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The Cairo Affair by Olen Steinhauer

The Cairo Affair

by Olen Steinhauer

  • Critics' Consensus (3):
  • Readers' Rating (36):
  • Published:
  • Mar 2014, 400 pages
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There are currently 36 reader reviews for The Cairo Affair
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John W. (Saint Louis, MO)

Good But Not Great Spy Thriller
When I started THE CAIRO AFFAIR the pace was so slow I almost stopped reading it. Since I have always been intrigued with Budapest, Cairo and spy thrillers, I continued reading. It gets better, but the pace remains slower than I prefer. The book shifts between the perspectives of several characters (Sophie, Omar, John and Stan) that can be somewhat confusing. It is an enjoyable spy novel with well-written plot twist near the end. Good, but not a great read.
Norman G. (Washougal, WA)

Hard to like
If you like well drawn characters, this book is not for you. If you like action or suspense, this book is not for you. If you like to feel comfortable or identify with someone in the story, this book is not for you. It is a timely story with a modicum of interest but I experienced difficulty in liking any person or portion of the plot involved in the book. I ended up rushing through the final 100 pages just to see how the author concluded the slight mystery. A clever and unexpected close but not enough to give satisfaction. I usually like almost any book but I would not recommend this version and do not evenmore
Jeanne W. (Columbia, MD)

Confusing
I can't exactly say what this book is about. A minor diplomat is shot in Budapest and it may or may not have anything to do with an affair his wife had in Cairo. She heads to Cairo to find out who murdered him. A CIA agent in DC thinks his plan to topple the Libyan government is being put into action. He meets with the diplomat shortly before he's shot. Then there are the diplomats/spies in Cairo and everybody seems to be selling/giving information to everybody else. This book requires at least a basic knowledge of the Arab Spring and Egyptian/Libyan/US politics. If you don't have that you will probably feelmore
Michele W. (Kiawah Island, SC)

Almost thrilling
The main character in The Cairo Station is Sophie. A Harvard graduate who married a fellow Harvard grad in 1991, Sophie agreed with husband Emmett that America wasn't where real life was happening. They went to Eastern Europe on their honeymoon, Sophie acquiescing despite her desire to see Paris, and then spent a few days in a small village in the Balkans just as the war was heating up. There they met Zora, a mysterious and compelling woman who showed them the sights. Two incidents from this time haunted Sophie in future years. First, her souvenir bust of Lenin was stolen by a child in the streets, and second,more

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