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Milo Weaver #2
The Nearest Exit
The Nearest Exit.
Faced with the potential dissolution of his marriage and the end of his quiet, settled life, reluctant spy Milo Weaver has no choice but to return to his old job as a "tourist" for the CIA. But before he can get back to the dirty work of espionage, he has to prove his worth to his new bosses. Armed with a stack of false identities, Milo heads back to Europe, and for nearly three months every assignment is executed perfectly. Then he's instructed to kill the fifteen-year-old daughter of Moldovan immigrants, and make the body disappear. No questions. For Milo, it's an impossible task, but ignoring his handlers is equally untenable. Suddenly he's in a dangerous position, caught between right and wrong, between powerful self-interested foes, between patriots and traitors—especially now that he has nothing left to lose…
Faced with the potential dissolution of his marriage and the end of his quiet, settled life, reluctant spy Milo Weaver has no choice but to return to his old job as a "tourist" for the CIA. But before he can get back to the dirty work of espionage, he has to prove his worth to his new bosses. Armed with a stack of false identities, Milo heads back to Europe, and for nearly three months every assignment is executed perfectly. Then he's instructed to kill the fifteen-year-old daughter of Moldovan immigrants, and make the body disappear. No questions. For Milo, it's an impossible task, but ignoring his handlers is equally untenable. Suddenly he's in a dangerous position, caught between right and wrong, between powerful self-interested foes, between patriots and traitors—especially now that he has nothing left to lose…
592 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 6, 2010
570 people are currently reading
3324 people want to read
About the author
Olen Steinhauer
31 books1,229 followersOlen Steinhauer grew up in Virginia, and has since lived in Georgia, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Texas, California, Massachusetts, and New York. Outside the US, he's lived in Croatia (when it was called Yugoslavia), the Czech Republic and Italy. He also spent a year in Romania on a Fulbright grant, an experience that helped inspire his first five books. He now lives in Hungary with his wife and daughter.
He has published stories and poetry in various literary journals over the years. His first novel, The Bridge of Sighs (2003), the start of a five-book sequence chronicling Cold War Eastern Europe, one book per decade, was nominated for five awards.
The second book of the series, The Confession, garnered significant critical acclaim, and 36 Yalta Boulevard (The Vienna Assignment in the UK), made three year-end best-of lists. Liberation Movements (The Istanbul Variations in the UK), was listed for four best-of lists and was nominated for an Edgar Award for best novel of the year. The final novel in the series, Victory Square, published in 2007, was a New York Times editor's choice.
With The Tourist, he has left the Cold War behind, beginning a trilogy of spy tales focused on international deception in the post 9/11 world. Happily, George Clooney's Smoke House Films has picked up the rights, with Mr. Clooney scheduled to star.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/olenst...
He has published stories and poetry in various literary journals over the years. His first novel, The Bridge of Sighs (2003), the start of a five-book sequence chronicling Cold War Eastern Europe, one book per decade, was nominated for five awards.
The second book of the series, The Confession, garnered significant critical acclaim, and 36 Yalta Boulevard (The Vienna Assignment in the UK), made three year-end best-of lists. Liberation Movements (The Istanbul Variations in the UK), was listed for four best-of lists and was nominated for an Edgar Award for best novel of the year. The final novel in the series, Victory Square, published in 2007, was a New York Times editor's choice.
With The Tourist, he has left the Cold War behind, beginning a trilogy of spy tales focused on international deception in the post 9/11 world. Happily, George Clooney's Smoke House Films has picked up the rights, with Mr. Clooney scheduled to star.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/olenst...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 602 reviews
November 28, 2019
Unbelievable plot. You take a secret department of the CIA, which is secret for the CIA/Homeland/etc. And it's not secret for some German something? As well as for Ukrainian and Chinese? Ouch. Satire much?
Still, I liked the writing style.
Q: “I still don’t buy it,” Milo said. “You’ve got Xin Zhu. By all appearances he’s politically dead in the water. He’s a heavy drinker with a weakness for women. Not only that, but he’s sharing extremely classified information with a nobody—a Ukrainian lieutenant who ends up defecting soon afterward. He’s also got a loose-lipped, horny secretary. How does a man with all these flaws end up a colonel, and a colonel running a mole in our department?”
(c)
Still, I liked the writing style.
Q: “I still don’t buy it,” Milo said. “You’ve got Xin Zhu. By all appearances he’s politically dead in the water. He’s a heavy drinker with a weakness for women. Not only that, but he’s sharing extremely classified information with a nobody—a Ukrainian lieutenant who ends up defecting soon afterward. He’s also got a loose-lipped, horny secretary. How does a man with all these flaws end up a colonel, and a colonel running a mole in our department?”
(c)
May 31, 2020
If you like spy novels, this trilogy has a real feel to it. It tells the story from the human side of the character, and makes him real rather than some kind of super hero. This series is second right after I am Pilgrim. I highly recommend them.
