Cover Image: The Last Tourist

The Last Tourist

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Member Reviews

Such a good read. Great description- felt like I was there with the author. Hard to put down. More from this author please
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A story of espionage and not knowing who to trust. This is the fourth novel in the series and I think I would have benefited from reading the others first. None of the characters know who to trust or what to believe. Every country is telling everyone something different. All the operatives believe they are working for the greater good. I read few espionage novels so it was a confusing read. However, it was very fast passed and I was curious about who to trust and believe. 



Thank you Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
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Full Disclosure:  I read this as a standalone novel without reading the other three books.  

I found this book to be a fast, entertaining read with great character development.  Some of the story was implausible, which is a factor in a lot of espionage thrillers, but that did not distract from the story.  I enjoyed this book quite a bit.
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Author Olen Steinhauer (https://www.olensteinhauer.com) published the novel “The Last Tourist” in 2020. Mr. Steinhauer has published a dozen novels. This is the fourth of his "Milo Weaver" novels. 

I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of violence and mature language. The story is set in contemporary times. Most of the action takes place in  Africa and Europe. The primary characters are Milo Weaver, CIA analyst Abdul Ghali, and operative Leticia Jones. 

Weaver is head of 'the Library'. That is a secret, independent intelligence organization operating out of the UN. He thought that the CIA-trained assassins, 'The Tourists', had been closed down for years. Now he is being pursued by what appears to be new 'Tourist' agents. 

He must avoid them while investigating. He arranges for Ghali to meet him so that he can disclose all that he knows. Long time friend Jones is one who comes to his aid. The three must dodge the agents while they find out who is controlling the Tourists. 

I enjoyed the 11.5 hours I spent reading this 384-page spy thriller. It was a little slow at times, but I did feel compelled to keep reading to see how it ended. While this novel is part of a series, it reads well on its own. The part of the novel from Abdul Ghali's perspective is told in the first person. That sets that portion apart from the rest of the novel. I am not a fan of the cover art. It does not seem to have much to do with the story. I give this novel a 3.9 (rounded up to a 4) out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).
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I didn't realize until after I finished The Last Tourist that this is actually the fourth book in the Milo Weaver series. Which in retrospect the book makes a lot more sense having this information - there are a lot of characters coming in and out of the plot, and I'm guessing readers of the first three books are much more familiar with all of these different players. (Sometimes I was a little lost.) This is a fast-paced spy novel with a lot going on. I liked how Mr. Steinhauer brought real world events into the story as well, making it feel like it could be more than just a fictional tale. Not having read the previous books, I kept wondering if Milo was a trustworthy narrator or not, and there were quite a few twists in his journey. Definitely a fun read.
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Nothing beats a good spy thriller...and this is definitely no disappointment.  Lots of plot twists and turns.  Just when you think you have some things figured out, the author throws in another twist that takes you in another direction.  The character and plot twists are mind boggling, but all in all, this is a fantastic read!
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I did not enjoy this one sadly. It did not hold my attention. I may just not have been in the right place at the time to properly read and enjoy this book.
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A follow up of the much loved character Milo Weaver, first introduced in 'The Tourist.' I was so happy when I learned that Weaver would be back, and he was well worth the wait. Olen Steinhauer is one of the finest spy novelists working today, and his newest outing doesn't disappoint. Milo, who is hiding out in Western Sahara, is joined by an analyst from the CIA who is there to question him on some suspicious ties being linked to him. They are soon interrupted by assassin's and are forced to run. What comes next is a classic Steinhauer novel full of suspense as a chess match unfolds before your eyes. This is a complex story that makes you work, and is anything but a breezy beach read. The work, in the end, is worth it, and the novel succeeds in its premise. You'll have to remind yourself to stop and eat because this one was hard to put down.
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3.5 stars rounded up to 4.  When I requested this book I had not realized that it was in a series and wanted to read the previous books before I dove into this one.  Theres quite a few plot twists, maybe a little too many, but overall an enjoyable read. I really liked most of the characters in the previous books and was glad many of them were included in this story.  While most of the book is more action packed and fast paced, one part did make me actually laugh out loud.
E- "You prefer red, I suppose. For the heart. Healthy drinking is an oxymoron. Come. Sit."
M-"How is your health?"
E-"My doctor won't let me eat Snickers anymore. The fascist."

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of the book!
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Minotaur Books and NetGalley provided me with an Advanced Reader's Copy of The Last Tourist. The choice to review this book is my own.

