Ripped from the headlines - a group of retired spies uncover a plot by a rogue Communist government to end the USA using an EMP. Their ragtag band features the children of greatest generation and some additions from MI-6 and other intelligence services.The 'twist' is that this book was originally published in 1976 and the crazy communists were the USSR and the spies were OSS agents. In addition to trying to save the world the 'good guys' are trying to discover which of their agents is Talbot a t...

DeMille is another of my favorite authors. Some of his books and series I like more than others. I particularly enjoyed 'Plum Island' where the John Corey character is introduced, 'The Charm School', and 'The General's Daughter'. I don't know why I had been saving this book, and was surprised that one character seemed to be a precursor of John Corey. Great mix of subplots and surprises without confusing the reader or on the other hand oversimplifying. A fast-paced action thriller in the days of

I will admit it took about 250-300 pages to get hooked into the book. It is like reading a James Bond movie only not really knowing who James Bond is or who's side he is on...all the secret agents, double agents, triple agents...It was one wild helicopter ride!

I love Demille, but I didn't love this one.Having essentially completed the Demille canon, I was disappointed with The Talbot Odyssey after my family promised me it was a "really good" one. The first 100 pages required two readings and I was still unsure what was going on and where the book was going. There are too many seemingly-unrelated incidents, story lines and characters that don't make a whole lot of sense until you're half way through the damn book. This hide-the ball approach does pay o...

One of DeMille's earlier novels, the story started out really slow, with an overwhelming number of characters, didn't know who the good guys and the bad guys were, but after awhile after sticking with it, things started to make sense and unravel, a good James Bond-type thriller!The Talbot Odyssey takes place years after the end of World War II, and many decades later, the US face a new threat, a highly trained operative code-named Talbot, is a mole inside the CIA. Enter street-smart ex-Cop Tony

It's funny, rating this. I would describe this book as "OK" but if I give it two stars it would give the wrong impression. This is "OK" for a Nelson DeMille book. But that just means it isn't his best - and, like pizza, even when it's not the best, "It's still pizza man! And who doesn't love pizza? Right?" My point is that Nelson DeMille is awesome and bits of his sarcasm and humor and wit and smarts and sly political statments and laughing at bureaucrats and such are on display here, but not en...

This is another one of those books for which I wish there was a fractional rating system. This is a great story but does not rate a "5" nor does it rate a "4" I would give it a 4.6. This story starts out slow - in fact, I thought about discarding it through the first 100 or so pages. Then it really picked up and I could not stop.Another great plot from Demille.

Well structured but dry as chalk dust in the desert. The gigantic cast gets overwhelming and requires a flow chart. If this was my first DeMille book, I doubt I'd have read more but a decent example of how a writer can grow and become far more entertaining...it just didn't happen yet for this example.

I am beginning to believe that if DeMille wrote a book that was a flop (as if) the narrator he works with would bring the book to life!It's been 40 years since Western Intelligence learned that the Russians had a mole (code-name Talbot) inside the CIA. When Talbot masterminds a first-strike war plan against the U.S. the overflow spills into the streets of NY City where a street-smart ex-cop uncovers the gist of things to come.The U.S. is now working against the clock; or being a well-informed ag...

The Talbot Odyssey is a very early Nelson DeMille. The Talbot Odyssey is set in the eighties, in New York City, when we are on shaky grounds with the Russians. Tony Abrams is a former NYC PD detective, now a process server at a prestigious law firm. He's studying for the bar and hopes to land a permanent job with the firm. It becomes obvious a short time into the story that all appearances are not what they seem and there is much more to the situation and the people involved than we expect. Lead...

This book starts out slow, but reading further, I became intrigued with the characters. There are lots of twists and turns in this book which kept me riveted. There are many story lines involving the main characters, and though it was difficult at times to keep things straight, I'm glad that I didn't give up. The John Corey series is much easier to follow, but this book gave me a lot to think about.

It was a slow read at first. Then I got caught up in the story and I couldn't put it down until I know how The Talbot Odyssey ends. This was a heart-pounding, suspenseful story on espionage and patriotism, loyalty and betrayal. It was also a reminder of "how little we know of men's hearts and souls."

My favorite of his books. I've read it many times.

Lots of intrigue. Double and triple agents. Torture, mayhem. gotta' love it.

Boring. Got to page 2xx and realized I couldn't care less about any of the characters or how it ended. Quit reading at that point. Too slow and laborious with little to show for slogging through.

enjoyable,captivating,terrific!!

