I had read a lot of good things about Olen Steinhauer’s books, so I was happy to get a chance to review an ARC of The American Spy, which is the third in Steinhauer’s Milo Weaver/Department of Tourism series, in exchange for my honest review.

And, I liked a lot of things about The American Spy. The writing is crisp and drew me into the story. I could recognize places, and the characters were believable. There was some moral ambiguity to make me think. Overall, I enjoyed reading the book. However, I spent a lot of the book pretty confused. Granted, spy thrillers often mean to leave the reader confused until things come clear at the end. But I think I was more confused than I needed to have been because I hadn’t read either of the first two books in the series. So I didn’t have a good grasp of some background that might have been helpful, I think. Even the end was a bit unclear to me, and so I’m kind of wondering if I just didn’t get it, or if more background would have helped me get it, or if it was deliberately that way.

All-in-all, though, I’m still giving this a four-star rating, which is quite good for me, based on the strength of the writing, and the fact that the book really pulled me along. But, I really wish I’d read the first couple of books in the series first, and, in fact, I’ll probably keep an eye out for them to go on sale sometime, and give them a try.

Thanks again to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book for an honest review. This book is the third installment of Milo Weaver, Milo has given up his life as tourist with the CIA and though he thinks he is out of the spy business, he is not. Great read!

Ugh. This book was painful at times. Multiple perspectives of the same even works in pieces but rarely when it happens for every event in the book. And with so many characters in this book, let alone the series, at times it got hard to track who everyone was. I’m sure this books works for some, but unfortunately it was a bit of a miss for me.

Olen Stienhauer is a slow burn spy novelist. He develops deep plotted that take sometime to get going. But the rewards are always great. Highly recommended.

This and the other books in the series weren’t my cup of tea. Should not have selected knowing my difficulty with spy novels. This is my issue and should not reflect on the book itself.

An action-packed spy novel. This is the third in the Milo Weaver series, and there's no shortage of suspense!

Well, I left book 2 in the Milo Weaver series with a so-so feeling and wasn't sure if I was going to continue. Obviously, I decided to try one more time, and my experience with this one made up my mind. The thing that stood out most was that Milo is barely included in this one, which is odd to me since this is supposed to be his series. However, that was not the clincher for me. In fact, I've never managed to quite warm up to Milo, and the lack of any real character development in this one didn't do much to change my feelings for him. The story is repetitive. So much so that this book could've been a much shorter read without repeated play by plays of scenes that have already happened. It felt a bit like a sports play being aired from different perspectives, which would've been okay had it not happened so often. Then we have quite a lot of characters, some who would come in briefly only to pop back up much later, leaving me to flip back through the book to remind myself of who they were. Finally, the story was seriously convoluted, which is saying something, considering the genre. In the end, I think it's a safe bet that this series is not for me, and I won't be continuing with Milo Weaver.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this. I will be posting a full review to Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram.

First published by Minotaur Books on March 13, 2012; reissued by Minotaur on March 3, 2020

An American Spy is the last novel in the Tourist trilogy, following The Tourist and The Nearest Exit. It could be read as a standalone, but doing so would deprive the reader of important context. This review includes spoilers concerning the second novel.

The trilogy follows Milo Weaver, who works as a Tourist for a small and very secret unit of the CIA. Tourists run around the world executing American policy by executing people whose interests do not align with American interests as judged by the people in charge of the Tourists. While they make other kinds of mischief, assassination is the key to their game.

Milo’s background — his Russian father is now running a spy agency for the United Nations, an agency so secretive that the United Nations doesn’t even know about it — is developed in The Tourist. In The Nearest Exit, Milo gets a new boss, Alan Drummond, and takes on Chinese spymaster Xin Zhu. Near the novel’s end, Zhu arranges for most of the Tourists to be murdered and for Milo to be shot.

An American Spy begins with Drummond losing his job. Drummond wants revenge against Zhu and would like Milo to join his team. When Milo says no, Drummond goes to London and then disappears. Not long after that, his wife disappears. And not long after that, Milo’s wife and daughter are gone. Milo assumes that they have all been taken by Zhu as a consequence of Drummond’s failed scheme.