David Putnam author of The Bruno Johnson series.
David Putnam author of The Bruno Johnson series.
February 28, 2011
On it's face, an awfully good read. The story line is complex. The writing is equal to the story. And then there are the moral and political ins and outs. Not a straightforward international thriller.
All that said: it was Alyosha (Brothers Karamozov), among others, who asked (something like) if you could achieve the just world on taking the life of one innocent child would you do it. That's the central theme of this book. The child is murdered (and you learn that early) in service, you think, to some higher good. But just wait. The author makes you both question the meaning of "just", because in the end internationally all we have is a moral universe in which we keep one step ahead of those who would do us harm, makes you confront the fact that those who keep us "safe" are numb, amoral mechanics, and finally makes you twist over the fact that much of this is personal and completely disassociated from any sense of the good or the just. The challenge of being human given the ooze of political, economic and moral dysfunction that threaten to overwhelm truly is a virtual lost cause.
The main character, Milo Weaver, "weaves" his way through personal and professional labyrinths using the best moral compass he can filtered by lying, dexedrine, impersonations, beating "collateral damage" with a pipe. We can only hope that he will make them all pay, and pay big time, for what they've done. No child, no family, is worth the "just" world. Why? because it's an abstraction, an illusion. Being human is all we have in the end.
All that said: it was Alyosha (Brothers Karamozov), among others, who asked (something like) if you could achieve the just world on taking the life of one innocent child would you do it. That's the central theme of this book. The child is murdered (and you learn that early) in service, you think, to some higher good. But just wait. The author makes you both question the meaning of "just", because in the end internationally all we have is a moral universe in which we keep one step ahead of those who would do us harm, makes you confront the fact that those who keep us "safe" are numb, amoral mechanics, and finally makes you twist over the fact that much of this is personal and completely disassociated from any sense of the good or the just. The challenge of being human given the ooze of political, economic and moral dysfunction that threaten to overwhelm truly is a virtual lost cause.
The main character, Milo Weaver, "weaves" his way through personal and professional labyrinths using the best moral compass he can filtered by lying, dexedrine, impersonations, beating "collateral damage" with a pipe. We can only hope that he will make them all pay, and pay big time, for what they've done. No child, no family, is worth the "just" world. Why? because it's an abstraction, an illusion. Being human is all we have in the end.
June 11, 2024
Started to read again ... confusing ... no driving plot ... decided to keep reading ... so many liked it ... maybe it's me ...
... read to the end ... some compelling scenes but many not ... impossible to keep all the names straight ...
... read to the end ... some compelling scenes but many not ... impossible to keep all the names straight ...
August 20, 2022
Πολύ καλό και το δεύτερο μέρος
August 15, 2019
Forget what you thought you knew about the glamorous world of espionage. Forget the sports cars 🚗 barreling down the autobahn, the secret gadgets, the exclusive casinos, the seductive Russian women, the champagne corks. The Nearest Exit, the second book in the Milo Weaver series, takes you into a dirty world of shadows and moral ambiguities where compromises are made and souls are empty. The Nearest Exit is a title that assumes there is an exit off this highway - that one can voluntarily cease being a "tourist" - that there's a normal life you could ever live. It's more like the whole damn house is on fire and there ain't no bloody Exit to be found. It's a book that is shocking from beginning to end and, even when you think you're just treading water among the circling sharks 🦈, there's more to come.
July 17, 2022
Βαθμολογία: 9/10
