The Nearest Exit

March 15, 2010
Milo Weaver, a former field agent with the CIA's clandestine Department of Tourism, returns to action after a stint in prison for alleged financial fraud in this intense sequel to The Tourist
. His handlers want Weaver to pursue a mole rumored to have infiltrated the CIA's black-ops department, but with his loyalty in question, he must first undergo some test missions, one of which is to kill the 15-year-old daughter of Moldovan immigrants now living in Berlin. Such a horrific assignment further weakens Weaver's already wavering enthusiasm for his secret life, and he becomes increasingly preoccupied with reconnecting with his estranged wife and child. When bombshell revelations rock Weaver's world, he vows to somehow put international intelligence work behind him. Can he do so without jeopardizing his and his family's safety? Steinhauer's adept characterization of a morally conflicted spy makes this an emotionally powerful read. Author tour.

In this fast-paced sequel to THE TOURIST, narrator David Pittu conveys the newest dangers faced by Milo Weaver. After being blackballed by the CIA, Weaver finds himself compelled to rejoin the elite network of top-secret black-ops agents called "tourists." But first he's required to prove his loyalty by killing an innocent teenage girl in Berlin. Pittu's intense narration reflects Weaver's conflict between his training and his emerging insecurities about his work and family. He has an estranged wife and a daughter not much younger than the girl he's been tasked to abduct. Crisp and concentrated, Pittu unwinds the gripping action with energy. As Weaver searches for a traitor among the tourists, Pittu's characterization of the brilliant, obese German espionage administrator adds impact. N.M.C. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine