Rendezvous

By: Nelson DeMille

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 1 hr and 2 mins

Publisher's Summary

In this tense, riveting mind game, New York Times bestselling novelist Nelson DeMille delivers a suspenseful short story in the tradition of his classic military novels The General's Daughter and Word of Honor. A band of soldiers in its last month of service in Vietnam goes out on a patrol through enemy territory with a female sniper in its path. Recounting the mission in shattering and sometimes gruesome detail, DeMille creates a concise masterpiece of moody suspense.

Demille served as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and saw combat in Vietnam as an infantry platoon leader, earning a Bronze Star. He states that Rendezvous features a fictionalized version of himself from that experience.

©2012 Nelson DeMille (P)2013 HighBridge Company

Fabulous -- and a puzzler

Quite possibly one of the best short stories ever written. An amazing little tale, lots of authentic details, unparalleled suspense, an ending... well, no spoilers here. Scott Brick's narration is perfect.

I listened to it, was so taken by the story I wanted to send a print copy to an elderly friend who only reads paper books, not audio or electronic. Surprisingly, the book is not available. In fact, it's not available as an audiobook from Audible right now, either.

Not sure what's going on, but I will continue to look for a paper copy -- if you haven't read/heard this one yet, you've missed something. Hope it will be available again soon.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Awesome Vietnam Patrol Story

I wonder if Demille wrote this straight out of his own experience. It's about a patrol of 10 being hunted by a female sniper. Really suspenseful, well written an read short story.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

good short story

First time author, an hour long short story, narrated by Scott Brick. A recon patrol is in the jungle of Vietnam and being stalked by a female sniper. This story is intense for being so short. The patrol is trying to make a rendezvous pickup point as the sniper follows them picking them off one by one. For a short story, it was pretty good. I got this from an Audible Daily Deal. It was worth it.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Seclusion

A good short about one troop in the Vietnam War who are being eliminated one at a time by a female sniper. I don't usually read books about that time because I remember how horrible it was for our Men and our Country, however, Nelson DeMille's writing was excellent and the narration was done perfectly, without exaggeration.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Good war story

What did you love best about Rendezvous?

I liked the characters, including a female Viet Cong sniper. There was a good sense of place, danger, fear and valor. The squad had the requisite diverse demographic

What other book might you compare Rendezvous to and why?

Rendezvous reminded me of Matterhorn, though much shorter and not as intense. The hook of a female sniper was more intense in Full Metal Jacket, a realistic horror.

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

My reaction was not extreme as it was in, for example, Dispatches or Matterhorn, but the book served the purpose and kept my attention, though briefly because it's brief. :)

Any additional comments?

Not earth-shaking, but diverting.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Great 1 hour short story...

...about a female Vietnamese sniper taking on a group of 12 US Army soldiers. The story is first person told by the US lieutenant that led the group. The story is set in Vietnam during the US war there. The suspense is intense, but as good as it is the short story is simply not worth the cost.

5 of 7 people found this review helpful

Fantastic all the way through to the Rendevous!

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed it from beginning to end. Granted it's not very long which is a shame as I could have listened to a whole lot more. DeMille obviously knows what he's talking about! He had me hooked from first minute! A great narration Scott Brick. A perfect duo. Loved it and would definitely recommend it!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

OK Short.

This was a short novel, that was atmospheric and well-written, but perhaps lacking in depth.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Hmmmm

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

Probably not. I know it was meant to be short, but it was too short. You have no time to develop feelings for any of the characters. I also didn't have time to get too into it before it was over.

Would you ever listen to anything by Nelson DeMille again?

Oh yes, but only because this was not the first of his that I have read! I hope that others do not choose to hear this as your first DeMille experience, then they might not go back, which would be a tragedy for them.

Which scene was your favorite?

Only one scene in the whole book to choose from! Haha

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

No

Any additional comments?

Stick to the full novels, this just isn't worth it unless you specifically only have a couple of hours to hear something.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Very good short story. Little overpriced ...

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

fast paced, unexpected, compelling

What did you like best about this story?

I didn't know what to expect and I wasn't disappointed so to speak. Like "Up Country" and "Word of Honor" it is about deMille's time in Vietnam. American Platoon vs. Vietnamese sniper. But I don't want to give anything away here. The story is short enough to ruin it for everyone reading here if I say too much.

Which scene was your favorite?

Hard to say really. Same as above. Don't want to call a spoiler alert.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No problem here, since it's only a short story :-)

3 of 5 people found this review helpful