Πέρυσι τον Ιούνιο διάβασα και πραγματικά απόλαυσα το πρώτο βιβλίο της σειράς με ήρωα τον Μάιλο Γουίβερ, το χορταστικό "Ο Τουρίστας", έτσι είχα αρκετά υψηλές προσδοκίες από τούτο το βιβλίο, το οποίο περίμενα πώς και πώς όλον αυτόν τον καιρό. Και, ναι, το "Έξοδος κινδύνου" μου φάνηκε εξίσου καλογραμμένο, συναρπαστικό και ψυχαγωγικό με το πρώτο, με τον συγγραφέα να αποδεικνύει ότι θα μπορούσε κάλλιστα να είναι ένας από τους διαδόχους του Τζον Λε Καρέ, έστω κι αν δεν ήταν ποτέ μυστικός πράκτορας (βέβαια, ποτέ δεν ξέρει κανείς, άλλωστε σαν πολλές λεπτομέρειες δεν γνωρίζει για τον κόσμο των μυστικών υπηρεσιών;). Λοιπόν, να ξέρετε ότι πρέπει να διαβάσετε πρώτα το "Ο τουρίστας" πριν πιάσετε αυτό το βιβλίο, γιατί εκτός του ότι θα έχετε κενά για κάποιους χαρακτήρες και για κάποια σημαντικά γεγονότα που λίγο-πολύ οδήγησαν στα γεγονότα του δεύτερου αυτού βιβλίου, είναι δεδομένο ότι γίνονται κρίσιμες αναφορές σε χαρακτήρες και γεγονότα του πρώτου βιβλίου, οπότε θα τρώγατε κάμποσα σπόιλερ στη μάπα. Και, άλλωστε, ποιος φυσιολογικός άνθρωπος ξεκινάει από το δεύτερο βιβλίο ενώ έχει τη δυνατότητα να διαβάσει το πρώτο, ε; Όσο για το βιβλίο αυτό καθαυτό, η πλοκή είναι έντονη και συναρπαστική, με όλες τις απαραίτητες δόσεις μυστηρίου, αγωνίας, έντασης και δράσης, ενώ οι κατάσκοποι εδώ καμία σχέση δεν έχουν με τους κατασκόπους αλά Τζέιμς Μποντ, εξάλλου τα είπαμε, εδώ έχουμε να κάνουμε με έναν πιο ρεαλιστικό κόσμο, μακριά από την γκλαμουριά του Μποντ και σίγουρα πιο κοντά στην πραγματικότητα. Η γραφή είναι πολύ ποιοτική, οξυδερκής και άκρως εθιστική, με έντονες περιγραφές και φυσικούς διαλόγους, ενώ και η ατμόσφαιρα είναι σαφώς εξαιρετική και σε πολλά σημεία πραγματικά έντονη και αγχωτική. Τέλος, ο Μάιλο Γουίβερ είναι πιο ώριμος και πιο συνειδητοποιημένος, παλεύει μέσα του για την ηθική και το νόημα της ζωής σαν Τουρίστας που είναι, δεν ξέρει αν αξίζει τον κόπο να συνεχίσει αυτό που κάνει και δεν είναι σίγουρος αν μπορεί να φύγει έτσι απλά, για να ζήσει σαν κανονικός άνθρωπος με τη γυναίκα και το παιδί του. Ελπίζω να μην αργήσει να κυκλοφορήσει το τρίτο βιβλίο (οι εκδόσεις Πόλις έχουν σκοπό να το εκδώσουν), γιατί μια ανησυχία για το μέλλον του Μάιλο Γουίβερ σίγουρα την έχω...
Πέρυσι τον Ιούνιο διάβασα και πραγματικά απόλαυσα το πρώτο βιβλίο της σειράς με ήρωα τον Μάιλο Γουίβερ, το χορταστικό "Ο Τουρίστας", έτσι είχα αρκετά υψηλές προσδοκίες από τούτο το βιβλίο, το οποίο περίμενα πώς και πώς όλον αυτόν τον καιρό. Και, ναι, το "Έξοδος κινδύνου" μου φάνηκε εξίσου καλογραμμένο, συναρπαστικό και ψυχαγωγικό με το πρώτο, με τον συγγραφέα να αποδεικνύει ότι θα μπορούσε κάλλιστα να είναι ένας από τους διαδόχους του Τζον Λε Καρέ, έστω κι αν δεν ήταν ποτέ μυστικός πράκτορας (βέβαια, ποτέ δεν ξέρει κανείς, άλλωστε σαν πολλές λεπτομέρειες δεν γνωρίζει για τον κόσμο των μυστικών υπηρεσιών;). Λοιπόν, να ξέρετε ότι πρέπει να διαβάσετε πρώτα το "Ο τουρίστας" πριν πιάσετε αυτό το βιβλίο, γιατί εκτός του ότι θα έχετε κενά για κάποιους χαρακτήρες και για κάποια σημαντικά γεγονότα που λίγο-πολύ οδήγησαν στα γεγονότα του δεύτερου αυτού βιβλίου, είναι δεδομένο ότι γίνονται κρίσιμες αναφορές σε χαρακτήρες και γεγονότα του πρώτου βιβλίου, οπότε θα τρώγατε κάμποσα σπόιλερ στη μάπα. Και, άλλωστε, ποιος φυσιολογικός άνθρωπος ξεκινάει από το δεύτερο βιβλίο ενώ έχει τη δυνατότητα να διαβάσει το πρώτο, ε; Όσο για το βιβλίο αυτό καθαυτό, η πλοκή είναι έντονη και συναρπαστική, με όλες τις απαραίτητες δόσεις μυστηρίου, αγωνίας, έντασης και δράσης, ενώ οι κατάσκοποι εδώ καμία σχέση δεν έχουν με τους κατασκόπους αλά Τζέιμς Μποντ, εξάλλου τα είπαμε, εδώ έχουμε να κάνουμε με έναν πιο ρεαλιστικό κόσμο, μακριά από την γκλαμουριά του Μποντ και σίγουρα πιο κοντά στην πραγματικότητα. Η γραφή είναι πολύ ποιοτική, οξυδερκής και άκρως εθιστική, με έντονες περιγραφές και φυσικούς διαλόγους, ενώ και η ατμόσφαιρα είναι σαφώς εξαιρετική και σε πολλά σημεία πραγματικά έντονη και αγχωτική. Τέλος, ο Μάιλο Γουίβερ είναι πιο ώριμος και πιο συνειδητοποιημένος, παλεύει μέσα του για την ηθική και το νόημα της ζωής σαν Τουρίστας που είναι, δεν ξέρει αν αξίζει τον κόπο να συνεχίσει αυτό που κάνει και δεν είναι σίγουρος αν μπορεί να φύγει έτσι απλά, για να ζήσει σαν κανονικός άνθρωπος με τη γυναίκα και το παιδί του. Ελπίζω να μην αργήσει να κυκλοφορήσει το τρίτο βιβλίο (οι εκδόσεις Πόλις έχουν σκοπό να το εκδώσουν), γιατί μια ανησυχία για το μέλλον του Μάιλο Γουίβερ σίγουρα την έχω...