Milo Weaver is back once again, with silver screen worthy action fueled moments coupled with a sluggish plot. With a target painted permanently on his forehead, Milo is hiding out in Western Sahara. Sent by the CIA to question Milo about a series of suspicious deaths and terrorist chatter, Abdul is a young analyst with no experience in the field. When the bullets start flying, who will be left standing?

The Last Tourist is the writer's way of being able to tell the story without showing, by having Milo give Abdul the play-by-play. The reason for Abdul's inclusion in the book becomes apparent early on, with transparent hints given by the author. The story definitely lags in the middle, as the plot becomes redundant. With the pacing off, the usual thrilling up-and-down motion is mainly absent. I did not enjoy The Last Tourist in the way I was expecting and it was an overall disappointing read. For these reasons, I would be hesitant to recommend The Last Tourist to other readers.
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I'm sorry, I didn't finish this book. I got about halfway through but it just didn't hold my interest.
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Secretive Milo Weaver returns in another winding story of world politics, business and espionage. There's a lot of people in play and it has quick, shifting chapters that are the so common in these thrillers. At times I lost track of who I was with or when I was.
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i really enjoyed reading this book, the characters were great and I really enjoyed the way Olen Steinhauer writes.
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An interesting read, a bit of a struggle to get through but overall ok - I appreciate the opportunity to review it!
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I’ve never read any other books by this author but I was not lost here.  The author clearly introduced the characters and made it easy to follow the action.  And there was a lot of action - it was hard to put down this book!  I do want to get the earlier books, to know how the. Hata tears got into the situation here.  None of the characters are cardboard, all are fleshed out.
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Olen Steinhauer's The Last Tourist will keep you on your toes!  This book has it all and will provide you with a bit of a challenge for a spy thriller. The "Tourist" isn't what you might think: in the story, troubled narrator Abdul Ghali is a CIA desk analyst who has never left the office at Langley and who mourns his brother Haroun who was killed in a terrorist attack a few years before. He's also confused by his wife Laura Pozzolli, wishing to be closer to his son Rashid, and is pulled away from his family often enough that it's tense whenever he heads to work.  When he gets called to work early in the story, we get to ride along on his first overseas assignment and he is surprised to find that he's been brought in because his family is Sahrawi, a people who come from Western Sahara and speak a particular form of Arabic. Abdul speaks the language but has never left the States! What follows is his dangerous and mysterious discovery of an international group of spies -- and possibly counteragents?-- called Tourists run by an unknown organization called The Library. In his discovery Abdul mentions the political climate of the last five years in the US and at times the fictional political interference, corporate globalism and espionage are glaringly our own.  Abdul moves through multiple countries before the truth comes out about a cast of characters involved in all manner of spy games and survival. I tend to avoid books like these but enjoyed this one thoroughly--I had to learn as I read, always a treat in spy fiction!
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I'm sure fans of this series will disagree... But I was not impressed by this story. Perhaps if I was already attached to the characters. This was my first "Milo Weaver" read.

This all seemed like a ton of political issues among global leaders with some spy-type action thrown in. But I gave it a shot and hung on until the last page!

*Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for this free book in exchange for my honest review.
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The Last Tourist by Olen Steinhauer is a book in the Milo Weaver series. I had not read the previous books in the series, and I think that was a mistake. This book is best meant in the series, not as a standalone novel. The suspense definitely made the book interesting. I think the author tries to give a Mission Impossible feel to the book, which worked somewhat. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.
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The Last Tourist is not the average read that you can pick up and put down at your convenience. Instead, it is a rather complex story with countless plot twists that pull the reader first in one direction and then another. 
So, if you are into spy thrillers that demand as much from the reader as it gives...then this book will be something for you to read. 
One problem for me was that I hadn't read the earlier books in the series, and that definitely put me at a disadvantage, as there was a considerable amount of catching up to do along the way. There is a considerable amount of background story that would have been helpful for comprehension. I have subsequently picked up some of the earlier volumes, I now can better understand how everything ties together. Therefore, don't repeat my mistake by picking up this volume before reading the earlier volumes in this series.

Back to the book. It is excellently written, if a bit political, which may rub some readers the wrong way on account of their political affiliation. Not all of it was strictly necessary, but it helped weave a fuller picture that it otherwise would have been able to.
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The author’s latest thriller features character Milo Weaver, who appears in other titles. Well written but needlessly over complicated plot and too many characters. I had problem keeping count of the endless supply of bad guys (and women).
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