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)

Not John Corey but still great!

Would you consider the audio edition of Up Country to be better than the print version?

Scott Brick...need I say more

What other book might you compare Up Country to and why?

I am a huge John Corey fan and with Scott Brick reading John Corey and Paul Brenner I was a little concerned if you could differentiate the characters. Wasn't a problem DeMille did a good job writing two different but similar characters. Brick does a great job with the character.

Have you listened to any of Scott Brick???s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have never listen to a Scott Brick book that I didn't like.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I nade me doo some Vietnam War research.

Any additional comments?

This was another great Nelson DeMille book!

Up Country

Throughly enjoyable! Educational and engrossing, I just couldn't pull myself away.

I don't usually read books about Viet Nam ...

... but I was really "hungry" for another Nelson DeMille book. As a Nelson DeMille fan, I was predisposed to like this book and wasn't disappointed. Though DeMille tends to follow a "formula" (first paragraph is a "grabber"; "man's man" protagonist; pretty, young female love (lust?) interest; intense build up of suspense and excitement), it still works for me. In addition to the entertainment value, the book was surprisingly thought provoking. As the protagonist, Paul Bremner, revisited his past, I found myself going back in time and revisiting my own thoughts, emotions, and perceptions of the war in Viet Nam. I selected this book for entertainment but ended up learning from it ... and enjoying the experience. Oh yes, it was entertaining and very hard to put down.

Slow but a decent ending

Slow but decent story. Scott Brick does a great job as always and I will look more for him in the future

I'm a Vietnam Vet who worked Quang Tri Province.

Great detective story in a familiar setting. I thought I had the ending solved, but nooo.

Did this end suddenly?

or did I miss a download? I had a hard time believing that the main character was stupid enough to keep the company he kept. A real agent would know better, even if he is bitter and retired. Otherwise this was an entertaining and educational listen.

A vet looks back at Viet Nam experience.

Where does Up Country rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Worth taking the time to write a review. After reading it, I bought a hard copy for by brother, a Viet Nam vet. He read it in one seating.

Any additional comments?

This story gives a "non" vet a real feel for the men and women who were there, and also, I hope, some healing for those who were.

Great listen

i am down to the last hour and this book has kept my attention the whole time. Started strong and kept going. Lots of action that was also used to develop the characters. I did not expect so much of a romance but liked it. Being from the Vietnam era but not having served it showed a lot of what Nam was about. This blew The Face away. Hope The Company is as good.

Interesting and very informative

Liked it. More of a history with a mystery twist so it was longer than the mystery called for but nevertheless very informative. I learned a lot and will view Vietnam and the war there and the people differently forevermore. Thanks for writing it and presenting it through Audible.

I Loved It!

Great book but at times the history lesson could drone on and on. Overall excellent.