The Book The Tourist

Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Edgar-finalist Steinhauer takes a break from his crime series set in an unnamed Eastern European country under Communist rule (Liberation Movements, etc.) to deliver an outstanding stand-alone, a contemporary spy thriller. Milo Weaver used to be a tourist, one of the CIA's special field agents without a home or a name. Six years after leaving that career, Milo has found a certain amount of satisfaction as a husband and a father and with a desk job at the CIA's New York headquarters. The arrest of an international hit man and a meeting with a former colleague yank Milo back into his old role, from which retirement is never really possible. While plenty of breathtaking scenes in the world's most beautiful places bolster the heart-stopping action, the real story is the soul-crushing toil the job inflicts on a person who can't trust anyone, whose life is a lie fueled by paranoia. George Clooney's company has bought the film rights with the actor slated to star and produce. 100,000 first printing; author tour. (Mar.)
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Review
An absolutely superb contemporary espionage novel in the great tradition of the old masters of the genre. The Tourist has what it takes to become a classic. --Nelson DeMille

An absolutely superb contemporary espionage novel in the great tradition of the old masters of the genre. The Tourist has what it takes to become a classic. --Nelson DeMille, author of The Gate House

[A]n outstanding stand-alone, a contemporary spy thriller….While plenty of breathtaking scenes in the world's most beautiful places bolster the heart-stopping action, the real story is the soul-crushing toil the job inflicts on a person who can't trust anyone, whose life is a lie fueled by paranoia. --Publishers Weekly (starred review) --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

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Product Details

* Hardcover: 416 pages
* Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur; 1 edition (March 3, 2009)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0312369727
* ISBN-13: 978-0312369729
* Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.6 x 1.5 inches
* Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
* Average Customer Review:

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4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
* Amazon.com Sales Rank: #133 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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44 Reviews
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Outstanding, a 2009 Best Seller, January 29, 2009
By R. Crane (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews

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I loved this book and it deserves more than a 5 star rating. It is a superb, gripping thriller written by a master craftsman, who holds your rapt attention from beginning to end.

It is the story of a "Black Ops" (meaning top secret) CIA organization whose very existence is so hidden, that even Homeland Security is officially unaware of their existence. Sent all over the world on varying missions, gathering intelligence and executing specified targets, the agents identify themselves as "tourists" when they enter a country. The richness of detail is so graphic, you really believe what you are reading is real--what they actually do and how they behave in real life. The headquarters, based in Manhattan, appears to outsiders to be a travel agency, and the agents working desk jobs are called "travel agents". That in itself is a fascinating concept and cover for an intelligence agency!

The agency assigns one of its former "tourists", now relegated to a desk job, to investigate the possibility that another tourist is leaking information to an enemy. As one strand of the plot is uncovered, another question arises as to who is the enemy, who is really the mole, who is the power behind the mole, and why. The book is filled with interesting characters and tension.

The movie rights to the book, according to the back cover, have been bought by George Clooney who plans to star in the movie version. I hope the author is involved with the script writing so that the story, when translated to the screen, is equally as dramatic as the book.

This is bound to be a best seller for 2009, highly, highly recommended. This espionage thriller will become a classic, along with the very best of its genre.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Intelligent, Complex, Well-Written Spy Thriller!, February 17, 2009
By bobbewig (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews

