Spencerville [Hardcover]

Nelson DeMille (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1994

Back from the Cold War, intelligence officer Keith Landry returns to his hometown of Spencerville, Ohio. Twenty-five years after their last encounter, Keith runs into his first love, Annie, now unhappily married to the town's chief of police--an abusive alcoholic. In his efforts to reclaim Annie, Keith will have to draw on all the skills of a violent lifetime.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Cannily combining some of the emotional appeal of Bridges of Madison County with a riveting cat-and-mouse game between a retired CIA man and a psychotic rural police chief, DeMille's latest novel (after The General's Daughter) has bestseller written all over it. Keith Landry, his Cold War intelligence job a victim of the Soviet collapse, returns to the little Ohio town where he grew up and begins to tinker with thoughts of reviving the family farm. A former sweetheart, Annie, despondent after Keith went off to Vietnam, had married aggressive, good-looking Cliff Baxter on the rebound, but Keith and Annie had never ceased to correspond. Now that he's back, the old interest is rekindled in both, but Baxter, now police chief and a womanizing petty tyrant, is fiercely jealous-and the novel takes off as a deadly struggle between a man trained in the arts of deception and one with all the built-in advantages of police power in a remote spot. In the process, DeMille works in some poignant reflections on the diminishing role of the American heartland and some acute satire at the expense of the Washington power elite; he also manages a nice combination of wryness and passion in his middle-aged lovers. The pacing is expert: there is plenty of time for leisurely scenes, but the narrative tension never flags, and the final third keeps up a crackling drive. There are a few pat and unconvincing moments, and the inclination of DeMille's characters to think aloud is an odd quirk, but no readers, once hooked, are going to complain-or do much else-until they have finished the book. 400,000 first printing; BOMC main selection; major ad/promo; author tour.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

DeMille's thrillers (e.g., The Charm School, LJ 5/15/88) are a cut above most, and his many fans won't be disappointed with Spencerville. Keith Landry, a Cold War spy cashiered after the collapse of the Berlin Wall, returns to his rural Ohio birthplace hoping to rekindle an old flame. Alas, she's married to Spencerville's chief of police, an abusive, microcephalic goon who tries to run Landry out of town. DeMille is at his best when things are happening, but his thoughts on rural life and farming are a bit saccharine. Nonetheless, riveting suspense and likable characters make this a likely candidate for popular collections.
--Mark Annichiarico, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 496 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; 1st edition (October 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446515051
• ISBN-13: 978-0446515054
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (109 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #135,773 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born in New York City in 1943. My father was a Canadian, serving at that time with the American Navy, and my mother was a Brooklyn native, trying to figure out how to grow a Victory Garden for the war effort.

My family moved to Elmont, Long Island, New York in 1947 where my father was a house builder, and my mother was a homemaker raising four boys.
I attended Elmont public schools, played football, ran track, and was on the wrestling team. I graduated Elmont Memorial High School in 1962 and spent the summer at the beach.

I attended Hofstra University, but left before graduation to join the Army in 1966. I served three years in the United States Army as an infantry lieutenant and spent one year in Vietnam as a platoon leader with the First Cavalry Division. You'll see that I used this experience in my novels "Word of Honor" and "Up Country."

After the end of my military service, I returned to Hofstra where I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History. I married and had two children, Lauren and Alex, and eventually divorced.

I held a series of good and bad jobs between 1970 and 1974, and in that year, for some reason I can't remember, I decided to be a writer. My first books were paperback originals, New York City police detective novels, thankfully all out of print and hard to find.

In 1978, I published my first major novel, "By the Rivers of Babylon," which was a commercial and critical success. Since then, I've written fourteen other novels and had a good time creating my characters John Corey, Ben Tyson (played by Don Johnson in the TNT movie of "Word of Honor"), foxy Emma Whitestone, Paul Brenner (played by John Travolta in the Paramount movie of "The General's Daughter"), sexy Susan Sutter, the never-say-die CIA officer Ted Nash, and my favorite villain, Asad Khalil, a misunderstood Libyan terrorist with unresolved childhood issues.

I am a member of The Authors Guild, the Mystery Writers of America (past President), American Mensa (thank God I don't have to retake that test), and I hold three honorary doctorate degrees (thank God I didn't have to study for them) from Hofstra University, Long Island University, and Dowling College.
I'm married to the love of my life, Sandy Dillingham, whom I met while I was on a publicity tour in Denver. We have a son, James, two years old, and he's keeping me young.