Plot twists make An American Spy an engaging read, but the novel’s structure accounts for its success. While always told in the third person, the novel frequently shifts its focus, often backtracking to show events that were first perceived by one character from the perspective of a different character. In that way, the pieces of the jigsaw slowly rearrange to display a new picture, one that evolves as details are added until it becomes something quite different than it first seemed. Judging by Amazon and Goodreads reviews, a number of readers thought the changing perspectives were confusing. I thought they were the novel’s strength.

A German intelligence officer named Erica Schwartz, who plays a central role in The Nearest Exit, furnishes an early perspective in An American Spy. Milo’s sister and three surviving Tourists play important roles in the story (Letitia Jones, who exudes both sexuality and danger, also adds a bit of humor), but the perspective of Xin Zhu is the most interesting. Zhu is playing not only against Drummond and Milo, but against the Chinese government, which may have been infiltrated by an American spy. Zhu’s machinations make him seem invincible, capable of outwitting anyone. With Drummond and Milo apparently at each other’s throats, it seems that Zhu will attain supremacy in the international espionage game. Of course, the reader knows that a final plot twist will come along. The surprising resolution is a delight.

Olen Steinhauer is among the best of a very small number of American writers who consistently produce excellent espionage novels. While An American Spy wraps up the trilogy, it leaves room for the story to continue. Minotaur has reissued the trilogy, staggering the rerelease of each volume, leading up to the publication of a new installment later in March. Fans of spy fiction will welcome the return of Milo Weaver.

RECOMMENDED

I had a hard time getting into this book. It was slower moving than the others, and there seemed to be a lot more secondary characters moving in and out of the story which made it difficult for me to follow at times. The end of the book in particular felt fragmented, although it was definitely intentional. That's just not my cup of tea in a novel.

Thank you to Olen Steinhauer, the publisher and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my candid review.

In the end this book did not disappoint. Its twisty, labyrinth plot eventually came to a satisfying conclusion. But, I struggled to get through the beginning. Milo Weaver, the uber-spy, member of the shadow organization within the clandestine CIA, wants nothing to do with his former employer and resists all attempts to get sucked back in......but it took forever.

I am curious to see if he continues to series now that he has somewhat revamped it.

An American Spy is the third installment in the Milo Weaver Tourist series. Milo plays a smaller role in this edition, as he is recovering from a gunshot wound to the gut. This one focuses on a mole in the US government giving out secrets to the Chinese, and vise versa. It wraps up neatly, so I’m surprised but happy to know a fourth book is publishing soon.

This was my least favorite of the series so far. I think this may be because Milo was in the story less and it was more focused on the Chinese antagonist. I didn’t like him at all and was uninterested in his chapters. Overall, I was still entertained and enjoyed the book.

Milo Weaver can't seem to get away from his former CIA life.  Even after moving into a supposedly calmer desk-type job, he This time, his old boss pops up with an old alias and Milo is forced out into the field.  Lots of pow-biff-bang type things and both good and bad guys getting shot.  Action all across the globe make this a good read.

Be aware that there are plenty of language issues.

An American Spy is the third book in the Milo Weaver series. Once again Milo is pulled back into the spy game.

As in the first two books, I was confused because of all of Milo’s and others’ AKAs, the many killings and disappearances, and where-oh-where was this plot heading.

The story is very slow and convoluted, and I regret to say that I struggled to plow through this one. A novel is no longer enjoyable to me if I must concentrate with difficulty on the many characters and the many side plots.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review An American Spy. So sorry for this dismal review.

Milo Weaver was a Tourist, an agent of a clandestine intelligence department. After almost three dozen Tourists were assassinated under the direction of a Chinese official, the Department of Tourism was disbanded and Milo found himself unemployed. For the first time he enjoys the role of husband and father, but that comes to an abrupt end. His former boss, Alan Drummond, has devised a plan to avenge the deaths of his agents and appeals to him for his help. When Milo refuses, Drummond uses one of Milo’s former known identities and subsequently disappears, forcing Milo to take action. With Milo’s family now in danger, he has no choice but to find Drummond.

In China, Xin Zhu, who was responsible for the assassinations, now finds himself in a power struggle. After instigating a search for a mole, he has been unable to provide the mole’s identity. Given a deadline, he must find Drummond, who he had coerced into providing assistance before his disappearance. Xin Zhu now threatens Milo’s family to force his cooperation.