I have been a Nelson DeMille fan forever. What a disappointment this one was. In my opinion it was a tangled and confusing quagmire loaded with extraneous and confusing dialog and prose. The writing actually felt amateurish to me. It was written in 1984 and I assume the story would have been contemporary in the eighties. The plot centered around a group of New York lawyers who were ex-OSS operatives from the WWII era. This old boy network was trying to ferret out a Soviet bad guy whose code name...

Another enjoyable Nelson DeMille thriller, set in the mid-eighties detailing the tensions of the Cold War. One of my favorite parts of this book was how the book was told from the perspective of every character, big and small. It would make for a great movie, with scenes transferring perspective from character to character.My only major issue with the story was the motivation behind the antagonists actions. To me there was not enough motive for the treason they were caught up in.

I usually like books by Nelson DeMille but this one just didn't cut it. It was a lot of info that didn't seem to fit anywhere (or it was just being drawn out - it's like a 26-hour book. I tried to get into it but just couldn't.

despite being overly 'wordy', taking a long time to develop the story line and an over abundance of characters that were hard to keep track of, eventually it all came together and was on of his best. The threat of an EMP is not fiction either, it remains a real threat, so I found that quite compelling. Funny how over the years people have discounted Russia as a global threat. They still are, perhaps more so than before. It would be an interesting new book for DeMille.

The story has way too many similar characters, and I had no interest in any of them. There are some well written sections but for me it was like walking in the desert and finding an oasis, too long a journey for a brief bright spot.

Very good book for those who like “cloak and dagger” thrillers. Pretty much non stop action. Lots of twists and turns, double agents and more.

Toby Abrams, an ex-cop, has been with the O'Brien, Kimberly, and Rose law firm of New York for just a little over a year. Having the protection of a rather mundane, unobscure job, he suddenly finds himself in a swirl of intrigue, wondering who, when, where and how. Time seems to be of the essence as people start dying or disappearing rIght and left. The Russians seem to be out to destroy America, but the questions are how and when. With the help of Katherine Rose (lawyer), an acne pocked teenage...

I read the John Corey novels (Plumb Island, The Lion's Game, Night Fall and Wild Fire) first. I enjoyed them so much that I went back and started to read all of DeMille's other novels. Tony Abrams really reminds me of John Corey, with his witty smart-assed comments. The book was a bit uneven. There were parts that dragged, and other parts that I couldn't wait to turn the page. The agent, double agent, triple agent scenarios seemed a bit contrived. I never felt that I was bought in to the motives...

Fast, frightening, fantastically forebodingConsider this a timely read in 2017. Had I read this long ago the psychological impact would have had far less an affect. DeMille, like a good friend, reminds me why this genre has been the most satisfying. If you desire to be taken away on a wild ride, w racing heart into frighteningly plausible plot, look no farther. If you, reader, have never experienced DeMille start with his first and grow into the knowledge he will never disappoint.

The plot trailers showed great potential...then pfffftt. The first 100 pages was so slow and complex that I was unsure what was going on and where the book was going. Then, there are too many seemingly-unrelated incidents, story lines and characters that don't make a whole lot of sense until you're through the book. The gigantic cast gets overwhelming. I gave up about half way through and skipped to the end -- very unsatisfying and I still don't know who "Talbot" is.

This is the first Nelson DeMille book that I read. People claimed I would like him, but they were very wrong unless this is a bad example of his writing. The book went from being unrealistic with characters that were undeveloped to being completely absurd with characters that I wished would die. The good thing about this book was that it was not terrible, just bad.I have another book by DeMille and will give him a second chance as good authors sometimes produce stinkers.

Awesome Cold War intrigue, with some unpredictable twists.Nelson DeMille has a talent for opening up info about other countries like few others I've read. He did it with the books on Vietnam, same here about the Russians, even though the events take place in the USA. Add to that his great job of 'painting' the characters, his inimitable humor and it's another very entertaining, always educational book that's worth your time.

I really like Nelson DeMille's sense of humour.The credibility got a little stretched toward the end, but the plot was well worked and intricate: we thought about the ins-and-outs for days after finishing. If was refreshing having a book that tied up all the lose ends, but still left room for digging.

I love DeMille and his magnificent "Word of honor" and "Plum Island", but The Oddyssey is far behind. An unrealistic plot, too many dull characters (excepting Abrams), too much blood and violence in the final. Besides, I don't understand teenagers who play in russian embassy garden and people running in cemeteries.