I have to admit that from now I need to rely more on my own hunch than back-cover blurbs and some of the more general reviews when deciding whether or not to buy the book.

After reading these short descriptions I expected a story that is about these days ever-so-popular chair-revolution(aries) and the way their actions are thwarted by ever-vigilant law enforcement. Author so far did not follow this type of formulaic story-lines but he would not be first nor last if that happened.

It was completely different I am glad to say. What starts as a rather weird revolution in the heart of USA makes up only the first half of the story. Second half details out the revolution's background and brings into the picture most unexpected person ever - Milo Weaver, The Tourist - playing one of the central roles. Even at the end we are not given the complete answers so I hope future author's books will shed some more light. I wont go into much details here in order not to spoil the story but will just say that not everything is as it seems and final scheme of things is left shrouded in fog after the final page.

Author shows all of the "enraged" society levels - from wealthy lip-service-only class, charismatic people dreaming about changing the world but incapable of figuring out when they are being played and unaware that their rhetoric can trigger the worst in people, masses who are actually affected but very easily manipulated by demagogues and in general totally unaware of what is actually going on and get freely used as cannon-fodder by all sides in this revolution, to protectors of the social order that are willing to do whatever is necessary to achieve their goals in the name of the national emergency.

Main character, Rachel, was a little bit annoying kind of protagonist but through her we can see how difficult is to move from obedient public servant to person aware that same service she served is now ready to shut her down for good. Her constant doubt that something is rotten in the law enforcement shows very well how systematic treatment of all people that report conspiracy like events as loonies can seriously impede ones way of thinking.

Excellent thriller, looking forward to future works by this author. ( )

I learned about this new novel from the book review magazine Book Page, available at your local library or bookstore, and bought it to read while on vacation. It's a good thing I own it because I am going to have to read it several more times to understand what happened. I thought it was going to be about a radical left-wing organization seeking to start a violent revolution in the U.S., and it kind of was, but it was told mostly from the point of view of the FBI, not the members of the organization. In fact, I am not sure which side some of the characters were actually on, let alone which one was intended to be "the middleman." The book jacket describes the book as a "spy thriller" and there was definitely a lot of intrigue, counterintelligence, and people not telling the truth. In any case it occupied some enjoyable vacation hours. Read it and decide for yourself! ( )

The Middle-Man is an excellent book. It felt like it was mimicking real life. From the very beginning until the end the suspense continued. The characters were all believable and the descriptions of the scenery were easy to imagine. I highly recommend The Middle-Man by Olen Steinhauer. ( )

Enjoyed reading this, but in the end the concept didn't totally hold together.

I appreciated the voice acting, the fast paced story and how many characters’ lives and perspectives the plotting allows the reader to access. Most of all I’m totally blow away by how tightly woven the story is against recent events and today’s concerns. ( )