The Last Tourist

If you are looking fora thrill a minute adventure tale, this probably ain't the book for you. But if you are looking for a global thriller that'll make you think deeper about the world around you, The Last Tourist might be just the ticket.

In today's world, information is power. Once inclusively a commodity of nations, what if the private sector began to amass its own networks of information and used them to bypass the limits of the world's governing bodies. What if they shaped the world to their needs instead of those of sovereign nations? It's an interesting proposition and one that Steinhauer explores in his latest.

The protagonists in this tale are not cut from the cloth of Bourne and Bond, but rather ordinary men and women trying show more to hold on to their integrity and follow their moral compass in a world that continues to devalue both. They possess no superpowers and often fall short while trying to control the ill intentions of those that wish to profit from the plights of the less fortunate.

At times, things bog down a bit and the writing gets a little stilted, but stick with this one and you'll be up late at night thinking about the implications for more than one night. The Last Tourist is not only a timely and relevant case study but also an interesting case study of the challenges the future holds for the world. show less

Review of uncorrected digital galley

Milo Weaver returns, continuing his intelligence activities and trying to remain unnoticed while, at the same time, working to keep his family safe as he confronts a conglomerate of businessmen concerned only with advancing their own interests. Adding to the complex situation facing Milo, there’s the unexpected revival of the clandestine, once-defunct Office of Tourism, a group of CIA-trained assassins that he’d believed eradicated some ten years earlier. Can Milo uncover the true enemy, keep the Library safe, and defeat the conspiracy? Or will he end up sacrificing those he loves best?

Filled with unexpected twists and turns, this tough, gritty fourth entry in the Tourist saga offers readers a show more large cast of characters all dedicated to outmaneuvering each other. The result is a complex, captivating tapestry that weaves together a story of politics, espionage, and deviousness on a global scale. Readers should expect characters to come and go as the story unfolds, revealing a great many surprises. References to the current political climate make the telling of the tale relevant to today’s readers. It’s not a quick read, but there is much here to satisfy readers who enjoy tales of espionage.

Recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press / Minotaur Books and NetGalley
#TheLastTourist #NetGalley show less

This is a 3.5 rounded up to a 4 star. I have read at least 2 other Milo Weaver novels prior to this one. The complex global plots that characterize prior stories are still an element of this story. It is always fun to read what we know are real events and have them blend into a fictional narrative. This story is set about 10 years after the Department of Tourism fell apart and most of the Tourists were killed off. Now Milo Weaver leads a secret, hidden section of the UN called the Library. Their agents travel the world cataloguing information, and they use that information to help their small union of countries compete in the global market. If needed, the Library also holds information hostage that could be used as leverage. Their show more latest case involves a complex web of international government organizations and private businesses working together to advance their own interests and destabilize world markets. A leveling of the playing fields so to speak, and somewhere in this web, it appears that someone has resurrected the Tourists, and now these dangerous predators are back on the streets. There is a lot of high drama, and international intrigue here. It is a little far fetched. The biggest issue I had was the plot grew so large and so complex and I almost lost track of details and there are so many characters involved, I also got a little confused at times. Of the novels that I have read in this series, this is probably the lowest ranking one in my opinion. Still a fan of the author and the series though. Thank you to Netgalley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. show less

Exciting and Sad

Early in the book I laughed that the Library, a mysterious secret spy organization, is hidden in the UN as an obscure sub-agency of UNESCO. The more I thought about it though, the more perfect the setup seemed. Anyone who works for a minute with the UN figures out that the organization is hopelessly inept and that UNESCO is the worst of the bunch. The UN can't do anything remotely efficiently and hiding a secret spy agency there is a great idea. UN passports, lots of professional contacts, arcane budget processes where any expenditure can be hidden. No audits. Brilliant.

I have not read the previous books in the series and so it took some time to get the back story in place.

Earlier there were "The Tourists", a group of show more spies who did good work. That's the back story. Most of the Tourists were murdered in a single day some time ago following their outing by a traitor. The remainder are fighting for their lives – bureaucratically fighting that is. Milo Weaver has reconstituted the Tourism Agency as The Library, an organization that feeds high-grade intel to second tier countries who otherwise would be kept in the dark by the big powers. But now the Library has been discovered too, and is under attack. The Librarians (with canine code names, no less) are being picked off, sometime with their families. Milo is trying to save as many as he can. The story is a good one and I enjoyed it very much.

