Rating: 
Summary: Not DeMille's best, but still a good read
Review: I had very high hopes for this book after reading The Charm School, and unfortunately this one didn't quite measure up. However, if you enjoy the spy-thriller genre, this book is a good investment of your time and money. You won't walk away saying it's the best you've ever read, but it will hold your attention and provide some good excitement along the way.
Rating: 
Summary: Traitors! Commies! Heros! - a 543 page comic book
Review: I have read every DeMille novel and enjoyed them for their entertainment value. Unfortunately, "The Talbot Odyssey," while certainly not boring, was totally implausible from start to finish. How is it that as the USSR prepares to destroy the US (and no reason is really given for this), only a group of retired fogey OSS types, a former NYPD cop, some shadowy British commandos, and a mid-level NSA analyst save the day? Neither the US intelligence agencies nor the armed forces make an appearance in this ludicrous plot. And the characterization is so hackneyed, it is virtual comic book writing. The Russians are pure evil, the US traitors are so traitorous, except it's not clear what these 70-year old geezers did between their defection to the Soviets at the end of WWII and the 1980s to earn their filthy rubles. Moreover, the identity of the so-called third Talbot is so obvious as to be a ho-hummer. DeMille has written some superb novels, "The Gold Coast" and "Word of Honor." In contrast, his cold warrior stuff such as Talbot and Charm School suffer from a cliched and steretypical mindset about the Soviet Union. Another reason to be thankful the cold war is over.
Rating:
Summary: Traitors! Commies! Heros! - a 543 page comic book
Review: I have read every DeMille novel and enjoyed them for their entertainment value. Unfortunately, "The Talbot Odyssey," while certainly not boring, was totally implausible from start to finish. How is it that as the USSR prepares to destroy the US (and no reason is really given for this), only a group of retired fogey OSS types, a former NYPD cop, some shadowy British commandos, and a mid-level NSA analyst save the day? Neither the US intelligence agencies nor the armed forces make an appearance in this ludicrous plot. And the characterization is so hackneyed, it is virtual comic book writing. The Russians are pure evil, the US traitors are so traitorous, except it's not clear what these 70-year old geezers did between their defection to the Soviets at the end of WWII and the 1980s to earn their filthy rubles. Moreover, the identity of the so-called third Talbot is so obvious as to be a ho-hummer. DeMille has written some superb novels, "The Gold Coast" and "Word of Honor." In contrast, his cold warrior stuff such as Talbot and Charm School suffer from a cliched and steretypical mindset about the Soviet Union. Another reason to be thankful the cold war is over.
Rating: 
Summary: Talbot Odyssey
Review: I loved The Charm School and Plum Island, but this was by far my favorite. I also very much enjoyed The General's Daughter and The Lion's Game- any book by DeMille is a winner.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I read some of the other customer reviews and am mystified. I'm a big fan of Demille titles, generally speaking but found this one hihgly diappointing. I was barely able to finish it. I found the plot incredibly unbelieveable (and confusing) and the book is full of an incredible number of characters, none of whom has a focused picture or about which you care. My recommendation: read just about any other Demille title.
Rating:
Summary: Breathtakingly awesome!
Review: I read the first 1/3 and was bored, so I put it down at the end of my vacation. 9 months later (ok I forgot about it) I picked it back up and couldn't put it down again. The first 1/3 sets up the story and the characters, and then the rest is non-stop action. It had an incredible ending. In fact I read the last 80 pages nonstop until 2am because I couldn't stop myself! If you imagine the setting (back during the cold war) you'll really enjoy it.
Rating: 
Summary: A "5 Course Meal" - Not a "Drive-Through"
Review: I stumbled upon this gem after being disappointed with several previous DeMille Novels. The Talbot Odyssey is a "thinking person's" novel. It, much like real life, is NOT all excitement and adrenaline. DeMille does an outstanding job of character development and plot organization and development. While the crux of the plot is not an imminent threat which we face; it is entertaining and afterall this is a novel not a strategic arms treatise. This book requires tenacity from the reader and NO Page Skimming, or you'll miss the clues and hints that DeMille sews throughout the pages. If you've been disappointed with the Gold Coast and Plum Island and the Lion's Game - BUT if you liked the Charm School, Spencerville, and Word of Honor, then you will like the Talbot Odyssey.
Rating:
Summary: A "5 Course Meal" - Not a "Drive-Through"
Review: I stumbled upon this gem after being disappointed with several previous DeMille Novels. The Talbot Odyssey is a "thinking person's" novel. It, much like real life, is NOT all excitement and adrenaline. DeMille does an outstanding job of character development and plot organization and development. While the crux of the plot is not an imminent threat which we face; it is entertaining and afterall this is a novel not a strategic arms treatise. This book requires tenacity from the reader and NO Page Skimming, or you'll miss the clues and hints that DeMille sews throughout the pages. If you've been disappointed with the Gold Coast and Plum Island and the Lion's Game - BUT if you liked the Charm School, Spencerville, and Word of Honor, then you will like the Talbot Odyssey.
Rating:
Summary: Loved it
Review: I'm a big DeMille fan, ever since "The Charm School". Okay, "Spencerville" was awfully disturbing, "The General's Daughter" was just twisted, and "Plum Island" was a bit too formulaic, but even a bad DeMille is better than most Grisham or Clancy."The Talbot Odyssey" better parallels the charms of "Charm School" and "The Gold Coast," even "Cathedral". Above all, DeMille's humor delights consistently. The plot is consistently engaging. This is an easy, pleasant read.
Rating:
Summary: The best book off Nelson De Mille
Review: I've just finished this book and I think it's the best book of De Mille. Believe it or not, it's better than The Charm School. It's the best spy book I've ever read. Don't miss it !!!!
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