February 22, 2010
This book was as just as good or even better than "The Tourist." Lots of violence and shocking, shifting realities in this one as well as some morally objectionable assignments. How can one be "good" when one's superiors confuse patriotism with concealing the bad behavior of officials. Yours not to reason why but to execute without questioning. This book is all about knowing when to disobey orders. The plot is Ludlum like with many twists and turns and nothing is as it seems. It initially appears the book is over with 60 pages to go. Nothing could be further from the truth!! The ending is violent and ambiguous in that we are left wondering if Milo Weaver will return or not in Book Three.
June 10, 2010
A moral vision much like Le Carre but without the modernist sensibility. This is a grunt's-eye view of espionage. There is no James Bond allure to this world, no clarity of good vs evil but a shifting blur of bad, worse and worst. Its a world of moral opacity, where field agents are grunts to be used and discarded; a world in which villain and hero are indistinguishable; where death is cheap and life cheaper. It's a world of edges, of the margins where ambiguity, shifting allegiances and desperation permeate. There are no Monte Carlo casinos. No glamor, no women of certain quality flow across the screen to ignite the libido. This is a world inhabited by men and women of uncertain quality; whores, strippers and and petty criminals; a world where everyone is on the make and allegiances in constant flux. A world where honor is hard to come by and love an emotion that only lasts till the post coital cigarette is lit.
Steinhauer has been favorably compared to Le Carre. Where Le Carre is internal, providing a Freudian stream of consciousness view of the landscape, Steinhauer's is the same world painted with the same colors but using different bush stokes. There is more narrative so more forward momentum to "The Nearest Exit." It's the same bleak world with the same desperate players. The same tawdriness of " A Small Time in Germany" and "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold" but also the drama and tension of the "Smiley's People" trilogy.
I'm only half-way through the book and I've already had to start over and re-read to keep track of the many inter-woven threads.
Steinhauer has been favorably compared to Le Carre. Where Le Carre is internal, providing a Freudian stream of consciousness view of the landscape, Steinhauer's is the same world painted with the same colors but using different bush stokes. There is more narrative so more forward momentum to "The Nearest Exit." It's the same bleak world with the same desperate players. The same tawdriness of " A Small Time in Germany" and "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold" but also the drama and tension of the "Smiley's People" trilogy.
I'm only half-way through the book and I've already had to start over and re-read to keep track of the many inter-woven threads.
July 1, 2020
I am not usually drawn to tales of espionage, but Olen Steinhauer's storytelling is both engaging and at once, full of suspense.
Milo Weaver is a reluctant spy. He works not for the CIA but for an even more secretive -- and unknown -- arm of United States security. Weaver is a Tourist. That may sound benign, but it is anything but. The Department of Tourism has even fewer scruples than the CIA to remove "enemies of the state" -- whoever and wherever they might be.
Weaver has had enough, but leaving the department -- at least yet alive -- is an excruciating process. He is the only one in his department with a family, something that affects Weaver at odd times, making him homesick and vulnerable to mistakes.
Milo Weaver is a reluctant spy. He works not for the CIA but for an even more secretive -- and unknown -- arm of United States security. Weaver is a Tourist. That may sound benign, but it is anything but. The Department of Tourism has even fewer scruples than the CIA to remove "enemies of the state" -- whoever and wherever they might be.
Weaver has had enough, but leaving the department -- at least yet alive -- is an excruciating process. He is the only one in his department with a family, something that affects Weaver at odd times, making him homesick and vulnerable to mistakes.
November 5, 2019
In the first book of the series,
The Tourist,
Milo Weaver was drawn back into the lies and secrets that are sometimes the fiber of the CIA in order to investigate one of his own colleagues. He had to go deep, very deep.
Now, Milo has new bosses, and must prove his loyalty. His prior life is yet unknown to them, but he still has rather high reaches in the Department of Tourism, a secret part of the CIA.
