Milo Weaver used to be a “tourist” for the CIA—an undercover agent with no home, no identity—but he’s since retir... read full description
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Mar 10, 2009
Mike
rated it: 
It was the wife that killed him!
I kid. The book is one twisty-ass mofo, and I don't want to spoil it. But I do want to spoil Scott Turow's Presumed Innocent, and just have.
In terms of sheer plotting, this rivals a couple of my favorite spy thrillers -- I kept recalling the phenomenal Soul of Viktor Tronko by David Quammen (yes, that Quammen), another espionage novel steeped in postmodern concerns about identity and narrative without losing the bite and snarl of hist More...
I kid. The book is one twisty-ass mofo, and I don't want to spoil it. But I do want to spoil Scott Turow's Presumed Innocent, and just have.
In terms of sheer plotting, this rivals a couple of my favorite spy thrillers -- I kept recalling the phenomenal Soul of Viktor Tronko by David Quammen (yes, that Quammen), another espionage novel steeped in postmodern concerns about identity and narrative without losing the bite and snarl of hist More...
Sep 06, 2010
Gerald
rated it: 
The Tourists of the book are a branch of the CIA, nominally spies although the main protagonist is seemingly an internal investigator-cum-assassin. In common with many other characters, he has several names: is he Charles Alexander, Milo Weaver, Paul Dolan or Mikhail Yevgenovich Vlastov? Which is he really? How good an investigator is he? On an early assignment, knowing that he is being watched, ignorant of who might overhear, he meets his counterpart in a crowded Parisian café. Over lunch she l
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Apr 01, 2009
Bill
rated it:
What started out as a firm 3-star novel (mostly because spy books belong to a genre I never could quite penetrate) finished up as a near-enough-to-four-star novel that I gave it the benefit of the up-rounding. Four stars!
All the standard twists and double-crosses one would expect from a well-plotted spy story are here, but what makes this one particularly compelling is the palpable despair that chokes protagonist Milo Weaver (he's the CIA Black Ops "Tourist" of the title) a More...
All the standard twists and double-crosses one would expect from a well-plotted spy story are here, but what makes this one particularly compelling is the palpable despair that chokes protagonist Milo Weaver (he's the CIA Black Ops "Tourist" of the title) a More...
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Sep 06, 2010
Jeffrey
rated it: 
In this excellent spy novel, we are introduced to Milo Weaver, a Tourist, or clandestine officer for the CIA, who is used for protection, and assassanation. Milo works for Tom Granger who runs the operation out of offices in New York. Early on we find Weaver, who has his own secrets, being brought in to help another spy Angela Davis track down a missing spy who apparently stole $3,000,000. They find him tied to a Russian, and in the ensuing gun battle, Weaver is injured, the thief is killed an
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Feb 09, 2009
Trish
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Deceit is thick in the air in this modern spy novel. Shifting shapes, names, loyalties are as loosely moored as ever in the spy industry. While China's interest in Sudan's oil is mentioned, interpersonal human drama is the real center of this absorbing 6th novel from expatriate Olen Steinhauer. The clash of jurisdictions between the CIA and Homeland Security in the USA adds a touch of verisimilitude. Steinhauer does a very good job creating characters one cares about. He did the right thing by
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Mar 26, 2009
Tony
rated it:
Steinhauer, Olen. THE TOURIST. (2009). ****1/2. There’s been lots of buzz about this new novel from this author; about it’s being a re-introduction to the world of espionage fiction as practiced by the masters in their early days. Names like Le Carre, Deighton, and Graham Greene have been bandied about. I have to give it its due. It is well written and has an interesting plot. What it really turns out to be, however, is an espionage novel using some of the standard ingredients of early n
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Mar 13, 2009
Brandi Rae
rated it:
Ooooh, the was such a great spy book. For years, Milo Weaver had no real name, identity or home--he essentially didn't exist. A Tourist for the CIA, his job was to carry out orders and collect information in any way necessary. In 2001, his career fell apart, the stress of the job finally getting to him. After an assignment gone wrong, Milo quit working as a Tourist; instead taking a desk job and becoming a family man.