I received a review copy of "The Last Tourist" by Olen Steinhauer from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley.com. show less

I received this book as an advance readers edition a couple of years ago after I submitted a review on the first book in the series - The Tourist. I was thrilled to get it, but wanted to wait to read the the two books in-between first before I read this one, so I put it aside. Well I uncovered this one last week, and decided I'd read it anyway. Now I have the next two books on hold so I'm going to read the series out of order. This book was very good, but it just didn't quite grab me like The Tourist, thus the 4 1/2 stars. It is still so worth the read, and after I read the other two in-between I might change that rating. For anyone who enjoys realistic spy fiction with a loveable and somewhat flawed hero, this series is for you. His show more books are so realistic and so compelling, I just couldn't put it down. Milo Weaver is an anti-hero, or at least a reluctant one. In this book he is in charge of the organization that his father founded--The Library. The Library is in charge of collecting intelligence from all around the world. If nothing else, if you read the book, you will come away knowing that intelligence information is the basis now of all world events. We are in the Age of Information, and those who hold that information are all-powerful. It is a sobering thought because we all know how much information is out there that can be mined and collected. In the book, Milo Weaver is trying to stop the resurrection of his old organization and his life as a former Tourist. Is someone or some organization trying to resurrect "The Tourists" which were supposedly annihilated three years ago? Milo, with the help of his loyal family, friends and colleagues, is trying to stop something that he knows will be totally catastrophic to the world. The book kept me reading and enthralled from beginning to end. I still would recommend reading the series in order. I can't wait to read the the two books that I missed. show less

When CIA analyst Abdul Ghali is sent to Africa due to his family background and language knowledge, he expects a lot but surely not what his trip will turn into. He quickly finds Milo Weaver who runs the so-called “Library”, an organisation with its very own agenda between governments, international conglomerates and high ideals. A number of suspicious murders of members of the “Library” have triggered questions at home and it does not take too long for Ghali to become a target himself. He can flee with Weaver who then reveals what has been going on in the last couple of months: an incredible international conspiracy.

The final part of the Milo Weaver series is a highly complex spy novel linking political and economic interests show more with current events. There are not many global stakeholders missing and Olen Steinhauer‘s concept will be hard to surpass since it combines fast-paced suspense and authenticity concerning international politics and economics.

For me personally, the sheer number of characters and their individual agenda was a bit too much in order to simply enjoy the novel. I had to re-read several parts and take notes not to get lost. On the one hand, I enjoy demanding plots, on the other hand, this results also in demanding a bit less enjoyable reads. It definitely is also advisable to read the other novels of the “Tourism” series. The atmosphere created is convincing even so it was at times a bit over the top. All in all, a demanding espionage novel which takes some time to digest. show less

The Last Tourist takes us back to Milo Weaver of “The Tourist” for the fourth time. It’s a decade later and since the tourism bureau has shut down, Weaver has taken his espionage skills and connections in a completely different direction though still using a metaphor. He is the head of the Library and the spies in his employ are librarians.

The Library is perhaps a quixotic attempt to balance the power through information. The Libary is employed by a committee of secondary powers in the developed and developing world to gather intelligence. First-class intelligence is not the sole province of the superpowers. But, someone seems to want to shut down the library. Milo and his team are on the defense, trying to understand who or what show more is behind the plot.

This is high-level espionage and counter-espionage involving government intelligence directors and ambassadors and business executives of the world’s great corporations. Milo and his irregulars hardly seem up to the task, though anyone who has read the series knows he has unexpected allies and clever tricks up his sleeve.

The Last Tourist improves upon reflection. When I finished, I felt very dissatisfied but thinking about it more, I understood it is right for the times. It’s hard to write a conspiracist thriller when the world is rife with real conspiracies. It is all too possible, and that makes it an uncomfortable book to read.

I received an e-galley of The Last Tourist from the publisher through NetGalley

The Last Tourist at St. Martin’s Press | Macmillan

Olen Steinhauer
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2020/04/12/9781250036216/ show less