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heathere6093's review against another edition
It just kept going on and on and so slowly. Didn’t care enough about the story or characters to keep going.
kanejim57's review
4.0
Set in the turbulence of recent events in North Africa and the past turbulence of the Balkans, The Cairo Affair is a wonderful spy and political thriller in which betrayal - both marital and political - and the ever widening circle of deceit, lying, death, and pain which comes with betrayal, is the main theme. Centered on the history of an American diplomat, Emmett Kohl and his wife Sophie, Olen Stienhauer weaves a twisting and turning narrative of multiple subplots with a cast of characters who are shown in all their humanness and flaws.
When Emmett is murdered in a crowded Budapest restaurant in front of his wife Sophie, who has just confessed to having an affair, a chain of events is set in place that drives Sophie to return to Cairo, where Emmett had previously been stationed, to find out who had murdered him and why. The search takes the reader on a journey twenty years into the past when the Kohl's come face to face with the developing conflict in Yugoslavia and choices made there that will affect them for the rest of their lives. As Sophie seeks answers, a plan, long thought dead, to take over the Libyan revolution by the CIA, crosses her path and we are thrust headlong in the political intrigue and danger which affects, to one degree or another, the cast of characters and the stability of North Africa, including Egypt, dealing with its own issues.
In a style in which overlapping point-of-view narratives by key characters move us closer to finding out who ordered Emmett's murder, Stienhauer does a great job of keeping us guessing at every turn as to who it was and why. The result is truly a page turner which takes us under the skin and into the hearts, minds, and motivations of people tasked with keeping and uncovering secrets - which are often sold to the highest bidder.
This was my first Olen Stienhauer novel. It won't be my last. It kept my interest from beginning to end with wonderful characters and a narrative style using overlapping points of view.
I rate this book a 'great' read!
To be published by Minotaur Books on March 18, 2014
Note: I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from Amazon Vine in exchange for a review. I was not required to write a positive review
When Emmett is murdered in a crowded Budapest restaurant in front of his wife Sophie, who has just confessed to having an affair, a chain of events is set in place that drives Sophie to return to Cairo, where Emmett had previously been stationed, to find out who had murdered him and why. The search takes the reader on a journey twenty years into the past when the Kohl's come face to face with the developing conflict in Yugoslavia and choices made there that will affect them for the rest of their lives. As Sophie seeks answers, a plan, long thought dead, to take over the Libyan revolution by the CIA, crosses her path and we are thrust headlong in the political intrigue and danger which affects, to one degree or another, the cast of characters and the stability of North Africa, including Egypt, dealing with its own issues.
In a style in which overlapping point-of-view narratives by key characters move us closer to finding out who ordered Emmett's murder, Stienhauer does a great job of keeping us guessing at every turn as to who it was and why. The result is truly a page turner which takes us under the skin and into the hearts, minds, and motivations of people tasked with keeping and uncovering secrets - which are often sold to the highest bidder.
This was my first Olen Stienhauer novel. It won't be my last. It kept my interest from beginning to end with wonderful characters and a narrative style using overlapping points of view.
I rate this book a 'great' read!
To be published by Minotaur Books on March 18, 2014
Note: I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from Amazon Vine in exchange for a review. I was not required to write a positive review
kanejim57's review against another edition
4.0
Set in the turbulence of recent events in North Africa and the past turbulence of the Balkans, The Cairo Affair is a wonderful spy and political thriller in which betrayal - both marital and political - and the ever widening circle of deceit, lying, death, and pain which comes with betrayal, is the main theme. Centered on the history of an American diplomat, Emmett Kohl and his wife Sophie, Olen Stienhauer weaves a twisting and turning narrative of multiple subplots with a cast of characters who are shown in all their humanness and flaws.
When Emmett is murdered in a crowded Budapest restaurant in front of his wife Sophie, who has just confessed to having an affair, a chain of events is set in place that drives Sophie to return to Cairo, where Emmett had previously been stationed, to find out who had murdered him and why. The search takes the reader on a journey twenty years into the past when the Kohl's come face to face with the developing conflict in Yugoslavia and choices made there that will affect them for the rest of their lives. As Sophie seeks answers, a plan, long thought dead, to take over the Libyan revolution by the CIA, crosses her path and we are thrust headlong in the political intrigue and danger which affects, to one degree or another, the cast of characters and the stability of North Africa, including Egypt, dealing with its own issues.
In a style in which overlapping point-of-view narratives by key characters move us closer to finding out who ordered Emmett's murder, Stienhauer does a great job of keeping us guessing at every turn as to who it was and why. The result is truly a page turner which takes us under the skin and into the hearts, minds, and motivations of people tasked with keeping and uncovering secrets - which are often sold to the highest bidder.