There's more about me on my website. Thanks for reading about me here, and I hope you enjoy my novels.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars SPENCERVILLE -- A NICE PLACE TO LIVE; A NICE BOOK TO VISIT, September 2, 2001

By 

Nancy Martin (Pennsylvania (orig. NY)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spencerville (Mass Market Paperback)

Having just finished reading Spencerville, I can now easily understand why most DeMille fans rate this as their least favorite of all his books. While I'm not saying it's a bad book, because it most certainly isn't, it just doesn't meet the exalted standards that followers of this author have come to expect. With a story involving a love triangle, there was just not enough "meat" there to warrant 481 pages.

To net it out, Keith Landry has been an Army intelligence officer working for our government for the past twenty-five years. With the culmination of the Cold War, many employees in his position are forced into early retirement whether they like it or not. In his case, he didn't like it. With angry and hurt feelings, he heads home to his family's farm in Spencerville, Ohio, which also happens to be the home of his high school/college sweetheart, Annie Prentis. Problems start to arise when he and Annie meet up again, especially since she is now married to the Chief of Police, Cliff Baxter, who also happens to be a former classmate of Keith's. In addition to running the police department, Cliff also runs Annie's life and is depicted as a husband who is not only unfaithful and possessive but verbally, emotionally and sexually abusive as well. It's about time for DeMille's "knight in shining armor" to step in.

While this is definitely not a five star book, I don't think I could ever give a DeMille book less than four stars as his writing and storytelling are so superior to other authors when weaving a tale of espionage, cat and mouse escapades, murder and mayhem or a love triangle such as in Spencerville. Don't get me wrong; this is not your usual love triangle. Since it's told by DeMille, the players are experienced both at subterfuge as well as mind games with the common thread being "the love of a good woman." It gets very scary for awhile since Cliff Baxter is the type of irrational man that just might do anything and Spencerville is just the type of small town where a man like Cliff just might get away with it.

This is the sixth book I've read by this author and I'm glad there's still a few more out there for me to conquer.

26 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another DeMille winner., May 26, 2000

By 

nobizinfla "nobizinfla" (Windermere, Florida USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spencerville (Mass Market Paperback)

There are books that take time to read, books you make time for and books you steal time for. "Spencerville" is in the latter category...it never left my side from the minute I started it and kept me up late.

Great characters, very deeply drawn...both the heroes and villains. I felt I got to know them all. The plot is straight forward, but the journey to its conclusion is fast paced, tense, filled with twists and turns and makes you turn the pages rapidly.

There is enough wry humor, sarcasm and cynicism from the protagonist (Keith Landry) and his allies to allow the reader a chance to relax from the nonstop action...refreshing and almost necessary in a book this lengthy.

The major bad guy (Cliff Baxter) is truly despicable, but devious, dangerous, deadly and cunning (and he wears a badge). It is quite easy hoping he gets what's due him.

I have now read all the novels of Nelson DeMille. Only "Cathedral" was a disappointment. Every other one I highly recommend and still think "The Charm School" is my favorite.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars keeps you on your toes, September 28, 2003

By 

"truthandjustice" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spencerville (Mass Market Paperback)

I had never read any of his books before and was anxious to see what his writing is like as I had seen the movie, "The Generals Daughter" made from one of his books and had enjoyed it. He is a tremendous writer. He gets his characters right and when you are reading the book, you are right there riding right along with them. You can feel the anger, hurt, joy, etc. that the characters are experiencing. An intelligence officer, Keith, is returning to his home town now that they don't need him anymore and have retired him. He is returning to the farm he grew up on and to the memories of his true love Annie. Annie is married to the sheriff of the town now and they have two grown up kids no longer at home. Her life is not enjoyable. Her husband is a womaniser and sociopathic. He is jealous and has her watched constantly because of his jealousy, keeping her in a vacuum. As long as he is in office, she feels fairly safe because she knows he doesn't dare cause any negative publicity of his actions. She is still in love with Keith, and doesn't know if he is alive or not until he shows up. Her husband finds out that Keith has returned and develops a jealous and manic rage against Keith because of Annie and Keith's relationship years ago. It is a book that you keep reading straight through because you want to know what happens. Excellent writer and book.