However, in 2007, a break finally comes in a case he is working. F More...
However, in 2007, a break finally comes in a case he is working. F More...
Feb 15, 2009
Becky
rated it: 
Espionage loves its jargon and its arcane techniques. The CIA is called The Company, by those who know. Spies practice tradecraft, which encompasses everything from how to designate, mark, and carry out a drop off to how properly to evade surveillance to how to communicate in code so that correct information is being passed and--in the best of all possible worlds--disinformation is being passed at the same time.
And a tourist is an agent who has apparently flamed out and left the Com More...
And a tourist is an agent who has apparently flamed out and left the Com More...
Feb 24, 2011
Paul
rated it:
"The Tourist" is not your everyday spy novel. Olen Steinhauer has put together a book that quite possibly in indicative of what a spy's life might really be like. You will not find the life saving gadgets (ala James Bond), the fast paced dialogue, gun fights, and impossible situations that are found in many of the spy novels of today. This novel is very reminiscent of books that have been authored by Graham Greene and John le Carre. It could very well be perceived as a "thinki
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Jan 07, 2011
Duffy
rated it:
I haven't read a spy novel in a year or 2, and the most of the ones that I have read were usually set in the cold war or WWII era or prior to 2001 and 9/11, so this is kind of the first "modern" spy novel I have read. It was definitely interesting to see the shift in attitudes towards what most covert organizations are percieved to be trying to accomplish in the last decade. Spy novels seem to be intinsically about trust and betrayal, and this one is no different then any other in that
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Jan 05, 2011
Adam
rated it:
There have been many espionage thrillers published throughout history, but Olen Steinhauer’s The Tourist stands out of a majority of the crowd to join an impressive company. This novel has a plethora of twists and turns, which is a main staple of the genre, and gains a personal connection to the readers within its main character, Milo Weaver, a former CIA agent that reluctantly gets drawn back into the life he tried to leave behind. Milo does not have James Bond’s suave demeanor or Jason Bourne’
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Dec 02, 2010
Jennie
rated it:
I like the storytelling in this book, but I wasn't crazy about the too-complicated plot that didn't really make sense. Too many things happen (including lots of people getting killed) for no apparent reason, and even the supposed wrap-up part doesn't explain very much. Also, even though I grew up Army and spent the first 20 years of my life being indoctrinated into the whole Cold War mentality thing, events of the last 20 years have made it a little hard for me to lose myself in a plot where a
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Jan 19, 2010
Ty
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Nov 04, 2009
Tony
rated it:
I'm not sure why I still bother to read any modern espionage books -- they never seem rise above decent beach reads (like Dead Spy Running), and all-to-often wind up being miserable duds (like A Most Wanted Man). This falls somewhere in my ambivalent middle, a serviceable, but ultimately disposable tale of yet another weary warrior in the game of shadows. Here, the spy is Milo, whom we meet in an opening section set in pre-9/11 Europe, where he works as a "tourist" (ie. black ops agent
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Oct 26, 2009
The Tourist, by Olen Steinhauer, B-plus, Narrated by Tom Weiner, produced by Blackstone Audio, downloaded from audible.com
Milo Weaver is “a tourist”, another name for a CIA spy. His name changes with every assignment. But in Venice, while he was known as Charles Alexander, a gunfight occurred resulting in murders. He was shot and at the same time he met his future wife who was going into labor at the time. They both survived, and he married her ready to quit “the company.” He an More...
Milo Weaver is “a tourist”, another name for a CIA spy. His name changes with every assignment. But in Venice, while he was known as Charles Alexander, a gunfight occurred resulting in murders. He was shot and at the same time he met his future wife who was going into labor at the time. They both survived, and he married her ready to quit “the company.” He an More...
Jun 04, 2009
Debbi
rated it:
If you're looking for a spy novel full of convoluted twists, shady people and double-crosses, THE TOURIST should be right up your alley.
The story is about Milo Weaver, a CIA agent who once worked in "black ops," which is to say he worked in an unofficial capacity for The Company (as the CIA likes to call itself). Or, to put it yet another way, Milo worked as a "tourist" for the CIA. Going wherever they told him and just following orders.
