I finished it, which I do not always do. Especially when a novel suffers from the particular problems that this one does.

That being said, I am dissapointed in the book. I have read others by this author, which I enjoyed more. So I expected a bit more out of this one.

As a "spy thriller" it wasn't very thrilling. And though much of the writing is, at least for the first half of the book, dedicated to detailed descriptions of spy-like actions, (beatings, shootings, cloak and dagger), I got the impression that such scenes were in the book because they had to be. It was, after all, a spy novel. Allegedly.

But when the book was not concentrating on these moments, it was either trying too hard to establish the family that the wayward spy protagonist longed to get back to, or otherwise was spending what seemed like interminable amounts of time on dialogue-heavy encounters.

It seems like scores of pages consisted of interrogations by or of one of the characters. Which means rehashing action that has already been established elsewhere, and that has a tendency to bore. A similar problem cropped up with the seemingly endless flashbacks. Some that went back years, others just went back to the beginning of the previous chapter, but from another character's view. That by itself is not bad when not overdone. But not only is it overdone in this novel, we usually learn nothing new when we go back over an event. We get the same facts from a different person.

And there are too many people in a novel with such a complicated plot. Red herrings are a natural part of the genre, but like anything, they can be overdone. They nearly are here, and in fact, even the real "plot" of the spy situation ultimately seems to be a red herring in and of itself, in a book that in the end is more about the personal angst of a spy, than about actually being a spy, or the actions a spy takes while on the job.

The conclusion was a depressing anti-climax which was possible, I thought, only because several characters went quite a great deal against their established personalities in the final third. They did so, it would seem, solely for the purpose of bringing about the previously mentioned anti-climactic, depressing ending.

Violence, depressing endings, red-herrings and some ambiguity are acceptable in their own right within a novel. Certain types of novels anyway. But only if everything leading up to it is expert, and none of the above aspects are overdone. Sadly, in The Tourist, neither is true, as all of these aspects are overdone, seemingly out of context, and not presented in a particularly entertaining way. And certainly not in a thrilling or suspenseful way.

The prose is passable, and allowed me to finish this confusing and miscatergorized ramble. For that reason I give it two stars instead of one. But truly, I got very little out of it. Not even prurient pleasure.

This was an excellent contemporary spy novel. It is the first in a series featuring Milo Weaver (followed by "Nearest Exit" and "An American Spy"). This book spans the period from 2001-2007. The book goes back and forth in time covering Weaver's career as a CIA "tourist." Burned out, he takes a desk job with the Company after 9/11 and settles down with a wife and daughter. Then, an assassin he has been researching surfaces in the U.S. and he goes on the road to track him. Events from the past criss-cross with Weaver's current case and he ends up on the run, not sure who to trust. The book is really well written and makes a great post-Cold War spy novel. It's not action-packed like a Ludlum story, but more like something by Le Carre. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

This was a FANTASTIC book. The best of this genre I've read in awhile. I read it straight through in one day. It moves fast and has many twists and turns.

I listened to the book. And I almost didn’t finish it because of the actor’s female voices. Blech.

This is a very good example of old-school Cold War spy drama, except not during the Cold War. Quite good.

This book was one of the most captivating books I've read in a long time.

Super spies, LOTS of characters, pretty good story. If this was a movie (when?) it would star Bradley Cooper but they'd make him wear a fat suit.

This trilogy following Milo Weaver and his adventures as a “tourist” with the CIA is such a great spy novel read. I really enjoyed Milo as a character and his inner-conflicts about his family and job. Steinhauer did a great job painting a picture of Milo’s many travels, too! If you’re looking for a spy novel, I recommend this trilogy!

I'm not really sure if I would call it a spy story but it was great and different from most I've read except maybe The spy who came in from the cold. I have to hustle because I got the latest book in the series as an arc and now I pay for not starting reading these earlier. On the other hand I like to read series back to back so my mind is up to date with the developments. I really liked The Tourist and have allready started the next adventure.