Olen Steinhauer tells his story in three parts from the perspective of Xin Zhu, Milo Weaver and Alan Drummond. It is a masterful tale of manipulation and espionage that takes you into the heart of Chinese intelligence. Milo must use all of the skills developed as a Tourist to save his family, find Drummond and prevent him from carrying out an act of vengeance against the Chinese. It is a story that is guaranteed to keep you glued to the pages. I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this book in exchange for my review.

Unable to Escape, Milo is Forced Back to Spying

Recovering from a gun shot wound to the stomach received at the end of “The Nearest Exit” Milo Weaver is glad to be back with his wife and stepdaughter. He values his family even more after his latest foray into the murky world of espionage and the Department of Tourism.

At the end of the last book, the Chinese infiltrated the Department of Tourism and killed 33 agents. The department was almost wiped out. Milo’s friend and former boss, Alan Drummond, was head of the department, and he can’t let the assassinations go. He disappears on a mission and Weaver has to go after him.

This book has a very complex plot and is not as readable as the previous books. It takes concentration to keep all the characters straight. I think the author does a good job with the moral problems Milo faces in this book, however, the rationale for the action is sometimes murky. I was disappointed in the ending. The resolution was never really clear. If you enjoyed the first two books, you may want to finish the saga with this one.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

As the third book in the series the continuation of the story was well done. I wasn't expecting the cliff hanger at the end at all.

It was not the best one in the series but it fills in some knowledge about Milo. I still enjoy Steinhauers writing but I felt the story lacking something. I have to thank #MinotaurBooks and StMartinsPress and #Netgalley for making this available to me and I will continue with the adventures of Milo Weaver By Olen Steinhauer.

"An American Spy" is the third book in the Milo Weaver series following "The Tourist" and "The Nearest Exit". It's probably the one I like the least of all of them. It's just a bit too fast paced and the ending had a bit of a rushed feeling to it. I hope the upcoming fourth book will more entertaining.

For more reviews and bookish posts please visit: http://www.ManOfLaBook.com

An American Spy by Olen Steinhauer is the third installment featuring ex-CIA agent / assassin Milo Weaver and his quest to live his life in peace and quiet. Mr. Steinhauer is a writer, TV show creator who has been nominated for several awards.

Xin Zhu, of the Chinese intelligence, is roaming around China trying to figure out how the CIA will retaliate after he had 33 agents killed. The rest of the Chinese intelligence apparatus is not happy with Xin Zhu’s actions, but he is not punished.

Milo Weaver is back home after linking the Chinese government to the destruction of CIA’s Tourism Department. Milo would like to spend the rest of his life with his family, raise their daughter and disappear off the radar of the intelligence agencies.

Milo’s former boss, Alan Drummond, can’t let the fact that 33 Tourists died under his watch and uses one of Milo’s compromised aliases to go to London, and disappear.

I enjoyed the two previous Milo Weaver books The Tourist and The Nearest Exit, very much, and was looking forward to read An American Spy by Olen Steinhauer. What I got, however, was a tale which was an effort to read and understand, convoluted, and while interesting, not nearly as riveting as the first two books. I do applaud the author for trying something different, it takes guts and considerable talent to pull something like this off.

There are a lot of moving parts in the book, from previous characters who played minor roles, to minor characters who played major roles previously, to new characters who took over the story. The tale goes round and round but does not move forward as quickly and effortlessly as expected. Mr. Steinhauer refuses to make this novel easy for his readers, but the relish in which he writes, creating a world full of paranoia is worth the effort.

Usually there is a murder, many chapters later the same murder is replayed, this time though through the eyes of another which gives the reader more insight of what happened, why, and by who. This technique worked well, but is overdone to the point of confusion.

One of the major selling points of the series, is that gloomy Milo Weaver questions his line of work, the ethics of it, his boss, and the world he knows. This novel has no such qualms, which I felt gave the series some gravitas, and made it more human.

Milo could have sat this novel out, there is very little of him in it. He is still recovering from a gunshot wound, watches what he eats and what he does.

The plotting is very intricate, but the character development which was the star in the Mr. Steinhauer’s books is not here. I’m looking forward to see where the author will take the series from here as he is, in my opinion, one of the best espionage authors currently writing.