This was my first Olen Stienhauer novel. It won't be my last. It kept my interest from beginning to end with wonderful characters and a narrative style using overlapping points of view.
I rate this book a 'great' read!
To be published by Minotaur Books on March 18, 2014
Note: I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from Amazon Vine in exchange for a review. I was not required to write a positive review
When Emmett is murdered in a crowded Budapest restaurant in front of his wife Sophie, who has just confessed to having an affair, a chain of events is set in place that drives Sophie to return to Cairo, where Emmett had previously been stationed, to find out who had murdered him and why. The search takes the reader on a journey twenty years into the past when the Kohl's come face to face with the developing conflict in Yugoslavia and choices made there that will affect them for the rest of their lives. As Sophie seeks answers, a plan, long thought dead, to take over the Libyan revolution by the CIA, crosses her path and we are thrust headlong in the political intrigue and danger which affects, to one degree or another, the cast of characters and the stability of North Africa, including Egypt, dealing with its own issues.
In a style in which overlapping point-of-view narratives by key characters move us closer to finding out who ordered Emmett's murder, Stienhauer does a great job of keeping us guessing at every turn as to who it was and why. The result is truly a page turner which takes us under the skin and into the hearts, minds, and motivations of people tasked with keeping and uncovering secrets - which are often sold to the highest bidder.
This was my first Olen Stienhauer novel. It won't be my last. It kept my interest from beginning to end with wonderful characters and a narrative style using overlapping points of view.
I rate this book a 'great' read!
To be published by Minotaur Books on March 18, 2014
Note: I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from Amazon Vine in exchange for a review. I was not required to write a positive review
mg_in_md_'s review against another edition
4.0
To be reviewed
My mom loaned me the FirstReads copy that she won awhile back and I thoroughly enjoyed reading every bit of it. The complex spy tale presents the story from different perspectives -- each chapter is told from the perspective of one of the characters -- and shifts around in time. Despite not knowing what point in time (less the chapters that are marked as occurring in 1991) at the beginning of the chapter, the gaps in the story are eventually filled in and motivations are revealed as the story unfolds. This book held my attention from start to finish and made me want to read more by this author. I enjoyed being kept guessing with each chapter and stayed up late one night to finish this one. The sleep deficit the next day was totally worth it! If you enjoy tales filled with international intrigue and conspiracy theories that may or may not be true, this is definitely a book you'll want to check out.
My mom loaned me the FirstReads copy that she won awhile back and I thoroughly enjoyed reading every bit of it. The complex spy tale presents the story from different perspectives -- each chapter is told from the perspective of one of the characters -- and shifts around in time. Despite not knowing what point in time (less the chapters that are marked as occurring in 1991) at the beginning of the chapter, the gaps in the story are eventually filled in and motivations are revealed as the story unfolds. This book held my attention from start to finish and made me want to read more by this author. I enjoyed being kept guessing with each chapter and stayed up late one night to finish this one. The sleep deficit the next day was totally worth it! If you enjoy tales filled with international intrigue and conspiracy theories that may or may not be true, this is definitely a book you'll want to check out.
tobinlopes's review against another edition
3.0
This is a stand-alone Steinhauer story. I like spy novels. I don't read too many but I do like them. This is a good spy novel. It's not great, but good.
The story and characters are compelling enough but the structure - which has the reader bouncing around in the timeline had me more than a little confused as I approached the last 50 pages. I didn't know "when" I was in the story and had to look back through previous points of view.
I still enjoyed it and the mystery's solution wasn't completely out of left field - which many spy novels are guilty of - so it gets three stars and 7/10 on my personal scale.
Recommended for spy novel fans.
-tpl
The story and characters are compelling enough but the structure - which has the reader bouncing around in the timeline had me more than a little confused as I approached the last 50 pages. I didn't know "when" I was in the story and had to look back through previous points of view.
I still enjoyed it and the mystery's solution wasn't completely out of left field - which many spy novels are guilty of - so it gets three stars and 7/10 on my personal scale.
Recommended for spy novel fans.
-tpl
zare_i's review against another edition
5.0
What if whatever haunts you is not because of what you think but because of some obscure reason lost in the past - what if you are in danger because of what someone else thinks you know.
This is the corner-stone of this novel.
All the characters have done something bad (some something outright terrible) in the past and they are now chased down [and quite the few killed] because somebody has a feeling that they know too much (or maybe everything). Because of this it is decided to eliminate them just to be on the safe side.
