The Tourist by Olen Steinhauer

This was a fun quick read in the spirit of Robert Ludlum or (as many of the critics have said, John LeCarre).  A "tourist" is a top-secret CIA operative in a foreign country - you know, one of those people in one of the programs the government denies having.  Milo, the title tourist, is actually trying to leave the business of spying when the book starts, but is drafted into one last operation that of course does not end tidily - that would make for a boring book.  Naturally, he has a wife and stepdaughter who get thrown into the action as well.

What I liked about this book was that the plot was complex but the writing was very accessible.  I didn't always expect all the twists in the plot, and I didn't always understand the characters' strategies right away, but I enjoyed reading it all the way through.  I also thought that compared to other books of this genre, Steinhauer explored the Milo's personal anguish over some of his decisions more thoroughly and completely.  Ultimately this is more a character study of the loneliness of being a spy than it is an action novel, although it masquerades as the latter.  In that way it reminded me of parts of the Bourne trilogy - the books at least, more than the movies.

The Tourist was definitely a book that kept me up late reading several nights in a row.  I hear that George Clooney's production company has bought the rights to make it a film.  "LIKE."