But that changes. S More...
The story is about Milo Weaver, a CIA agent who once worked in "black ops," which is to say he worked in an unofficial capacity for The Company (as the CIA likes to call itself). Or, to put it yet another way, Milo worked as a "tourist" for the CIA. Going wherever they told him and just following orders.
But that changes. S More...
May 29, 2011
Mike
rated it:
I'm a big fan of the work of Robert Ludlum, and have now read most of his books. When I read a Robert Ludlum book it's like DRIVING MISS DAISY in the sense that I'm in the hands of a consummate professional, no matter how insane the ride.
Well, Ludlum's dead, so what now?
Well, I've flipped through a couple of official copy-cat novels, the Bourne progressions and the Covert Ones, by official imitators of Ludlum's content and they've all left a nasty taste in my mouth, a wi More...
Well, Ludlum's dead, so what now?
Well, I've flipped through a couple of official copy-cat novels, the Bourne progressions and the Covert Ones, by official imitators of Ludlum's content and they've all left a nasty taste in my mouth, a wi More...
Mar 16, 2011
Nia
rated it:
Rumit dan tidak langsung memberikan petunjuk arah yang jelas kemana cerita ini akan dibawa. Itu kesan yang didapatkan setelah selesai membaca Bagian Satu. Juga belum jelas siapa lawan dan kawan di cerita ini. Tapi ketidakjelasan itulah yang menahan saya untuk melaju ke halaman selanjutnya. Baru di halaman 272, saya mulai mengerti kalau kisah ini memang ingin dibuat seperti apa yang dituturkan oleh tokoh utamanya, Milo Weaver :
“Belakangan, sewaktu dia mengemudi, Milo menggosok wajahny More...
“Belakangan, sewaktu dia mengemudi, Milo menggosok wajahny More...
Jun 09, 2010
Emily
rated it:
This tenebrous thriller walks a fine line between plotty and convoluted. It concerns a former CIA black-ops spy, Milo Weaver, who's trying to work a desk job and live a quiet life with his wife, a librarian, in Park Slope (!). But then one of his best friends, a fellow spy whom he trusted to the hilt, is killed, and he comes under suspicion. He tries to figure out who killed her and why, but is only bewildered by the tangle of events he uncovers, which he previously thought were unconnected. Gra
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Feb 27, 2010
If every generation gets the espionage novel it deserves and needs, then Gen X has found its Le Carre. Olen Steinhauer turns his spy, Milo Weaver, into a killer stand-in for all those loving parents who also guiltily realize they might in fact be their most authentic selves when unhealthily obsessed with their work.
It's a pleasure to see Steinhauer handle the many tricky technical details of his narrative with such casual aplomb. For the story to run properly, Milo needs to be as c More...
It's a pleasure to see Steinhauer handle the many tricky technical details of his narrative with such casual aplomb. For the story to run properly, Milo needs to be as c More...
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Feb 05, 2009
Samantha
rated it:
This is the best spy novel that I've read in over a year. It was exciting and made you think. Mr. Steinhauer stays one step ahead of you at all times sending you on twists and turns down your path. You will actually care about the characters and what each is feeling. It starts off explaining to you what a tourist is and then throughout the book it talks about what a tourist does and what you become if you are one. It is a division of the CIA that is their black ops and spy unit. You meet Milo wh
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Jun 25, 2009
Tim
rated it:
In late 2001 Milo Weaver was at the end of his rope, strung out on amphetamines and suicidal from the stress of being a secret agent (codenamed "Tourist") for the CIA, hot on the trail of an international killer and money launderer. After being shot and nearly killed in the line of duty, he retreats to a desk job until the blow back from one of his older cases forces him back out into the open and on the run. This was a fine if convoluted spy novel filled with everything you'd expect:
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Mar 19, 2009
Gerald
rated it:
I'm disappointed. But if all you expect in a spy thriller is a convoluted plot with suspense and surprises, you'll probably be satisfied.
