Book Description
Army CID Special Agents Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor team up for their toughest assignment yet as they are dispatched to Camp Hayden to investigate the death of Major Roger Ames, the chief scientist in charge of the top-secret war games being conducted between a platoon of Army Rangers and a fleet of “lethal autonomous weapons.” Brodie and Taylor find themselves at ground zero of the next generation of warfare, and must untangle the complex web of alliances, animosities, and secret agendas among the men and women of the isolated facility.
In a place cut off from the world and exposed to the harsh desert elements, everyone is a suspect—from the zealous camp commander who pushes his men to the limit, to the Rangers slipping into madness due to isolation, grueling training, and rampant abuse of performance-enhancing drugs, to the late Major Ames’s own research colleagues. Brodie and Taylor must uncover layers of deception to find the hidden hand behind the murder of Major Ames, and the real purpose of the activities at Camp Hayden and its terrifying arsenal of next-generation weapons.
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Elise’s Thoughts
Alex DeMille is carrying on the torch of his father. Nelson DeMille passed away on September 17th, 2024, from esophageal cancer. He was resilient, caring, non-woke, and a perfectionist. Readers will see many of the Nelson DeMille traits of the characters in this book, written by Alex, where wokeness does not exist, they are sarcastic, wisecrackers, and are out for justice. As with Nelson DeMille’s plots, this storyline masterfully builds suspense, takes on relevant topics, and has humor and wit. Yet Alex puts his own imprint on the story and characters by having them do things that might shock readers in a good way.
The newly released book in the series Nelson DeMille’s The Tin Men, was written by Alex DeMille. Army CID Special Agents Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor are dispatched to Camp Hayden to investigate the death of Major Roger Ames, the chief scientist in charge of the top-secret war games being conducted between a platoon of Army Rangers and a fleet of “lethal robotic autonomous weapons.” Brodie and Taylor find themselves at ground zero of the next generation of warfare robotic fighters. They must uncover layers of deception to find who is behind the murder of the robot’s creator, Major Ames. The investigation is thwarted by the complex web of alliances, animosities, secret agendas, and the use of performance-enhancing drugs in this isolated desert facility.
The second book of the series, Nelson DeMille’s Blood Lines, is written mostly by Alex DeMille; with an assist from his father. Army Criminal Investigation Agents Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor have been separated for five months following their last assignment. Working together again, they are sent to Berlin, tasked with investigating the murder of one of their own: CID Special Agent Harry Vance of the 5th MP Battalion. Vance is 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. The authorities suspect this is an act of Islamic terrorism, but Brodie and Taylor soon believe there is more than meets the eye. They work to discover what the murder victim was doing in the days and weeks preceding his death, becoming immersed in the many conflicts and contradictions of modern Germany: the Arab refugee crisis, the dark legacy of the Cold War, the Stasi secret police, and the imminent threats of a rising neo-Nazi movement. At the same time, they are butting heads with both the German and American authorities.
The first Nelson DeMille book in the series, The Deserter, was co-written with his son. The story seems to be based on Bowe Berghdal, a US soldier stationed in Afghanistan who walked away from his post, had two of his peers killed trying to find him, and was caught by the Taliban who kept him in supposed captivity. But then the plot takes a twist and turn. Delta Force Army Officer Kyle Mercer, the “Berghdal” character, has escaped the Taliban by beheading his captors and fleeing to Venezuela. After being spotted by an old army buddy the top military brass decides to send two members of the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) to that socialist evil country to find Mercer and bring him back for trial of desertion.
All three books have a riveting plot. Readers are taken on a roller coaster ride in this action-filled story with surprise twists and turns.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: There are three books in the series, what were the differences?
Alex DeMille: The first, The Deserter, was written fully with my dad and was set in Venezuela, the second, Bloodlines, was set in Berlin, and this one was set in America’s Southwest at an Army base like Fort Irwin. The setting came first and the plot with AI/autonomous weapons/robots came later.
I also wanted in the plot something I was reading about, drug abuse in the military. Specifically with the Special Operation elite soldiers using strength enhancing drugs.
In the first two books the main characters had to suck it up, keep their mouths shut, and not talk about the secretive stuff they found out. I wanted this book to be different.
EC: What was it like writing this story, mainly without your dad?
