The Nearest Exit-Olen Steinhauer

The Nearest Exit
Olen Steinhauer
Minotaur, May 11 2010, $25.99
ISBN: 9780312622879

Former master spy Milo Weaver is assigned to return to field work. He loathes the task as he is ordered to do something horrific for people who will throw him under the bus if there is a hint of scandal.

Apparently a mole is inside the agency. He or she must be purged before those in the cold are eliminated. Milo is to find the traitor and kill the traitor. The problem is no evidence surfaces inside the agency; only politicians taking credit and tossing blame. That is until he begins to unravel a double helix case of revenge, but by who remains unknown and the field threat imminent.

The return of The Tourist is a terrific complicated and purposely convoluted espionage thriller as even the identities of the agencies are murky. Weaver knows exactly the key traits of his superiors whom he detests and distrusts. These political desk jockey handler(s) make Lady Macbeth seem as if she lacks ambition as they will do anything including allowing field operatives to die to further their careers. Filled with a zillion suspects and multiple subplots, Weaver knows The Nearest Exit for a field agent is death.

Harriet Klausner