I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up The Tourist, but I'm happy to say it was a solid read I thoroughly enjoyed! Right from the start, I really liked Milo. There's something so compelling about a character who’s incredibly good at what he does but is also burnt out, jaded, and disillusioned by it. (Okay, so this isn't a new trope in the spy thriller genre, but it really worked for me here.) Milo’s complexity, his views on the world, and, most importantly, his dedication to his family had me hooked.

Speaking of family, the story really took off for me once Milo’s wife and daughter entered the picture. His wife, Tina, is smart, strong, and capable of thinking for herself. Her viewpoint added so much to the story. I loved that despite how much she loved her husband, she wasn’t blindly loyal. Instead, she had had her own questions and doubts about Milo’s life. And his daughter, Stephanie, is a firecracker who stole every scene she was in.

The political intrigue and behind-the-scenes machinations were surprisingly engaging. I’m not usually big on politics, but the way Steinhauer wove the political backstory into the narrative felt natural and added an extra layer of depth to the plot. It made the stakes feel global, and that sense of a bigger picture also helped keep me invested as I read.

Overall, The Tourist is well-written, tightly plotted, and offers a central character who's easy to root for. I'll definitely pick up the next book in the series. ( )

FIrst, I think, of a trilogy, involving Milo Weaver, a "tourist" for the CIA who travels from country to country mostly assassinating people. In this novel, he's moved on from that profession, married, and become the father of a young girl. Events from the past, as they do, come back to haunt him, and it includes startling revelations about his own past. It's well-written and pretty fast-paced, though maybe it could have been shorter. Steinhauer wisely keeps the cats of characters relatively small, so we get to know them, and they are well drawn (though I missed one key character who died too early for my taste. Will I read the other novels? Don't know yet. ( )

Superior thriller with good characters and plenty of cynicism about betrayal in the higher echelons of our security agencies. Suspenseful, complicated and worth the effort. ( )

http://pro-libertate.net/20111122/176-read-tourist ( )

Fast paced page turner of a spy/thriller that's absolutely worth reading. Not sure if this is what the apparently-horrible-but-i-haven't-seen-it Depp/Jolie movie is based on, but just pretend it isn't if it is. ( )