NOTE: some of this is taken from my review of deMille’s The Cuban Affair (2017).

Nineteen years ago, someone whose opinions on books NEVER matched mine recommended Lion’s Game by Nelson DeMille, and I LOVED it. Since then, I’ve grabbed every new DeMille book and been puzzled by the inconsistency: for example, Night Fall was terrific. The Panther? Not so much. And don’t even get me started on Radiant Angel. I kept thinking, “what happened?”

But I couldn’t quite give up on any author who has provided me with so many hours of entertainment, so I had a positive attitude when I received an advance copy of DeMille’s latest, The Deserter, written in conjunction with his son, screenwriter Alex deMille (thanks, Simon & Schuster and NetGalley!)

Prior to reading The Cuban Affair, I thought quite a bit about why I had been so disappointed reading some of deMille’s recent books (was it him? Was it me?), I had concluded that the John Corey character was the problem. In the earlier books, he was witty and could be charming. In the more recent books, his wisecracking had become constant, was more annoying than entertaining, and it seemed to have become his dominant characteristic, to the point where it came across as somewhat cartoonish. So, I was pleased to read that The Cuban Affair was introducing a new protagonist, Daniel Graham MacCormick (aka “Mac”). While I found Mac to be tolerably entertaining, the protagonist of The Deserter is…well, think of John Corey on steroids.

Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor, of the Army’s CID (Criminal Investigation Division), are assigned to track down a deserter. Captain Kyle Mercer, a member of the elite Delta Force, disappeared from his post in Afghanistan, and a video released by his Taliban captors made international headlines (think Bowe Bergdahl). The circumstances aren’t clear, even whether he deserted before he was captured by the Taliban. A year or so later,
Mercer was seen in Caracas, Venezuela by one of his old army buddies, so the Army sends Scott and Maggie to Venezuela with the assignment to bring Mercer back to America—preferably but not necessarily alive. Scott is challenged by the level of difficulty of their mission, made more difficult by a combination of Maggie’s lack of experience, his suspicion that Maggie is reporting to the CIA, and their mutual attraction.

Mercer is basically Captain Kurtz of Heart of Darkness (or Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now) – he has seen too much and gone too far to be easily convinced to return to the U.S. with the CID team. And Scott is a combination of every Harrison Ford – Tom Cruise – Arnold Schwarzenneger action hero, with a touch of Ryan Gosling. Frankly, I frequently wanted to throw the book across the room as a reaction to a few contrived plot points and the MANY smartass comments from Brodie. Apparently The Deserter is the first in a new series from the DeMilles. Frankly, this one mostly held my interest, but seemed deliberately written for the screen (not surprising given that Alex deMille is a screenwriter).

I can only give it three stars, and two of those are pretty much based on my memories of how good the earlier deMille thrillers were.

When a former soldier spots deserter Kyle Mercer in Caracas, a cold and puzzling case turns hot. CID agents Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor are tasked with hunting him down and arresting him.

Did Mercer really desert, or was he captured by the Taliban? How did he get to Caracas? How is he surviving there? Scott has lots of questions about the entire assignment. The biggest question is about his partner, since Maggie seems to be hiding answers they need.

Filled with DeMille’s trademark wisecracking, and vibrant descriptions of modern day Venezuela on the brink, this novel is a thriller in every sense of the word.

I consider Nelson DeMille to be one of my top 3 favorite authors, yet I could not get into this book. The first 2 pages turned me off. Language was over the top and I am no prude to language like this. It just seemed like a guy book which was not what I was looking for.
I did not read far into it and was so disappointed after waiting for more than a year for another DeMille blockbuster.
Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

I always enjoy DeMille but this was above and beyond! A phenomenal new character that I hope is continued further. My only disappointment is the wait between books.

I have read and enjoyed almost all of DeMille's previous novels, and I can say that The Deserter did not disappoint! I loved Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor and their endeavors in hunting down Kyle Mercer, an Army captain caught up in a horrible wartime situation. DeMille's description of Venezuela was educational, and I felt like I was there, with the all the poverty and political unrest, and the dangers in the jungle. The story itself is quite long and is a very tangled web. I had to go back and reread several major portions of the book, which is something I don't remember having to do with previous DeMille novels. DeMille's "tongue in cheek" humor makes reading a pleasure and lightens up the intensity of the story. I highly recommend The Deserter to readers who have time to devote to a lengthy and satisfying criminal investigation adventure set on foreign soil.

I've read every book by Nelson DeMille and was thrilled to be able to read an advance copy of The Deserter. I liked the characters and appreciated the unusual locale of Venezuela. As always, I enjoyed the "hero's" personality and sarcasm, and I liked finding out more about the politics of life in the military, CIA, etc. Unlike most of his other books, I thought this book should have been edited better; usually one flies through Nelson DeMille's books. I found the excessive details of the military maneuvering tedious. Nevertheless, I recommend the book and I was happy to find an entertaining way to learn about current events in Venezuela. I would be happy to read more books about the main characters should it become a series.

DeMille has always been a favorite of mine for his plotting, humor, research and kickass stories, and the latest is more of the blessed same. Totally engrossing and entertaining and I enjoyed getting a look into the sadness that is Venezuela. Hope to see more of Scott and Maggie down the road!

I love Nelson Demille; I've read every one of his novels so you can imagine how excited I was to receive this as an eARC. He is not the first author to collaborate with his son and I like that they worked together to create this novel. I hope to see more in the future, even more, I'd like to see what Alex does on his own.

A military thriller that takes place in the unstable environment of Venezuela ... I enjoyed it (it had everything - suspense, humor), but .... there were times I found myself skimming paragraphs as the information was extraneous and really not necessary to the plot of the story. The story would have been faster, more intense had a lot of the scenery/setting details been deleted. It detracted from the story rather than adding to it.

With that said, I would still recommend this novel. It grabbed my attention from the beginning. I wanted to know what was going to happen. I wanted to know the characters. I wanted to know how it was going to end. I was not disappointed. I could absolutely see this as a series with these characters having some interesting adventures!

Thank you #netgalley and #Simon & Schuster for the eARC.

Nelson DeMille has a well-deserved reputation for writing fast paced, suspenseful thrillers. He continues this legacy by writing this novel with this son Alex.
Brodie and Taylor are two army specialists called in to help find an infamous deserter who has seemingly fled to Venezuela to hide from prosecution. The relaxed repartee between Scott Brodie and Courtney Taylor help to lighten the nail-biting danger and suspense.

Signature DeMille exemplified by protagonists’’ humor even in difficult situations as CID warrant officers are sent to Venezuela to capture an army deserter. As the story unfolds, more is revealed about the causes of his desertion.. The story moves a little slower than I prefer with more details than might be necessary, but still a very good read.

I've read several books by Nelson Demille and have enjoyed them all. This one was no different. Fast paced read and easy to get interested in. I recommend this book.

I have read every single one of Demille's books-- some are better than others but they are usually fast paced, quick and punchy. This one was a little too focused on detail that was just unneccasary and I found myself fast forwarding through a lot of what could have been edited better. It was somewhat predictable because it was so laden with details and unneeded escapades that I just got bored and wanted it to end rather than savoring the story