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49th out of 775 books
—
982 voters
The General's Daughter (Paul Brenner #1)
by
Nelson DeMille (Goodreads Author)
Captain Ann Campbell is a West Point graduate, the daughter of legendary General "Fighting Joe" Campbell. She is the pride of Fort Hadley until, one morning, her body is found, naked and bound, on the firing range.
Paul Brenner is a member of the Army's elite undercover investigative unit and the man in charge of this politically explosive case. Teamed with rape specialist...more
Paul Brenner is a member of the Army's elite undercover investigative unit and the man in charge of this politically explosive case. Teamed with rape specialist...more
Paperback, 464 pages
Published
November 1st 1993
by Grand Central Publishing
(first published 1992)
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Excellent mystery. Kept me up late a few nights. I figured out early on who killed the general's daughter, but DeMille did some skillful misdirecting to make me question my guess for a few hundred pages. Sneaky devil.
Some of the characters here are depraved in a way I wouldn't expect from DeMille, but they serve his purpose. He highlights some problems created by having males and females serving side by side in the military.
I loved the witty banter between investigators Paul Brenner and Cynthi...more
Some of the characters here are depraved in a way I wouldn't expect from DeMille, but they serve his purpose. He highlights some problems created by having males and females serving side by side in the military.
I loved the witty banter between investigators Paul Brenner and Cynthi...more
This was the very first Nelson DeMille novel that I ever read. It’s also the only of one of his books (to this point) to have been made into a feature film.
Paul Brenner is a JAG-type military investigator dispatched to an army base (the fictional Fort Hadley) to investigate a murder. The victim is Ann Campbell, who is found naked, bound and gagged on the base’s firing range. Campbell was an up-and-coming soldier, the poster-child for the ‘new army,’ and daughter of Fort Hadley’s general. Brenne...more
Paul Brenner is a JAG-type military investigator dispatched to an army base (the fictional Fort Hadley) to investigate a murder. The victim is Ann Campbell, who is found naked, bound and gagged on the base’s firing range. Campbell was an up-and-coming soldier, the poster-child for the ‘new army,’ and daughter of Fort Hadley’s general. Brenne...more
Where have I been that I didn't know that this book existed or that it was made into a movie 10 years ago?!
As others have mentioned, one of the benefits of the book club is the opportunity to read something I would not have sought out on my own. Left to my own devices, I probably would have passed up this great murder/mystery.
After settling into the book, I was captivated by the unfolding of the crime and the subsequent events that led up to the final "who done it." At times, however, I found...more
As others have mentioned, one of the benefits of the book club is the opportunity to read something I would not have sought out on my own. Left to my own devices, I probably would have passed up this great murder/mystery.
After settling into the book, I was captivated by the unfolding of the crime and the subsequent events that led up to the final "who done it." At times, however, I found...more
I'm not going to lie. I read this book because of the movie and wanted to compare the two. The movie centered a lot on Paul Brenner and it actually showed Brenner and the General's daughter actually meeting when that didn't happen in the book. The only thing that's similar is the actual case but a lot of the things that happened in the movie didn't really happen in the book.
The book was a really fast read. The General's daughter was found murdered early in the morning and it's up to Paul Brenner...more
The book was a really fast read. The General's daughter was found murdered early in the morning and it's up to Paul Brenner...more
Captain Ann Campbell is found naked, tied spread-eagled to four tent posts, possibly raped and murdered on the rifle range at Camp Hadley in Georgia. The daughter of her war hero commanding officer, Captain Campbell has been engaging in a decade long war or sorts with her father which may have culminated in her death. CID detectives Paul Brenner and Cynthia Sunhill, themselves former lovers, happen to be on post handling other matters and are assigned to the case. They soon find that Captain Cam...more
Akhirnya kurang jelas sih, masih penasaran dengan apa yang sebenarnya terjadi. Sepanjang cerita juga tokoh utamanya, Paul Brenner yang detektif tentara itu kebanyakan menebak-nebak berdasarkan profil psikologi dan data forensik aja. Berhubung keterangan saksi banyak yang tidak sepenuhnya jujur. Ketidakjujuran yang didasarkan atas kehormatan atasan dan angkatan *mual*.
