Middleman Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Vandals |
2018 |
Buy |
| The Middleman |
2018 |
Buy |
Milo Weaver Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| El turista |
2009 |
N/A |
| Exit |
2010 |
N/A |
| The Nearest Exit |
2010 |
Buy |
| An American Spy |
2012 |
Buy |
| The Tourist |
2009 |
Buy |
| The Last Tourist |
2020 |
Buy |
Ruthenia Quintet Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Bridge of Sighs |
2003 |
Buy |
| The Confession |
2004 |
Buy |
| 36 Yalta Boulevard / The Vienna Assignment |
2005 |
Buy |
| Liberation Movements |
2006 |
Buy |
| Victory Square |
2007 |
Buy |
Short Stories/Novellas#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| You Know What’s Going On |
2011 |
Buy |
| On the Lisbon Disaster |
2014 |
Buy |
| Start-Up |
2016 |
Buy |
Standalone Novels#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Cairo Affair |
2014 |
Buy |
| All the Old Knives |
2015 |
Buy |
Olen Steinhauer is an American author who writes spy fiction and political thrillers. He made his debut with The Bridge of Sighs in 2003, the first of five novels set in the fictional Eastern European country of Ruthenia. The Ruthenia Quintet traces the history of a police force across five decades of Communist rule, earning Steinhauer comparisons to John le Carre and Alan Furst.
His second major series follows CIA operative Milo Weaver through six novels starting with The Tourist in 2009. Steinhauer has also written acclaimed standalone thrillers, including The Cairo Affair and All the Old Knives, the latter of which was adapted into a film in 2022. His shorter fiction and the Middleman series round out a body of work that has made him one of the most respected spy novelists writing today.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many books has Olen Steinhauer written?
Olen Steinhauer has written eighteen books across five series.
What was Olen Steinhauer's first book?
Olen Steinhauer’s first book is The Bridge of Sighs, published in 2003.
How did Olen Steinhauer become a spy fiction writer?
Steinhauer lived in Eastern Europe for several years, and his time there inspired the Ruthenia Quintet, which follows police officers in a fictional Soviet satellite state across five decades. That experience with Cold War-era politics and espionage culture shaped his later work in the Milo Weaver CIA series and his standalone spy thrillers.