Blood Lines
Nelson DeMille
From New York Times bestselling authors Nelson DeMille and Alex DeMille, Blood Lines features the return of Special Agents Brodie and Taylor who are on the hunt for the cold-blooded murderer of one of their fellow agents. Army Criminal Investigation Agents Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor have been separated for five months following their last assignment, a dangerous mission in Venezuela to locate and detain an infamous Army deserter. Now, in Berlin, they are reunited and tasked with investigating the murder of one of their own: CID Special Agent Harry Vance of the 5th MP Battalion, an accomplished counterterrorism agent who had been stationed in western Germany, and whose body was discovered in a city park in the heart of Berlin’s Arab refugee community. more
512 pages, Hardcover
First published Scribner
4.35
Rating
7004
Ratings
410
Reviews
Nelson DeMille
175 books 6784 followers
Nelson Richard DeMille was born in New York City on August 23, 1943 to Huron and Antonia (Panzera) DeMille, then moved with his parents to Long Island. He graduated from Elmont Memorial High School, where he played football and ran track.DeMille spent three years at Hofstra University, then joined the Army where he attended Officer Candidate School and was commissioned a Lieutenant in the United States Army (1966-69). He saw action in Vietnam as an infantry platoon leader with the First Cavalry Division and was decorated with the Air Medal, Bronze Star, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry.
After his discharge, DeMille returned to Hofstra University where he received his bachelor’s degree in Political Science and History. He has three children, Lauren, Alexander, and James, and resides on Long Island.
DeMille's first major novel was By the Rivers of Babylon, published in 1978, and is still in print as are all his succeeding novels. He is a member of American Mensa, The Authors Guild, past president of the Mystery Writers of America, and Book-of-the-Month Club Judge. He is also a member of International Thriller Writers and was chosen as ThrillerMaster of the Year 2015. DeMille is an Honorary Trustee of the Walt Whitman Birthplace Association and holds three honorary doctorates: Doctor of Humane Letters from Hofstra University, Doctor of Literature from Long Island University, and Doctor of Humane Letters from Dowling College.
Nelson DeMille is the author of: By the Rivers of Babylon, Mayday (co-authored with Thomas Block ), Cathedral, The Talbot Odyssey, Word of Honor, The Charm School, The Gold Coast, The General's Daughter, Spencerville, Plum Island, The Lion's Game, Up Country, Night Fall, Wild Fire, The Gate House, The Lion, The Panther, The Quest, Radiant Angel, The Cuban Affair, The Deserter (co-authored with his son, Alex DeMille), The Maze, and Blood Lines (co-authored with Alex DeMille). Nelson DeMille has also contributed short stories to anthologies, and book reviews and articles to magazines and newspapers.
Community reviews
I really like the way Nelson DeMille’s writes, he tends to produce lengthy tales featuring spikey characters who always have a good deal to say for themselves. There’s always humour too, plenty of it. But dialogue – great dialogue – is unfailingly my favourite element. Here, U. S. more
I enjoy the thrills and suspense of a good espionage and crime novel and this one, written by the father/son team of Nelson and Alex DeMille, fits the bill. Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor who are Special Agents in the US Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID), who worked together as the primary characters in the first book in this series, "The Deserter", are reunited to solve the murder of an Army CIC Agent in Berlin. The book lays down a good amount of backstory to start, in case the reader hasn't read the previous book. This can definitely be read as a standalone. There are enough military and investigative acronyms to fill the alphabet: CID, CIC, FBI, OCS, CIA, KIA, BKO, TCIC, DIA, JSOC, DMZ, CO, PFC, DOD, to name a few, and CVS (the pharmacy) for good measure. more
This is a story about Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor who are US Army CID agents. They are sent to Berlin to investigate the murder of their work colleague Harry Vance. Once they arrive at the scene and are in their first inter agency meeting with the FBI, State Department, Berlin Police and German Intelligence they soon learn that their hands are tied and they aren’t allowed to investigate only to observe. Well of course this doesn’t sit well with Brodie and he immediately decides to go his own rogue way. Maggie tries to keep him in line some what but soon sees that his methods get results. more
Book ReviewBlood LinesAlex DeMille & Nelson DeMillereviewed by Lou Jacobs readersremains. com | Goodreads Never underestimate the insane; they may be crazy, but they’re not stupid. This phrase aptly describes several of the main protagonists encountered by Army Criminal Investigation Agents (CID) Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor. This cinematic tour-de-force thriller marks the welcome return of this unconventional duo. Scott Brodie is a blend of James Bond and “Rambo”, endowed with wit and sarcasm, and is teamed with the equally dangerous and feisty Maggie Taylor, who is “tough as nails” and has a striking blonde appearance. more
