Monty Python needs to keep looking. This book is not his Holy Grail.

My quest was further confirmation that Nelson DeMille could hold me as well as any other author. I’ve stayed with him through many a long-winded tale involving espionage, war crimes, and middle-aged mob sex in Long Island. DeMille’s Gold Coast is one of my all time favorites.

The Quest has me searching for that old DeMille magic. It wasn’t evident here.

This is actually a rewrite of a story DeMille penned in 1975. The original version was much shorter. Mr. DeMille is not a fan of brevity. Often, his enthusiasm is worth it. Not always.

The story itself is solid. Three journalist stumble upon a dying priest in the middle of an Ethiopian civil war. The priest’s final breath reveals secrets of the jungle. The scribes escape the clutches of a sadistic dictator bent on separating men from their tender regions. The reporters vow to return to scour the war ridden jungle in search of a treasure. The dying words of the priest are their map.

They want to find the Holy Grail.

For me, The Quest stepped into a quicksand of minutia. As excited as I was to follow our clan on their odyssey, DeMille kept me wandering off into the pond fronds. Too much detail about the Ethiopian civil war factions. Too many explorations of the Vatican library. Too much time spent in the sack, or in the spa, or in the bushes, groping around an unnecessary love triangle.

Despite its tediousness, The Quest is smart and spirited. It’s not just about a journey to find a treasure, it’s also about faith. It’s about finding God, seeing God, and allowing God to find you.

I liked that part of the story.

I just wish DeMille’s quest had gotten there quicker.