johnday's review against another edition
3.0
Really 3.5. Not a surprise as to who the villain turned out to be.
cucumberedpickle's review against another edition
3.0
Meh. Just meh. It’s almost like the plot twists weren’t presented at the right time or right way and it was just lack luster.
claudetteb's review against another edition
1.0
Boring. Got to page 136, and figured that as I had predicted everything that had happened so far, the rest of the book probably wouldn't get much more interesting. I don't really need to hear the same speech over and over again, either. Won't be reading anymore from this author.
stephen_coulon's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
jenaje's review against another edition
5.0
2020 reread: I reread the Tourist series in preparation for The Last Tourist, and threw this in there as I thought it'd be good to include. My first read had been probably 10 years after I'd finished An American Spy, so it wasn't as fresh in my mind as this time through and what seemed like a nod and a wink to the Tourist on my first read was clearly much more. Characters from those books I hadn't caught the first time around were blatant. It's not officially listed as a continuation of that series but clearly is! So cool!
The book, I will say, Tourist aside, is as good, if not better, than I remembered it.
Reading it now, as protests rage across the country, was interesting. Social and political problems referenced in the book are still present, if not worse.
Original review:
In a word: wow. In a few more words: outstanding modern thriller.
Giving this book 5 stars is a disservice to the book. Especially compared to the other books that I've given 5 star reviews to, which all deserved it. This book, this story, is a cut above, easily.
Steinhauer masterfully weaves between stories and viewpoints, switching back and forth, and then moving on to a new point of view when its time, in a way that flows perfectly. That some of the political views spoke to my own sensibilities was icing on the cake.
Steinhauer fans will be in for a little extra treat, though I won't spoil it here. As I saw it developing though, it turned a 5 star book into, well, an even better one.
Full disclosure: received a free copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway. But it was months late, so if anything, I'd be angry and liable to write a worse review because I had to wait so long.
Extra disclosure: I'm a huge fan of Olen Steinhauer, love all his books, and had very high hopes for this book. It still exceeded my expectations. I couldn't put the thing down.
The book, I will say, Tourist aside, is as good, if not better, than I remembered it.
Reading it now, as protests rage across the country, was interesting. Social and political problems referenced in the book are still present, if not worse.
Original review:
In a word: wow. In a few more words: outstanding modern thriller.
Giving this book 5 stars is a disservice to the book. Especially compared to the other books that I've given 5 star reviews to, which all deserved it. This book, this story, is a cut above, easily.
Steinhauer masterfully weaves between stories and viewpoints, switching back and forth, and then moving on to a new point of view when its time, in a way that flows perfectly. That some of the political views spoke to my own sensibilities was icing on the cake.
Steinhauer fans will be in for a little extra treat, though I won't spoil it here. As I saw it developing though, it turned a 5 star book into, well, an even better one.
Full disclosure: received a free copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway. But it was months late, so if anything, I'd be angry and liable to write a worse review because I had to wait so long.
Extra disclosure: I'm a huge fan of Olen Steinhauer, love all his books, and had very high hopes for this book. It still exceeded my expectations. I couldn't put the thing down.
lisagray68's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Not as great as his others, but still good!
ceeemvee's review against another edition
2.0
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.
The Middleman is billed as a political thriller, but it just seemed to fizzle out on so many levels. It started off well, but then seemed to drag on until the halfway mark. By that time, my attention was starting to wane. When a book doesn’t hold my attention, I can’t seem to concentrate on the characters or the story. So, I find excuses put it back down and not pick it back up again, which is why it seemed like it took forever to get through this book. It just wasn’t thrilling enough to make me want to finish, but I did.
The story begins with the sudden disappearance of 400 young people, who are tied to a revolutionary group, Massive Brigade. Special Agent Rachel Proulx has been following the group for years, and the hunt is on for the group as well as heading off whatever they may be planning. I will say that was an interesting story line, even if it took half the book to get there.
The second half of the book deals with the aftermath and, again, it’s an interesting storyline. I don’t want to give it away, however, this part of the story is big, and I never felt like it was given just due. Instead, the book starts meandering into all the social ills of today, from race relations, police brutality, immigration, Boko Haram and missing girls, lead in Michigan’s water and all points in between. It became disjointed and I felt like I was being lectured.
And don’t you know, the ending was totally unsatisfying. That would be my fault, as I should know better than to pick up something that is planned to be a a series.
The Middleman is billed as a political thriller, but it just seemed to fizzle out on so many levels. It started off well, but then seemed to drag on until the halfway mark. By that time, my attention was starting to wane. When a book doesn’t hold my attention, I can’t seem to concentrate on the characters or the story. So, I find excuses put it back down and not pick it back up again, which is why it seemed like it took forever to get through this book. It just wasn’t thrilling enough to make me want to finish, but I did.
The story begins with the sudden disappearance of 400 young people, who are tied to a revolutionary group, Massive Brigade. Special Agent Rachel Proulx has been following the group for years, and the hunt is on for the group as well as heading off whatever they may be planning. I will say that was an interesting story line, even if it took half the book to get there.
The second half of the book deals with the aftermath and, again, it’s an interesting storyline. I don’t want to give it away, however, this part of the story is big, and I never felt like it was given just due. Instead, the book starts meandering into all the social ills of today, from race relations, police brutality, immigration, Boko Haram and missing girls, lead in Michigan’s water and all points in between. It became disjointed and I felt like I was being lectured.
And don’t you know, the ending was totally unsatisfying. That would be my fault, as I should know better than to pick up something that is planned to be a a series.
jhoffmann's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
thoughtsfromapage's review against another edition
4.0
The Middleman is a timely book that focuses on politics and the difference in what the public knows and what is really happening. It is a thought-provoking tale especially in today’s political climate. Steinhauer writes beautifully, and the story, while not too fast-paced, certainly kept me engaged. The ending is not completely resolved which makes me think it must be the start of a new series. For those who love espionage, this is a good choice.
left_coast_justin's review against another edition
4.0
Not what I expected, in a good way. And because the structure of the story is one of its delights, I really can't review this in a normal way without spoiling, so instead I'll just list a few likes and dislikes.
The likeable characters were truly likeable and the unlikeable characters were truly despicable. And then there were a couple of central characters who you end up liking despite yourself. This is pretty important to the enjoyment of the story and a mark of Steinhauer's writing skill.
There was a lot going on, but I was never confused (which does not mean I knew what was coming next) and the characters were easily distinguishable.
My timing was rather unfortunate, in that a lot of the book dealt with police dealing with protestors in an unacceptably violent manner. Except in this book, they got in trouble for it, which was nice, I guess.
After reading such an enjoyable book, I was disappointed by the ending. The motivation for setting all this stuff in motion just struck me as insufficient. But never mind, it was one of his better books, all in all.
The likeable characters were truly likeable and the unlikeable characters were truly despicable. And then there were a couple of central characters who you end up liking despite yourself. This is pretty important to the enjoyment of the story and a mark of Steinhauer's writing skill.
There was a lot going on, but I was never confused (which does not mean I knew what was coming next) and the characters were easily distinguishable.
My timing was rather unfortunate, in that a lot of the book dealt with police dealing with protestors in an unacceptably violent manner. Except in this book, they got in trouble for it, which was nice, I guess.
After reading such an enjoyable book, I was disappointed by the ending. The motivation for setting all this stuff in motion just struck me as insufficient. But never mind, it was one of his better books, all in all.