In a book club and starting to plan your reads for next year? Check out our 2025 picks.

What do readers think of The Cairo Affair by Olen Steinhauer? Write your own review.

Summary | Reviews | More Information | More Books

The Cairo Affair by Olen Steinhauer

The Cairo Affair

by Olen Steinhauer

  • Critics' Consensus:
  • Readers' Rating:
  • Published:
  • Mar 2014, 400 pages
  • Rate this book

  • Buy This Book

About this book

Reviews

Page 3 of 5
There are currently 36 reader reviews for The Cairo Affair
Order Reviews by:

Write your own review!

Nanette S. (Indiana)

The Cairo Affair
Intrigue and mystery wind through this tale of espionage, deceit, and double dealing. The author infuses all aspects of spycraft into his characters and their actions. The story begins with Sophie, who must decide who to trust when trying to find out who and why her husband, Emmett, a diplomat, was killed while they were having lunch in a Budapest restaurant, Emmett had just confronted her about an affair she had when they were living in Cairo. No sooner had he brought up the subject, a strange man had entered the restaurant, shot him dead, and walked out.

Good story with different points of view used to portray Sophie's actions, although it is sometimes confusing to decipher what time frame, present or past, is being described.
Power Reviewer
Mary O. (Boston, MA)

Twists and Turns
This is a multiple-faceted spy novel of international espionage set in the a Middle East. It is fast paced, at times a real page turner, with some unexpected twists and turns. There is good character development and depiction of the culture in the Middle East. A very enjoyable read if you are a lover of espionage novels!
Karen K. (West Bloomfield, MI)

Espionage intrigue
This is my first Olen Steinhauer book. The writing is easy to read. The story has many layers and twists as expected from a spy novel. Just as you think you understand where the story is going, something surprises you. I liked this book, I didn't over-the-top love it. the author is clearly in the same genre as Le carre'. If you are a hard core espionage reader, than this is for you. I'm more of a Vince Flynn, Ben Coes thriller reader. Very different. So this selection was not the best for me.
Randi H. (Bronx, NY)

The Cairo Affiar
The Cairo Affair was an entertaining spy thriller in the vein of John Le Carre. It was full of so many twists and turns that a few times I got confused and had to look at sections previously read (although that may have been because it took me longer to read than usual, due to holiday craziness). Overall though it was very entertaining, and I was surprised by a few of the plot twists. I enjoyed the international locations, although would have liked to have those settings played up even more.
Mary B. (St Paul, MN)

The Cairo Affair
I had heard of Olin Steinhauer, but had never read any of his books. After reading The Cairo Affair I will be reading more of his works. The main characters stories are told in separate narratives as they relate to the events in the story and the other characters. The stories also go back and forth in time. This can be confusing at times. Just as one is engrossed in one characters story, it stops and we continues with another character's story. It did make me want to keep reading as each story line added to the intrigue and suspense. There are violent themes in the story which might not appeal to some.
Alyce T. (San Antonio, TX)

The Cairo Affair
This was my first book by Olen Steinhauer. It won't be my last. I read it from cover to cover in 2 days. The twists and turns of the book keep you wondering and turning the pages. One can't help but mentally debate how much of this story could actually happen and just how plausible is it.
Claire M. (Sarasota, FL)

The Cairo Affair
Engrossed in reading the story, towards the end I put the book down and thought about spies and diplomats, moles, double agents, wives of any or all of them and wondered what possesses them. Although I felt the story was plot driven I was pushed to think about what drove the characters, possibly because I didn't understand who Sophie was, and because they seem to me to represent a variety of human motivation for the sins we commit.

I've lived long enough to know that we don't remain static in our beliefs forever, particularly when events and human characters press on our nerves. Most people probably enter the intelligence services in their formative twenties, having an unexamined sense of patriotism and perhaps they are true believers, but the events and people with which the spymasters, spies and the assassins deal have to impact on their sense of who they really are and what they are doing . And for what reason. For Zora, perverse pleasure in controlling another as well as money. For Emmett, a belief in country because he wasn't a spy but an economist thinking he could further the interests of his country. For Sophie, an undeveloped woman who was essentially amoral. But imagine Omar, a drone who finally figures out the whole damn series of betrayals, double agents, and what it was all for who then co-opts the evil assassin in a world that has changed dramatically. Omar is the most interesting character because he has worked for the state under Mubaryk for most of his career and it is only when weird happenings in the Arab Spring put him in play and each time he is onto something he is yanked back by his boss that he ultimately becomes the master of the game. He has a moral center, or does he? Power backstage on the world theatre is a devil's game.
Vicky S. (Torrance, CA)

Mystery in many countries
This book takes place over a handful of countries and times. I enjoyed moving from country to country and the variety of characters' points of view. There were parts where I did not want to put the book down though I struggled a bit to figure out where the next character started as one ended. I would have loved to have a map of the areas discussed to help me picture the movement of the characters. Book clubs would enjoy the different points of view of the characters.

Read-Alikes

Top Picks

  • Book Jacket
    The House of Doors
    by Tan Twan Eng
    Every July, I take on the overly ambitious goal of reading all of the novels chosen as longlist ...
  • Book Jacket: The Puzzle Box
    The Puzzle Box
    by Danielle Trussoni
    During the tumultuous last days of the Tokugawa shogunate, a 17-year-old emperor known as Meiji ...
  • Book Jacket
    Something, Not Nothing
    by Sarah Leavitt
    In 2020, after a lifetime of struggling with increasingly ill health, Sarah Leavitt's partner, ...
  • Book Jacket
    A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens
    by Raul Palma
    Raul Palma's debut novel A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens introduces Hugo Contreras, who came to the ...

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    Pony Confidential
    by Christina Lynch

    In this whimsical mystery, a grumpy pony must clear his beloved human's name from a murder accusation.

Who Said...

The secret of freedom lies in educating people, whereas the secret of tyranny is in keeping them ignorant

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

H I O the G

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.