Rating: 
Summary: Up Country
Review: As a surgeon in the USAF from '67 -'69 I had the honor to treat many of the young men wounded in that conflict. This book faithfully recalls the times and the emotions of those involved in the disaster of that era. An easy way to gain an insight into the history and geography of Vietnam, and enjoy a mystery as well.
Rating: 
Summary: Great read!!
Review: I never thought I would like a book about Vietnam. Boy was I wrong. I loved it. The relationship between the main characters is terrific. The story is one that is very hard to put down.
Rating:
Summary: DeMille does it again
Review: Every time DeMille comes out with another novel I am scared
that I will be disappointed and each time (nine so far) I
am amazed at how drawn in I am in his stories. There is a
definite "personal" feel to this story as he served in
Vietnam itself and the descriptions of both wartime and
modern Vietnam are tremendous. I envy those who enjoy his
writing and have yet to read this one.
Rating:
Summary: Insight and Understanding
Review: While I found this novel slow going, it held my attention throughout. It was not clear to me what was holding me until I reached the middle of the book. The clarity of insight and understanding that came from the narrative and dialogue concerning the protagonist's combat experiences in Viet Nam was a surprise. As a young mother in the early 70's, I was unwilling to engage emotionally in either side of the issues regarding the Viet Nam war and therefore never truly understood what happened to either our veterans or the Vietnamese. This was a conflict that could be understood on an intellectual level much more easily. Even repeated visits to the Wall in Washington, DC had not broken through that barrier in my mind that kept me from understanding. Mr. DeMille got through.The movie will be visually exciting and there is more than enough story line to keep it moving. I hope the underlying message that reached me through the slow pace of my reading will not be lost in the translation.
Rating: 
Summary: More Of A Travelogue Than A Mystery
Review: Paul Brenner (from The General's Daughter) is asked to come out of his six months of retirement from the army to investigate a murder than may have occurred 30 years ago during the Vietnam War. This is an easy book to get into. DeMille's writing style is smooth and witty. But when Brenner arrives in Vietnam, the mystery is put on the back burner and the story becomes a travelogue of 1997 Vietnam. For those with an interest in Vietnam, this book is an excellent read. I, however, have little interest in that country so the 800 plus pages were a struggle to finish. Paul Brenner is a very likable character, but I never did warm to the character of Susan Weber. I did learn a lot, but I felt I was mislead in my expectations of a mystery.
Rating: 
Summary: Typical Demille, but this one seems to drag
Review: Another decent effort from DeMille, but this pales in comparison with his previous work, The Lion's Game. This seemed more of a walk down memory lane for DeMille rather than keeping the story and the characters in the forefront.
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Summary: I can't believe I haven't read DeMille before!!! Awesome!!!
Review: Since this is the first novel I have read from Nelson DeMille, I can only comment on what I thought about it, and not how it fits into the big picture of his other novels. I saw the movie General's Daughter, and the only thing I see in Up Country that makes it a "sequel" is the character Paul Brenner is consistent. Other than that, Up Country can be read anytime, so if you get your hands on a copy... read it! Suspenseful, exciting, funny, dramatic and thought-provoking. It ranks up there with one of my favorites, which is amazing since he's new to me. I feel out of touch and as soon as the three books I have on hold at the library are read, I'm going to seek out other DeMille novels. The best part of his novel is that they are believable. I recommend this book and guarantee you'll love it.
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Summary: Vietnam soldier confronts his past in modern day Vietnam
Review: Excellently crafted and real-lifelike story line reads like a combination of a spy thriller crossed with a sarcastic comedic wit in reviewing the Vietnam War history. Author accomplishes this while thrilling the reader with an enchanting description of real life modern day Vietnam. To the younger generation, Vietnam is a country, to us over 40 it was a war. This book helps put modern day Vietnam into it's proper historical perspective and is a MUST for anyone who remains curious about a war which deserves our study. Book does little to help us understand the politics that took US to Vietnam, but does great deal to help us appreciate the experiences of our US soldiers. An unfolding romance keeps the readers attention.
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Summary: The past is never really gone:
Review: A brilliant, clever story that bridges the past with the present in a story line that could be very real. I was a graduate student at UC from '65-67 and I feel like a chunk of my history has come home for me to ponder and digest. Thank you, Mr. DeMille.
Rating:
Summary: Another DeMille epic
Review: In Up Country, Nelson DeMille brings back Paul Brenner, his hero from The General's Daughter. Although the two books were written roughly a decade apart, this sequel takes place less than a year later. Although Brenner has been forced into retirement, he is recruited by his old boss to investigate a murder that took place thirty years ago in Vietnam. There isn't much evidence, but there is one possible witness, who if still alive, is somewhere deep in Vietnam. Brenner is canny enough to know he is not getting the full story, but he proceeds anyways. In Vietnam, he teams up with the mysterious and beautiful Susan Weber and they are off on their adventures. Although this is nominally a mystery story, it actually is a tale of Brenner and his revisiting with the old demons of war. For most of the first six hundred pages or so, this murder mystery takes a back seat to Brenner's rediscovery of a country that he last visited under much different circumstances. And even though there is now peace, there is still a lot of danger, and not just from the Vietnamese. While Paul remains the same smart aleck as always, we can tell it's not so much because of an inherent obnoxiousness but rather as a defense mechanism. Although the mystery takes a while to truly kick in, when it does it is pretty good, as is Brenner's own quest for personal peace. In a way, this is the Odyssey in reverse; the hero starts at home and is driven further and further away. Even if you have not read the General's Daughter, this is a great book, suspenseful, insightful and a sometimes harrowing look at Vietnam both during the war and in the present.
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