The Deserter: A Novel

The Deserter: A Novel

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2020-12-06 04:20:11
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Nelson DeMille
  • ISBN：9781501101762
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Editor Reviews

PRAISE FOR THE DESERTER

“[O]utstanding。。。In typical DeMille fashion， the last hundred pages move along like a ballistic missile， exploding in a satisfying finale on a remote airstrip。 DeMille and son provide it all in this rumble Through the jungle – authentic detail， lively dialogue， a vividly drawn setting， and an exhilarating plot。”—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY， STARRED REVIEW

PRAISE FOR THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER THE CUBAN AFFAIR

“[An] action-packed， relentlessly paced thriller。。。 A line from the novel perfectly describes this page-turner: ‘Sex， money， and adventure。 Does it get any better than that？’”
—Publishers Weekly （starred review）

“DeMille's latest is a timely stay-up-all-night， nail-biting page-turner featuring his iconic tongue-in-cheek， articulate， rhythmic narrative。 His affably irreverent protagonist， fantastic believable supporting characters， and tense， realistic Cuba-set scenes including some jaw-dropping revelations make this a must-read for his many fans。”
—Library Journal （starred review）

“The Cuban Affair feels authentic and real， and it provides knuckle-white tension mixed in with levity。"
—Associated Press

"The opening of The Cuban Affair is dynamite—crisp， funny and dramatic—and the climactic conclusion is masterful action writing， fast， precise and genuinely gripping。"
—Newsday

"This is powerful， mythic stuff， like Confederate gold and Nazi treasure。。。As the true nature of the charter-boat owner’s job becomes clear and the betrayals begin， DeMille mounts a long， magnificent sequence with boat chases， helicopter rescues， and tracer fire。 They’re all described in that visceral style the author has mastered。"
—Booklist

"This book has that incredible wit that Nelson DeMille has， and nobody writes characters like Nelson does。"
—Tampa Bay Times

“Nelson DeMille has outdone himself。 I thought that Plum Island was one of my favorite thrillers of all time， but I was wrong—DeMille is always going up a gear and The Cuban Affair is going to be one of the top ten thrillers of the year。”
—Strand Magazine

"DeMille’s known for penning hot thrillers （Plum Island， Night Fall）， and this one—his 20th—doesn’t disappoint。。。DeMille keeps it fast-paced， with fascinating details about contemporary Cuba。"
—AARP

“With his latest， The Cuban Affair， DeMille cements his reputation as an author of compelling， finely crafted and at times， humorous standalone thrillers。 he Cuban Affair bursts with DeMille’s signature authenticity—a byproduct of DeMille’s passion for research。”
—The Big Thrill

"Ambitious。。。a masterpiece of both form and function。 Storytelling at its very best。"
—BookTrib

“The Cuban Affair offers romance， adventure and an astute and amusing look at today’s Cuban communist police state。"
—Washington Times

"Bestseller Nelson DeMille’s reputation precedes him， and his new novel delivers。。。This one will keep you on the edge of your seat。"
—Bookish。com

"With his signature humor and heart-pounding pace， DeMille does not disappoint in this brilliantly written novel。"
—Atlanta Jewish Times

“The thriller charts a satisfying course。 A good day's work from an old pro。”
—Kirkus Reviews

"Nelson DeMille simply gets better every time he puts pen to paper。 Maybe this time it has to do with a little help from Alex DeMille。 I’m not sure if that’s true， but what I’m sure of is that it’s a blessing to have another DeMille with superb storytelling skills on the horizon。 THE DESERTER will soar to the top of bestseller lists in record time， without any hesitation。 It can’t fail。 This book is absolutely stunning。"
— Book Reporter

From the Publisher

Reviews

beachandbookgirl ，

The Deserter story was a race against time。 Every time Brodie and Maggie got close to finding Kyle， the author threw in another twist。 Set in Venezuela where Americans are not really welcomed， the story kept you on the edge of your seat until the very last page。 On a separate note， I love the sarcasm of all of Nelson DeMille’s lead characters！

Dinah Steveni ，

Cracking wise Scott Brodie is not。 God， those chirpy chippy asides wear thin。

Barbara ，

This turned out to be an interesting story about chasing down a US Delta Force deserter from Afghanistan but was way too long。 Editing about 1/3 of it out would have improved the story a lot。 By the end， I decided I would read the next installment as I grew to like Maggie & Scott。

Bill Thompson ，

A thriller from start to finishThis was a great story filled with twists。 Kept me up late turning pages as the adventure unfolded。 DeMille at his best。

Saubertk ，

Not great。 CID mission in Venezuela。 Somewhat repetitive， dragged on， lousy chemistry between protagonists。 Skimmed some and almost gave up， although end was good。

