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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
Olen Steinhauer is fast becoming one of my favorite authors of thrilling spy stories. This read was so entertaining and well written, with all the twists and turns in the story I had no idea where it was going. The protagonist is a complex character and I found it difficult to decide at times how I felt about him. I had never heard the term tourist used in his chosen field of work... spy, spook, special agent but not a tourist. Highly recommend this author.
This originally took me a while to get into, but once I got a few chapters in it picked up a good pace and kept building in excitement and suspence. Looking forward to finding the next book in the series!
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Milo Weaver is complicated and of course he works for the CIA or not and that is complicated. I enjoy a good spy thriller but I do dislike when they get a bit over the top. and honestly Milo is a very hard character to like.
I love a good spy novel and this was all I asked for: the right balance between plausibility and ridiculousness (though I suppose I might find it too far on one side or the other if I knew anything about actual spies), an emotionally wounded, cynical hero, and a twisty plot that pulls you right in. No LeCarre but what is? Not even LeCarre these days.
I have found a new favorite and hope the series holds up in the next books.
This book draaaaaagggeeddd on and on and on. It was interesting, and I'll probably read the next book in the series, but it's something you'll really need to _want_ to read.
Actually, I think I'll pass on the second one. I kind of just finished it to finish it. Don't bother reading it.
Actually, I think I'll pass on the second one. I kind of just finished it to finish it. Don't bother reading it.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.5... rounded down.
If I ever take on a second genre, I can see myself getting into spy novels. This one, compared to the average crime novel that I read, is a bit light on setting and characterization, and too heavy on plot. It has plenty of double (triple? quadruple?) crosses, secrets revealed, etc. etc. Very entertaining.
Outside of the protagonist there aren't many great characters. It's fun when someone flips from evil to good or vice-versa, but one of the things I love most about crime novels is their ability to show how good vs. evil can be more a matter of circumstance and motivation, and how blurry the line is between the two. This book didn't have much of that.
Still, quick moving and fun. I will read the sequel.
If I ever take on a second genre, I can see myself getting into spy novels. This one, compared to the average crime novel that I read, is a bit light on setting and characterization, and too heavy on plot. It has plenty of double (triple? quadruple?) crosses, secrets revealed, etc. etc. Very entertaining.
Outside of the protagonist there aren't many great characters. It's fun when someone flips from evil to good or vice-versa, but one of the things I love most about crime novels is their ability to show how good vs. evil can be more a matter of circumstance and motivation, and how blurry the line is between the two. This book didn't have much of that.
Still, quick moving and fun. I will read the sequel.
This is the third Steinhauer thriller I've read, and the most disappointing. The plot is quite complex, with many twists and turns. . .which is why the book is compared to John le Carré's on the dust jacket, I suppose. However, in making such a complex plot, the author throws credibility to the wind. The protagonist meets his future wife for the first time when he is on a spook mission and she just happens to go into labor at the same time he is shot. Really? I don't think even thrillers can get away with such "coincidences", at least not with me they can't. Another flaw is that the spy mystery is solved at the end of Part I. Part II, where the protagonist is removed from the action, is literally anticlimactic, with more preposterous background revelations.
The other Steinhauer thrillers had gritty Eastern European settings; in this one, the settings include Europe, New York (where the protagonist lives with his family)Tennessee, Texas, and (for cryin' out loud) Disney World. Would le Carré have considered for even a moment sending Smiley there with his wife and daughter? I think not.
Yeah, I know this review has been negative so far. However, on the whole, I liked it. It provided several hours of entertainment and a glimpse into the violent, amoral world of Tourists, that is, CIA ops sent on missions to gather information, secretly meddle in international affairs, and knock off government-designated bad guys.
The other Steinhauer thrillers had gritty Eastern European settings; in this one, the settings include Europe, New York (where the protagonist lives with his family)Tennessee, Texas, and (for cryin' out loud) Disney World. Would le Carré have considered for even a moment sending Smiley there with his wife and daughter? I think not.
Yeah, I know this review has been negative so far. However, on the whole, I liked it. It provided several hours of entertainment and a glimpse into the violent, amoral world of Tourists, that is, CIA ops sent on missions to gather information, secretly meddle in international affairs, and knock off government-designated bad guys.