AD: I spoke with my dad about the plot for this book and he pushed for this idea of robotics and AI. He said we can do this and make it real where science fiction become science fact. Because he was so sick, I wrote the whole plot of this book on my own. Although, we did the proposal together: the stage, the characters, and the premise but after that the plot was not blueprinted out. I tried to follow his style whether he wrote with me, or I did it on my own. However, he has a unique voice so I could not parrot him exactly. With that said, he is my parent and have a sense of how he speaks in his writing, humor, and what he finds interesting. A lot of his style came to me through osmosis where a version of his voice melted with my voice. I really did hear his voice in my head when I was writing this book. In a way I felt connected to him after he passed away. I came to the realization, as many children do, that our parents’ voices are in our heads.
EC: Were you in the military?
AD: I was not in the military. This book does lean into the military more than the other two. While writing the first book together, I would have this conversation with my father who was a veteran so I felt comfortable, knowing if there was something that sounded wrong or was factually wrong, he would catch it. For this book, I did go to Fort Irwin where war games are cloned with logistic and combat training. I got to ride on a Blackhawk helicopter. I thought about what kind of weapons would be used by Army Rangers and Titanium Alloy humanoid weapons as well as how a base runs and how each type of officer relates to each other. I had a friend, a former officer in the Marines, read the book for authenticity since CID officers must operate without any consideration of rank.
EC: Were Maggie and Scott both in combat?
AD: Yes. Scott Brodie was a former infantry soldier in Iraq, now a top CID investigator. Maggie Taylor a former Civil Affairs E-5 in Afghanistan, is Scott’s CID partner. Their knowledge of combat was used in this plot. He was in one of the most vicious battles of the Iraq war, the Second Battle of Fallujah. She was a Civil Affairs Officer on the ground that was exposed to danger. Maggie’s first foot forward was diplomatic, and the guns came out if necessary.
EC: Why the drug use in this story?
AD: Partly because it was set in the desert, which I associated with hallucinogens. One can argue that these performance enhancing drugs that soldiers use in real life make them less human and become more like robots. I also had this drug used by many Native Americans where the user reconnects with nature, having ways of altering body and mind.
EC: Has Maggie and Scott, the CID Agents, changed over the course of the three books?
AD: I think they have changed. In the first book Scott was the brilliant crude arrogant rule breaking maverick while Maggie was brilliant but a rule follower who stayed between the lines. Through the course of the three books readers will see Maggie not by the book as she seems and Scott realizes he has limits. I really enjoyed writing Maggie, who was the junior officer to Scott, as she came more into her own and more confident. They both ended up having problems with authority, were untrusting, and rule breakers because the system was corrupt.
EC: What about their relationship?
AD: It began with sexual and professional tension. It grew into a deeper bond with a mutual respect and love for each other. Maggie became more like Scott because she saw through his eyes that these institutions are complicated, and she could not always defend them.
EC: How would you describe the robots, the D-17s?
AD: They are strong, and have the skills to run, jump, flip, roll, and dive. The first image of them is that they are like Terminators. They are not frightening because of their brains, but because of their brawn. They are killing machines. Despite being very powerful and agile they are designed to not have any sophisticated learning. They only engage in certain ways and certain places with certain rules on how they could be deactivated. The goal was to give the Rangers this incredible physical challenge fighting against them. The Rangers never win because they cannot overcome these unstoppable monsters. Throughout the course of the book readers see the humans wonder how they can prevail after the robots became like the “Scarecrow,” getting a brain. The story shows that with AI things can go wrong. I read how it cannot be autonomous without being intelligent and cannot be autonomous if it is too lethal. The military must balance how much the person can be taken out of the loop.
EC: How did you come up with the names for the robots?
AD: I do not remember if it was my idea or my dad’s idea to use baseball player names. I know he said the robots need names because the military names everything. The CEO of Simon & Schuster suggested instead of Wade Boggs to use Bucky Dent. I thought Bucky is an interesting name for a robot.
EC: What about the AI effect?
AD: I dislike it because I see all the ways it replaces human communication and human art. But a friend, a radiologist oncologist, pointed out, how it quickly can identify breast cancer. To me, in this case, humans were not taken out of the loop, and the machines were used as a machine. AI should be doing the grunt work so we can do art, not the other way around where AI does the art, so we all become grunts.
EC: Do you agree with David Baldacci that says AI companies are committing plagiarism and piracy of authors’ works?
AD: I completely agree with him. It is theft where learning models are taught on the work of the creators. They are using real artwork. How can someone trace what intellectual property feeds into it? I do not trust Congress to do anything. I am not optimistic that government is going to put any of this on a leash.
EC: What do you want readers to get out of this book?
AD: What it is like to lose humanity and then to regain it. Do the soldiers become the machines they are fighting against?
EC: Next book?
AD: I would be happy to write another Taylor/Brodie book, and I also have another idea for a thriller book.
THANK YOU!!
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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