Sheesh I’ve run into a streak of BORING books lately. Usually like Demille but this book was so wordy and slow moving. . more
In Nelson and Alex DeMille's second book in the Scott Brodie series, Blood Lines (Scribner 2023), Scot and Maggie, his partner from the prior assignment (who swore she'd never again work with him), again team up to solve the murder of a fellow CID officer in Germany. The investigation requires interagency cooperation across geopolitical and international lines. Scott's aggressive approach to crime solving is again out of sync with everyone else which causes him problems, even though he gets results. The biggest question became: Will he solve the murder of his friend before he is pulled off the case. Throughout the process, the reader is treated to lots of Scott's irreverent humor and Maggie's tough investigation skills. more
series about Army CID Agents Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor, set five years after the first novel, The Deserter, we find that Brodie at least has spent the last few years doing routine cases in the hinterland with worthless partners. There has been no contact with Maggie at all and he has been warned in the strongest terms not to discuss what took place in Venezuela. The setting for the latest novel in this series, which is a detective series that has elements of espionage and black ops military action, we travel to unified Berlin. Though the city was unified over twenty years earlier and the only remnants of the wall are found in museums, presidential libraries, or a thin line painted in the roadway, it is difficult to escape the ghosts of the past. As Scott and Maggie investigate the death of one of their own in a park at night without backup, there is little that makes sense. more
Blood Lines starts out engaging and intriguing, but quickly turns tedious and onerous. By the time Brodie and Taylor are checking out of the Art Hotel and the innkeeper informs them there is a three-night minimum, you are totally confused. They’ve only been in Berlin for two days. Two days. At this point in the novel there’s been so much writing and yet so much inactivity you figure it’s been at least two weeks. more
This was a very exciting and interesting book. Alex Demille is following in his father's footsteps in a very good way. Brodie and Taylor are Army CID officers who barely made it out of Venezuela alive in the first book in this series, The Deserter, which I skimmed to remind myself of the story. 5 months later, after being sent to different cities, are reunited and sent to Berlin to solve a homicide of a CID officer there. The interactions of State Department personnel, FBI, CIA and NSA are quite fascinating to me. more
Nelson DeMille has a formula. He also has a fanbase that enjoys this formula of quick-witted alpha males that treat life as an eighties action movie full of beer, blondes, and big booms. Yet over the past decade, the DeMille formula has slowly become tiresome with its repetitive cycle. Moments of joy, such as the release of a new John Corey novel, slipped into the ennui of been-there and done-that. Fortunately, the DeMille method gets a needed infusion with Blood Lines. more
Some five years have passed since the first novel in this series took place (The Deserter) and Army CID agent Scott Brodie is stuck. He’s been assigned a less-than-ideal partner and has been put on basic, boring run-of-the-mill cases. Despite many attempts, his efforts to communicate with his previous partner, Maggie Taylor, have gone unanswered. It’s obvious their time in Venezuela and subsequent uncovering of highly classified operations there have led to their being sidelined at work. But now one of their own, an Army CID agent has been murdered in the unified city of Berlin, Germany. more
DeMille is back. Following a strange and disappointing last effort with John Corey, this book is a welcome relief in a complex, engaging, thoroughly researched, and exciting tale. I gave it the following SCORE:Setting: Present day Germany, including an interesting examination of the current political and civil situationCharacters: Returning protagonists from “The Deserter” – Military CID special agents Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor, who play off each other with the expected difference of opinions and philosophies, including Brodie’s perpetual optimism and sarcasm. A wide supporting cast of FBI, CIA, State Department and various German police and military officials make this a story where attention to detail is required. Also, a mandatory appearance by Brodie’s old nemesis adds to the fun, excitement, and plot convolutions. more
