Olen Steinhauer's The Tourist is a captivating spy thriller that successfully reintroduces readers to the world of Milo Weaver, the former CIA operative turned middle-level manager. Steinhauer's ability to craft intricate plots and complex characters shines through in this novel, making it a must-read for fans of the genre.

Weaver's seemingly peaceful life is shattered when a long-standing investigation into a notorious assassin takes a surprising turn. Forced to confront the ghosts of his past, Weaver must delve back into the dangerous world of espionage to uncover a web of deceit and betrayal.

The Tourist is a masterclass in suspenseful storytelling. Steinhauer expertly weaves together a complex narrative, filled with twists and turns that keep the reader guessing until the very end. The author's ability to create believable characters adds depth and humanity to the story, making it easy to become invested in Weaver's journey.

While the novel's pacing may be slow at times, especially in the early chapters, the payoff is well worth it. The climax is thrilling and satisfying, providing a fitting conclusion to Weaver's story.

Overall, The Tourist is a well-crafted spy thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Steinhauer's writing is both intelligent and engaging, making this a must-read for fans of the genre.

It's been a long time since I've read a spy novel that is complex and sophisticated, in the same league with LeCarre and Graham Greene. The Tourist is that book and Milo Weaver is that spy. I don't want to give away any plot details, but I will say that nothing is as it seems. The main character has lots of flaws, but it is a good story with well developed characters

This was a clever spy novel. I found myself very interested. It's a little outside of some of my reading, but I have read a lot of some other big names who do books of this genre. I liked the writing style and the story. It was a good surprise, I think. It's twisty, but it's got such a different feel to it. I didn't know what to think of it for a while. The clues are super hidden, so you have to focus to catch them. This is not a soft cozy, just so you know. Milo's past is catching up to him, as it is prone to do, The issue is, he has the past he has because of his line of work, and frankly, being a "Tourist" is now going to mean something completely different.

Thanks to Net Galley for my digital copy. This review is my own and a positive review is never required.

Free e-book, review is my own.

I liked this view on spys. Milo is just an average dude that found himself working for the government. You get all the usual spy intrigue and story lines but through an average joe point of view. Would recommend to anyone that likes the political dances and favors and downward spirals single decisions can make.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for providing me this ARC to read and review. There is nothing better than a good espionage thriller if written well. Milo Weaver is a fully realized character who I enjoyed discovering. Plenty of action and insight into the inner workings of the spy game were in order. I look forward to reading any further adventures. Highly recommended.

THE TOURIST

This is the story of Milo Weaver, former undercover CIA agent. A Tourist. No real roots, just one clandestine job after another. But all that changed when he gave up his spy work and settled down with a desk job at the Agency, complete with wife Tina and stepdaughter Stephanie. But when a former colleague is suspected of giving sensitive information to the Chinese, Weaver is called back to uncover the truth.

Full of international intrigue, The Tourist is a complex geopolitical thriller set in 2007, six years after the events of 9/11. With his shadowy background and some pretty intense situations occurring with his renewed undercover work, his secure family life begins to suffer from the stress.

Lots of double crosses, interdepartmental infighting, lies, secrets, and convoluted story lines make this complex novel a challenge to navigate. But it lays some good groundwork and I am going to continue on with the series.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Olen Steinhauer, and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Heavy on dialogue, light on action. Not a typical spy novel that I enjoy. Felt muddled and confusing.

Olen Steinhauer is at once a wordsmith and a philosopher. He uses these skills – along with an intimate familiarity with Eastern Europe – to craft complex stories that, yes, involve espionage. But his books are more than spy thrillers.

The Tourist is the first of a new Steinhauer series, involving the changing nature of tradecraft in the 21st Century. We first meet protagonist Milo Weaver under another name, burnt out and suicidal.

Steinhauer gives us plenty of insight into both post-millennial geopolitics and human nature. In the introduction to The Tourist, he writes: “This, really, is why I write espionage fiction: To explore the effect a life of deceit and duplicity has on essentially moral people.”

If you enjoy a dash of enlightenment along with your global action, this will be a book you’ll remember. Thanks to NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for an ARC.

Could not get into this one at all! Found a physical copy, though, and gave it to my Dad. I think he will love it. DNF no rating.

Excellent espionage thriller. Excitement, suspense, intrigue…this book has it all. It was so well written, and cleverly constructed, I could not put it down. One of the best of the espionage genre that I’ve read.
This is the first of a series about Milo Weaver, a retired “Tourist”, which is a term used by spies for a clandestine CIA agent who carries out secret international operations under various identities, whose strings are pulled by shadowy figures above. Milo now has a family and only under duress has he agreed to reenter this world of “Tourism” temporarily. This tension between his former way of being and his new found happiness being a family man underlies the plot. All the characters are so well developed that it’s easy to remember and distinguish between them, and there are quite a few. The author is also good about including reminder hints about events covered earlier in the book that are important to remember. Despite the complexity of the plot, it was easy to follow the events as they unfolded.
You will not be disappointed in The Tourist. It’s an intriguing glimpse at the shadowy world of international espionage that will keep you engrossed from beginning to end.

This was an excellent start to the series. I love these types of books, and I wasn't disappointed by this one!