In this story, we have a secondary character, Xin Zhu. Milo does whatever he can, and believe me, he does quite a lot, to bring Zhu down. It is busy, graphic, violent and intriguing. Yeah, hard to believe so much could happen in a relatively short period of time, but, after all, it is a spy thriller. Think of a Hollywood blockbuster or two of the same ilk, and you will find yourself enjoying this novel and turning pages faster than you could imagine.
If I hadn't had the third book, An American Spy, already downloaded on my Kindle, I would have thought Milo came to an end in this book.
Many thanks to Minotaur Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
Now, Milo has new bosses, and must prove his loyalty. His prior life is yet unknown to them, but he still has rather high reaches in the Department of Tourism, a secret part of the CIA.
In this story, we have a secondary character, Xin Zhu. Milo does whatever he can, and believe me, he does quite a lot, to bring Zhu down. It is busy, graphic, violent and intriguing. Yeah, hard to believe so much could happen in a relatively short period of time, but, after all, it is a spy thriller. Think of a Hollywood blockbuster or two of the same ilk, and you will find yourself enjoying this novel and turning pages faster than you could imagine.
If I hadn't had the third book, An American Spy, already downloaded on my Kindle, I would have thought Milo came to an end in this book.
Many thanks to Minotaur Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
August 18, 2019
Milo Weaver is now a man with little to lose and has become a reluctant spy, once again, but now he must prove his loyalty in a world filled with traitors, patriots and self-important men who care only for their own gain. Is it worth it?
THE NEAREST EXIT by Olen Steinhauer continues to chronicle Milo’s life, for better or worse. Once again filled with dialogue and the reiteration of events from book one, there was a bit of a drag-drop-move feel as we are taken through rare moments of high intrigue and page after page of slow movement for the sake of details that are uneven, at best.
There is so much potential for a riveting espionage saga that gets lost in the repetition and quagmire of a man who clearly has made some bad decisions and moves along like a puppet on a poorly tied string.
I had hoped that after the groundwork of book one was laid, book two would take the baton and run, but for me, this wasn’t the case. I am all for flawed and conflicted heroes, bad guys with an agenda, but this time out, book two kind of let me down.
I received a complimentary copy from Minotaur Books. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Series: Milo Weaver - Book 2
Publisher: Minotaur Books; First edition (May 6, 2010)
Publication Date: May 11, 2010
Genre: Espionage
Print Length: 413 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com
THE NEAREST EXIT by Olen Steinhauer continues to chronicle Milo’s life, for better or worse. Once again filled with dialogue and the reiteration of events from book one, there was a bit of a drag-drop-move feel as we are taken through rare moments of high intrigue and page after page of slow movement for the sake of details that are uneven, at best.
There is so much potential for a riveting espionage saga that gets lost in the repetition and quagmire of a man who clearly has made some bad decisions and moves along like a puppet on a poorly tied string.
I had hoped that after the groundwork of book one was laid, book two would take the baton and run, but for me, this wasn’t the case. I am all for flawed and conflicted heroes, bad guys with an agenda, but this time out, book two kind of let me down.
I received a complimentary copy from Minotaur Books. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Series: Milo Weaver - Book 2
Publisher: Minotaur Books; First edition (May 6, 2010)
Publication Date: May 11, 2010
Genre: Espionage
Print Length: 413 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com
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November 4, 2022Μια πολύ ικανοποιητική συνέχεια στις περιπέτειες του Μάιλο Γουίβερ με τις ανατροπές να έχουν έντονη παρουσία σε αυ´το οτ βιβλίο. Ενα πολύ καλογραμμένο σύγχρονο κατασκοπευτικό μυθιστόρημα. Αποφεύγει τις εύκολες λύσεις και καταφέρνει να είναι πειστικό και να εμβαθύνει στον ψυχισμό του ήρωα αλλά και στο κλίμα των κύκλων που κινείται. Ωραία πλοκή, καλός ρυθμός και αρκετές στιγμές έντασης.
Δείτε λίγο περισσότερα στο Ex Libris.
Δείτε λίγο περισσότερα στο Ex Libris.
November 18, 2019
Hard to put down. Wow what a story. These plots are crazy, you never know what will happen. Now at least we know more about Milo and his background. I really liked the Erica Schwarz character, a bottle of riesling and a snickers every single day... That is one crazy diet.
December 3, 2018
3+ stars. The 2nd book in a series about Milo Weaver, who is in a secret department of the CIA known as The Tourists.
If you like modern day CIA stuff this is right up your alley.
If you like modern day CIA stuff this is right up your alley.
December 19, 2018
An exciting, complex spy novel about a super-secret arm of the CIA, the Dept of Tourism, that is only a rumor even to them, although it seems to be better known outside the US. It's made up of tourists, who wander around the world doing whatever they're told, often killing people without ever knowing why.
