Shortly after the assassination of her diplomat husband
Emmett Kohl in Budapest, Sophie Kohl makes it her mission
to discover who killed him and why. Instead of returning to
the U.S., Sophie heads to Cairo to start her search for
answers. But who can she trust in the varied diplomatic
offices in Egypt?
Everyone Sophie meets has their own agenda and no viable
answers to why her husband was murdered. However, her
queries have far-reaching consequences that involve an
early CIA scheme, dubbed Stumbler, that's been set in
motion, even though it's not been sanctioned by the CIA.
Not knowing who's running the operation, or why it's being
done at this time, proves fatal for several people involved
in helping Sophie. Will she live long enough to find out
the truth about her husband?
Olen Steinhauer's THE CAIRO AFFAIR is an intense
international espionage thriller. With a plethora of spies,
mercenaries, double-agents and shady diplomats, this well-
written tome delivers an intelligent and thoughtful view of
how the U.S. is tangled up in the political upheaval in the
Northern Africa nations -- and how that major involvement
affects the U.S.
Sophie Kohl is living her worst nightmare. Minutes after she
confesses to her husband, a mid-level diplomat at the
American embassy in Hungary, that she had an affair while
they were in Cairo, he is shot in the head and killed.
Stan Bertolli, a Cairo-based CIA agent, has fielded his
share of midnight calls. But his heart skips a beat when he
hears the voice of the only woman he ever truly loved,
calling to ask why her husband has been assassinated.
Omar Halawi has worked in Egyptian intelligence for years,
and he knows how to play the game. Foreign agents pass him
occasional information, he returns the favor, and everyone's
happy. But the murder of a diplomat in Hungary has ripples
all the way to Cairo, and Omar must follow the fall-out
wherever it leads.
American analyst Jibril Aziz knows more about Stumbler, a
covert operation rejected by the CIA, than anyone. So when
it appears someone else has obtained a copy of the
blueprints, Jibril alone knows the danger it represents.