The Cairo Affair - by Olen Steinhauer (Paperback)

About the Book

"As [four characters] converge on the city of Cairo ... a portrait [develops] of a marriage, a jigsaw puzzle of loyalty and betrayal against a dangerous world of political games, where allegiances are never clear and outcomes are never guaranteed"--Dust jacket flap.

Book Synopsis

AN INDIE NEXT PICK
A BOOKLIST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
A CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR BEST BOOK OF THE MONTH
AN AMAZON BEST BOOK OF THE MONTH
A POPSUGAR BEST BOOK OF THE MONTH

From the author of New York Times bestseller The Tourist...

Sophie Kohl is living a nightmare. Minutes after she confesses to her husband, a mid-level American diplomat in Hungary, that she had an affair while they were in Cairo, he is shot and killed.

Stan Bertolli, a Cairo-based CIA agent, has fielded his share of midnight calls. But his heart skips a beat when, this time, he hears the voice of the only woman he ever truly loved ask why her husband has been assassinated.

Omar Halawi has worked in Egyptian intelligence for years, and he knows how to play the game. But the murder of a diplomat in Hungary has ripples all the way to Cairo, and Omar must follow the fallout wherever it leads.

As these players converge on Cairo, Olen Steinhauer masterfully unveils a portrait of a marriage, a jigsaw puzzle of loyalty and betrayal, against a dangerous world of political games where allegiances are never clear and outcomes are never guaranteed.

Review Quotes

"Elaborate, sophisticated...A long, twisty road full of cleverly placed potholes and unexpected turns...Mr. Steinhauer draws his spies as flesh-and-blood characters in whom his readers invest both attention and emotion." --Janet Maslin, The New York Times

"A stunning stand-alone that is as emotionally rich as it is layered with intrigue." --Booklist (starred review)

"A genuine page turner--cleverly conceived and intricately plotted. Steinhauer juggles political and personal loyalties with a master storyteller's sleight of hand." --Joseph Kanon

"The Cairo Affair is the espionage novel at its best, packed with betrayals, double-crosses, hidden agendas, moral conflicts, international relations, and even a delectable double-entendre of a title." --Chris Pavone

About the Author

OLEN STEINHAUER, the New York Times bestselling author of ten previous novels including The Tourist, is a Dashiell Hammett Award winner, a two-time Edgar award finalist, and has also been shortlisted for the Anthony, the Macavity, the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger, the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, and the Barry awards. Raised in Virginia, he lives in New York and Budapest, Hungary. Visit OlenSteinhauer.com.