Wow! This book was awesome! I love spy thrillers and this one didn't disappoint. It's a dense book and there is. a lot to keep track of as CIA "Tourist" Milo Weaver unravels a far-reaching and complicated conspiracy. The spy stuff was really cool, in the vein of John Le Carre books, and immerses the reader into Milo's world; the good, the bad, the ugly. It is twisty and suspenseful and just when you think you've got it all figured out, some other twist happens.

This book is dense and long, but compelling. It's not for people who don't have an interest in spy novels and political intrigue. It's far from a cozy and there is violence. But if you're a fan of the Jason Bourne series (book better than movie!), this book is for you. It's also a three book series, so I'm anxious to move on to the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an electronic review copy of the book. My opinions are my own.

Rating: Five stars

The Tourist is the first in a series by Olen Steinhauer featuring CIA operative Milo Weaver. I actually read The Tourist, The Nearest Exit and An American Spy one right after the other because they felt like they needed to be read all together. Perhaps in a different era they would have been one book instead of three but, alas, attention spans and all of that being what they are, there are three books, now I believe even more. Never-the-less, the three books feature poor Milo Waver a former CIA operative known as a "tourist" because he had no home base, family or loyalty to one place. He could move about freely without any ties. Now, however, he is settled down, has a family and a home and wants nothing except to live a quiet life. That is not to be. Honestly, do agents really believe they ever can leave the agency behind? So off he goes, back into the field hoping this will be a one-off kind of deal but, as we can see with the follow up books in the series, it is from that.

Don't let my sarcasm put you off. Olen Steinhauer is a brilliant writer. This series is one of the best espionage series I've read in a while. It's fast paced, gripping and has a ton of action. Obviously I enjoyed the series to date or I wouldn't have read all three of the books. I'm just jaded because I'm sick of governments and their spies and their wars and their killing. It's me, not the book. If you like spy thrillers you honestly will devour these books

The old spy who can't quit being a spy, gotta love it. I am kidding, I have never read a book like this but I can imagine if I were a spy (and maybe I am) I would be difficult for me to stop being a spy even if I wanted to. Anyway, this book takes on Milo. He is trying to start anew since he has a family and wants some normalcy but some big events occur that pull him back in. I don't want to give too much away but this is a great read. I highly recommend!

This was a really good book really had the feel of being a spy novel. I'm glad that I was able to give this author and series a chance. Look forward to the next one.

The start of a series that starts with a bang. Milo is on the case with a dead body in the first few pages and he feels as though he must get on the case and get involved.

A roller coaster of a story where the pace goes in and out and with the slow start, it took me a bit to get in, but once I was in, I was in for the whole ride and wanted to get all the answers.

I have to think twice before reading book two, maybe need a break before continuing.

About: Milo Weaver has been a tourist for many years, but he’s done. He has seen all there is to see and he’s just ready to settle down and live his life. Being a tourist, he was constantly putting himself in danger. Everything was going according to plan until a prisoner somehow manages to kill himself while being interrogated by Milo. Suddenly, Milo finds himself in an investigation and on a chase he could never imagine.


Plot: I really enjoyed the plot and story behind this story. It was intense. It was dramatic. I really loved the story from the very beginning. It kind of reminds me of Orphan X. That’s a really good series as well.


Characters: I find that I didn’t really connect well with the characters too much. I can’t really explain it. I mean I tried to understand the logic behind some of their behaivors and attitudes. I just couldn’t. the one I could almost relate to was Milo and he was robotic sometimes.


Narration: The book was narrated by Tom Weiner. He did a really good performance of the book. I was highly impressed. This is the only book in the series he narrates though. I’m not sure why. I would gladly check out other books narrated by him.


Suggestions: I don’t really have many suggestions. I guess my biggest one is to make the conversation flow less choppy between the characters. It’s not a major complaint. I just feel like sometimes they aren’t even having the same conversation.


Recommend: I strongly recommend this book.

The Tourist: A Novel, the first book in the Milo Weaver Book series by Olen Steinhauer, is a story full of action and intrigue in which the protagonist, a spy belonging to an exclusive branch of the CIA known as Tourists, is involved in a series of murders whose clues make him look guilty.
As the story progresses, the plot thickens. Who can Milo trust? And how can he prove his innocence?
An excellent story, worthy of being brought to the big screen!

The Tourist by Olen Steinhauer
This is a old fashion spy novel. Tourist are CIA agents that roam the world doing nefarious activities or patriotic depending on your viewpoint. Milo Weaver is introduced as an agent that seems to run afoul of both enemies and friends.
Translated books often fail to adjust to the venue for which they are translated. This book appears to be written to be translated, in that I mean due to the subject matter, the protagonist and the CIA.
There is a very involved plot and it sets up two future books.
I enjoyed the book and recommend it.

I read the third book in the series and it was so good and I was able to keep up. But I decided to go back and start the series at the beginning with this book and am so glad I did. This is Milo Weaver's story and it is very intense and a great read that is hard to put down once you begin. A fantastic glimpse into the world of espionage that will leave your head spinning. After retirement, Milo is called back to work as an undercover 'tourist' for the CIA to solve a mystery that involves one of his former friends and colleague. This is a page-turner. Well written and a fantastic book to read. I read a free copy via Net Galley and voluntarily chose to write a review.