I love me some DeMille (or should I say DeMilles?), and this one was no exception. Although, it felt unfinished to me. Did Flagstaff just disappear cuz the two main players caught their end? What happens between Brodie and Taylor? How do they get out of Venezuela, and so on and so far. Don’t leave a book open ended, I need to know! ( )

I worry when established writers take their protagonists out of the country. Usually, I suspect it is because they want to be able to write off a trip to some country they've always had a hankering to visit so they do in order to collect local color for the book. But Venezuela? Why would anyone want to go to a country on the verge of ruin and chaos -- at least that's the way it's described in this extended travelogue.

Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor, both CID officers, (think Paul Brenner and Cynthia Sunhill from the General's Daughter with whom they bear striking similarities in looks and speech) need to go undercover to Venezuela to bring back a Captain Kyle Mercer who deserted his unit and committed some heinous crimes in Afghanistan. He has now been seen by a less than reliable witness in Venezuela in a brothel for underage girls in the slums of Caracas. Clearly, the Army has way, way too much money if it were to indulge in such a risky venture, kidnap (or kill) this guy Mercer.

I really admire many things about Venezuela, the foremost being the conductor Dudamel and the truly magnificent Youth orchestra and high school music programs. That is not the country of this book and I found the plot to be a mish-mash of plot holes. I did like the Paul Brenner-like banter of the thinly disguised Brodie. Why invent a new character when you already had one on the books? (Perhaps because he wrote this with his son, Alex DeMille, another puzzler, the way to get his son a head start in the writier's market.)

I have read (or listened to) several DeMille and enjoyed the Brenner and Corey characters. I was disappointed in this one and certainly won't read the The Cuban Affair, which other readers have described as being similar in its travelogue nature. I enjoy reading the history and current affairs of other countries be they failed or successful; I also enjoy a good mystery/thriller/police procedural like the General's Daughter (5 stars); I do not enjoy one that succeeds at neither. ( )

Captain Kyle mercer of the Army's Delta force disappears from his station in Afghanistan. A video surfaces that shows that Mercer has deserted. He is spotted a year later in a very dangerous section of Venezuela. Scott Brody and Maggie Taylor are tasked with the job of bringing the deserter back to the United States for trial.
This book is so DeMille. It is fast paced, thrilling and brilliant! DeMille fans will not be disappointed. It is filled with twists and turns, double crosses, politics, and believable characters. A nail biting adventure. a must read! ( )

Riveting, detailed, but interesting story of two military intelligence agents assigned with the task of finding a military deserter....deep in South America. The dialogue between the male and female investigatory carries the repartee of characters in other DeMille books...funny, witty, edgy. The plot excellent as well as the geographic descriptions. This was written by father and son....I wonder who did what...plot, writing, etc. ( )

I suppose it's not fair to ding an author for advertising a "new character" when the new one is pretty much the same as one the author's more famous for and one you love to read. In this case, the DeMilles' "new" character is Scott Brodie, who's really no different than John Corey. Granted, Brodie is not a former NYPD detective, but, like John, he's still a quick-witted, non-PC smartass.

The action and pacing of this book is very good and the descriptions of Venezuela are excellent.

Decorated SEAL Captain Kyle Mercer leaves camp one night and is then subsequently captured by the Taliban. After two years captivity, he escapes by killing his captors, videoing it, and resigning his commission. Now, the Navy's trying to find him and bring him to justice for the desertion. To wit, they employ Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor of the Criminal Investigation Division to find him. Of course, there's far more going on and other agencies are in the hunt for Mercer. And they don't want him captured alive.

I wish the reason Mercer deserted was a bit more ethically murky for character-building purposes, but the story is still really good. I'll look forward to reading more about Brodie's escapades in the future. ( )