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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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
--Mark Annichiarico, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most helpful customer reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
No One to Root For,
By
This review is from: Spencerville (Mass Market Paperback)
I only have myself to blame - I am too stubborn to not finish books I begin. At time of purchase, Spencerville was presented as escapist fiction billed as a satisfying revenge a la Walking Tall. And it did start that way. However, it went on way too long and the conclusion was far from satisfying because not one single primary character was worth caring for nor displayed attractive and redeeming qualities (I was hoping all would expire).It is basically a story of an extremely unhealthy love triangle. The woman in the middle, Ann Prentiss, is one-dimensional and seemingly two decades naive (she also does not factor in her children in any personal decision-making). Her horrible husband is the stereotype of a boor to the point of being cartoonish. But worst of all is the purported former intelligence officer - a hero of the Cold War. Yet, Keith Landry is actually a petulant, unfunny boy-man who mystifyingly cannot navigate Spencerville after having succeeded for twenty years in the shadowy four corners of the world! One of the worst novels I have read in years.
4.0 out of 5 stars
TIL WE MEET AGAIN...,
By
This review is from: Spencerville (Mass Market Paperback)
Though probably not one of the author's best, this is still an entertaining read. It reminds me a bit of one of the author's other books "The General's Daughter", because of its more laconic pace. Otherwise, I would have to say it is like no other book by the author that I have read.When Keith Landry, an intelligence officer, takes early retirement through a set of circumstances beyond his control, he decides to take a journey down memory lane and return to Spencerville, the small town in Ohio in which he was raised. It has been twenty-five years since he has been back to the family farm, and he returns with some feelings of trepidation, because he has never gotten over losing his high school and college sweetheart, Annie Prentis, to Cliff Baxter, hometown boy, high school football hero, and now the Spencerville Chief of Police. Unfortunately, Cliff Baxter has serious issues, which have made life for Annie a hell one earth. This is a story about how those intervening years have treated Keith and Annie and what happens when they finally meet again. Each of them will have decisions to make, none of them easy ones. Moreover, Cliff Baxter likes being the only rooster in the hen house and does not take kindly to hearing that Keith Landry is back in town. This has all the ingredients for a combustible encounter, and the author does not disappoint.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun read,
By
This review is from: Spencerville (Mass Market Paperback)
I really enjoy DeMille's work and this was no exception. The story here is a bit lighter and more of a smaller scale, then some of his other books, which isn't to say there isn't jealously, rape, stalking and murder, but that it mostly follows the action of the protagonist trying to win back his old flame and rescue her from the clutches of an evil and demented husband.For people that like the "damsel in distress" type story, with plotting, action, revenge and love, this is definitely a winner, it's kind of a romance for the male market, not that woman wouldn't enjoy it too. It could actually make a decent flick, the bad guy is pretty straight forward and the good guy is pretty straight forward and it isn't long before you're rooting for the good guy to win the girl and kick the bad guys rear. The aren't a lot of twists and turns or mysteries here, it's pretty predictable, the good guy just screws up enough to give us drama. In any case, while I give it four stars because it's a lessor story than some of DeMille's bigger novels, it's still a very fun and quick read and I give it a strong recommendation to those that like this kind of story. If you're unfamiliar with his work, check out "The Gold Coast" which is a classic and very much worth reading.
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