Up Country

By: Nelson DeMille

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 28 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

This production features a special audio introduction by Nelson DeMille.

There is a name carved into the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C., of an American army lieutenant whose death is shrouded in mystery. The authorities have reason to believe that he was not killed by the enemy or by friendly fire; they suspect he was murdered.

At first, Paul Brenner, himself a Vietnam vet, isn't interested in investigating the case. After his forced retirement from the army's Criminal Investigation Division, he has adapted to the life of a civilian with a comfortable pension. Then his old boss, Karl Hellmann, summons him to the Vietnam Memorial to call in a career's worth of favors.

Hellmann tells Brenner of the circumstances surrounding the officer's death, and gives him this much to go on: The incident happened over three decades ago in Vietnam; the only evidence is a recently discovered letter written by an enemy soldier describing an act of shocking violence.

Brenner's assignment: return to Vietnam and find the witness.

Reluctantly, Brenner begins a strange journey that unearths his own painful memories of Vietnam and leads him down a trail as dangerous as the ones he walked a lifetime ago as a young infantryman. From sultry, sinful Saigon, where he meets beautiful American expatriate Susan Weber, to the remote, forbidding wilderness of up-country Vietnam, he will follow a trail of lies, betrayal, and murder...and uncover an explosive, long-buried secret.

©2002 by Nelson DeMille, Alll Rights Reserved (P)2002 by Time Warner AudioBooks, a Division of the AOL Time Warner Book Group

Critic reviews

"A profound exploration of...war, justice, and...the human heart." (Lisa Scottoline, author of Moment of Truth)
"Finely drawn characters, wickedly crisp dialogue, and brilliant twists...Nelson DeMille [is] the master storyteller of our times." (Linda Fairstein, author of The Deadhouse)

Excellent! Could not stop listening!

This book really drew me in, making it difficult to press pause, even after 28 hours. I enjoyed the mystery, the adventure, the 'travelogue' of Vietnam, the discussion of history and the Vietnam/American War. The narrator was excellent with all the accents and different voices, as well as capturing the sarcasm and snark of the two main characters. If I had one complaint, it is that the book was left dangling on a bit of a cliff. I don't know if that's because there will be another book in the series or if that is how he's ending it. I would've liked to have known it all wrapped up, but that doesn't stop me from considering this one of my favorite books of all time.

Do you love me?

Although I really enjoyed this novel, it got harder and harder to spend time with Susan. Evidently she can shoot and ride, is a successful business women, fluent in the Vietnamese language and culture. But DeMille has her talk like a love-struck teenager. Just saying. It’s a shame because otherwise this is a powerful, evocative journey down memory lane, in one of the most tragic periods in modern history.

A long one.

This is an audible travellog of Viet Nam and brought me back to the sixties.

Great book‼️

DeMille is my all time favorite writer, and this book didn’t disappoint. I read it when it first came out, and was thrilled when I could get it on Audible.
I love the story and the geography. It has everything - action, adventure, suspense, drama, and comedy. If you like any of this, take a listen, and be prepared for an engrossing story.
Thanks, Mr. Nelson 😉

It was EXACTLY as stated in the novel! Very accurately description of the country and TET 68.

I was a Pathfinder with the 1st Cav from 1967-68 before, during and after the TET Offensive and in every one of the locations in the novel. It was so accurate that it had me smelling cordite and shaking many times. I couldn’t stop listening to it and stayed up several nights till 0400 hrs. Couldn’t stop! Best novel I have ever read, hands down.

Glad I purchased this with a credit

Scott Brck's performance is the only thing that kept me engaged while I listened to this. This only the second auudible i have to listened from Nelson Demille the first being The Generals daughter, this book is not even the same league. I finished the Generals Daughter in 2 days and I had seen the movie before listening to the audible I still throughly enjoyed it, this is why i was so disappointed with up country the book started out well enough but once Paul get the Vietnam it just 20 plus hours of Romance, tourism and reflection, not why i purchased the audible i was expecting suspense thruller like The Generals daughter. The only bright spots are one story Paul tells about an especially traumatic event he experienced during the war and his interactions with a certain Vietnamese official

Educational snoozer

The author includes very detailed desriptions of just about everything and leaves you with the feeling you now know more about both present and past Vietnam. For that part it is educational (I think). The story moved kind of slow with the same situations repeated over and over, check into hotel, meet evil Mong, sleep, wonder what the girl is up to, repeat. Some action but not enough for the 28 hours of listening.

Up Country

I have read all of DeMille's books and they are all great. If you have not read any of his books, I suggest you start with "Night Fall"

A great story about Vietnam

Nelson Demille wrote a novel about Vietnam that told a suspenseful story, but also gave excellent insight into the culture, the people and the country of Vietnam. He clearly did his homework and put a lot of himself in this book. Highly recommended.

Up Country

The author is intoxicated with the exhuberance of his own verbosity. This would be a fine novel at about 2/3 of its length. The hero of the novel is not to be believed! No one would be constantly wisecracking and sarcastic as this man. It really took away from the story. The concept is well thought out but the verbage is overwhelming.