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The Middleman

A Novel

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

"Steinhauer once again demonstrates his mastery in creating suspense...Ari Fliakos calmly narrates while capturing colorfully the array of characters in this multilayered book." — Washington Post
In The Middleman, Olen Steinhauer, New York Times bestselling author of ten titles, including The Tourist and The Cairo Affair, delivers a compelling portrait of a nation on the edge of revolution, and the deepest motives of the men and women on the opposite sides of the divide.
One day in the early summer of 2017, about four hundred people disappear from their lives. They leave behind cell phones, credit cards, jobs, houses, families—everything—all on the same day. Where have they gone? Why? The only answer, for weeks, is silence.
Kevin Moore is one of them. Former military, disaffected, restless, Kevin leaves behind his retail job in San Francisco, sends a good-bye text to his mother, dumps his phone and wallet into a trash can, and disappears.
The movement calls itself the Massive Brigade, and they believe change isn't coming fast enough to America. But are they a protest organization, a political movement, or a terrorist group? What do they want? The FBI isn't taking any chances. Special Agent Rachel Proulx has been following the growth of left-wing political groups in the U.S. since the fall of 2016, and is very familiar with Martin Bishop, the charismatic leader of the Massive Brigade. But she needs her colleagues to take her seriously in order to find these people before they put their plan—whatever it is—into action.
What Rachel uncovers will shock the entire nation, and the aftermath of her investigation will reverberate through the FBI to the highest levels of government.
More praise for The Middleman:
"The Middleman is smart and entertaining and consistently intriguing" — New York Times Book Review
"The Middleman, with its abundance of multidimensional characters and political viewpoints, is a thought-provoking novel that never ceases to excite as a thriller." — Wall Street Journal

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      June 4, 2018
      This smart polemical thriller from bestseller Steinhauer (All the Old Knives) starts off strong, but loses its way. On June 18, 2017, hundreds of people around the U.S. get a call, then discard their phones, credit cards, IDs—and disappear. They are members of the Massive Brigade, a cult organized by social justice revolutionary Martin Bishop. He believes American politics has failed, and repairing it requires radical change, which appears to come about when simultaneous political assassinations are carried out at July 4 celebrations around the country. Steinhauer has captured a very contemporary, very American angst—“people are going to have to pull a trigger, just to be heard”—but the book’s muddled second half will leave many readers frustrated because the polarities aren’t that clear. Rachel Proulx, an earnest FBI agent, is obviously one of the good guys, but the ostensible bad guys are less well-delineated—and the denouement is unsatisfying. Steinhauer fans will hope for a return to form next time. 150,000-copy first printing. Agent: Stephanie Cabot, Gernert Co.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      With his newest audio thriller, Olen Steinhauer hits a nerve. In a United States led by a polarizing president, with mistrusted and disrupted (or not) intelligence services, a charismatic leader named Martin Bishop emerges. Is his grassroots movement, The Massive Brigade, a peaceful resistance force, or is that a pose, disguising the coming terrors of a Baader-Meinhof gang, or the charisma-gone-rogue cults of Waco or Jim Jones? Ari Fliakos skillfully delivers this bullet train of a plot in which the scariest part is not knowing whom to trust or root for. Voice and pacing are crucial as FBI agent Rachel Proulx races to unravel a snarl of idealism, cynicism, paranoia, and lies threatening her country and life. Fliakos's deft delivery makes this a riveting listen. B.G. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

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  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

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