A review by jenaje
The Middleman by Olen Steinhauer
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.