#4 in the Milo Weaver/Tourist trilogy. Yes, that’s correct.
The Tourist, The Nearest Exit and An American Spy chronicled
Milo Weaver’s career in the blackest of black op departments within the CIA. The
Office of Tourism was the sharpest point of America’s clandestine spear. They
go in. They kill. They leave.
But a Chinese intelligence officer figured it all out, got his
hands on the proverbial roster of Tourists and effectively wiped them all out.
All except Milo and his boss. Together, in the aftermath, they have taken over
an independent intelligence gathering operation that had been set up by Milo’s
father (guess the spy trade runs in his family as Milo’s sister is also
involved). This operation is is the subject of The Last Tourist and is called The Library, which provides its clients (selected
nation-states that have deep pockets) with high level intelligence that might
directly or indirectly affect each country.
The Last Tourist details a vast, complex, and secretive conspiracy
and its attempts to wipe out The Library, which is viewed as a threat. Think the
Bilderberg Group is something to be feared? They don’t hold a candle to the group
dreamed up by Steinhauer.
Steinhauer’s vivid imagination has crafted a conspiracy that
is not about geopolitics, nation states, governments, or laws. That’s child’s
play. The ultimate source of power and control is simply money. And currency
knows no borders or boundaries, no elected officials or tinpot despots. It just is. The primary participants include a
former CIA higher-up who stumbled across all the (supposedly) hidden files
about their Office of Tourism that dated well back onto the Cold War era. She is (or was)
married to the CEO of Northwell (a Halliburtan-ish conglomerate) that has
used that information to secretly set up its own Office of Tourism that is now tasked with taking out Milo
Weaver, his Librarians (country-specific information magnets) and all the genius
programmers that hide, store, and encrypt the Library’s information.
Other players determined to develop a new world order are
MirGaz (Russian natural gas company; world’s largest), IfW (Germany’s massive
investment bank), Touzi (middle eastern venture capitalists), Said Logistics (Omani
shipping and transportation), and most importantly, Nexus (texting and messaging
service with a reach beyond that of Facebook that guarantees anonymity and
state of the art encryption). And they all meet each year to recruit clients
at the annual World Economic Summit that meets in Davos.
Weaver is driven by two things. One is keeping the Library
afloat and the other is protecting his wife and teenage daughter. They put up with and survived
Milo’s career so far, but these new Tourists are even more ruthless. He’s not doing
too well keeping The Library alive. Librarians and programmers are systematically
being taken out even after they've all been told to go dark dark dark. And he's not just trying to stay a step ahead of these new Tourists. He doesn’t know who he
can trust. Old friends may be against him and old enemies may be of some
assistance - a scorecard would be helpful.
I’ve read (and reviewed here) most everything Steinhauer has
written; search his name. you'll see. He is more from the Le Carre end of the espionage spectrum than he is
from the Brad Thor or Vince Flynn end. While there is plenty of death and
mayhem, the storyline and the exquisite presentation isn’t overwhelmed by violence.
Pick this up because you really want it. Lightweight readers will get lost in the plot’s intricate complexity. Wouldn’t hurt to use a bookmark on which you can jot
notes so you can keep track of the players and their fluid loyalties.
The challenge of The Last Tourist, if you choose to accept,
will be best attacked by reading the Milo Weaver series in order. The Last Tourist
will be really confusing for those reading it as a standalone. Having read the previous three, I was rewarded with a deep, thoughtful, multifaceted, layered, and successful
conclusion (I think) to the Milo Weaver saga. But based on Steinhauer’s history, one
never knows.
BTW, for those who don’t know, Steinhauer is the creative
force behind the on-going series, Berlin Station, now on the EPIX Network,
(season 1 in available on Amazon Prime). Haven’t watched it, but I will. With any
luck, he’ll be able to get this Milo Weaver narrative on video.
East Coast Don
Available March 2020 (Thanx NetGalley). So mark your
calendars.
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