If I really like a book I'll try to interview the author twice; once for the hardcover release and once again when it comes out in paperback. I really liked "The Middleman" by Olen Steinhauer. It was my favorite novel of 2018.
Olen did something unusual in this one because he rarely sets his stories in the United States. In "The Middleman" a shadowy group is plotting to disrupt our society and our government. This one takes place during our current times; Donald Trump is the president. One day hundreds of people simply vanished. What happened to them? FBI Agent Rachel Proulx has been tracking this underground organization, the Massive Brigade, and as she delves more deeply into their activities she is realizing some shocking things.
When you are reading a book by Olen Steinhauer, a masterful plotter, you can never be certain what is really going on. He'll lead you down blind alleys, you'll think you know what is happening and suddenly things will go all topsy turvy. This novel adds some additional cement to the towering edifice of espionage excellence that Steinhauer has been constructing over the years.
In this interview he also gives us some teasers about his current work in progress, a new work in his beloved collection of "Tourist" novels. I cannot wait to read it.
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