The Deserter: A Novel

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Simon and Schuster, Oct 22, 2019 - Fiction - 544 pages
*NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*

An “outstanding” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) blistering thriller featuring a brilliant and unorthodox Army investigator, his enigmatic female partner, and their hunt for the Army’s most notorious—and dangerous—deserter from #1 New York Times bestselling author Nelson DeMille and Alex DeMille.

When Captain Kyle Mercer of the Army’s elite Delta Force disappeared from his post in Afghanistan, a video released by his Taliban captors made international headlines. But circumstances were murky: Did Mercer desert before he was captured? Then a second video sent to Mercer’s Army commanders leaves no doubt: the trained assassin and keeper of classified Army intelligence has willfully disappeared.

When Mercer is spotted a year later in Caracas, Venezuela, by an old Army buddy, top military brass task Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor of the Criminal Investigation Division to fly to Venezuela and bring Mercer back to America—preferably alive. Brodie knows this is a difficult mission, made more difficult by his new partner’s inexperience, by their undeniable chemistry, and by Brodie’s suspicion that Maggie Taylor is reporting to the CIA.

With ripped-from-the-headlines appeal, an exotic and dangerous locale, and the hairpin twists and inimitable humor that are signature DeMille, The Deserter is the first in a timely and thrilling new series from an unbeatable team of True Masters: the #1 New York Times bestseller Nelson DeMille and his son, award-winning screenwriter Alex DeMille.
 

Contents

Section 1
3
Section 2
9
Section 3
14
Section 4
19
Section 5
24
Section 6
28
Section 7
34
Section 8
47
Section 26
178
Section 27
188
Section 28
198
Section 29
206
Section 30
217
Section 31
236
Section 32
250
Section 33
256

Section 9
51
Section 10
55
Section 11
61
Section 12
69
Section 13
81
Section 14
88
Section 15
92
Section 16
96
Section 17
106
Section 18
110
Section 19
119
Section 20
127
Section 21
136
Section 22
146
Section 23
156
Section 24
160
Section 25
165
Section 34
285
Section 35
306
Section 36
325
Section 37
336
Section 38
345
Section 39
357
Section 40
364
Section 41
377
Section 42
399
Section 43
417
Section 44
436
Section 45
474
Section 46
500
Section 47
518
Section 48
531
Section 49
533
Copyright

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About the author (2019)

Nelson DeMille was the New York Times bestselling author of twenty-three novels, seven of which were #1 New York Times bestsellers. His novels include The Maze, The Deserter (written with Alex DeMille), The Cuban Affair, Word of Honor, Plum Island, The Charm School, The Gold Coast, and The General’s Daughter, which was made into a major motion picture, starring John Travolta and Madeleine Stowe. He has written short stories, book reviews, and articles for magazines and newspapers. Nelson DeMille was a combat-decorated US Army veteran, a member of Mensa, Poets & Writers, and the Authors Guild, and past president of the Mystery Writers of America. He was also a member of the International Thriller Writers, who honored him as 2015 ThrillerMaster of the Year. Nelson DeMille passed away in 2024.

Alex DeMille is a director, film editor, and author of the New York Times bestselling novel The Deserter (written with Nelson DeMille). He grew up on Long Island and received a BA from Yale University and an MFA in film directing from UCLA. He has won multiple awards and fellowships for his screenplays and films, including The Absence, which was named Best Film at Comic-Con in 2012. He has edited numerous commercials, shorts, and independent feature films, among them My Nephew Emmett, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short in 2018. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and daughter.

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