But Milo Weaver is no ordinary spook; he has a wife and daughter, and a different outlook on life and death, so he tries to get out field work, and works behind a desk for while, until he is needed and can't refuse. Quitting is not easy, especially if your knowledge is deemed a liability - or family obligations force you to remain. In the last book, he got accused of killing an adversary and was suspected in the death of another tourist, a good friend. He was finally cleared, but not everyone believed he was innocent, so to get back into field work, he needed to prove himself by doing a few jobs. One was to kill a young girl, who apparently did nothing wrong, and he broke the rules by questioning the reason for it. This assignment was the main thrust of the book, and we get to know the agents that are involved. Nothing is as simple as it seems, neither for the characters nor the reader. In the end, most of the characters are shown to be human, with typical human motives, complex but understandable.
One character besides Milo was unexpectedly interesting from the beginning, and likable in her fearfulness. She was an obese German secret service administrator, who was dedicated to finding the truth even when the rest of her department wanted her to stop.
And the ending - both unexpected and expected in a way, but unusual nonetheless.
But Milo Weaver is no ordinary spook; he has a wife and daughter, and a different outlook on life and death, so he tries to get out field work, and works behind a desk for while, until he is needed and can't refuse. Quitting is not easy, especially if your knowledge is deemed a liability - or family obligations force you to remain. In the last book, he got accused of killing an adversary and was suspected in the death of another tourist, a good friend. He was finally cleared, but not everyone believed he was innocent, so to get back into field work, he needed to prove himself by doing a few jobs. One was to kill a young girl, who apparently did nothing wrong, and he broke the rules by questioning the reason for it. This assignment was the main thrust of the book, and we get to know the agents that are involved. Nothing is as simple as it seems, neither for the characters nor the reader. In the end, most of the characters are shown to be human, with typical human motives, complex but understandable.
One character besides Milo was unexpectedly interesting from the beginning, and likable in her fearfulness. She was an obese German secret service administrator, who was dedicated to finding the truth even when the rest of her department wanted her to stop.
And the ending - both unexpected and expected in a way, but unusual nonetheless.
August 10, 2010
A little better than the prequel, The Tourist, which I thought was the new Clooney vehicle, which apparently is something else--a Martin Booth novel. Looks like the same basic thing, though. This is a snazzy post-Le Carre spy thriller, and Steinhauer works the mechanics better than in the first book, where one character who is deeply involved in the various conspiracies gets tied to a chair and helpfully lays them out for the reader and the hero. I mean, I know spy novels like this are devilishly hard to plot, but surely there are better ways than simply having someone recite exactly what is going on and why. Steinhauer does a much better job here of working the mechanics, and the central scheme is even more sneaky and Byzantine than in the last book. Still, I thought his Iron-Curtain mysteries (The Bridge of Sighs, The Confession, etc.) were better and more interestingly knotty than this, and I'm sort of sad he didn't continue them.
October 18, 2011
This is the first book I have read by Olen Steinhauer. I am a fan and can't wait to get my hands on another of Steinhauer's books.
Milo Weaver is a "Tourist" that has served time in prison, worked in administration, and tried to work through problems with his wife. He is asked to return to the field and he agrees, even though it is the root of his problems. At the beginning of the novel, Weaver is given a series of vetting assignments that culminates in an impossible test: the abduction and murder of a 15-year-old girl. After passing the test, Weaver is asked to find the mole within the Department of Tourism.
"The Nearest Exit" is the best spy novel I have ever read. The action is not over done and the romance is also not overdone. Instead, Steinhauer weaves a story that is impossible to put down and surprising in its outcome.
Milo Weaver is a "Tourist" that has served time in prison, worked in administration, and tried to work through problems with his wife. He is asked to return to the field and he agrees, even though it is the root of his problems. At the beginning of the novel, Weaver is given a series of vetting assignments that culminates in an impossible test: the abduction and murder of a 15-year-old girl. After passing the test, Weaver is asked to find the mole within the Department of Tourism.
"The Nearest Exit" is the best spy novel I have ever read. The action is not over done and the romance is also not overdone. Instead, Steinhauer weaves a story that is impossible to put down and surprising in its outcome.
July 13, 2010
I gave Steinhauer a chance, but somehow, these two Tourist books lack a moral center. Categorically, the comparisons by other critics, who have put him on a par with Le Carre, are to be dismissed. One gets the feeling that the author wishes us to believe that he finds the actions of his fictive CIA black ops problematic; but one never feels it in one's spine, as Nabokov might say. It seems a "put on" theme and, as a result, the books make one wish for Milo Weaver, the main character, that he had had a more empathic author.
November 30, 2013
More bad writing, stnch of artificiality. I guess it IS pretty hard to write a good spy thriller...makes one appreciate tinker, tailor and the like even more...
December 4, 2019
Maybe I was a little too enthusiastic when I downloaded all three books in this series - and even the fourth one recently.
