The Tourist

A Novel

By: Olen Steinhauer

Narrated by: Tom Weiner

Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

In the vein of John le Carré and Graham Greene, this contemporary international thriller follows Milo Weaver as he is drawn into a conspiracy that links riots in the Sudan, an assassin committing suicide, and an old friend who's been accused of selling secrets to the Chinese. Once the CIA and Homeland Security are after him, the only way for him to survive is to return, headfirst, into Tourism.

©2009 Olen Steinhauer (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"[Weaver] is the perfect hero for such a richly nuanced tale." ( Booklist)
"Superbly accomplished at both plotting and characterization....highly recommended." ( Library Journal)

Fun listen!

Great storyline, which kept me interested. Loved the way Tom Were
her was able to keep all of the voices consistent ... Great job!

Old school international espionage

A very good spy novel, lots of twists and turns, very solid plot, dialog and writing. This story is narrated well and had an ending that is suspenseful and out of the grasp of predictability and so is a fun ending. The story stays within the bounds of believability and takes the reader on a trip through Europe and other exotic locals mingling with other "tourists" the nomenclature for spys in this novel. If you like international espionage then this would be a book you would enjoy. If you are looking for a departure from the normal crime saga this would be a good pick as well - highly recommended.

Brilliant and Realistic

Great story and writing. I've often wondered if the thriller hero could ever be a truly ordinary person in skills, equipment and resources. Steinhauer answered my question with a resounding, "yes." Although Milo Weaver's CIA tech resources aren't much more than can be found in Radio Shack and his talents and intelligence aren't extraordinary, one third through the book i was spellbound. This is not just a riveting story, Steinhauer either accidentally or intentionally changes the readers perspective maximizing the book's emotional drama. I think Steinhauer may manipulate the reader as well as he writes providing the reader with profoundly thrilling experience. Moreover, he adds far more depth to Milo's"civilian" side than most of our "dark-humble-thriller-heros." Initially, I was motivated to turn the next page to catch up to Milo, then once caught, a perspective bigger than Milo envisions emerges giving us glimpses into the diabolical intrigue awaiting our protagonist letting the reader actively bring the clues together to formulate the conspiracy afoot, versus spoon feeding us the plot. For those who don't work on guessing the underlying plot, it is soon revealed by the author. But Milo''s way out and any solution remains seemingly impossible. Tiny clues provided by the author though out the story give life to deeper dimension and storyline. The book stands easily on its own even though it's the first of a trilogy. I didn't have that unfinished feeling a cliffhanger provides, but I was so enamored with Milo, I couldn't wait to get to the next one.

Excellent Book

This is an excellent book. The author blends literary excellence with the mystery genre. I can't wait to hear the entire series.

Convoluted, intriguing, and suspenseful

I'm a neophyte suspense novel reader. I had enjoyed the Stieg Larsson trilogy, so I was drawn to this series after reading a review in the New York Times. I was not disappointment by The Tourist. I found the main characters to be well developed and the plot maintained my interest throughout. I enjoyed the narrator's rich voice. The female voices were a bit distracting at first, but the descriptive context of the story made it a pleasant listen. I usually listen to audio books at 11/2x to 2x speed, but this reading was perfect for me at standard speed. I look forward to rejoining the characters in "The Next Exit".

Approaching LeCarre But Not There Yet

I read all the posts above and, yes, they were helpful to me; they let me know that I am not crazy; this book not really Le Carre. I particularly winced at Tom Weiner's whistled sss-es. It hurt my ears. I might have gone back to listen further if he had not had such a poor reading voice.

Highly recommend, good stroy

I usually listen to crime fiction, more than spy thrillers, but i quite enjoyed this one. The whole "tourist" concept was interesting, and to follow one of them enjoyable too. Of course, things go awry, but that's what we expect... the fun is if and how they get out of it. Recommended.

missed opportunity

struggled to keep up with story. ending left me hanging not for more but less.

If you enjoy “twists and turns…espionage and Spies..-This is the book for you….”

The layers and depth are full of details… I think there 4 Milo Weaver books… a great investment of time … to enjoy and transport to another time….

I loved this book

I loved this book. I mostly listen to audiobooks while driving and found that I was glad to sit at red lights and run errands across town for more listening time with this story.

"Spy tales focused on international deception in the post 9/11 world" according to Steinhauer's web site. That's a good description. I am really looking forward to the next book in the Milo Weaver saga.

The narrator does a great job. His "female voices" were sometimes a bit much, but overall listening to this narrator was a pleasure.