Minotaur Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Nearest Exit. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Milo Weaver is back with the Department of Tourism, quite reluctantly and under protest. Having to prove his loyalty, Milo must successfully complete a test that includes the abduction and murder of a teenage girl. Already conflicted about the morality of his job, will Milo be able to perform the task assigned him? Will his disillusionment with his career ultimately lead to Milo's downfall?

The problem is simple, with regards to this novel. I really do not like Milo Weaver and do not find him to be a redeeming character. The exploration of his vices is repetitive, constantly reminding the reader that Milo is disturbed by what he has done and has to do as a tourist. I understand the demons in his head, but the constant bombardment of this information does nothing to enhance my interest in the man. The premise was interesting, but the plot was not thrilling enough or suspenseful. I usually like novels involving espionage for the breakneck pace and thrilling moments, but The Nearest Exit did not capture my attention. For these reasons, I would be hesitant to recommend The Nearest Exit to other readers.

For those of us who love international spy thrillers this series is one of the good ones.

I highly encourage you to read the first in the series before moving on so you can keep up on the background of the characters. The writing is good and the plot keeps moving from one thing to the next until I felt like I was in a maze with no way out. But persevere as I did and you will not be disappointed. I'm ready for the next one!

This was a nice fast paced thriller for me. I love reading Olen Steinhauer and this was no exception. Highly recommended!

This is the second book in the series following Milo Weaver. He's a spy and this book is written very well, full of action, moral questions and twists and turns. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is book 2 in the Milo Weaver series and it continues on in the same vein. Picking up with our unfortunate spy Milo Weaver has ended up back in the Department of Tourism under a new managing director. After his misfortunes in book one, he feels his new director is giving him a complex series of tests to prove his loyalty. His penultimate task is to kidnap a Moldovan teenage girl and kill her. Struggling with the decision, he ultimately decides he cannot complete the task and enlists the aid of his Russian father. Things spin out of control quickly when the girl escapes and someone kills her anyway. From there the story becomes a complex, twisted story of governments doing favors for each other through secret channels and international revenge plots. These stories always seem to be disturbingly realistic. The last 100 pages or so are pure excitement, and it ends with a shock. Always a pleasure to read this series. I look forward to more in the series

This is the second book in a series. The first was a disappointment and I was hoping that this one would be an improvement, but it is not to be and so I slogged my way through book two. This is a spy novel that is somewhat predictable with a lot of cliches located throughout the book. While the book is somewhat interesting it is one that the reader can easily walk away from for a while and then circle back to - it is not a page turner. I found it interesting that is was a New York Times bestseller meaning that the book must of either resonated with a number of readers or had a very captivating public relations push. 

I received a free Kindle ARC courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would provide an honest review and post it on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook page.

3 and 1/2 stars for me. This second book in the series was not as interesting as the first to me. There were so many foreign names, and so much very detailed intrigue, with many foreign countries, that it was slow going. It was interesting, and I read to the end, but not as enjoyable. Some people may just love those things, but it was a little confusing, and having to concentrate on those details slogged the story down for me. Thank you to NetGalleey, Olen Steinhauer and Minotaur Books for generously giving me an ARC of this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
An interesting espionage story, lots of twists and turns along the way.

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The Nearest Exit by Olen Steinhauer is the second book featuring ex-CIA assassin/family man Milo Weaver. The novel involves the fictional “tourism” department of the CIA and it is the secondbook in the Milo Weaver series.

Milo Weaver is enjoying his quite life after leaving the CIA. As Milo soon finds out, his services are needed again when he is forced back into the “Tourism” Department.

To prove his loyalty to his new bosses, Milo kidnaps a young German immigrant, only to later discover she was killed. Milo, now wanted for murder, must unravel layers of bureaucracy and double crosses to solve this mystery.

If Mr. Steinhauer keeps writing this way he’s soon going to be in the list of my favorite writers. In The Nearest Exit by Olen Steinhauer bats the story out of the park again, with an unbelievable plot involving the CIA, Germany’s secret service as well as a guest appearances by the Ukrainians and Chinese.

As in the first book, The Tourist, the plot is complex and the narrative flows. The author keeps his excellent story line of vague political morals where the good guys and bad guys seem to be cut from the same cloths, only working under different flags.

The central theme of this book is whether or not taking the life of an innocent child could be used as a reason for the greater good. The question becomes what exactly is “the greater good”, are those that decide this point looking out for the population at larger, or for their own self-interest. In Milo Weaver’s world, full of amoral co-workers, the twists never stop and the sense of justice doesn’t even exist.

