The Nearest Exit

By: Olen Steinhauer

Narrated by: David Pittu

Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Milo Weaver has nowhere to turn but back to the CIA in Olen Steinhauer's brilliant follow-up to the New York Times best-selling espionage novel The Tourist.

The Tourist, Steinhauer’s first contemporary novel after his award-winning historical series, was a runaway hit, spending three weeks on the New York Times best seller list and garnering rave reviews from critics. Now faced with the end of his quiet, settled life, reluctant spy Milo Weaver has no choice but to turn back to his old job as a “tourist”.

Before he can get back to the CIA’s dirty work, he has to prove his loyalty to his new bosses, who know little of Milo’s background and less about who is really pulling the strings in the government above the Department of Tourism - or in the outside world, which is beginning to believe the legend of its existence. Milo is suddenly in a dangerous position, between right and wrong, between powerful self-interested men, between patriots and traitors - especially as a man who has nothing left to lose.

“Milo Weaver, Steinhauer’s hero, is the opposite of Swagger and Reacher - he is conflicted and neurotic and hopelessly sentimental - but no less entertaining.” (Malcolm Gladwell, TheNewYorker.com)

“Milo’s company is at least as valuable to the series’s appeal as is his flair for international trickery.” (Janet Maslin, The New York Times)

©2010 Third State, Inc. (P)2010 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Milo Weaver, Steinhauer’s hero, is the opposite of Swagger and Reacher—he is conflicted and neurotic and hopelessly sentimental—but no less entertaining.” —Malcolm Gladwell, TheNewYorker.com

“Milo’s company is at least as valuable to the series’s appeal as is his flair for international trickery.” —Janet Maslin, The New York Times

Complicated but a fun read

I am glad I didn't listen to one reviewer who said the first 3 chapters were like 3 different books. It was a little complicated at first going back and forth in time but it all resolved itself shortly. Other people complained about Milo being a crazy druggie. I think the author was just showing the angst in him because of his innate goodness and his wanting to do the right thing with the difficult assignments he was given. All in all...I enjoyed Milo's working through his angst while completing his work (I don't want to say more so I don't give away the plot). The narrator, David Pittu, as always did a fabulous job.

A great listen

A typical Olen Steinhsur. Many well developed characters. Loved the geographical settings of the story in so many European cities. The story kept my attention to the very end. A few phrases in German and Russian added to the color of the story.

his best so far

I've listened to all of the author's books on Audible and this is his best so far. It's tighter than the others, is well written and flows well. There were lots of twists and turns in an internatinal setting that made the book interesting and kept my attention. The character of Milo Weaver is a good one. I wonder at times how much of the European life descibed is the life lived to an extent by Steinhauer. If there is another in this series I'll look forward to it.

Great spy series

Tightly written, surprising and suspenseful. I highly recommend the series. Each book is better than the last.

enjoyed

intregreing good twists and turns.
will listen to more titles from th I s author.

Like The Tourist only better, so pay attention!

Having enjoyed Olen Steinhauer's The Tourist I tried The Cairo Affair, and disliked it. Naturally I was unsure about trying The Nearest Exit. I took a chance and was surprised to find it better than the first Milo Weaver book. They changed the narrator and that took some getting used to but The Nearest Exit did not disappoint.

Olen Steinhauer's books demand you listen intently. If you are looking for a mindless listen where the author walks you by the hand through the story, highlighting everything you need to pay attention to to stay with the story, then pass by this one. BUT it you like a book with a complex plot that will challenge you to keep up, then Milo Weaver is your guy.

Be advised, Milo Weaver is not a super hero. He is a guy doing a job. He needs help at times, gets captured, beat up and limps afterwards. If you like the invincible man protagonist this might not be the book for you.

This book picks up where The Tourist left off, so if you haven't I would listen to that first. The reader is forced to find out a lot more about the Department of Tourism. I enjoyed the peak behind the curtain.

In The Tourist, Milo is tiring of the multiple cover identities and the semi-rootless life. He leaves it by the end of that book. Circumstances force him back in but he struggles. The story really unfolds because Milo tries to do the right thing and that throws a wrench in the works.

We catch up with familiar characters from the last book and meet some new one along the way. Fellow "tourist" James Einner is back along with two new tourists. Alan Drummond takes over Thomas Granger corner office in the Avenue of the Americas building. We meet BND director Erika Schwartz and her crew. Xin Zhu, a shadowy Chinese spymaster is hinted at. And of course, like any good espionage story, not everyone is who they seem.

Minor Tourist SPOILER: we catch up with Milo's biological father again and we learn a little twist concerning his mother.

The book is not perfect, the author overuses the word tourist too much for my taste. Some of the secondary and tertiary characters could use some development. He gives some of them interesting Idiosyncrasies but then just overuses those. Sometimes less can be more. Also Milo's wife get annoying. In all fairness that might be because I identify more with the protagonist and I am a man. She is well written, it is simply that she make me mad, and that might be the point. Judge for yourself.

Tom Weiner (the narrator of The Tourist) is an acquired taste, but I like him, so it took me a while to warm up to David Pittu's performance. Now that I am "acclimatized" to David's narration, I enjoyed the story.

Life is about choices and the scars we receive with each questionable one we make. Milo has quite a few scars and they tug from time to time. The Nearest Exit examines what is done in the name of the greater good and brings to light the scars those choices can leave behind. I enjoyed the book and hope you do too.

Excellent

So we’ll done. And so believable. Poor Milo. Poor Erica. Poor Stephanie and Tina. Despite the destruction, the international aspect was so compelling.

An okay way to get through a long commute

Storyline and characters are a bit convoluted. Hard to find a character you can like, which tends to be an important characteristic of a book, for me.

Despite this it kept me listening and the ending made it worthwhile, all the bad guys got what they deserved.

excellent.

good character development, logical action and reaction, wordsmith standard high. enthralling, drawing the reader in and keeping her there

Elegantly written spy story

I recently started listening to Mr. Steinhauer's latest book, An American Spy, and realized that I would need to re-read The Nearest Exit in order to follow the intricacies of the plot. What a pleasure to listen to this book again. It was so fresh, with a plot elegantly woven and characters that intrigued. Please don't hesitate to listen to this book - it is definitely worth reading once - and yet again.