1585. Blood Lines by Nelson DeMille & Alex DeMille

Five months ago (book time, not real time), Army CID detectives Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor were sent separate ways following their mishaps in the search for an Army deserter in Venezuela. But they’ve been recalled. Harry Vance, a fellow CID officer stationed in Germany was found dead late late one night, killed by a sniper’s bullet in a dingy park in Berlin. And one of Vance’s eyes had been carved out of his head. Trophy? Warning? Message?

The park was adjacent to a middle east neighborhood. Terrorism is one theory. Collateral damage from a local gang war is another theory. Vance was amid a divorce and in Berlin unbeknownst by his senior CID agents or even his partner. Maybe his death was connected to that. Another theory. Vance could’ve been working another case on his own time.

It’s a jurisdictional nightmare. The Army, CIA, State Department, Berlin police and German federal police are expected to play nice with each other to find the killer. The Germans withhold information from the other investigators. The CIA is listening in on cell phone calls. The State Dept is more interested in following protocol and not offend their German hosts. And Scott and Maggie have been told, in no uncertain terms, that they must remember they have to jurisdiction, no weapons, no mandates, no permission to interview anyone, no specific task. Just keep their eyes and ears open and report back to their Army bosses.

None of that sits well with the two Army detectives who barely survived Venezuela and all the non-disclosures they had to sign that followed that debacle. They both want to find justice for Vance, capture the perps, and get back to the big cases they used to work.

The Germans have concluded that the hit was by a small cell of terrorists. Too simplistic considering this cell died in an explosion supposedly from an IED they were constructing. Amongst the debris are clues that (conveniently) point to these terrorists were responsible.

For Brodie and Taylor, it’s all too neat. Despite being told to pack up and return to the US, they push on, coming across odd clues dating back to the old East Germany, its war plans vs. NATO, the Stasi, weapons manufacturing that boggles the imagination, and Vance’s Berlin girlfriend.

Hard to go wrong with DeMille (or should I say the DeMilles). The dad (Nelson) has a fistful of literary awards and honorary degrees to his credit (should have more of his work made into movies beyond The General’s Daughter). And if you’ve not read any of his books featuring NYPD detective John Corey, then just shame on you; those are the ones I look for. The son works behind the scenes in Hollywood. Nelson penned what I think is one of the very best spy novels I’ve ever read (The Charm School. Haven’t read it? Find it. Read it.). Guessing this won’t be the last we see of Brodie and Taylor. Compelling characters with their own flaws and demons that play/fight well with each other. Neither is all that willing to follow the chain of command when justice is the goal. 

NetFlix? Prime? Hulu? Are you paying attention?

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The Deserter by Nelson Demille and Alex Demille

Desertion is serious. When the deserter is a member of Delta Force, it’s even more serious. When the deserter is a decorated Captain in the Delta Force, that’s even worse. Then, this Captain shows up as a prisoner in a Taliban video. Next, he is rumored to have escaped and disappears into thin air. Another classified video shows Mercer beheading five Taliban before looking directly into the camera and ‘resigning his commission.’ Lots of people want to find Capt Kyle Mercer and bring him to justice.

Any clues about a deserter are to be brought to the Army. A few years after the reported escape, a former bootcamper of Mercer’s was in a Caracas bordello, saw a man he thought was Mercer and approaches him. The guy just up and leaves. The report of a Mercer sighting is relayed up the chain of command. The head of the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division assigns Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor, an investigative team known to aggressively carry out the CID’s motto: “Do What Has to be Done” to find, arrest, and bring Mercer back to the US. But under no circumstances, was Mercer to be interrogated.  

Brodie and Taylor arrive in Caracas and meet their local contact, a Colonel Worley who is of questionable loyalties (Army or CIA? Hard to tell) and agendas. He helps Brodie and Taylor navigate the many conflicting issues currently at play in Venezuela. But so does Brodie's driver, Luis.

It’s a complex chase through various gangs, cops, secret police, barrios, and hookers, but Brodie eventually finds Mercer’s favorite girl at the bordello (that specializes in underage girls). Her information sends Brodie and Taylor deep into the jungle where they find Mercer leading a bunch of local mercs that do the bidding of Venezuelan General Medoza.

Brodie and Taylor are captured, but then they escape and take Mercer into custody. Now loyalties are seriously tested, and trust becomes a casualty.

Full disclosure here: I’m a Demille fan and have most all of his books, many before we started this blog. Three books of his are reviewed here. The first book of his I read, The Charm School, is still probably the best spy novel I’ve ever read. His book, The General’s Daughter, made the big screen. Alex is his son who works in various capacities in Hollywood. Demille is a decorated Vietnam vet and proudly cites his Mensa membership. Why The Charm School hasn’t been made into a movie or one of those 6-10 episode features is baffling. He also does something interesting. People who donate money to his favorite charities get their names used as characters in his books. Two such characters appear.

While reading this book, I saw multiple parallels with Apocalypse Now. Brodie and Taylor = Captain Willard; Mercer = Kurtz; the jungle setting far up a forgotten river; the lawless band of loyal followers; and more. Make no mistake about taking up this book. It’s a beast. Nearly 600 pages. But that’s what Demille writes. Big books. But it’s all tightly sewn together with the smartass Brodie, the deeply bruised Taylor, the deserter Mercer, the settings and the people who struggle day to day to survive in what was once a vibrant country.

If you like our selection of books that we post on this blog, this is one not to be missed.

Available TODAY! 22 OCT 2019

East Coach Don