Sophie, main character is wannabe Mata Hari - she enjoys living on the edge but very soon this takes its toll. She might seem to be an over-dramatic at times but what exactly one is to expect from situated person that wants more but settles on the role of the happy wife.
From all the characters she is most probably the most "damaged" one. But her guilt and loss pushes her forward while trying to solve the mystery and without her, total amateur in the spy-games, professionals would stop stirring the hornet's nest way earlier and leave the things lie down.
John, US agent, maybe best epitomizes the survivalist approach to intelligence activities - know nothing, hear nothing and play outright dumb in order to live through yet another day. Because if you become curious very soon the shadows will strike (like it happened to majority of characters in this novel) so better leave it to people who are at least payed to be nosy and are not expendable.
If above sounds like total opposite to what intelligence gathering is supposed to be you are right but in the world where you know secrets about others and you think other's actions are because of your secrets or actions in the past who can you actually believe to be "on the side of the Angels"?
Excellent, very paranoid novel, written in beautiful style that will make you devour 500+ pages in couple of hours. Could it be done in fewer number of pages - definitely could, but this page surplus does not diminish the story in any way.
Highly recommended.
This is the corner-stone of this novel.
All the characters have done something bad (some something outright terrible) in the past and they are now chased down [and quite the few killed] because somebody has a feeling that they know too much (or maybe everything). Because of this it is decided to eliminate them just to be on the safe side.
Sophie, main character is wannabe Mata Hari - she enjoys living on the edge but very soon this takes its toll. She might seem to be an over-dramatic at times but what exactly one is to expect from situated person that wants more but settles on the role of the happy wife.
From all the characters she is most probably the most "damaged" one. But her guilt and loss pushes her forward while trying to solve the mystery and without her, total amateur in the spy-games, professionals would stop stirring the hornet's nest way earlier and leave the things lie down.
John, US agent, maybe best epitomizes the survivalist approach to intelligence activities - know nothing, hear nothing and play outright dumb in order to live through yet another day. Because if you become curious very soon the shadows will strike (like it happened to majority of characters in this novel) so better leave it to people who are at least payed to be nosy and are not expendable.
If above sounds like total opposite to what intelligence gathering is supposed to be you are right but in the world where you know secrets about others and you think other's actions are because of your secrets or actions in the past who can you actually believe to be "on the side of the Angels"?
Excellent, very paranoid novel, written in beautiful style that will make you devour 500+ pages in couple of hours. Could it be done in fewer number of pages - definitely could, but this page surplus does not diminish the story in any way.
Highly recommended.
adamrshields's review against another edition
4.0
Short Review: I have read Steinhauer's previous Tourist Trilogy and really enjoyed them. I think Steinhauer is one of the better spy novelists writing today. He is more than John le Carré variety than the Ian Fleming variety. This book is concerned with a plan to overthrow Gaddafi (it is set in 2011 before the change of government). An American CIA analyst prepared the plan, but it was rejected 3 years earlier. But now someone seems to be putting the plan into effect. Sophie Kohl, the wife of an American Diplomat currently in Hungary just watched an assassin kill her husband in front of her and returns to Cairo (where they previously lived) to find out why.
Overall this is a classic spy novel told from a variety of perspectives because no one ever has the full picture. The only real problem with the book it that there is not a central moral center of the book (or at least the main one that comes up is toward the end of the book.) The Milo Weaver equivelent from the Tourist books is just not here.
Other than that, it is a pretty good book.
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/the-cairo-affair/
Overall this is a classic spy novel told from a variety of perspectives because no one ever has the full picture. The only real problem with the book it that there is not a central moral center of the book (or at least the main one that comes up is toward the end of the book.) The Milo Weaver equivelent from the Tourist books is just not here.
Other than that, it is a pretty good book.
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/the-cairo-affair/
ktxx22's review against another edition
3.0
This book should/could be an action film. I enjoyed all the goings on behind the diplomatic scenes of the international spy world. That it’s extremely relevant and plausible in The here and now is also a bonus. However this book missed a mark with me. I think that a man who is looking for a fiction novel that could be nonfiction in its subject matter would ADORE this book. But for me it’s only a 3/5 .
rob_sosnowski's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Average spy thriller. Pleasant enough to read
eldiente's review against another edition
4.0
I've enjoyed most of Olen Steinhauer's novels and this is one of my favorites. Several characters and storylines that mix and mingle amongst each other serve to keep the reader guessing until the end. There aren't really any surprises, but the timely use of the Arab Spring uprisings as the plot line makes the story seem current