Ceritanya emang tentara banget. Sangat dijelaskan bahwa tentara berbeda dengan masyarakat sipil, mereka punya kode etik sendiri ya...more
Ceritanya emang tentara banget. Sangat dijelaskan bahwa tentara berbeda dengan masyarakat sipil, mereka punya kode etik sendiri ya...more
Action, abuse, affairs, murder, sex, suicide, rape, military, army, love? family, duty, hatred, anger, Nietzsche, crime scene, investigate, pride, corruption, lies, cover-ups, CID, JAG, power, control, and dominance can't even begin to describe the events of the story DeMille weaves.
He had me hooked from page 5 when he explained,
"Midland was an English trading post as early as 1710, and before that it was an outpost of the Spanish colony of St. Augustine in Florida. Prior to that, it wan an In...more
He had me hooked from page 5 when he explained,
"Midland was an English trading post as early as 1710, and before that it was an outpost of the Spanish colony of St. Augustine in Florida. Prior to that, it wan an In...more
Intriguing mystery mixed with Army protocol made for a good read. Unnecessary love interest of Warrant Officer Paul Brenner, made a solid page turner drag a bit slow at times for seemingly no real reason in the story.
Rather graphic at times, which seemed at times gratuitous, and while an important part of the plot, again seemed to slow the book down and almost made me want to put it down (almost), and certainly would be a complete turnoff to anybody with more delicate sensibilities.
In the end t...more
Rather graphic at times, which seemed at times gratuitous, and while an important part of the plot, again seemed to slow the book down and almost made me want to put it down (almost), and certainly would be a complete turnoff to anybody with more delicate sensibilities.
In the end t...more
I have seen the movie so many times, that John Travolta as a rough and sarcastic military investigator Paul Brenner is burned into the back of my head. And I really enjoyed the movie, and will watch it again for the 100th time.
The book was great, and way way way better than the movie, even though I had Travolta's face in the back of my mind while reading it. This is one of those books I stayed up reading way too late, lost track of time, and had that addictive quality too it.
If I was to become a...more
The book was great, and way way way better than the movie, even though I had Travolta's face in the back of my mind while reading it. This is one of those books I stayed up reading way too late, lost track of time, and had that addictive quality too it.
If I was to become a...more
I would note this as a 2 star (just ok) but that would more reflect the fact that I had an old library copy of the audio book CD's, and there were a lot of scratches and heat damage to the last few tracks on each disc.
As far as the book goes, I was intrigued and interested in finding out who the killer was, but I was far from sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for the next thing to happen. I know very little about military protocols and treatment of different kinds of officers, so that was i...more
As far as the book goes, I was intrigued and interested in finding out who the killer was, but I was far from sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for the next thing to happen. I know very little about military protocols and treatment of different kinds of officers, so that was i...more
Today's book is The General's daughter by Nelson Demille. I love Nelson Demille. He has the best male main characters of almost any writer. I am listening to Up country which has the same male character. It takes place in Vietnam in 1995 or so. Demille himself was in Vietnam in 1968 during the Tet offensive, so it is interesting historically as well as good mystery and characters. I think this book was made into a movie with John Travolta as the protagonist, so I am a little leery of seeing it,...more
Colonel Wm. Kent, post provost marshal, never actually confesses. He just blows his brains out. My spouse (Jeff) doesn't at all agree with me, but I still wonder if the true killer was Mrs. Kent? Was he protecting his wife? Taking the blame? After all, he had caused quite a bit of unhappiness and misery in their marriage. I thought DeMille gave a good hint that this could be so. Maybe I'll ask him. Favorite quote, page 352. Ann Campbell: "it's a human tragedy." Paul responds, "What other kinds o...more
33rd - 2012
Novel ini berkisah dari sudut pandang Paul Brenner, perwira CID Kelas 4, yang ketibanan kasus yang tak tak disukai namun tak bisa ditolak: pemerkosaan dan pembunuhan Kapten Ann Campbell, putri seorang jenderal. Bekerja sama dengan mantan kekasihnya, Cynthia Sunhill, ia mengungkap misteri yang penuh korupsi dan kebobrokan skala besar yang menjadi latar belakang pembunuhan itu.
