The Quest

A Novel

By: Nelson DeMille

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 18 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

From the locked archives of the Vatican to the overgrown jungles of Ethiopia, an unlikely trio begins a deadly search for the Holy Grail. Two journalists and a beautiful photographer are traveling together in a broken down Jeep while covering the 1975 Ethiopian civil war. Both men fall in love with the woman and that complicates things.

When the trio winds up lost in the jungle, in the no man's land between the fighting factions, they take cover and dig in for the night. In their hiding place, they encounter a dying man who tells them an amazing and quite unbelievable story. But for some reason - one that they grapple with for the rest of their journey - that night they believe.

The dying man is a priest who has been imprisoned for 40 years because - as he tells it - he found the Holy Grail. This night he has escaped from the prison because it was bombed during the day's fire fight. Unfortunately, the priest was hit, too, so his freedom only lasts for one short night. But it's long enough for Father Armando to describe for our journalists the location of Christ's cup from The Last Supper - and it's long enough to make them believe his story....

Thus begins their quest - a deadly adventure that pits them against the Vatican, murderous tribesmen, shadowy assassins, fanatical Coptic monks and, ultimately, against the powers of the Grail itself.

In the best Nelson DeMille tradition, The Quest takes listeners on a heart-pounding, thrilling ride, as well as to quite a few good bars in Rome. Against the backdrop of a legend that has lasted 2,000 years, and with a love affair influencing many decisions, good eventually triumphs - but at a steep price.

©2013 Nelson DeMille (P)2013 Hachette

This is Classic DeMille

If you could sum up The Quest in three words, what would they be?

Another great story!

Any additional comments?

Have never read a DeMille book (have read them all ) that I didn't quickly became engrossed with. Characters are 'real' and credible. Story is unique but accessible..

Another excellent Scott Brick performance!!

Enjoyed It

I see that The Quest is getting a lot of criticism but I enjoyed it as a typical DeMille book. The narration by Scott Brick made it feel like another sarcastic John Corey story. It kept my attention throughout.

Entertaining.

Love, romance and thriller. Very intriguing. Easy listening and very good performance. Thumbs up. Recommend.

Bummed by Rewrite

Nelson DeMille has been my favorite since I first read Charm School 20 plus years ago. His stories have explored many exciting venues and he has developed dozens of unique individual characters. However, Mr. DM admits that The Quest was rewritten under pressure from his publisher to "sex it up" in order to sell more books. In doing so, it transformed the story line from exciting, exotic, adventure; to the quest of the whining chick. It's a shame that this Master Storyteller could not stay true to himself. Not even super Scott Brick could save this tale.

Amazing Story & Drama!

Loved the story and characters, and the redemption at the end of the journey. Great listen that was hard to put down.

Disappointed

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Probably not when I compare this novel to other books written by Nelson Demille

If you’ve listened to books by Nelson DeMille before, how does this one compare?

This book was a huge disappointment. Other books by this author are usually 5 Star. Scott Brick again delivers a fine performance, but the book was too long for the plot. The description of Ethiopia during the 70's revolution is much appreciated, but the story itself was average.

Which scene was your favorite?

The very beginning about the priest's captivity and escape.

Did The Quest inspire you to do anything?

No

Good, but not my favorite

After reading The Charm School & several other of his works, I was disappointed by this one. However, I still enjoy DeMille's works.
The interplay of factions & individuals in such an old country is quite interesting. The author did a good job there.
Overall...an enjoyable read.

Time for Corey to die in the line of duty

The time has come, and Kate would look great in black. I've loved the Corey series from start to finish, but this one is just too regurgitated for me. In this one DeMille trots out the same jokes, the same basic plot structure, basically everything except the surroundings that he has used since Plum Island...and it's kinda just enough. Plus, does anyone know if Scott Brick suffered some sort of nasal injury? I don't think so, because I've listened to some of his other work from the same time period, but he (or the director?) seems to have made some odd choices in this one. His voice characterization sounds less like a wise-cracking NY cop and more like Howard Cosell with a sinus infection. It's too bad, because Brick is one of my all-time favs, but at least it seems to be limited to this effort. Oh well. Get the rest of the series -- it's great -- but pass on this one.

OK. But just OK!

What can I say I’m quite a Nelson DeMille fan. I think I have read every other book of his I Think there’s one more book of his that I haven’t read yet but I didn’t think it was as good as his normal work still worth listening too because I don’t know of to many other writers that are as good as he is

While I Enjoy DeMille this came up a bit short

Demille & Brick make a great team and while Brick delivered the material he had to work with was a bit off. All in all though an enjoyable listen.