Happy Reading

Toni's bookshelf: read

The Godfather of Kathmandu (Sonchai Jitpleecheep, #4)
Ape House
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
Operation Napoleon
Walking Dead
The Sentimentalists
The Heretic Queen
The Midnight House
Cross Fire
Peony in Love
Absurdistan
Nefertiti
Finding Nouf: A Novel
City of Veils: A Novel
First Daughter
A Place of Hiding
Amagansett
Peter Pan


Toni Osborne's favorite books »
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Saturday, August 21, 2010

"The Tourist", by Olen Steinhauer


Book 1 in the trilogy staring Milo Weaver

This seemingly realistic thriller is a first rate fiction , a tale of the nasty and deceitful world of spies and assassins.

Milo Weaver aka Charles Alexander is one of the CIA’s highly skilled assassins, in the trade they are known as ”Tourists”. When deployed to various corners of the world, their missions are to be executed without question.

The story opens in 2001 with Milo at a low point in his life. Being a “Tourist” for several years has taken its toll….. his only escape at this point is amphetamines and they are leaving him in a suicidal state. A new mission in Venice to stop the hit man known as “The Tiger” gives him a whole new look at life……

The story flashes forward to 2007. Now a married man with a child, away from active duty and bored at his desk job Milo finds himself longing for the excitement and the adrenalin rush of his old job….Once a spook always a spook…. Milo is reinvigorated when he is summoned to the side of the “Tiger” for a death bed conversation.… The man’s confessions send Milo off once again on a chilling path into the world of international conspiracies.

This novel is a modern twist of the old days of espionage, a compelling and intricate account of betrayal, manipulation, loyalty and risk. Its central figure is a complicated man with many faults and flaws, but when faced with extraordinary situations he excels. Throughout the novel you will find plenty of breathtaking scenes and heart stopping action. I enjoyed piecing together the various parts of this very entertaining puzzle and would not hesitate recommending it to anyone

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