Alex Cantone ，

CIA。 JSOC。 Kabul。 Peshawar。。。Caracas。 This was the piece that did not fit， the non sequitur in the unwritten study of Captain Kyle Mercer。 Brodie looked out toward the eastern hills and Petare， to the great black wash of the mountains and sky。 Maybe tomorrow would bring some answers。The Deserter opens in Peshawar， Pakistan， August 2017， where a captive is tortured for information， finally capitulating once his young family is threatened， then moves forward to Quantico， Virginia a year later。 CIA。 JSOC。 Kabul。 Peshawar。。。Caracas。 This was the piece that did not fit， the non sequitur in the unwritten study of Captain Kyle Mercer。 Brodie looked out toward the eastern hills and Petare， to the great black wash of the mountains and sky。 Maybe tomorrow would bring some answers。“The Deserter” opens in Peshawar， Pakistan， August 2017， where a captive is tortured for information， finally capitulating once his young family is threatened， then moves forward to Quantico， Virginia a year later。 Warrant Officers Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor of the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division， are brought in to investigate a credible sighting of fugitive Delta force Captain， Kyle Mercer， in Venezuela by a man he trained with years earlier。 Mercer is wanted for desertion for walking away from troops under his command in Afghanistan and was captured by the Taliban。 After escaping， he disappeared。Author Nelson DeMille takes the reader on a fascinating tour of Caracas， the once-powerhouse of a wealthy country reduced to ruin by incompetent and corrupt governments， from the fleshpots of Petare， to the yacht club where shady CIA operative， Colonel Brendan Worley， gives as much misinformation as help。 The pair are assisted by an embassy driver， Luis， who provides timely backup and vital information， all pointing to a political and military cover-up。Brodie asked the front desk to call them a taxi， and a few minutes later a black Ford Explorer pulled into the hotel drive。 The car had a yellow seal on the door that said TELETAXI， and their driver – a graying man in his fifties – was running a meter and had his cab license displayed， so Brodie figured the odds were good that this was not a kidnapping。After an inevitable shootout in a brothel， Brodie and Taylor are ordered to leave the country to avoid government forces， and instead they charter a small plane to Ciudad Bolívar on the Orinoco River to refuel， before heading south to the Canaima Nation Park， in the south of the country， with its massive ancient flat-topped mountains rising high above the jungle， and where Kyle Mercer is running a training camp。I enjoyed the travel aspects of the story – even though the author takes a certain poetic licence to places and travel times – especially around Caracas。 Kyle Mercer is portrayed as a man conflicted， who can never find peace， and I found myself empathizing with him every step of the way。 Maggie Taylor plays a strong role to Scott Brodie’s cynical gung-ho attitude and wisecracks - was there ever a fictional character more annoying？He glanced back at Maggie Taylor。 She had a moral compass， even if the needle wandered a bit…he was certain that in the days and years to come he’d thank her for keeping him from acting on his worst primitive instincts。 Without women， there would be perpetual war and chaos。 With them， there was only chaos。Overall， an engaging read， and for me the best line of all was: “As the spooks say， ‘It’s not important to know who fired the bullet – it’s important to know who paid for it。’ ” 。。。more

Randy Kennedy ，

I love Demilles style but this one seemed to drag just a little too much in the hunt。 I would have liked to see a little more fight in the foil and a better chess match from the characters。

Laurie E ，

Very good novel。 It's over 500 pages long and starts out a bit slow。 After reading 130+ pages things finally starting moving and I couldn't put it down。

James Sutherland ，

Im a DeMille fan。 I dont read these to deeply follow or question the plots but to enjoy the ride。 This first effort with his son Alex is a fine ride。 The descriptions of Venezuela are dismal and vivid enough for me to want to research conditions on the ground there more fully。The book has good pace and fine dialogue。 I especially enjoy the lengthy conversation between the CID agents and their target。 Also， I must say it was interesting to have the primary antagonist mostly absent from the book I’m a DeMille fan。 I don’t read these to deeply follow or question the plots but to enjoy the ride。 This first effort with his son Alex is a fine ride。 The descriptions of Venezuela are dismal and vivid enough for me to want to research conditions on the ground there more fully。The book has good pace and fine dialogue。 I especially enjoy the lengthy “conversation” between the CID agents and their target。 Also， I must say it was interesting to have the primary antagonist mostly absent from the book until after page 300， and yet it worked。 It was a good read for where my emotions are at as 2020 winds down。 。。。more

M Jeanne ，

One of the best of DeMilleI love Brodies irreverence and the constant action。 I also like the strong female character。 I hope he has another book soon。 One of the best of DeMilleI love Brodie’s irreverence and the constant action。 I also like the strong female character。 I hope he has another book soon。 。。。more

Renni Turillo ，

Amazing， Brutal， and I couldn't put it down。A bit to wordy， I think。 And， I was disappointed by the ending。

Kathy ，

Fast read and witty dialogue between characters。 Good read if you enjoy this genre

