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 (3):
  • Readers' Rating (36):
  • Published:
  • Mar 2014, 400 pages
  • Rate this book

About this book

Reviews

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

Write your own review!

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

Read-Alikes

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket
Broken Country (Reese's Book Club)
by Clare Leslie Hall
A love triangle reveals deadly secrets in this thriller for fans of The Paper Palace and Where the Crawdads Sing.

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    The World's Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant
    by Liza Tully

    A great detective's young assistant yearns for glory, but first they have learn to get along in this delightful feel good mystery.

  • Book Jacket

    The Original
    by Nell Stevens

    In a grand English country house in 1899, an aspiring art forger must unravel whether the man claiming to be her long-lost cousin is an impostor.

  • Book Jacket

    Angelica
    by Molly Beer

    A women-centric view of revolution through the life of Angelica Schuyler Church, Alexander Hamilton's influential sister-in-law.

  • Book Jacket

    The Whyte Python World Tour
    by Travis Kennedy

    Rikki Thunder, drummer for '80s metal band Whyte Python, is on the verge of fame, love—and a spy mission he didn’t expect.

Who Said...

Everywhere I go, I am asked if I think the university stifles writers...

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

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

E H L the B

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.