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A review by canada_matt
The Deserter by Alex DeMille, Nelson DeMille
4.0
In this debut father-son collaboration, Nelson and Alex DeMille present a novel that takes the reader into the depths of South America on the hunt for a renegade army officer. While serving in Afghanistan, Captain Kyle Mercer is captured by the Taliban and paraded before the cameras, only to slip out of their grasp and disappear entirely. His desertion is made clear, though he refuses to elaborate and remains on the lam. Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) receives a substantial lead and decides to send two of its own, Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor, out to capture Mercer and bring him back to face court martial. It would appear that Mercer was last seen in the seediest part of Caracas, capital of the increasingly unstable Venezuela. Brodie and Taylor prepare for their mission, knowing little about one another, but keen to bring Mercer to justice. When they arrive, both CID agents use a cover story to allow them the chance to investigate a little further, though this will mean bending all sense of reality, as they enter brothels of the worst kind. While Brodie is keen to crack a joke at every turn, Taylor cannot stomach the depravity that is presented to them, hoping to locate Mercer and depart swiftly. When one of the prostitutes tells a detailed story of Mercer having left the city for a jungle camp, Brodie and Taylor must prepare for new adventures, learning also about a ‘Flagstaff’ mission, which might be key to the desertion. They are also made aware of a competing American group seeking Mercer’s head, though they will likely kill him and ask questions later. Armed with little more than a flimsy cover story, Brodie and Taylor must locate and capture Mercer without him finding out, which is sure to be harder than it seems. A great joint effort that pushes the DeMilles to the edge of their capabilities as they pen a great thriller peppered with off-hand humour. Recommended to those who have long loved the elder DeMille’s dry wit and detailed stories, as well as the reader looking for something set in a newer locale with great description.
I have seen readers all over the map with this piece, so I was slightly apprehensive about wanting to tackle it. Knowing the caliber of Nelson DeMille’s writing, I could only hope that Alex would be able to keep pace and help create a stellar piece of fiction. I did not feel let down and wonder if the harsh critics were perhaps too wrapped up with some DeMille perfection that they did not permit new approaches to thriller writing. Scott Brodie is the usual DeMille protagonist, whose love of his job is balanced out with the need to crack a joke while plotting how to get inside a woman’s pants. Brodie offers much to the story, lightening the mood when needed, but also keeping the reader on their toes with his antics and leadership qualities. There are some breadcrumbs of a past where Brodie was reprimanded or at least criticized for his machismo, but he is also focussed on the job at hand, including how to get out of tricky situations. Maggie Taylor is still coming into her own throughout this piece. A soldier turned CID, she is used to taking orders, but not necessarily handling the brashness of someone akin to Brodie. Eager to please, she has her limits and will not simply let her superior toss her into danger without challenging the decisions. She’s also privy to much, including the aforementioned Flagstaff background, which could come in handy for her and the larger mission, should she tell what she knows. Others provide both humour and action throughout this piece, providing the reader with some entertainment value, as well as a few chills, depending on the point of the story. The premise of this piece is strong, taking the reader out of their usual reading haunts and into Venezuela. A great deal of research surely went into creating this setting and ensuring that at least most of it was plausible. The DeMilles keep the story clipping along, even though it is a long novel, with numerous tangents that serve to enrich the hunt for Kyle Mercer. I was eager to learn that there is more to come, both with the Brodie-Taylor team and collaboration between Nelson and Alex DeMille. This is a new series in the making that has the building blocks for success.
Kudos, Messrs. DeMille, for a great joint debut. I loved the humour, the education, and the entertainment you provided me. Don’t let the critics get you down.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/248185-a-book-for-all-seasons
I have seen readers all over the map with this piece, so I was slightly apprehensive about wanting to tackle it. Knowing the caliber of Nelson DeMille’s writing, I could only hope that Alex would be able to keep pace and help create a stellar piece of fiction. I did not feel let down and wonder if the harsh critics were perhaps too wrapped up with some DeMille perfection that they did not permit new approaches to thriller writing. Scott Brodie is the usual DeMille protagonist, whose love of his job is balanced out with the need to crack a joke while plotting how to get inside a woman’s pants. Brodie offers much to the story, lightening the mood when needed, but also keeping the reader on their toes with his antics and leadership qualities. There are some breadcrumbs of a past where Brodie was reprimanded or at least criticized for his machismo, but he is also focussed on the job at hand, including how to get out of tricky situations. Maggie Taylor is still coming into her own throughout this piece. A soldier turned CID, she is used to taking orders, but not necessarily handling the brashness of someone akin to Brodie. Eager to please, she has her limits and will not simply let her superior toss her into danger without challenging the decisions. She’s also privy to much, including the aforementioned Flagstaff background, which could come in handy for her and the larger mission, should she tell what she knows. Others provide both humour and action throughout this piece, providing the reader with some entertainment value, as well as a few chills, depending on the point of the story. The premise of this piece is strong, taking the reader out of their usual reading haunts and into Venezuela. A great deal of research surely went into creating this setting and ensuring that at least most of it was plausible. The DeMilles keep the story clipping along, even though it is a long novel, with numerous tangents that serve to enrich the hunt for Kyle Mercer. I was eager to learn that there is more to come, both with the Brodie-Taylor team and collaboration between Nelson and Alex DeMille. This is a new series in the making that has the building blocks for success.
Kudos, Messrs. DeMille, for a great joint debut. I loved the humour, the education, and the entertainment you provided me. Don’t let the critics get you down.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/248185-a-book-for-all-seasons