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The Tourist is my first book by Steinhauer and it certainly won't be my last. The plot involves Milo Weaver who was once the CIA's most dangerous "tourist" (i.e., Black Ops agent) and is now a middle-level manager in the CIA's New York headquarters living in Brooklyn with his wife and daughter. However, when the arrest of a long sort-after enemy sets off an investigation into one of Milo's oldest colleagues and exposes new layers of intrigue into his past cases, he goes back undercover to find out who is "jerking the strings." Steinhauer has brilliantly woven a contemporary story of betrayal and manipulation, loyalty and risk that both reinvents and exemplifies the highest in the espionage genre. Further, The Tourist represents a first-class combination of exciting plotting and multi-dimensional characterization. With The Tourist, Steinhauer deserves to be considered as a ranking member of the elite club of writers of intelligent, complex and well-crafted espionage thrillers; a club whose members include John Le Carre and Len Deighton (at least in their early days), Graham Greene and Alan Furst. Please keep in mind that while The Tourist has its share of murders and intrique, its more a story that requires the reader to use all of his/her mental abilities to help wade through all the layers upon layers of deceit and manipulation that must be uncovered to get to the truth, rather than a story that will have you physically trying to catch your breath in order to keep up with all the action and adventure. If the former type of thriller has appeal to you, then I highly recommend you plan a trip to your bookstore or library as soon as possible and "travel" with The Tourist. I'm sure you will find it to be a rewarding experience.
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Le Carre's heir found!, February 19, 2009
By J. A Magill (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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What is the essential element in the art of a great spy thriller? The compelling character, who readers cheer for even as they recognize their deep flaws? Intricate plots that weave back on themselves and offer a string of surprising turns? The feel of looking through a window into a shadow world? Page turning writing? What ever the recipe, Olen Steinhauer proves himself a master chef, producing Milo Weaver, one of the greatest espionage protagonists since George Smiley.

The Tourist also rises to the great challenge of his genre in the 21st century, proving that even absent the cold war the thrill of the chase can continue. Here he offers us a view into a section of the CIA which includes field operatives -- "Tourists" -- and their handlers --"Travel Agents." The plot he crafts lays at the locus of several modern conflicts, over oil, terrorism, and the decline of sovereignty, with a layer of the bureaucratic wars which have long spiced the genre.

At the book's heart is Milo Weaver, part ex-master spy and part struggling every man, who finds himself tossed by forces seemingly beyond his control, even as he struggles to protect the family he loves. While I am tempted to say more, I fear that in my joy I might write too much - dangerous in reviews and espionage - and rob another reader of the pleasure of this delicious read. What I can say is that this may be the first book of this author I've read, but it won't be the last. And I pray that there are more tales of Milo Weaver in my future.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Well written and exciting
The beginning of The Tourist made me think that this book was the postmodern spy novel. A depressed and suicidal spy who has had so many identities he has lost himself. Read more
Published 1 day ago by Jeffrey Miller

5.0 out of 5 stars There are tourists, and then there are Tourists...
This is, quite simply, the best spy novel I can remember reading in what must be many decades. Daniel Silva, in comparison, is writing books for middle school kids, and even Alan... Read more
Published 2 days ago by S. McGee

5.0 out of 5 stars Great story
Ever since I started writing novels, I've had trouble getting through other people's novels. I'm always too critical, so I found myself reading non-fiction. Read more
Published 4 days ago by James D. Best

5.0 out of 5 stars Thrilling and Killing
The "Tourist" is the most complex, believable, and engaging espionage novel I've enjoyed in more than 20 years. Read more
Published 5 days ago by J. B Kraft

5.0 out of 5 stars Balancing Act
This is an excellent spy novel about a CIA operative & his relationships with others (and himself) both inside & outside The Company. Read more
Published 6 days ago by Neal J. Pollock

4.0 out of 5 stars excellent thriller
Six years ago Milo Weaver left his CIA field job as a "tourist" to sit at a desk in the New York City office; he knew it was time as the cold means no hesitation whatsoever... Read more
Published 7 days ago by Harriet Klausner

5.0 out of 5 stars Probably the best spy novel I've ever read
Back in the early 60s, I remember reading a variety of spy novels. On the one hand, there were the exuberant and exotic romps by Ian Fleming; on the other, gritty and cynical... Read more
Published 7 days ago by G. M. Arnold

5.0 out of 5 stars a complex spy novel, not a pretender
How many plots exist in the world, endlessly reused in different formats? More than the proverbial ten, but more than most people care to read, unless reworked in a funky fashion... Read more
Published 7 days ago by Suzanne MN Fisher

5.0 out of 5 stars More Like Bourne with Brains than Smiley - Top Notch Spy Thriller
Having wrapped up his five-book series of detective stories based in an unidentified country in Eastern Europe [... Read more
Published 8 days ago by Douglas S. Wood

5.0 out of 5 stars A real thrill ride
The Tourist is the story of Milo Weaver, a deep-cover CIA agent. In the beginning, we see Milo in full Tourist mode -- he's assigned a job, someone to kill, someone to watch... Read more
Published 13 days ago by Warren Kelly

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