MICHAEL D。 CASTLE ，

DeMille writes one of the better books in modern dramatic literature these days。 His books are always filled with fully fleshed characters that fill out as the story moves along。 He has used his protagonist before， so this book is more a sequel in a single character's story line， rather than a spontaneous one-off book。 If you have read previous books with Scott Brodie as the protagonist， then you are ahead of the game on how this character is likely to behave。 That said， there is not much to DeMille writes one of the better books in modern dramatic literature these days。 His books are always filled with fully fleshed characters that fill out as the story moves along。 He has used his protagonist before， so this book is more a sequel in a single character's story line， rather than a spontaneous one-off book。 If you have read previous books with Scott Brodie as the protagonist， then you are ahead of the game on how this character is likely to behave。 That said， there is not much to surprise the reader， as the author has been very consistent with the character's personality traits。 It is a good read， has a good pace， and always a bit of a twist at the end to pique the reader。 。。。more

Craig ，

Non stopNon stop action and intrigue。 The story takes place in Venezuela which gives it the added interest of being in a country that we only hear about， but the book brings it to life as a hellhole of poverty and corruption that is believable but sad at the same time。 God help us to never reach this state of government control and lose all of our freedom。An excellent military CID （like NCIS except the army） thriller， hishly recommend。

Emily Higgins ，

Army CID NCOs Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor are ordered to go to Venezuela to apprehend an Army deserter。 The economic conditions in Venezuela are rapidly declining。 The man they are seeking went AWOL several years ago and a number of people have already tried to apprehend him。 But orders are orders。 The team of Brodie and Taylor are persistent and unconventional。 Army CID NCO’s Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor are ordered to go to Venezuela to apprehend an Army deserter。 The economic conditions in Venezuela are rapidly declining。 The man they are seeking went AWOL several years ago and a number of people have already tried to apprehend him。 But orders are orders。 The team of Brodie and Taylor are persistent and unconventional。 。。。more

Phyllis Clem ，

Another great book by Nelson DeMille and now his son， Alex DeMille。 The suspense built until I was on the edge of my seat。 It looks like there will be more about Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor！ I am ready。

Wendy Venza ，

The book kept me interested but there was a lot of military talk that was over my head。 It would probably make a good movie。

Jelan ，

This level of physical heroics and blood and guts is a little over the top。

Nmuller ，

It has been forever since I have read a Nelson DeMille book。 Charm School and Generals Daughter were faves。 This one however， just didnt measure up。 Good， but not great。 Too many wandering paragraphs with unnecessary details that lost my attention。 Probably a 3。5。 It has been forever since I have read a Nelson DeMille book。 Charm School and General’s Daughter were faves。 This one however， just didn’t measure up。 Good， but not great。 Too many wandering paragraphs with unnecessary details that lost my attention。 Probably a 3。5。 。。。more

Frank Dodds ，

A wonderful read as are most of this authors work。 This one was really great！ I found the ending to be a bit of a disappointment， but that was the only part that was a little weak。 To leave the two main characters still stranded in the Venezuelan jungle with an almost dead sat phone didn't do justice to the rest of the story， but I understand。 After reading part one， I almost quit。 This is a gory story in places， but a very interesting story none the less。

Noah Duncan ，

The story was good but it drug on in parts。 Hard to finish because it became laborious。

AJ ，

A little heavy on the *f word， but otherwise high action and great military drama！

Celeste ，

A trip to Venezuela with new DeMille characters continues the DeMille tradition of action， sarcasm and adventure。

Brian ，

Fast paced， held my interest， but a little too snarky for my taste。

Shelly ，

Really slow read。 Well written and picked up at the end。 Alex has a good start to his writing career。

John ，

Great plot and humor。 Always a good read。

Karl ，

I almost put this book aside， it was a gift， because it sounded like just another desert tail。 However， it is a good yarn。 Sure， there is some super human stuff in it but not as much as in similar books。 The two main characters are very likeable。The book contains a strong anti-socialist message as well as a strong anti-far right message -- both of which hit home in current times。

Linda ，

While I love Nelson DeMilles books， it seemed as if this one was lacking the usual story depth。 There was a good central story but it didnt feel like it flowed as easily as earlier books。 The end also seemed to fall flat。 As this was the first of a series I am looking forward to the next book and hoping the usual DeMille style returns。 While I love Nelson DeMille’s books， it seemed as if this one was lacking the usual story depth。 There was a good central story but it didn’t feel like it flowed as easily as earlier books。 The end also seemed to fall flat。 As this was the first of a series I am looking forward to the next book and hoping the usual DeMille style returns。 。。。more

Barry Medlin ，

I really enjoyed this first novel in the new series and hope Nelson and Alex team up again to keep this going！

Hope ，

Id love to have a beer with Nelson and just sit around a table on a patio to discuss his books。 This was an interesting read。 Probably not quite up to par as many of the others。 I felt， well， just blah after reading。 Some oomph was missing。 Doesnt matter。 Im ready for the next。 Thank you Nelson。 I’d love to have a beer with Nelson and just sit around a table on a patio to discuss his books。 This was an interesting read。 Probably not quite up to par as many of the others。 I felt， well， just blah after reading。 Some oomph was missing。 Doesn’t matter。 I’m ready for the next。 Thank you Nelson。 。。。more

Lois1112 ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I was disappointed in ending