Milo Weaver used to be a “tourist” for the CIA—an undercover agent with no home, no identity—but he’s since retired from the field to become a middle-level manager at the CIA’s New York headquarters. He’s acquired a wife, a daughter, and a brownstone in Brooklyn, and he’s tried to leave his old life of secrets and lies behind. However, when the arrest of a long-sought-after assassin sets off an investigation into one of Milo’s oldest colleagues and exposes new layers of intrigue in his old cases, he has no choice but to go back undercover and find out who’s holding the strings once and for all.
In The Tourist, Olen Steinhauer---twice nominated for an Edgar Award---tackles an intricate story of betrayal and manipulation, loyalty and risk in an utterly compelling novel that is both thoroughly modern and yet also reminiscent of the espionage genre’s luminaries: Len Deighton, Graham Greene, and John LeCarré.
BOOK REVIEWS
BookBrowse The Tourist is fast, slick, and gratifying... Though violations of rudimentary spycraft will drive some readers crazy, sometimes a story is so good at granting you an alternative look at your own world that you tug and pull to make it fit just right. (Reviewed by Amy Reading). Full Review (847 words).
Media Reviews
Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. While plenty of breathtaking scenes ... bolster the heart-stopping action, the real story is the soul-crushing toil the job inflicts on a person who can't trust anyone, whose life is a lie fueled by paranoia.
Kirkus Reviews
Starred Review. Steinhauer manages to push the genre's darker aspects to the extreme ... without sacrificing the propulsive forward momentum. ... [Weaver] is the perfect hero for such a richly nuanced tale.
Library Journal
Starred Review. Highly recommended for all public libraries.
The Washington Post
[S]erious entertainment that raises interesting questions.
The Los Angeles Times
As rich and intriguing as the best of Le Carré, Deighton or Graham Greene, Steinhauer's complex, moving spy novel is perfect for our uncertain, emotionally fraught times.
The New York Times
Mr. Steinhauer, the two-time Edgar Award nominee who can be legitimately mentioned alongside John le Carré... displays a high degree of what Mr. le Carré’s characters like to call tradecraft. If he’s as smart as The Tourist makes him sound, he’ll bring back Milo Weaver for a curtain call.
Thomas Perry
Olen Steinhauer's The Tourist is a complex, fast-paced spy novel populated by dozens of striking characters, each with an unexpected, shifting place in the puzzle.
Lee Child
A first-class spy novel - wry, intelligent, layered ... the kind of thing John le Carré might have written if he knew then what we know now.
Nelson DeMille The Tourist is an absolutely superb contemporary espionage novel in the great tradition of the old masters of the genre. Olen Steinhauer is a wonderful storyteller who is smart, observant, and witty. The Tourist has what it take to become a classic.
Recent Reader Reviews
Rated of 5
by pidster Solid Read Story well constructed and an enjoyable read. The plot runs well until approaching the end, then it gets a bit shallow and runs out of steam. My impression of the conclusion is an attempt at a Le'Carresk ...In From the Cold lit, but came off... Read More
Rated of 5
by Lupoman The Tourist "The Tourist" is a great read. This spy thriller has many twists and turns and a few surprises to keep the reader off-balanced. The writing style is similar to Robert Ludlum's best works. The bottom line? If you love Ludlum, then you will embrace... Read More
War, natural disaster, reckless gods and the recognition of impermanence in the world are just some of the threads that AS Byatt weaves into this most timely of books. Linguistically stunning and imaginatively abundant, this is a landmark.
A beguiling, imaginative, inspiring story about the bigness of being alive as an individual, as a member of a tribe, and as a participant in history, exploring how we use storytelling to survive and shape our own truths.
Brilliantly evoking the long-vanished world of masters and servants, Margaret Powell's classic memoir of her time in service is the remarkable true story of an indomitable woman who, though she served in the great houses of England, never stopped aiming high.
Vivid, daring, and unforgettable, The Printmaker's Daughter shines fresh light on art, loyalty, and the tender and indelible bond between a father and daughter.
I read The Healing in two sittings it is a fascinating story of plantation life at the beginning of the Civil War. Granada, a slave newborn child...
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Thomas Perry
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