Gaya bertutur orang pertama yang diselingi humor sarkastik yang menggelitik membuat novel tebal dengan tema lum...more
Novel ini berkisah dari sudut pandang Paul Brenner, perwira CID Kelas 4, yang ketibanan kasus yang tak tak disukai namun tak bisa ditolak: pemerkosaan dan pembunuhan Kapten Ann Campbell, putri seorang jenderal. Bekerja sama dengan mantan kekasihnya, Cynthia Sunhill, ia mengungkap misteri yang penuh korupsi dan kebobrokan skala besar yang menjadi latar belakang pembunuhan itu.
Gaya bertutur orang pertama yang diselingi humor sarkastik yang menggelitik membuat novel tebal dengan tema lum...more
I gave this book 3 stars only because it took so long for the characters to solve the mystery of who killed the General's daughter. The book seemed to go on and on with the characters interviewing other characters about who killed the daughter, and I had to put the book down for a few weeks because it seemd to crawl for awhile. I did finish the book and found out who did kill the daughter, but I won't give it away here. Maybe the book will go faster for you than it did for me.
The story line was...more
The story line was...more
I picked up this book at Half Price Books the other day and really liked it. I had previously seen the movie years ago. This was an entertaining thriller that was intense throughout the entire book. The protagonist, Paul Brenner, was a very likable character that continuously pushed the limits of his power as an officer in the Army's CID. The only criticism I have of the book is that it gave you the obvious killer way too early in the book. I think DeMille could have lead the reader on and threw...more
Sep 07, 2007
Ira
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
detective-police,
war-fiction
Judulnya kalo di Indonesia-in mirip judul film tahun 80-an, siapa yang yang main....??? aku inget malah muka yang jadi jendralnya, Amy Priyono kalo nggak salah hehehe.
Ceritanya di mulai saat terbunuhnya Ann Campbell di suatu lapangan di base Angkatan Darat Amerika Serikat. Ann yang juga putri seorang jenderal yang mengepalai basis tersebut. Ann di ketemukan dalam keadaan telanjang dan terikat. Dari hasil penyelidikan di ketahui bahwa selain di bunuh, Ann juga di perkosa. Hal ini dianggap mencore...more
Ceritanya di mulai saat terbunuhnya Ann Campbell di suatu lapangan di base Angkatan Darat Amerika Serikat. Ann yang juga putri seorang jenderal yang mengepalai basis tersebut. Ann di ketemukan dalam keadaan telanjang dan terikat. Dari hasil penyelidikan di ketahui bahwa selain di bunuh, Ann juga di perkosa. Hal ini dianggap mencore...more
An enjoyable read, though I can't distinguish the difference between DeMille's narrators. Campbell and Corey seem pretty much the same guy. The treatment of women in this book, especially the kinky sexual victim, feels wrongheaded. Fantasia rather than real. It's like someone who only read books about fetishes trying to make a character in a novel out of that book-learning. In a sense, the same is true, in general, about all the women in DeMille's work. Not for the sexism feint-of-heart.
This was a pretty standard murder mystery involving the murder or a general's daughter on an army base in Georgia. Her body was left in a rather compromising position leading the detectives to uncover a great deal of the sordid past and present surrounding the woman's life. My main problem with this book is the main character is almost completely unlikeable, aside from being from southie. He makes snap judgements on everyone and is pretty much always right which I find tiresome. I also hate when...more
Brenner is a military investigator dispatched to an army base to investigate a murder. The victim is Ann Campbell an up-an-coming soldier and the daughter of a Fort Hadley's general. Brenner discovers she was a woman of loose morals and this may have led to her murder. Brenner is reunited with an old girlfriend, who is assigned to help with the investigation. Beneath the surface lurks scandals and secrets that can destory many. This is a captivating mystery.
An above average novel for this genre, but not great. The characters and setting are interesting, but the mystery is really easy to solve (I see that a lot of other readers said the same thing, so it's not just me). Solidly written and well plotted, and an entertaining read anyway. BTW, the movie is dreadful. One of the most disappointing part of the book is actually the forward by the author where he shamelessly shills for the movie adaptation. Ugh.
My mother is a huge Nelson Demille fan and I decided to make this book my first because I wanted to read the book before I saw the movie. As with all Hollywood translations, the book was waaaay different but okay for a first taste of Demille's writing style. Admittedly the type of assault performed in the book was a hot button for me, so I haven't read anything else from this author yet, but I'll discuss the choice of the next one with my mother first.
