Word of Honor [Mass Market Paperback]

Nelson DeMille (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1987

He is a good man, a brilliant corporate executive, an honest, handsome family man admired by men and desired by women.

But a lifetime ago Ben Tyson was a lieutenant in Vietnam.

There the men under his command committed a murderous atrocity -- and together swore never to tell the world what they had done. Now the press, army justice, and the events he tried to forget have caught up with Ben Tyson. His family, his career, and his personal sense of honor hang in the balance. And only one woman can reveal the truth of his past -- and set him free.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

If fiction can assuage the lingering moral pain of the Vietnam War, it's through the kind of driving honesty coupled with knowledgeability that DeMille (By the Rivers of Babylon) employs here, in a story which, as riveting as The Caine Mutiny but with wider implications, probes the conflicting concepts of honor, duty and loyalty as they relate to an event of the My Lai varietyand assesses blame. Prompted by a just-published book that holds ex-lieutenant Ben Tyson accountable for a hushed-up massacre committed by his platoon in a Hue hospital 18 years before, the army recalls Tyson to stand trial for murder. Tyson, confronted by an army authority anxious to save its own face, an embarrassed federal government (which has its own "deal" to propose) and a threatened marriage, and entangled, furthermore, in his own past lives and present sense of guilt, must call on all his lawyer's cleverness and his own inner toughness to fight his case. The flashbacks to Hue, the pre-trial investigation (involving an attractive female major), the court-martial proceedings, the emotions of the principal characters and the soul-sickness wrought by war (which is the story's effective subtext)all are depicted with marvelous vividness. 50,000 first printing; $50,000 ad/promo. Foreign rights: Jack Ellison. November 11
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

This huge and merciless account follows an ordinary corporate man, Ben Tyson, as his Army commission is reactivated so that he can be court-martialed on charges of murder. The events go back 15 years to a hospital in Vietnam where his platoon took heavy action and many civilians died. Did he wantonly kill enemy and civilian alike? The investigation, intended to restore military honor after My Lai, gives no quarter. All the hostile witnesses are called up while friendly witnesses are lost or silent. Tyson's own sense of honor lets him give only tiny scraps of information even to his attorney. The courtroom sequences are so powerful that most of the other action is like filler. The dialogue rings true and shows a gift for wit and timing. Apart from its unfortunate length and a slightly over-drawn hero, this succeeds as a mature and compassionate statement about Americans at war in Vietnam. Barbara Conaty, Medical Coll. of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 752 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (March 1, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446301582
• ISBN-13: 978-0446301589
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.5 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (106 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #534,229 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

80 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Phenomenal Book...Maybe Demille's Best, July 26, 2001

By 

"dsrosen19" (Baltimore, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Word of Honor (Mass Market Paperback)

I have read all of Demille's books. I have enjoyed all of his books. I do not think that any can compete with Word of Honor. First of all, he truly allows the reader to understand the central character, Benjamin Tyson. I would catch myself on numerous occasions, understanding in certain situations exactly how he felt. His character development is flawless and the reader truly gets to know the characters.

The plot itself was incredibly interesting with the Vietnam war backdrop against a modern family in Long Island. In addition, a military courtroom drama is an uncommon trait in modern fiction. In reality, the last one I read was the Caine Mutiny.

I could not put this book down, and it's pretty long. I think I read it in just two sittings (not bad for 700+ pages). Demille truly engages the reader, unflods the plot in small steps, and keeps the reader on his toes. In addition, the detail of all aspects is incredible. I would recommend this book to everyone and have actually purchased it twice because when I lost it I could not live without it.

49 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of DeMille, July 15, 2002

By 

Peter Lorenzi (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Word of Honor (Mass Market Paperback)

Nelson DeMille can be quite dark. Spencerville, The General's Daughter, and even Plum Island come to mind. The more books he writes, the darker he becomes, it seems.

I have been a fan since Charm School. I worked my way through Gold Coast, Cathedral, Rivers of Babylon and even Mayday, one of his earlier, co-authored, often overlooked books. Mayday shows the signs of his greatness.

DeMille works best for me when he maximizes the humor (often irony) and tension while minimizing graphic viloence or the dark side of human nature. Often his villains are driven but not inherently evil. His heroes are always flawed and usually funny in the worst situations.

Word of Honor balances all of these features and the result is one of DeMille's best, if not THE best. Vietnam has been cathartic for many Americans. Unlike World War II, where good and evil seem clear (and the basis for more heroic fiction than any other event in the world), Vietnam is nuances and conflicted lives. DeMille uses these to fine tune his humor and his hero.

This one is well worth checking out.

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars DeMille Delivers, October 30, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Word of Honor (Mass Market Paperback)

Nelson DeMille knows of what he writes. As a Lt. in the service in Nam and a keen human observer--we are given over 700 pages that draw us into a world we Americans sometimes do not like to revisit.

The central character, Ben Tyson, is a modern day commuter with a cushy job in NY, a family out in the 'burbs and a sense of honor that is about to be tested to the inth degree. Somone has written a well selling book about the atrocities at Hue. The author's two witnesses have made Ben Tyson culpable for his unit's macabre killing behavior at a French hospital during the war. And now the government plans to make him their scape goat.

After 20 years of living with the past, the truth starts to come out. Slowly, in stages, as DeMille builds the tension with episodes between Tyson's wife, his lawyer, his reunion with his men, the author who revealed his secrets, and a cout-martial trial.

I always appreciate DeMille's well researched novels. Mixing actual events with fiction using humor and pathos is his baliwick. Characters you want to know and dialogue that snaps.

A moving read of war, adventure, and trust.