Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com
Summary:
First time in trade paperback--DeMille's classic novel of honor, loyalty, andthe dark secrets of war.
Customer Reviews:
Average Customer Rating:
New to DeMille
Customer Rating:
An excellent read, you're a couple hundred pages in and fascinated but still not sure whether you like the protagonist or not, much less where justice could be found. I've read 30+ authors (hundreds of books Clancy and Brown to Griffith and Brown to Rankin and White to Connelly and Ludlum, to McCarry and McKinty and Pelecanos....), most of them their entire work, and never read DeMille. It is great to find a new (old) one who has been prolific. Other reviews will give a flavor of the book, my purpose here is to offer up some names which if you recognize and enjoy them as I have, may help you determine if my taste in books might be beneficial in your search.
Gut-Wrenching Masterpiece
Customer Rating:
Word of Honor is spectacular human drama and in the latter stages courtroom drama. Benjamin Tyson is a successful corporate businessman who 17 years ago served as an officer in Vietnam. His platoon engaged in a horrific incident (think My-Lai); he swore to never speak of it again. But the issue has resurfaced and begins to tear down Tyson's life: family, reputation, sanity. Through it all, Tyson remains humorous and honorable while dealing with a collapsing world. This is a truly scintillating masterpiece, that took me through so many emotions--up and down, up and down.
I'll have to wait for the reread to confirm it, but at the moment this is my all-time favorite novel. Ben Tyson is portrayed so well that the reader begins to truly feel his feelings (at least I did). The supporting characters are also fabulous. Don't be scared away because you're not for sure about the plot or the Vietnam War. This is about human drama; a must read.
A Very Good Read
Customer Rating:
The more I read of Nelson DeMille, the more impressed I become. This man is probably one of the most talented genre writers around, and he knows how to tell a great story.
WORD OF HONOR is one of his earlier works, a serious novel about a Vietnam veteran who must face a trial over the actions of his platoon, which took place twenty years before. Under his command, the platoon allegedly murdered a large number of civilians in a hospital, in an incident similar to the My Lai massacre. The real mystery of the novel is what truly happened all those years before, and whether the protagonist's actions were in any way understandable or forgivable.
This novel is very well done, but is quite long, and DeMille focuses far more time on the protagonist's private life than I would have preferred. There are also many conversations and situations in WORD OF HONOR that don't seem to advance the story. This novel probably would have benefitted from some major league editing, although I'm sure many readers would disagree. Once the trial begins, however, this novel is undeniably tense and exciting.
Overall, this is a first-class effort, although I preferred THE GOLD COAST and THE GENERAL'S DAUGHTER a bit more.
Word of Honor by Nelson DeMille
Customer Rating:
If there is a better book I want to know about it. This is extremely well written from cover to cover. I have read several of his books and ejoyed them, but this is by far the best. It has made me an avid fan of his books.
Not His Best
Customer Rating:
The writer is very skillful in putting together his books. He follows a formula of writing about those thing with which he has some familiarity while always including the attractive or alluring female as part of the storyline. In this book, there is a strong story that does not need anu diversions. Benjamin Tyson was an officer for the military when he served our country in Vietnam. A recently published book about the war speaks about atrocities that were inflicted upon the Vietnamese by the Platoon under his direct command. The military does a full investigation and our protagonist finds himself being recalled to duty and facing a Court Martial.
The characters in this novel lack depth and many ancillary peopl seem to drop in and out with a feeling that they are more like stick figures rather than living breathing people. The book is far too long and the story wanders along in a somewhat aimless manner until the Trial begins. Even here the story is not able to build the suspence that is expected and the entire segment is plodding and rather predictable. This is a good read, although it is not felt to be one of the witers better works.
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