UP COUNTRY

WARNER BOOKS EDITION

Written by Nelson DeMille

Copyright © 2002 by Nelson DeMille

Cover design by Jackie Merri Meyer
Cover illustration by Stanislaw Fernandez
Hand lettering by Tony Russo



In Up Country, a sequel to Nelson DeMille's The General's Daughter, Paul Brenner, who resigned from the U.S. Army's Criminal Investigation Division, is called back into service in Washington D.C. by his former commanding officer - who wants Brenner to conduct an investigation into a homicide that occurred 30 years ago during the Vietnam War. Vietnam veteran Brenner reluctantly returns to Vietnam in the middle of the Tet new year celebration - and meets ex patriot Susan Weber, a possible CIA agent. Brenner and Susan then journey through Vietnam searching for the witness to this 30 year-old mystery.

While there is the story of the homicide investigation, most of the book seems like an autobiography of Demille's experience as a U.S. Army lieutenant during the Vietnam War. Brenner revisits his former battle sites and bases in the country as the country celebrates the week-long Tet celebration. Brenner tells Susan of his experiences at these sites to her, the horror of the fighting of the U.S. troops and the Viet Cong, as Brenner searches for a witness who used to be an enemy. You see the contrast of Brenner's and the Americans western influence on Vietnam as a new market, despite the holiday frame of mind of Tet. You also see the conservative Asian Vietnamese culture and the politics as evidenced by the repeated investigated interviews by the Vietnamese cop Colonel Mang against Brenner - who resents the American involvement that resulted from the Cold War military conflict, so Brenner suffers from Mang's resentment. Even if the country prospers from the western tourism of Vietnam, Mang is quite resentful. While the ending of the book was not exactly satisfying to me, the ending does reflect the political attitude of the end of the conflict back in 1975.

Brenner's relationship with Susan is interesting, because you are never really sure if Susan is really interested in Brenner as a lover - or if she is ready to betray him and kill Brenner as part of Susan being a CIA operative. Certainly Brenner is ambivalent to Susan as he is always wondering about Susan's feelings, as well as wondering about his relationship with his girlfriend who is still back in the States.

Paramount Pictures had bought the rights to Up Country with John Travolta reprising his role as Paul Brenner. We will see if the movie will go into production and come out.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

ATTACK OF THE SEVENTH CARRIER

ZEBRA BOOKS

Written by Peter Albano

Copyright © 1989 by Peter Albano



In ATTACK OF THE SEVENTH CARRIER written by Peter Albano, the fifth book of the Seventh Carrier series, the Imperial Japanese aircraft carrier Yonaga - which was originally supposed to be part of the Pearl Harbor attack force in 1941 - must deal with getting combat ready to go against an enemy naval fleet, while Lieutenant Brent Ross is assigned to a WWII submarine.

Because of a Chinese space orbital weapons system, modern weapons and machinery become destroyed if used. So WWII equipment is brought out of mothballs to fight the world's terrorists. As Lt. Ross, the American samurai, falls for a mature woman CIA liaison agent, Ross learns how to operate a WWII submarine to fight alongside Yonaga against a battle fleet. Considering that American submarines sank almost five million tons of shipping during WWII, this submarine is an important part of Yonaga's fleet. The loss of one of the major characters in the series is a shock and is sure to affect Ross in future novels.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Live and Let Die

Paperback
Publisher: Berkley (May 1, 1982)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425053695

Written by Ian Fleming

Copyright © by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd, 1954



British spy James Bond, from the movie Live and Let Die, is assigned to go after Mr. Big - an aggressive Harlem gangster, who is distributing an ancient pirate treasure to fund the Soviet espionage system. Bond's assignment leads from the U.S. to Jamaica with Mr. Big's young female inquisitor Solitaire in tow, as well as Bond's CIA counterpart Felix Leiter. Bond is closer to just an ordinary man in the novel to me than the super spy that is shown in the movies, but Bond is still a dedicated professional.

Since the novel Live and Let Die was written in 1954, the book deals with the social standings of the time -which today would be considered insulting as they are very stereotypical. Granted, there is a rich cultural and religious heritage about Jamaica - but I admit that there were times that it was difficult for me to read the book because of the stereotypes of the Jamaicans and of the people of Harlem. It was hard for me to believe that characters would have acted like that during those times, however it is true that there is widespread poverty and crime in Jamaica. And I was surprised there were little references to the Numbers game in Harlem from the gangsters or of drugs. The black stereotypes reminded me of the Amos and Andy radio and TV series which was very controversial during those times and made me uncomfortable to read about as it was so sterotypical. Ian Fleming's descriptions of the exotic locations makes up for the political incorrectness of the book. In fact, the descriptions almost distracts from the story as the descriptions are quite detailed.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.