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

Good Book!

Good books are few and far between. I had no issues with this story or narration. I will keep this one in my library to read again in the future 🤗

Excellent DeMille........One of my favorites

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This was really a terrific read and as always, Scott Brick brings it to life. The story line is fun to follow and keeps the listener engaged. I read the reviews and hesitated to purchase, eventhough DeMille is one of my all time favorite authors. I am writing this only as a reaction to the reviews discouraging this book. This my first post.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Quest?

The build up an preparation to the Quest. The details and in classic DeMille, the fun of personalities of the team. You listen, smile, laugh and sometimes say ugh.....

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

He is the best hands down, never disappointed.

Love and 2 Adventures...........

I enjoyed this audiobook. I liked the fact that I got two adventures in one book. The book starts out with journalists in a war zone. This part is great by the way. The journalists learn of a secret in the jungle and upon returning to civilization, decide to go back for it......despite the dangers of returning to this war-ravaged country. This planning part gets a little long and I would have liked the 2nd adventure of traipsing through the jungle on their mission to be longer. However, all in all......it was an entertaining read. Packed with excitement, mystery and of course a love story (or two), I would recommend this book to anyone.

Worth the Journey!

This was definitely worth the journey! A bit slow getting started and nearly bailed an hour in but in the end I was glad I hadn't given it up.
I understand that this title has been completely rewritten and the Author explains at the end why he was moved to do so. Hearing about what he changed - it sounds as though these were needed improvements. It was entertaining and the character Purcell was so dry....there were parts that were laugh out loud funny......."right....." A twisted love triangle helped keep it well balanced. Some parts dragged a bit -- their travels through Rome and the parts about the Vatican were great - the political climate he described in Ethiopia was interesting to say the least. Overall well worth the credit!

Not his best by a long shot

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I really appreciated the research that went into writing this book and the effort to paint the picture of what we were seeing and where they were in Ethiopia and other European areas such as Italy. I've always appreciated that about his books ...that while you listened you could picture yourself there. But the storyline in this was terribly weak. And the three or four main characters in it were vapid and one-dimensional. He never has written women particularly well but in this case it was the worst. Vivianne was not very impressive. Her two sidekicks were so unsympathetic to me as a reader that I really didn't care what happened to anybody by the time I was three quarters of the way through the book.

Has The Quest turned you off from other books in this genre?

No. In the case of this particular writer it's understandable that he loved the feeling of this book. I also sometimes go back and read things that I wrote 20 or 30 years ago appreciating the feeling of writing it but I don't subject other people to it. Perhaps he has learned his lesson. I'm sure he reads these reviews.

What does Scott Brick bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Scott's intonations in characters are amazing but even he couldn't rescue this book.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No.

Very well read!

Great fantasaical story built in an authentic setting. The details weave in and out, and tie up well. The reader masterfully differentiated the characters with tone and accent.

Excellent writing and outstanding narration.

Of course it’s excellent. This one of the greatest authors of the genre and Scott Brick is a truly top notch narrator. Very few others have the ability to give voice to several characters so convincingly. The story will carry you into the world DeMille creates. I can no longer read as well as I used to. So audio books allow me to enjoy a good story. I also have a four hour commute every other week. A great audiobook makes the drive seem much shorter. This story will take you to places you’ll probably never see. The thoughts and feelings of the characters are vivid and make them feel real. Overall, A truly great, well written and perfectly narrated story.

liked it

Scott Brick is one of my favorite narrators. The story had enough twists and turns and smart dialogue to make it totally enjoyable.

great book as always. I have enjoyed every book by

DeMille. Scott brick is great.. together they are unbeatable. cannot pass up their work. great.

amazing story!!!

so glad you rewrote this story! this was amazing - something for everyone to get hooked on