Vietnam. My father read it first, and remembered the places and battles (Hwy 1, A-Shau Valley) described by the main character. I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys action/military fiction, but think the folks that served over there would probably appreciate it the most.
Rating:
Summary: A teriffic book!
Review: While others address the plot, I'd like to counter what some others have said about this book; it isn't a travelogue. Paul Brenner (like Demille) is a Vietnam War vet and I think it would be unnatural for him not to have quite a bit to say about his experiences in the war. The book has several subbooks, and I'll discuss each briefly. Book 1: Washington D.C.
Here's where Paul gets asked to accept a mission to go back to Vietnam to help solve the murder of an Army Lt by an Army Capt that happened during the war. The book is in first-person and Demilles sarcasm and wit are in perfect form. Book II: Saigon
Brenner gets to Saigon, meets his contact and spends some time in the city. The wit and humor are still in top form, and Demille is excellent in painting a mental picture for me, unlike many other authors I've read. Book III: Nha Trang
Paul and Susan are heading North and their relationship develops. There is a lot of character development, and with great characters this is a good thing! Book IV: Highway One
Still heading north, and more character development, except the suspense and action are still piling on (Paul has some nasty run-ins with a commie Col). Book V: Hue
This is about 220 pages of the 854 pages of my soft-cover edition. The reason I point this out and the reason I'm breaking the books down is that this book is the one in which Paul Brenner relives quite a bit of his war history by way of visiting the sites with Susan. It would be totally unnatural for him not to do so. Even still, there is quite a bit of suspense and drama with developments in the current time, so it is easy to read (and I enjoyed it). Book VI: Up Country
Here's where the pace really picks up....plenty of development and action Book VII: Hanoi
At this point, I couldn't put the book down. Plenty of action and a great ending. I don't want to give anything away, but I like the way Demille brings the story to its' end in a realistic way, not contrived like some other authors who force themselves to hold your hand and tell you how every little thing wraps up. All-in-all, this is a teriffic book! I would put it up there with "The Charm School" and above "Plum Island". I liked it better than "The General's Daughter", but maybe that's because I saw the film before I read the book (bad idea...book beats the movie by a long shot and the movie wasn't bad). If you like Demille, read this book!
Rating: 
Summary: Even good writers put out an occasional stinker.
Review: This is the stinker. I've read almost all of the DeMille books. The General's Daughter was the only poor one before this one but now this one takes the low spot.
This book was like your neighbor who asks you to stop over to take a look at a "few pictures" he took on his vacation to Viet Nam. The first dozen pictures are interesting. The next two dozen make you bored to tears but your mood brightens when you feel you are reaching the end of the stack. You can't just flip through the pictures. Your neighbor insists on pointing out every fern, leaf, and waterfall in excruciating detail. Just as you feel you are getting to the last picture, your neighbor brings out hundreds more. Your eyeballs roll up so hard that you think they're going to stick.
I waded through all 700+ pages of this stack of pap hoping for a big payoff at the end since the author has always come through in the past. It was not to be. I closed the book with a sigh of relief wondering why I invested so much time in a book that I could clearly see was no good after the first 100 pages. The actual story was so thin that if they made one of those yellow cheat books for this novel it would only be about two pages.
Rating:
Summary: Another Disappointment
Review: DeMille was my favorite beachside-vacation author. Until Lion's Game and now Up Country. My chief complaint is that neither book really ends - with the main narrative threads left hanging in mid-air - and I am left wondering in both cases whether some pages got accidentally torn out, or perhaps, the editors decided to guillotine the books without concern for plotline.
Rating:
Summary: 650 Pages Too Long!!!!
Review: There is a really good story to be told here. However its not told till about page 650. Demille has used this book as a guise to reminisce about his past, and makes a good plot a sideline event. I'm really dissapointed with this book. I read a new book about every week. I trudge through this book for two months. I read a bunch of books while reading this one because I gave up on it after about 200 pages.
Rating:
Summary: Welcome to the Hanoi Hilton
Review: After humping through DeMille's "Up Country" I gained an appareciation for what John McCain went through as a POW in Vietnam for 5 years. I say this because UC essentially held me hostage in Vietnam for what felt like five years. As other reviewers have pointed out, the rather flimsy plot only takes up about 10% of the actual novel, with the rest being a travelogue of latter-day Vietnam and flashbacks to Paul Bremmer (read: DeMille's) experiences there as a grunt. This would be more bearable if A) DeMille hadn't written big chunks of this before in "Word of Honor" and B) Paul Bremmer wasn't the same character as he used in "Lion's Game" and "Plum Island." The latter point is one of the reasons this book is so much less fun than "The General's Daughter." Bremmer's world-weary cynicism seemed more genuine in that book, whereas in UC, it seems glib and childish. Personally, I like my characters a bit tougher and glib and smirky. Every couple lines, he seems to be waiting for a rim shot. Also, where "The General's Daughter" was a tightly-written mystery with a clear time-frame, UC just shambles along like a lost platoon. It slogs hither and yon, occasionally getting a little action, but mostly just exhausting everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Great Story with Historical Geography
Review: I just finished this work and thoroughly enjoyed it! A great tale with historically accurate Vietnam military history. I could not put it down.
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