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tombennett72's review against another edition
4.0
A good read, and a clever idea to (largely) base an espionage story in a crappy restaurant in a boring town. And I liked the variety of perspectives offered through the book.
Overall, I really liked this book. There is a slight sense that the research of (European) places was little more than a quick online search. This comes through in a very shallow sense of several of the locations mentioned, and dismissive descriptions of the way things are done abroad.
There is some very good writing, and the main characters are fairly believable.
A fun read - maybe not a book to get round to reading again, but definitely enjoyable.
Overall, I really liked this book. There is a slight sense that the research of (European) places was little more than a quick online search. This comes through in a very shallow sense of several of the locations mentioned, and dismissive descriptions of the way things are done abroad.
There is some very good writing, and the main characters are fairly believable.
A fun read - maybe not a book to get round to reading again, but definitely enjoyable.
arsilyn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
cornbread's review against another edition
4.0
engrossing & pretty airtight but not 100% sold on the revealed intentions
stevelarsen's review against another edition
5.0
I loved the Mick Herron books (Slow Horses series) and a friend recommended Steinhauer. This was a fascinating story that kept me guessing, right up to the end. Very well done.
lamom77's review against another edition
3.0
I actually give this 3.5 stars. It started out kind of slow, but was definitely hard to put down in the last half of the book. It had a fairly predictable ending, but still was a well laid out story.
sarahtokar's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
2.5
I picked this up prior to a trip to Vienna, hoping for some local ambience and/or history. This type of spy thriller doesn't usually interest me, so my low rating isn't a reflection of the author's skill. I just wasn't grabbed by the characters and the mix of love story/CIA operations/terrorist attack. And I didn't get any Vienna scenery or history, so that was disappointing.
in_and_out_of_the_stash's review against another edition
3.0
Reading the author's acknowledgements it implies that the story takes place in one locale - a dinner table - but that is not strictly true because background to the story takes place elsewhere. (Think The Dinner.)
Who knows what is gradually revealed, the pace is slow like a leisurely dinner but not boring.
Also not convoluted like The Cairo Affair.
Who knows what is gradually revealed, the pace is slow like a leisurely dinner but not boring.
Also not convoluted like The Cairo Affair.
nickbollinger's review against another edition
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
kmarceauxgalli's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The book is a slow read and at times hard to follow until you get a bit further along and after halfway through starts making sense and the suspense pulls you to the end.