- Paperback: 464 pages
- Publisher: Harper (18 Mar 2010)
- ISBN-10: 0007334753
- ISBN-13: 978-0007334759
- Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
The Tourist
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Review
Praise for 'The Tourist': 'A first class spy novel -- wry, intelligent, layered! the kind of thing John le Carre might have written if he knew then what we know now' Lee Child 'Relentless action and memorable characters ... a gripping and hugely entertaining read' Mark Mills (author of 'The Savage Garden') 'Utterly credible!Steinhauer, the two-time Edgar Award nominee who can be legitimately mentioned alongside John le Carre, displays a high degree of what Mr. le Carre'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' New York Times '[A] scathing portrait of the CIA! Steinhauer seems to know the world of spies and assassins all too well! it feels real! 'The Tourist' is serious entertainment that raises interesting questions' Washington Post '"The Tourist" should be savored! As rich and intriguing as the best of Le Carre, Deighton or Graham Greene, Steinhauer's complex, moving spy novel is perfect for our uncertain, emotionally fraught times' LA Times 'Intelligent, evocative, and nuanced' Seattle Times 'Remember John Le Carre! when he was good? That's how Olen Steinhauer writes' Time 'Compelling and hard to put down. ![Steinhauer is] superbly accomplished at both plotting and characterization' Library Journal 'Outstanding! heart-stopping action' Publisher's Weekly
Review
'Utterly credible... Steinhauer can be legitimately mentioned alongside John le Carré... If he's as smart as "The Tourist" makes him sound, he'll bring back Milo Weaver for a curtain call'
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I suspected the reference to le Carre on the front cover was probably hyperbole but thankfully bought this anyway. It isn't my normal genre but I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, the complex plot required some suspension of disbelief at times, but it's basically a plot-driven, fast-paced thriller with characters which remained adequately involving throughout. You can't ask for too much more than that from a paperback thriller really.
In the usual manner of such novels, it does leap from one location to the next, which is absolutely fine in itself, but possibly my one gripe with the novel is that I'm not sure the author conveyed a real sense of the atmosphere of those locations...despite the characters racking up a few hundred thousand dollars on air fares between and within the USA and Europe.
On the other hand, I have no idea how accurate the details were regarding the various agencies, their modi operandi or the internecine strife...but it felt authentic enough for me to buy those aspects hook, line and sinker.
All in all, it's certainly good enough that I'll keep an eye out for his next book and will be passing this one on to my friends.
In the usual manner of such novels, it does leap from one location to the next, which is absolutely fine in itself, but possibly my one gripe with the novel is that I'm not sure the author conveyed a real sense of the atmosphere of those locations...despite the characters racking up a few hundred thousand dollars on air fares between and within the USA and Europe.
On the other hand, I have no idea how accurate the details were regarding the various agencies, their modi operandi or the internecine strife...but it felt authentic enough for me to buy those aspects hook, line and sinker.
All in all, it's certainly good enough that I'll keep an eye out for his next book and will be passing this one on to my friends.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
I couldn't put this one down. simply the best spy novel since spy who came in the cold. the intrigue, the suspense and intricacy all mixed with intelligent treatment and the narrative ease makes this a special read. I was already a fan of Steinhauer and the pre-wall novels. milo and his dark route has made me a die hard fan. more, please!
milo starts of as a compelling character and grows staedily more interesting. he doesn't necessarily portray an all pervasive intelligence but he doesn't do stupid either. Altogether believable. Strongly recommend this to anyone.
milo starts of as a compelling character and grows staedily more interesting. he doesn't necessarily portray an all pervasive intelligence but he doesn't do stupid either. Altogether believable. Strongly recommend this to anyone.
13 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
In the post-Cold War days immediately prior to 9/11, Milo Weaver, a "tourist" for the CIA--an agent without a home base--dealt with issues like finding war criminals, watching émigré Russians living in extravagant style abroad, and looking for three million dollars thought to have been stolen by Frank Dawdle, the CIA station chief in Slovenia. Milo, a failed suicide addicted to Dexedrine, has seen too much violence and crime. Watching a Russian pedophile throw a thirteen-year-old girl off a balcony in Venice, seeing an influential CIA man betray his country, and being shot and nearly killed when that agent is murdered by another "tourist," has just about done him in.
Six years later, Milo is happily married to a woman whose life he saved, with a six year-old stepdaughter who adores him. Though he is no longer a "tourist," he is still working for the CIA, investigating "The Tiger," one of the most vicious killers in the world, an equal-opportunity assassin who has killed, among others, both an influential cleric in the Sudan and the French foreign minister. No one knows for whom he works. When Milo tracks him down, he learns that the Tiger has actually planned their meeting, deliberately leaving a trail for him because he wants to meet him. The Tiger wants Milo to find and kill the man who has commissioned all the international killings--and ultimately, the man who has arranged for the Tiger's own death.
