Up Country
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4.4 • 25 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
"Much more than a blood-and-guts thriller...An insightful, moving, and sensitive look at what the war did to a country, its people, and its enemies." - Orlando Sentinel
Former army homicide investigator Paul Brenner has just gotten used to the early retirement forced on him after the disastrous end of his last case when his old commanding officer asks him to return for one final mission: investigate a murder that took place in wartime Vietnam thirty years before. Brenner reluctantly accepts out of curiosity and loyalty...and maybe a touch of boredom. He won't be bored for long.
Back in Vietnam, Brenner meets expatriate Susan Weber, a woman as exotic, sensual, and dangerous as the nation of her voluntary exile. Brenner is plunged into a world of corruption, lethal double cross, and haunted memories-as he's suddenly thrust back into a war that neither he nor his country ever really stopped fighting.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
That DeMille has written a sequel to The General's Daughter comes as no surprise; after all, that's arguably his best-known novel because of the hit film version starring John Travolta. Nor is it surprising that he's set this sequel in Vietnam; returning hero Chief Warrant Officer Paul Brenner, Ret., served two stints there during the war, and DeMille himself not only saw action in Nam but returned in 1997 for an extended visit. What is curious, and relatively unfortunate, is that the long narrative focuses so much on travelogue instead of intrigue and action; it's as if DeMille, a wickedly fine thriller writer, has been possessed by the soul of James Michener. Still, the overarching story line captivates, as Brenner agrees to return to Vietnam to track down a Vietnamese witness to a 30-year-old unprosecuted crime, in which a U.S. Army captain murdered an army lieutenant and plundered some treasure. Joined by beautiful Susan Weber, who says she's an American expat businesswoman doing a favor for the U.S. government, Brenner travels to the little village where the witness may still live; along the way, the pair flirt, sightsee, visit a nude beach, sightsee, have sex, sightsee, and talk a lot. The sightseeing carries serious emotional impact as Brenner processes his wartime past and Vietnam's present, and it carries serious risk, as Colonel Mang of the secret police tracks Brenner's and Susan's movements. There's some violence as the two Americans elude Mang and his minions, and a melodramatic finale as Brenner realizes just who the murderous captain now is, and some dramatic suspense as Brenner peels away layers of Susan's identity covers. And then there's blasted, resilient Vietnam, which DeMille captures expertly, in all its anguished pride. With a film version in development at Paramount and the Warner publicity machine working at top gear, expect this engrossing but not exceptional novel to shoot to the top. 15-city author tour.
Customer Reviews
Hard to put down
I read "The General's Daughter" after seeing the film. I found the lead character, Paul Brenner, interesting and the plot as compelling as in the film. When I found there was another 'Paul Brenner' novel I was eager to read it. There was only one problem, if I kept reading, I'd get to the end too soon!
deMille's Vietnam is a wonderful blend of the past and the present. Like Brenner, the reader knows there is more to this mystery than we are told at the outset. The clues begin to flesh out the shape of the intrigue one revelation at a time. You can almost see ghosts as they float in front of Brenner's eyes. The arms of the conspiracy begin to wrap around you as completely as they do him.
My one quibble? As a motorcycle rider, I got tired of Brenner "kicking the bike into gear.". You usually leave it in gear, sonit won't roll off the stand! Oh, and by the way, a 980cc bike isn't that big a machine.
Up Country
Loved this book suspenseful and lots of interesting information about post war Vietnam