There was a story about novelist and Vietnam veteran Nelson DeMille in a recent issue of American Legion magazine. I was struck by the similarity between his Vietnam tour and my first one: to the 1st Cavalry Division in November 1967, battles in Bong Son, then north to Quang Tri for Tet, the relief of Khe Sanh, the A Shau Valley, finally back to “the world” a year later. A fraternity brother gave me the paperback just a week ago. Nelson DeMille seemed familiar, even though I’d not read any of his books. Not personal, it’s just that crime novels have never attracted me.I flew through the 850+ pages in less than a week. The repartee of the characters was entertaining; the pace of the story was just enough to hold my interest. One story? Not really. This novel is at least three things between two covers. It’s a murder mystery, and regardless of Mr. DeMille’s reputation, that story is pretty thin. It’s a romance, the principal characters engaging in a barbed repartee between shared beds, showers, and (of all things) a Nha Trang, Vietnam nude beach. DeMille writes the comedy of the battle of the sexes – in this instance CIA and Army CID – with a deft touch, enough to elicit frequent smiles and an occasional chuckle from this reader.But what it is mostly is a memoir of combat in Vietnam, told as fiction, with some hyperbole (a machete-entrenching tool mano-a-mano duel with the enemy? Please) but with the edgy undercurrent of a real soldier’s narrative. A soldier returning thirty years on to the killing fields where he lost his youth. That young soldier was Lieutenant DeMille, leading a platoon in D Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry, and that soldier was me, with my own platoon in D Company 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry. Both in the 1st Brigade, both "saw the elephant" in Bong Son, then on to Quang Tri, Khe Sanh, and A Shau. The book’s protagonist, Paul Brenner, the investigator in “The General’s Daughter” is on the ultimate “cold case,” a murder in a combat zone. That’s the thin part, except that Mr. Brenner takes a tour of Vietnam, returning to those fields with Susan Weber, the object both of his affection (eventually), and his suspicion (immediately). She isn’t the murderer, of course – that’s never in play – but she may not be an ally, either. A literal case of “sleeping with the enemy.”DeMille (through Brenner) takes Susan on a tour, and for a veteran, his word picture of those places at that far away time, and his description of those places as they were in 1997, when he made his own trip back, is more than worth the read.DeMille. There was a DeMille once, I thought. The photograph inside the back cover was familiar, recalled in a younger version. I pulled out a blue construction paper program, saved for nearly a half century. The front, “Graduation Ceremony, Infantry Officer Candidate Class Number 23-67.” On the back, the poem, “I am the Infantry.” Inside, my name; Chuck Mohr, who became a friend in a later assignment; Robert Marasco, who became famous to some, infamous to others; and there, too “Nelson R. DeMille.” I knew it.He writes that Paul Brenner first “saw the elephant” in Bong Son, but makes no mention of my current project, “The Battle of Tam Quan,” fought over two weeks in December 1967. That sent me scrambling to my research, a unit-by-unit recap of maneuver and contact. For 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry, no D Company. I’ll find them, I’m sure on firebase defense duty, and none will regret that luck of the draw.
Initially, this book can give the impression of being standard De Mille fare. Jack Brenner, by now retired military police investigator introduced to us in "General's Daughter", is being sent to Vietnam to investigate vague news about a murder committed in the middle of the Tet offensive 1968. For those that know what kind of books De Mille usually writes, it would be easy to expect a story with twists and turns in the plot, with lots of action and one or two femme fatales in distress. And sure enough, those elements can be found in "Up Country", but the thriller element moves very quickly to the backseat in favor of completely different topic. You see, Jack Brenner is a Vietnam War veteran and his less than willing return to this country forces him to deal with all the issues connected with his personal participation in that war and how it affected the rest of his life. His search for the truth takes him through the entire length of Vietnam and as he visits his old battlefields and meets some of the people he once fought with or against, he is forced to deal with some very dark personal demons.Knowing that the author is himself a Vietnam war combat veteran and that he visited Vietnam in the late nineties gives a lot of insight into what this book is about and perhaps why it was written at all. It is not too farfetched to assume that "Up Country" is to large degree auto-biographical and a way for DeMille to deal with some very real personal issues. Parts of the book certainly did sound very personal and it was a touching and fascinating read for me.However, this book has one major flaw and it is the fact that it is presented as a thriller. Like I said earlier, there is a thriller element in "Up Country", but its primary task is to take Brenner from point A to point B and allow him to deal with his war experiences. Compared with DeMilles previous books, this one has miniscule amount of action and anyone who will pick up "Up Country" in belief that it's another "Charm School" or "Lion's Game", will be very sorely disappointed.I liked "Up Country" a lot, but it's misrepresented and definitely not for De Mille's usual audience.
What do You think about Up Country (2003)?
Good but not great in large part due to layers of unnecessary details about the two main characters' lives and romantic interactions. The result is a long, too long, journey intertwining the interesting past and the less than compelling present. A Vietnam vet undertakes a mission which leads him into dangerous intrigue but in the end the mission is full of sound and fury, signifying little. What is significant is the author's reliving past memories as he travels the length of a new Vietnam. His recalled experiences of a grueling war enable him to come to grips with the horrors of his wartime experiences. The personal journey alone, without the extra baggage of the hero's female partner and the essentially meaningless mission, would have made a far more readable novel, both physically and mentally. Despite the hero's clever, sarcastic repartee and the informational details of his past and present journeys, this reader often asked, "Are we there yet?"
—Dianeparente62gmail.com
general curses flying your way, again, Mr. DeMille. Please duck. yes, you ruined my life, right before Christmas, and I wasn't able to accomplish anything besides reading your book. No presents were wrapped, no trees were bought or decorated. No baubles were strung, no carpets were vacuumed, no clothes were washed no dishes were dried. You succeeded, again, Mr DeMille, with thoroughly ruining my life and preventing me from doing anything else besides reading your book. I'd state that I hate you, but we both know that I'll be picking up another NdM book ASAP.... (as soon as the presents are wrapped).With a few apparent unimportant forays into your VietNam tour, Mr Paul Brenner because quite a John Corey and was quite thrilling.I'll be glad to get back to the real Mr Corey in a little bit, once the presents gets wrapped, the tree is decorated, I string the baubles, vacuum the carpets, wash the clothes, and dry the dishes.Assuming you don't tempt me with another one of your books.
—Amy
Never read a DeMille book before, but was quickly engaged in a story that combined witty dialogue and thrilling action within the history of an ugly war through the eyes of an infantry veteran who returns to modern Vietnam.Paul Brenner is an American variety of James Bond sans espionage but a person with deep and disturbing psychological effects from two tours in a controversial war and its persistent and perverse effects on the people and politics of today's Viet Nam - a country with a destructive past that clashes with modern Westernized entrepreneurialism.While Brenner's persona borders on the unrealistic, the fast paced story is worth reading although the protagonist's flashbacks to his combat days are based on unsettling factual realities.
—Randy