Although I can understand why this is such a popular series, for me it doesn't work as well as I would like to. It is fast paced and very well written but there is just too much of everything. Having said this, I found The Nearest Exit included way too much from The Tourist so sometimes I had the feeling reading the same book again.
Milo himself is an intriguing man so I will certainly read parts three and four to see where the story goes.
Thanks to Minotaur and Netgalley for this digital review copy.
Although I can understand why this is such a popular series, for me it doesn't work as well as I would like to. It is fast paced and very well written but there is just too much of everything. Having said this, I found The Nearest Exit included way too much from The Tourist so sometimes I had the feeling reading the same book again.
Milo himself is an intriguing man so I will certainly read parts three and four to see where the story goes.
Thanks to Minotaur and Netgalley for this digital review copy.
September 13, 2014
Olen Steinhauer again has a ridiculously complex book with The Nearest Exit. Milo Weaver is back as a Tourist in the understaffed CIA Department of Tourism, being vetted for bigger and bigger jobs. Suddenly, he gets a job that is too big for him to morally handle.
As a reader, you need to be on your game to follow what is happening in a Steinhauer book. Miss a line in a conversation? Oh well, guess that scene later in the book makes no sense. Then again, I like that in a book. This is a very solid spy novel, and my favorite part is that Steinhauer makes no bones about how no character is entirely moral or amoral. It's all grayscale, just like real life - no strictly good, bad, or bystander status like a Tom Clancy novel.
Four stars, maybe more.
As a reader, you need to be on your game to follow what is happening in a Steinhauer book. Miss a line in a conversation? Oh well, guess that scene later in the book makes no sense. Then again, I like that in a book. This is a very solid spy novel, and my favorite part is that Steinhauer makes no bones about how no character is entirely moral or amoral. It's all grayscale, just like real life - no strictly good, bad, or bystander status like a Tom Clancy novel.
Four stars, maybe more.
June 2, 2014
Well thought out, real 'cloaked' feeling. The Tourist was the first in the series and was a truly off-beat European style spy novel 'a le Carré' vintage.
This follow up continues the theme. Our hero, having screwed up his family life due to the secrecy he has to maintain as a CIA operative, rejoins active service as a 'tourist' again.
He is 'tested' for his loyalty, since nobody seems to trust him; even his father isn't sure..; and a final test is too much so he has to fudge it.
It's really good, thought-provoking reading: in other words, you have to think.
This follow up continues the theme. Our hero, having screwed up his family life due to the secrecy he has to maintain as a CIA operative, rejoins active service as a 'tourist' again.
He is 'tested' for his loyalty, since nobody seems to trust him; even his father isn't sure..; and a final test is too much so he has to fudge it.
It's really good, thought-provoking reading: in other words, you have to think.
May 18, 2010
Just couldn't get into this book. There was so much dialogue and the story did not seem to be going anywhere. I quit after 120 pages. Perhaps you had to read his other book on this theme to understand what was happening.
January 26, 2023
This is another terrific espionage thriller, and I am now an official fan of the Milo Weaver series. The only reason why I gave it four stars out of five is that I missed a few key details - there are ever so many of them - and the book confused me around page 350. Overall, we have a spy, a "tourist" - some dark corner business that has to do with the CIA, who's trying to be a family man and decent human being all at the same time. It doesn't work out. I really like the author's style, but if you're into easy reads where everything is very plain, then Olen Steinhauer's writing isn't for you.
January 28, 2024
A fantastic addition to the spy thriller genre, a favorite of mine. Loved this book.
February 19, 2016
The Nearest Exit is about the escapades of Milo Weaver, a sometimes spy, sometimes administrator, sometimes prisoner of the CIA. To say that his life has had some ups and downs is a dramatic understatement. Weaver was introduced as The Tourist in Steinhauer's earlier book of that name.
As a tourist, Weaver is a CIA spy without a fixed base or set of colleagues. Tourists work independently with direction from and contact only with their department head in NYC. In this episode, Weaver's assignment is to kill a teenage Moldovan girl and he has grave second thoughts about fulfilling it. In the pursuit of this assignment, he becomes aware of rumors that there is a mole in his super-secret group and that this mole works for the Chinese under the direction of the brilliant spymaster Xin Xhu.
The plot with its complexity, multiple twists and turns and excellent pace, is quite ingenious. The main characters are very well developed and have reasonable depth and some of the secondary characters are quite well developed, as well. Steinhauer really knows how to tell an absorbing story and he maintained my interest throughout. The only thing that kept me from giving The Tourist a fifth star is the fact that I am a miserable curmudgeon and the fact that it was a hair less compelling than either of Jason Matthews books but just a hair.
On my 1 to 10 scale of pure enjoyment (1 = didn't enjoy it at all and quit reading rather than periodically stopping to vomit; 10 = I enjoyed it so much that I started going to bed early so I could get back to it each evening), I would give The Nearest Exit a 10 as it was an enormously enjoyable book. (I would have said "an enormously enjoyable read" but I am feeling more curmudgeonly than pompous at the moment. If you choose to read this book, I would suggest that you read The Tourist beforehand. It is not strictly required but it would make much less sense to read them in the reverse order (okay, curmudgeonly AND pompous).