The evolving action reveals much about the internecine squabbles within the CIA, between the CIA and Homeland Security, and between Congressmen and both organizations. The number of betrayals is astonishing, high level agents with personal rather than national agendas, double agents, agents who sell out each other, and trained agents who disappear to assume new identities and freelance on a global scale--for a fee. Homeland Security and the CIA distrust each other, and key information is not shared. Congressmen sometimes run their own investigations, and no one can be trusted.
As this intricately constructed novel moves back and forth in time, the reader must constantly consider several basic issues: Who is the Tiger? Who is Milo? And, finally, is the information that the author provides about these and other characters reliable, or is the author himself acting as a "double agent"? The reader must constantly act as a "tourist" here, accumulating hints but not knowing much definite information about Milo and other main characters until well into the novel. While this involves the reader in the action, the lack of certainty about some characters keeps them (especially Milo), at arm's length. Numerous aliases for important characters occasionally lead to confusion. Still, the novel is exciting as Steinhauer capably unites disparate threads to keep the suspense high and his readers involved. n Mary Whipple
The Bridge of Sighs: A Novel
Liberation Movements
Six years later, Milo is happily married to a woman whose life he saved, with a six year-old stepdaughter who adores him. Though he is no longer a "tourist," he is still working for the CIA, investigating "The Tiger," one of the most vicious killers in the world, an equal-opportunity assassin who has killed, among others, both an influential cleric in the Sudan and the French foreign minister. No one knows for whom he works. When Milo tracks him down, he learns that the Tiger has actually planned their meeting, deliberately leaving a trail for him because he wants to meet him. The Tiger wants Milo to find and kill the man who has commissioned all the international killings--and ultimately, the man who has arranged for the Tiger's own death.
The evolving action reveals much about the internecine squabbles within the CIA, between the CIA and Homeland Security, and between Congressmen and both organizations. The number of betrayals is astonishing, high level agents with personal rather than national agendas, double agents, agents who sell out each other, and trained agents who disappear to assume new identities and freelance on a global scale--for a fee. Homeland Security and the CIA distrust each other, and key information is not shared. Congressmen sometimes run their own investigations, and no one can be trusted.
As this intricately constructed novel moves back and forth in time, the reader must constantly consider several basic issues: Who is the Tiger? Who is Milo? And, finally, is the information that the author provides about these and other characters reliable, or is the author himself acting as a "double agent"? The reader must constantly act as a "tourist" here, accumulating hints but not knowing much definite information about Milo and other main characters until well into the novel. While this involves the reader in the action, the lack of certainty about some characters keeps them (especially Milo), at arm's length. Numerous aliases for important characters occasionally lead to confusion. Still, the novel is exciting as Steinhauer capably unites disparate threads to keep the suspense high and his readers involved. n Mary Whipple
The Bridge of Sighs: A Novel
Liberation Movements
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Chasing Lee
I hate to say this, because I am a big fan of Lee Child, but Olen Steinhauer looks like he is going to give Lee a run for his money. Read more
Published 14 days ago by Eric Jessop
Riveting Action evolved to disappointment
Inarguably captivating, the story unfolds with action and intrigue. An engaging writing style, likable characters, and an exciting story line, hook you early. Read more
Published 1 month ago by slick-m
Good ebook, awful editing!
I came across "The Nearest Exit" which I thoroughly enjoyed so I bought this also. I found the story very engaging although the story lines were a bit incredible. Read more
Published 3 months ago by N. Graham
CIA spy comes in from the cold...and steps back out
Lately, my favorite spy, espionage, thriller writers have gotten a bit boring. Vince Flynn writes thrillers after the fact which makes them alternative history, Tom Clancy has... Read more
Published 5 months ago by janebbooks
How do you follow reading the Millenium trilogy?
Not too impressed by the story, but for a quality product at a very reasonable price (£2.81 including postage), how can you go wrong. Read more
Published 6 months ago by PJG
improbable storyline, hurried and incredible character development
I read and reviewed The Nearest Exit I gave it five stars. Several other reviews suggested this was an essential read so I bought it.. And I confess I have to disagree. Read more
Published 10 months ago by G. Gavigan
Highly Readable
Take no notice of the two star review(s), this is a highly readable book. Since it does not reveal who the ogre behind all the machinations is I assume there will be a sequel. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Big A
Good start then lost its way
The book started with promise, the hunt for the mysterious assasin "the tiger" (ok albeit a bit silly). Then it just went all over the place. Read more
Published 23 months ago by M. Double
The new le Carre? More like the new Conrad
It isn't because this book pays homage to two of my favourite authors - Joyce ('riverrun past Eve...') and Le Carre ('The American handed Lemais... Read more
Published on 10 April 2010 by J. Byrne
Tourism without map or (moral) compass
The Tourists of the book are a branch of the CIA, nominally spies although the main protagonist is seemingly an internal investigator-cum-assassin. Read more
Published on 22 Mar 2010 by G. M. Sinstadt
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