The Talbot Odyssey [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Nelson DeMille (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2000

IT STARTED AS A SIMPLE SPY HUNT.

IT BECAME A DESPERATE BATTLE TO SAVE THE WEST.

For forty years Western intelligence agents have known a terrible secret: the Russians have a mole -- code-named Talbot -- inside the CIA. At first Talbot is suspected of killing European agents. Then a street-smart ex-cop uncovers a storm of espionage and murder on the streets of New York, while in a Long Island suburb a civic demonstration against the Russian mission masks a desperate duel of nerves and wits.

Engineered by Talbot, a shadow world of suspicion and deceit is spilling onto the streets -- leading to a new Soviet weapon and a first-strike war plan threatening the foundations of American government.

For the U.S., time is running out. For Talbot, the time is now.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Nelson DeMille is one of America's most popular and bestselling authors, and a new book from him is a keenly awaited event. A former US Army lieutenant who served in Vietnam, he is the author of nine acclaimed novels. He lives in Long Island, New York. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 865 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press (October 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786226684
• ISBN-13: 978-0786226689
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,244,638 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

98 of 107 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A "5 Course Meal" - Not a "Drive-Through", February 12, 2000

By 

Gary Goldberg "Gary Goldberg" (Palmer, Alaska) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Talbot Odyssey (Mass Market Paperback)

I stumbled upon this gem after being disappointed with several previous DeMille Novels. The Talbot Odyssey is a "thinking person's" novel. It, much like real life, is NOT all excitement and adrenaline. DeMille does an outstanding job of character development and plot organization and development. While the crux of the plot is not an imminent threat which we face; it is entertaining and afterall this is a novel not a strategic arms treatise. This book requires tenacity from the reader and NO Page Skimming, or you'll miss the clues and hints that DeMille sews throughout the pages. If you've been disappointed with the Gold Coast and Plum Island and the Lion's Game - BUT if you liked the Charm School, Spencerville, and Word of Honor, then you will like the Talbot Odyssey.

31 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book, August 12, 2000

By 

Mike Wilson - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Talbot Odyssey (Mass Market Paperback)

DeMille is my favourite author and I really enjoy all of his books. Word of Honour is still my favourite followed by Plum Island and Gold Coast. One thing about Demille that I like is that each of his books are different. Talbot Odyssey is a 'spy' novel similar to Ludlum. Although it was a little more off-beat than his other novels it was filled with action and heroic efforts. The characters were interesting and the story kept you guessing (and paranoid. I wish there were more DeMille novels to read because he's spoiled me.

31 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Breathtakingly awesome!, August 13, 2002

By 

Michael (Paris, France) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Talbot Odyssey (Mass Market Paperback)

I read the first 1/3 and was bored, so I put it down at the end of my vacation. 9 months later (ok I forgot about it) I picked it back up and couldn't put it down again. The first 1/3 sets up the story and the characters, and then the rest is non-stop action. It had an incredible ending. In fact I read the last 80 pages nonstop until 2am because I couldn't stop myself! If you imagine the setting (back during the cold war) you'll really enjoy it.