A review by ceeemvee
The Middleman by Olen Steinhauer
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.