Macmillian: 3/24/20
review copy; 384 pages
Milo Weaver Series #4
The Last Tourist by Olen Steinhauer is a highly recommended, complex espionage thriller and the fourth novel featuring Milo Weaver.
It is a decade since ex-CIA agent Milo Weaver thought the corps of CIA-trained assassins called "Tourists" had finally ended. Milo is the head of the Library, a secret espionage operation buried within the UN’s bureaucracy. He has his own concerns with the Library, but a series of violent assaults point to a group of assassins back at work and they seem to be operating outside the reach of any country's control. Milo is driven into hiding in the Western Sahara when a young inexperienced CIA analyst arrives to question him, which results in both of them running for their lives.
This is a tension pack, complex novel set in the underworld of espionage, with danger at every turn as both sides engage maneuvers, parries, deflections, and double-crossing. It is a demanding plot that does require you to pay close attention as you read to characters, the backstories, their actions and loyalties. Everyone is suspect. Everyone has their own agenda. It must be noted that this novel is not a mindless way to pass the time. You are going to have to actively follow the myriad of characters and the complicated plot.
I have not read the previous Milo Weaver novels. It may have helped me with some of the backstory if I had, but I did manage to follow what was happening and unpack the history. Of course, you'll have to pick all of this up while you are racing along with the breakneck pace and trying to tamp down your level of tension as the plot threads unfold. It's a wild, convoluted ride with a plot that contains layers upon layers of information. Milo Weaver is a great character and surviving depends upon his acumen and intelligence.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Macmillian.
No comments:
Post a Comment