The Last Detail

A Novel

By: Darryl Ponicsan

Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot

The acclaimed novel that was the basis for the classic movie starring Jack Nicholson.

Unlike other branches of the armed services, the Navy draws its police force from the ranks as temporary duty - Shore Patrol. In this funny, bawdy, moving audiobook set during the height of the Vietnam War, two career sailors in transit in Norfolk, Virginia - Billy "Bad-Ass" Buddusky and Mule Mulhall - are assigned to escort 18-year-old Larry Meadows from Norfolk to the brig in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where he is to serve an eight-year sentence for petty theft. It's good duty, until the two old salts realize the injustice of the sentence and are oddly affected by the naive innocence of their young prisoner.

In the five days allotted for the detail, they decide to show Meadows something of the life he doesn't yet know to help him survive the long ordeal ahead, and to purge their own shame. What follows is an unlikely road trip by bus and train up the eastern seaboard, and an indelible journey of initiation and discovery, filled with beer-soaked wisdom, big city lights, revelry, brawls, debauchery, love, and surprising moments of tenderness.

©1971 Darryl Ponics?n (P)2017 Novel Audio Inc.

Surprising ending

I read the book when I was a teenager back in the 70s then I saw the movie it was excellent great writing good story

Excellent Story

I liked the feel of it. It was clearly written by an old salt. No “Hollywood ending” there. And now we live in a world full of fools who think the Cold War is over and don’t even realize that nine of our eleven carriers are permanently in dry dock because we’ve got nobody to crew them and nobody to fix them, because we have eliminated American public education. Education IS national defense. Billy BadAss would just laugh.

Ahoy!

Good novel about crap life in the Navy. Lots of laughs and good hearted characters made me enjoy it very much

I got your review, swingin'!

just great. The movie is a must-see in my book, but the performance in this audiobook kicked ass, and the writing makes it just as entertaining as the movie.

Exceptional

Bronson Pinchot was outstanding. I truly enjoyed his delivery and portrayal of the characters in this book.
5 star all around...