As a tourist, Weaver is a CIA spy without a fixed base or set of colleagues. Tourists work independently with direction from and contact only with their department head in NYC. In this episode, Weaver's assignment is to kill a teenage Moldovan girl and he has grave second thoughts about fulfilling it. In the pursuit of this assignment, he becomes aware of rumors that there is a mole in his super-secret group and that this mole works for the Chinese under the direction of the brilliant spymaster Xin Xhu.
The plot with its complexity, multiple twists and turns and excellent pace, is quite ingenious. The main characters are very well developed and have reasonable depth and some of the secondary characters are quite well developed, as well. Steinhauer really knows how to tell an absorbing story and he maintained my interest throughout. The only thing that kept me from giving The Tourist a fifth star is the fact that I am a miserable curmudgeon and the fact that it was a hair less compelling than either of Jason Matthews books but just a hair.
On my 1 to 10 scale of pure enjoyment (1 = didn't enjoy it at all and quit reading rather than periodically stopping to vomit; 10 = I enjoyed it so much that I started going to bed early so I could get back to it each evening), I would give The Nearest Exit a 10 as it was an enormously enjoyable book. (I would have said "an enormously enjoyable read" but I am feeling more curmudgeonly than pompous at the moment. If you choose to read this book, I would suggest that you read The Tourist beforehand. It is not strictly required but it would make much less sense to read them in the reverse order (okay, curmudgeonly AND pompous).
July 10, 2010
The Nearest Exit is a thriller with a twist or two, which is my cup of tea. Take an obscure but vital secret societal branch of the US government called the Dept of Tourism, add a few sleazy and a few not-so-sleazy characters and mix well with an absolutely astonishing plot and you have a great read. The characters are not lacking in dimension, which often happens when so many are involved, but truly move the story along.
It starts with a slow, steady pace yet picks up quickly and does not fail to satisfy the aficionados of mystery and seekers of a thrilling read. When I had to break away to do other things, I couldn't wait to get back to this story. Olen Steinhauer is a master story teller! Now I have to read The Tourist.
Milo Weaver has a distaste for the old job, but no choice but to return. His first assignment, however, leaves him cold and though he cannot refuse the order, he doesn't play it the way his boss expects him to. Despite the new director's declarations of running a clean, tight ship, Milo is not overly impressed. Nor does he do the other things expected of him with the same grim determination they require. Milo, it seems, is a force to be reckoned with.
Highly Recommended.
It starts with a slow, steady pace yet picks up quickly and does not fail to satisfy the aficionados of mystery and seekers of a thrilling read. When I had to break away to do other things, I couldn't wait to get back to this story. Olen Steinhauer is a master story teller! Now I have to read The Tourist.
Milo Weaver has a distaste for the old job, but no choice but to return. His first assignment, however, leaves him cold and though he cannot refuse the order, he doesn't play it the way his boss expects him to. Despite the new director's declarations of running a clean, tight ship, Milo is not overly impressed. Nor does he do the other things expected of him with the same grim determination they require. Milo, it seems, is a force to be reckoned with.
Highly Recommended.
July 2, 2010
I gave this book a 5 star due to the fact it is sequel to his first Milo Weaver book: "The Tourist" The combination of the two books would make the whole story a 4 Star. This book enhances the first book and I do not recommend reading this book as a stand alone, it will confuse you. The two books deal with a secret section of the CIA that operates secret agents known as Tourists. These Tourists are managed by analysts, in New York City, known as Travel Agents.
The story has a lot of twists, but the basic premise is the fact that Milo Weaver is trying to uncover a Chinese Mole working as a Travel Agent. Characters from the first book play an important role in this book and the basis for this books plot is an incident that takes place in the Sudan in the first book. The story takes places all over Europe and involves a Russian defector, the German spy agency BND and a US Senator.
You will not enjoy each book as a stand alone, but you will really like the combination.
The story has a lot of twists, but the basic premise is the fact that Milo Weaver is trying to uncover a Chinese Mole working as a Travel Agent. Characters from the first book play an important role in this book and the basis for this books plot is an incident that takes place in the Sudan in the first book. The story takes places all over Europe and involves a Russian defector, the German spy agency BND and a US Senator.
You will not enjoy each book as a stand alone, but you will really like the combination.
October 13, 2019
This book definitely didn't feel like a stand alone novel, especially given what felt like a very abrupt ending. There were definitely times it was a bit slower, and I was wondering for a while how the story lines were connected. Once the connection became obvious, i was thinking there wasn't much time to wrap it up. Apparently that was correct, since it just ended. Overall, it was a good book, and I will definitely be reading the next one to find out what happens.
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