My suspicion that this book might be too similar to The Spanish Game proved correct, I'm sorry to say. No, the plots aren't the same, just equally complex. However, the characterizations in both books are rather shallow. It's all about action here, possibly so the movie plot "falls out" of the read for the jaded and not too bookish Hollywo More...
My suspicion that this book might be too similar to The Spanish Game proved correct, I'm sorry to say. No, the plots aren't the same, just equally complex. However, the characterizations in both books are rather shallow. It's all about action here, possibly so the movie plot "falls out" of the read for the jaded and not too bookish Hollywo More...
Jul 26, 2011
Daniel
rated it:
With all due respect to John LeCarre, the master, I now think that The Tourist by Olen Steinhauer is the best espionage novel I have ever read.
A lot of praise has already been written about this book, but I only stumbled upon it recently. I wish I had known about it earlier.
Milo Weaver, the sympathetic, multi-layered main character is a "Tourist" for the CIA. When his friend and colleague is murdered in Paris, Milo is the prime suspect. He's sent on various fact findin More...
A lot of praise has already been written about this book, but I only stumbled upon it recently. I wish I had known about it earlier.
Milo Weaver, the sympathetic, multi-layered main character is a "Tourist" for the CIA. When his friend and colleague is murdered in Paris, Milo is the prime suspect. He's sent on various fact findin More...
May 19, 2009
Barry
rated it:
If you like an intelligent page-turner, this is the book for you. Steinhauer takes the most basic of thriller plots – a fugitive needs to prove his innocence – and cloaks it in so much nuance and opacity that you want to turn the next page to figure out what just happened. And to find out what happens next.
This is a tricky book to write. It can get needlessly complicated in a hurry and usually the tangled plot strings will never get satisfactorily unravelled in the end. But with More...
This is a tricky book to write. It can get needlessly complicated in a hurry and usually the tangled plot strings will never get satisfactorily unravelled in the end. But with More...
Jan 18, 2011
Leslie
rated it:
In the vein of Ludlum's 'Bourne' books, this book contains significant amounts of espionage, intrigue and loads of action. This one kept me up two hours past my bedtime to get to the end.
"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 More...
"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 More...
Aug 14, 2010
Matt
rated it:
Steinhauer's done a great job of "weaving" (sorry about the pun) a complex story fleshed out with varying locations, layers of storyline, and moderately complex characters. It's a page turner from the start- although it can at times be confusing and convoluted.
Steinhauer has a great way of blending the esoteric world of spies and 'Tourists' with contemporary and familiar cultural references and atmosphere. The locations are real and lend themselves well to the story, and More...
Steinhauer has a great way of blending the esoteric world of spies and 'Tourists' with contemporary and familiar cultural references and atmosphere. The locations are real and lend themselves well to the story, and More...
Apr 24, 2010
Michael
rated it:
I love a good spy story when it is well written and has lots of double dealing in it. This was my first Olen Steinhauer book and I really enjoyed reading it. It reminded me of the style of writing and novels written by one of the greatest in this genre - Len Deighton (Ipcress File, and the trilogies : Hook, Line, Sinker and Game, Set, Match). Deighton and Steinhauer don't compare with the writing brilliance and psychological insights of the two greatest spy fiction writers: LeCarre' and Greene b
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Jan 11, 2011
Jon
rated it:
A pretty good CIA-international intrigue thriller, with multiple levels of betrayal and secrets saved for the end (and beyond--there is a sequel). A good airport or beach read. But it seemed unreal--I know there really are serious men in black who may be with the Company or the Russians or MI6; but living in a world peopled only by them seems like a fantasy. A James Bond-type gadget that will open any car with electronic locks and then start it? Bodies falling from windows near the Grand Canal?
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Mar 17, 2009
Weavre
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Olen Steinhauer's main character Milo is richly developed, while the supporting cast is sketched out just fully enough to fulfill their roles without slowing the story. The intricate plot is believable and not quite predictable, with a resolution that's perhaps more honest than most and that leaves the door wide open to a sequel. I hope Steinhauer plans to write that sequel, because The Tourist is quite good. It's fast-paced without quite being an edge-of-the-seat thriller, and detailed in a way
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