Jabril Aziz works in the Office of Collection Strategies for the CIA. When he realizes that a plan he developed a few years ago, referred to as Stumbler, is beginning to be implemented, he decides to make a trip to Northern Africa to stop the operation. He gets the unofficial blessing of his supervisor and makes his own way to Hungary.
Jabril meets with Emmett Kohl in Budapest before proceeding to Cairo and Libya. The evening after his meeting with Emmett, Deputy Consul Kohl is shot to death in a restaurant. Sophia Kohl escapes her handlers and makes her way to Cairo to try to make sense of her husband's murder. She wants to know who ordered the hit and why. In the process, a CIA agent trying to help Sophia is also killed. Who is behind these deaths? Is it the CIA, our own government, or is it Egypt?
THE CAIRO AFFAIR is filled with mystery and intrigue, spies, operatives, mercenaries for hire and plenty of international espionage. Olen Steinhauer sheds immense insight into the political turmoil in Northern Africa and the economic ramifications for the U.S. This story feels like it is more fact than fiction. There is much diversification in the characters, ranging from tough and strong-willed to quirky. You are never sure who can be trusted and who can't. The plot doesn't move at breakneck speed, but is masterfully crafted and moves along fast enough to keep the reader engaged. The use of flashbacks helps to lay the groundwork for understanding characters' motives and actions. This is a story about commitment and responsibility, loyalty, betrayal and change and is well- worth reading.
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.
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