As in the first book, Mr. Steinhauer doesn’t shy away from pitting his protagonist’s job against his personal life. Weaver keeps paying a very steep price, personally, for his decision to be a moral beacon in an immoral environment.

The world built in this book is a complex maze of shadows and shifting realities. There are no bad guys, because there are no good guys for comparison, as seen from the trenches of the espionage world.

This book is the second in the trilogy about former CIA spy Milo Weaver. I liked the first book better but this was a pretty good read.

The first part of the book had me turning pages but when they introduced the German agent I felt it started to drag a bit. Nothing that would make me abandon the book and I admit once the character was “flashed out” I enjoyed it more. You definitely want to start with the first book in the series and I certainly look forward to the last book to wrap it up. Like the Bourne Identity – you want to make that journey from the beginning of Milo’s story to the end.

Good character development from the first book and this second story picked up smoothly from the first. If you are a fan of espionage you may like this book. Hoping it becomes a movie!

I received this complimentary copy from NetGalley and opinions are all mine; I was not compensated for this review.

I read The Nearest Exit, by Olen Stein Hauer, directly after reading the first book of the series (The Tourist). While both are eminently readable, The Nearest Exit is more than just a follow up book. It trumps the starter book, holding twists that surprised me and left me thinking for hours. As a former spy and author of my own bestselling espionage thriller series (DS Kane's Spies Lie series), I was both entertained and enlightened, and highly recommend Steinhauer's The Nearest Exit.

This is the second of three Milo Weaver books I read. It was my least favorite of the set. Milo is a CIA man out of retirement. He has skills. He also has morals and occasional questions regarding his assignments. The China aspect of The Nearest Exit was intriguing. This book seemed a little out of balance, the first half moved very quickly and then it lost momentum for me. I like the Milo Weaver character, he's really well drawn and engaging. The secondary characters seemed strong as well. This book probably wouldnt stand alone, as the backstory is complicated. I'm sticking with the series, though perhaps a break between books would have been a good idea.
3.0
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

The story continues as Milo returns to his job as a "tourist" (which as a spy). This one was a little better than the first one. It may have been because I had more back story. I was given a copy from Net Galley to review - if not I may not have finished it. I think it is just not my cup of tea. The writing is good and the locations interesting.

A good follow up to the previous book. This book also had a good plot, interesting characters and an exciting location. A fun to read heart racing thriller mystery. Would recommend to my mom who loves these types of books.

While still a good book, I did not find "The Nearest Exit" as enjoyable as "The Tourist". I liked the interaction between Milo Weaver and his father, Yevgeny Primakov. I also enjoyed some of the new characters, especially Director Erica Schwartz of the BND. However, I did not particularly care for one of the major plotlines. Furthermore, the story felt rather disjointed, as if the author threw a bunch of things together in order to progress to the larger plotline involving the Chinese that will be the focus of the third book.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

The saga continues as Milo returns to his old job as a "tourist" (which is CIA spy). This is a very complex spy thriller with bad guys and badder guys. The world of intrigue and international spies is all about greed and revenge. Milo is asked to do something that even he can't do and as he sets about to convince his boss and the world that he did do it everything goes out of control.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Tourist and dove right into this second-in-series to see what on earth Milo Weaver would find himself embroiled in this time. The Tourists are in trouble, Milo's been in jail, people are dead... It had all the hallmarks of a throat-clencher - and it did open that way. Then in the middle the focus of the story started to shift between a woman we (eventually) discover is a semi-disgraced German intelligence agent and Milo, and that's when things started to waver a bit for me. Ultimately, the shift made sense and offered a depth to the story that I enjoyed - but only after the personalities were all explained and the overlaps made clear, and that took a little time. In the last quarter things fell back into the rhythm I'd come to expect from The Tourist, but I must confess I found the plot lagging a bit in that middle section... Still, on the whole it was another solid four-star read - my unsolicited advice to other readers is to not let yourself get distracted when things seem a bit random, and trust in Steinhauer to bring it all together!

I enjoy Olen Steinhauer’s writing style. I previously read his first two books about this character, Milo. This third installment lived up to my expectations as it was just as well written and as intriguing as the first two. This is definitely an author I want to keep my eye on.

This is with out a doubt one of the best book I’ve read in a long time
The way the author portrayed the characters was amazing
Will recommend this to my family and friends

The Nearest Exit is a good book with interesting and storyline. Well written and fascinating. This is the second I have read by this author.