The last Demille book I had read was THE LION. And, I couldn’t wait to get it off my back. It was that bad. So, it was with great reluctance that I picked up the WORD OF HONOR. Reluctance because it was written by Demille, and THE LION was still chasing me. And, secondly the book was blurb-ed as a courtroom drama, with a Vietnam connection and it was 700 pages long. Long books with Nam connection makes me weary. They tend to go the Clichéd Street with half drunken genius protagonists and beautiful agents to rescue them from self destruction. And my single encounter with a John Grisham legal thriller didn’t turn out good.But, within the first 50 pages my fears were laid to rest, as the book hit the gas right away. The plot never did slow down, and for a 700 page LONG book it’s a commendable job. Demille’s UP COUNTRY was long too and I loved it, but even that book had around 50 pages which could have been skipped without missing much on the plot. But, this book was free of any such “skip worthy” pages. The book was taut with little room for boredom. Even the courtroom scenes laced with legal jargon was fast and was written in a style where the legal jargon which important but without any thrill was alternated with highly charged witness dialogues which were an integral part of the plot and were “entertaining” to read. But, mostly what grabbed my attention was that the book never slowed down for once even. The whole thing just breezed past, without a moment to consider whether the book was getting too slow to be marked as “READ-LATER”.And lastly the characters. Ben Tyson irritated me. With his chivalrous attitude, a BIG ego and confused relation with his wife was not someone to look up to. But that’s why this book was a success, because in reality if someone is faced with a similar situation that person would turn into a confused person irritating everyone. Marcy Tyson, was confused too and she too turned out to be a real character. The point is has these people been shown as someone who is taking the whole thing very sportingly, or “Who gives a F***” attitude the book would have seemed unreal though the characters might have been more tolerable, but the book would have turned into a fantasy. But the real hero of the book was Vincent Corva. With his attitude, his courtroom skills, and his ability in turning up with a key witness made him overshadow Ben Tyson in every department. P.S. Had Tyson been a bit less egotistic and practical and signed the papers given to him by Chet Brown, this book could have been over in 100 odd pages. But, practical and sane men have never been the subject of a popular novel. Thanks to Ben Tyson’s ego we got to read a book that was highly entertaining.
Nelson DeMille tends to produce long books (this one is nearly 900 pages) and that can feel a little intimidating. Yet once into the narrative I always feel the same: amused by a wise-cracking lead character, enthralled by a compelling storyline and, in due course, wishing the book were even longer. Yes, he can sometimes provide a little too much detail, but this minor niggle is more than compensated for by his ability to truly bring his characters to life, deliver brilliant dialogue and to unerringly serve up an interesting, and often thought provoking, tale. Having served as a platoon leader in Vietnam he is well placed to present this story of Ben Tyson, a New York based WASP and former serving lieutenant in the self same war. Commuting to work one day an acquaintance brings to his attention a reference in a new non-fiction book concerning an atrocity committed some 18 years ago. A hospital building was destroyed and a hundred or more doctors nurses and patients were killed. Tyson is named as the officer leading the party who committed the act.Much time is spent in explaining the legal position concerning civilians who once served in the army and what legal remedies are available to address alleged war crimes long after the event. But the major focus is on the mental impacts on Tyson as he recalls the event and struggles with his own feelings about it as well as the growing pressures on him resulting from the disclosure. Also the impacts on his family, his job and the reactions of the people he knows and of strangers who become aware of the event.As the story unfolds we gradually gain more insight into what happened on that fateful day. We learn of the pressures facing a group of soldiers and of the interactions Tyson has with individuals as the tragic event grows ever closer. What DeMille does so well here is mix humour with the inevitable horror of the events. Tyson reminded me a lot of another of the author’s characters, John Sutter who features in The Gold Coast and The Gate House. I can't help thinking they are both, to some extent, a reflection of DeMille himself. What results is a gripping legal thriller that presents what feels like a fair minded appraisal of the awful consequences that can transpire when a highly stressed, battle weary group of soldiers are suddenly presented with the right (or wrong!) set of circumstances. I rooted for Tyson throughout but it wouldn't be fair to disclose his fate – you’ll just have to read the book yourself. And if it sounds like your kind of story then trust me and don't be put of by the imposing length of the tale.
What do You think about Word Of Honor (1998)?
DeMille can certainly string a few sentences together. Having an interest in the wider culpability issues raised by My Lai and similar instances, I found his treatment thorough and provocative. He creates very genuine and consistent characters and some of the action sequences are second to none. (Not many authors in my opinion are able to combine the 750-pages-in-2-days style readability with deeper issues that you find yourself thinking about for days/weeks after.) I think his novels wouldn't lose anything though if some of the more base scenes were removed. They seem almost like a later addition to tick a romance box that would be fine left unticked!
—Iain Hamill
When I first saw that this book was about Vietnam, I wasn't sure I wanted to read another book about the war. But it is not really about Vietnam, not directly. It is about Lieutenant Ben Tyson, a product of Vietnam. A man who had been keeping a secret for 18 years about a massacre that had happened; that he and his men had sworn to keep secret. But someone wrote a book and one of the men gave up information. The Army cannot touch civilians, but Ben Tyson, being an officer, was able to be recalled back into the Army which allowed them to conduct an investigation into his own culpability in the massacre. The author must also be a writer for Law and Order as Ben Tyson and his lawyer were both full of sarcastic humor. In the beginning, I merely enjoyed the book, reading about Tyson and his family and his worries about what might happen now that this book was out. By the middle of the book, I was getting to the point where I could not put it down. Near the end, I had a hard time keeping myself from skipping to the back to see how it ended. I was on pins and needles.Anyone who fought in Vietnam would appreciate this book in a way that I can't because I wasn't there. The author, by the way, did serve as a lieutenant in Vietnam. Even without that background,I found this to be a very exciting and moving book.
—Marlene
Kristi, I do think you would like it. DeMille tends to give a little more info than strictly necessary in all of his books, but this one is worthy of the patience. I still had the weepies when I wrote the review. I hope to say a little more after it burbles in my brain for awhile.
—Jeanette "Astute Crabbist"