Fantastic and haunting murder mystery. A brilliant but naive cadet is brutally raped, betrayed by her father, who loves his career more then her, and is permanently emotionally damaged as a result. She is found murdered and it is up to a warrant officer to find her killer and bring him to justice. The characters were completely believeable, especially the victim who is destroyed by a system and a family that should have protected and helped her.
All in all, a really good mystery. My only problem with this book is that the character who ends up being best developed is dead the entire book. I ended up not really caring about the antagonists or their lives or their relationship. In fact, the story could have been told just as well without knowing anything about their romantic involvement at all. I'd read another of DeMille's mysteries, but not because of his detectives.
I was somewhat excited to read this book because i have not really read any murder mystery's and I like to watch this stuff on TV so I thought i would like to read some. The book was okay, but I was a little disappointed that you pretty much knew who the murderer was fairly early in the book well, at least about 3/4 of the way through. Now I am ready The Alienist on my own- Now this is a murder mystery!!
This is a standard thriller; quick and easy to read. Tension was built up quickly, and there was fast pace when investigating and trying to find out what happened to Ann Campbell. They uncover lots about her private, sexual life, then the story does lose pace a bit. Did't find the characters of the investigators to be particularly interesting. Still a good read though, I would read others in the series.
It's always good to discover a new author (well, to me at least). This was thoroughly entertaining and it seems to me that the similarity with Lee Child's Jack Reacher is uncomfortably close, except that Brenner (MC) has a few more friends. If you are interested in S&M you might find this interesting. I did, but I'm a simple person really. I'll certainly be looking out for more Paul Brenner tales.
This is an excellent book with plenty of snappy dialogue and a compelling plot. The 2 central characters are US Army Criminal Investigation Division agents trying to solve the brutal murder of an Army Captain, who is the daughter of a famous General. A movie was made in 1999 with John Travolta and Madeline Stowe in the lead roles. The two continue in a later, and even better book, Up Country.
Paul Brenner basically works for the Army's version of IAB. He is asked to work on a sensitive case. The general's daughter was killed. She was found naked, spread-eagle in the rifle range, staked to tent pegs. In addition to the delicate nature of the crime, Brenner has to partner up with an ex-lover. Together, they work on the case, slowly uncovering the truths hidden by an entire military base, and then some...
The story was good, but I found the writing a little long winded. I almost put the...more
The story was good, but I found the writing a little long winded. I almost put the...more
I really liked this book.Right up my alley.It opens with the murder of the title character and its resultant CID investigation. The main characters are the investigating team. We slowly find that the General's daughter is not what she had seemed to be i.e. a gung-ho career officer. Impediments are placed in the investigators way primarily due to Army concerns. It kept me reading and interested.
I enjoyed meeting Paul Brenner and I am looking foward to reading the next DeMille book with Brenner. I liked the no nonsence story telling and DeMille does not go off a tangent in this book with descriptions of what the people are wearing does not repeat the same info. I was a sad story and it gave Paul Brenner a caring human side without being wimpy.
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Nelson Richard DeMille was born in New York City on August 23, 1943 to Huron and Antonia (Panzera) DeMille. He moved as a child with his family to Long Island. In high school, he played football and ran track.
DeMille spent three years at Hofstra University, then joined the Army and attended Officer Candidate School. He was a First Lieutenant in the United States Army (1966-69) and saw action as an...more
More about Nelson DeMille...
DeMille spent three years at Hofstra University, then joined the Army and attended Officer Candidate School. He was a First Lieutenant in the United States Army (1966-69) and saw action as an...more
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“Basically, all women are nurturers and healers, and all men are mental patients to varying degrees.”
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“I enjoy the presence of a woman in the house for brief periods of time. They fall into two categories: the organizers and the slobs. There’s probably a third category—the naggers, who try to get you to do things, but I’ve never run into one of those. Oddly, I have no preference regarding oganizers or slobs, as long as they don’t try to pick my clothes for me. Basically, all women are nurturers and healers, and all men are mental patients to varying degrees. It works fine if people stick to their fated roles. But nobody does.”
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Nov 02, 2012 07:04am