Soctt Brodie and Maggie Taylor,Army Criminal Investigators were successful on their last joint case but were sworn to secrecy and separated as partners once home in the US due to the "nature" of the case. Now, a longtime CID agent Harry Vance is murdered in Berlin and the dept needs their top investigators on the case but are not in charge and have no real investigative powers. That however doesn't stop Brodie. He follows leads however thin, and uncovers the real reason for Harry's murder- a spy named Odin never uncovered during WWII. It's a bit slow in parts but believeable. more
As a fan of DeMille I was a little disappointed. It is a lengthy, tedious read with too many characters to keep track of. I don’t think counterterrorism is my thing…. too many organizations to follow CIA,FBI,CID and other military acronyms that overwhelmed me. I’d like to see some more John Corey novels from Mr. more
Another Excellent Read. I have been a fan of Nelson DeMille for years. This book did not disappoint. Another political thriller that kept you on your toes wondering where the next plot twist would take you. Excellent tidbits bout the East German Stasi just as the Berlin wall was falling. more
The only very small complaint I have - is this was a more serious novel - even by Nelson DeMille's standards. Where is the snarky John Corey when you need him. more
Lots of action, suspense and intrigue. 5 ⭐️s. more
Berlin Germany is the setting for this murder/mystery. Sent to find out why one of their own was murdered, Brodie and Maggie run into so many obstacles. The rest is hard to follow as it involves treason, bio weapons, and so much more. There was too much German history of Stasi secret police which was hard to understand. more
“Bloodlines” is a worthy successor to "The Deserter," Nelson and Alex DeMille’s first novel starring U. S. Army CID agents Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor. It’s a murder mystery set in Berlin, a flash point for many of the global crises and conflicts occurring since the end of World War II. In “The Deserter,” Brodie and Taylor learned some things they shouldn’t have about the US Intelligence community. more
Ending was good but first three quarters were trite and slow. more
Blood Lines features the return of Army Criminal Investigation Agents Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor. The agents are reunited after being separated for five months following a reassignment after their last dangerous mission. Their new mission is to take part in a murder investigation in Berlin. One of their own CID Special Agents was found dead in a park in Berlin with a bullet hole in his head. Nelson and Alex DeMille fill the novel with interesting characters and exciting plot twists. more
Was disappointed with Blood Lines and the plot of counterterrorism. I am a huge fan of Mr. DeMille and his humor cannot be surpassed. It just seemed like your typical terrorist novel with none of his marvelous personality. I'm sure others will be delighted with his book. more
Alex DeMille has joined his Dad, Nelson DeMille to write an excellent novel. 5*****. I read all 495 pages of this exciting novel in near record time. for me. It is interesting, exciting, and full of DeMille's 'wise guy' comments that add so much enjoyment in reading a DeMille novel. more
Totally entertaining second novel featuring the Army CID investigative duo Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor. They are brought out of punishment deployments, as a result of their ruffling feathers of the US Intelligence Community in "The Deserter," and are reunited to cooperate with the German authorities' investigation into the murder of a fellow CID investigator. Feather ruffling ensue in this great sequel. Both Characters are not unlike DeMille's own John Brenner or Baldacci's John Puller. In fact, I'd probably place the duo right up there with Lee Child's Jack Reacher and Maj. more
OMG, this book might make a great movie but . At 496 pages it is at least 200 pages too long. Basic plot a CID agent is murdered in Berlin, Brodie Scott and Maggie Taylor (who are in limbo because of their previous mission) are sent to Berlin to figure out what happened. From being told that the government thought the murder was the result of Muslims taking revenge to Neo Nazis the story goes on and on and on. I kept checking to see how many pages were left to get to the end. more
The story is a little out there, but I enjoyed it plus there will be a Brodie & Taylor #3, if there is any honor among writers. Brodie is the smart-mouth, stubborn, get-the-job-done kind of guy. Taylor is a more by-the-rules kind of woman but goes along with Brodie even when his ideas are a little out there. It is like the high school kid that does everything right, that is until a friend who does very little right, leads them both down a path they shouldn't be on. If you are looking for depth, wisdom, philosophical, life changing read, well this isn’t the book you are looking for. more
What a mess is left behind the Nazis, Stasi, terrorists when they complete their initial mayhem, the various consequences roll onwards to affect and afflict the next generations. The entire novel attempts to sort through these webs of deceit. more
Book 2 of the Brodie and Taylor series. This one takes place in Germany as the duo trues to solve a murder. Plenty of action with a satisfying ending. 4. 25 🌟. more