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You Know What's Going On [Kindle Edition]

Olen Steinhauer (Author)
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Product Description

Product Description

"You Know What's Going On" is a novella (47 pages in the printed edition) originally published in Agents of Treachery, an espionage-fiction anthology edited by Otto Penzler.

Like my recent books (The Tourist, The Nearest Exit), "You Know What's Going On" deals with spies and spying, but with this story I wanted to move away from the European setting of most of my novels, and into Africa--specifically, Kenya and Somalia. I also wanted to deal with something I've kept at arm's length--Muslim extremism. Add to this Somali pirates, self-loathing Western agents, and a disastrous stop-over in Rome before heading on to Nairobi, and you have...well, you have the makings for some explosions.

I hope you enjoy it. If you do, then of course don't resist the impulse to run out and purchase my back catalog, but I'd also suggest picking up a copy of Agents of Treachery--it's an excellent collection for any fan of spy fiction. For fans of the genre, I'd call it required reading.

Product details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 162 KB
  • Print Length: 49 pages
  • Publisher: Third State, Inc. (26 Mar 2011)
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language English
  • ASIN: B004U2DUPQ
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #49,919 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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More About the Author

Olen Steinhauer
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Customer Reviews

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:  4 reviews
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Many thrills in few pages: the spymaster is at his best 16 April 2011
By Rett01 - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
While waiting patiently but with anticipation to bite into the third (concluding?) course served up by Olen Steinhauer in his Milo Weaver spyfest - first "The Tourist" followed by "The Nearest Exit" - there's time for a palate cleanser, something small but zesty.

As with the Milo Weaver novels, "You Know What's Going On" is a spy story that in the reading is like trying to open a Japanese puzzle box. Approach it with attention and patience. It's a compact piece that's long for a short story - about 40 pages - that is built in layers, moves fast and ends with a big, cathartic bang that consumes and cleanses.

The action travels from Rome to Kenya with a brief stop in Geneva. The spooks are CIA, Somali extremists, a double-dealing African politician. One of the characters is actually named Sam. The CIA guys say they are willing to pay for intelligence on Somali pirates, those bad guys in colorful headgear raiding ships in the Gulf of Aden. The deal is to exchange euros for information. That's the surface reality.

There are other, deeper layers - three of them - and on every level the truth varies and the reality is something different. Everyone is caught up in his or her own version of the truth. Someone who can think on several levels is likely to stay alive longer. "But this was what happened when you began thinking in layers," says Nabil Abdullah Bahdoon, the Somali terrorist. "It was addictive. There was always another layer to be discovered, another truth to be found."

Steinhauer published this electronic version in 2011. "You Know What's Going On," was previously published in 2010 in Otto Penzler's spy story collection "Agents of Treachery."

As a standalone, this story stands out for its closely calibrated plot. It's downright thrilling to read Steinhauer peel away one layer after another, each time revealing more nuance, a deeper more meaningful reality. At each, deeper level truth varies but death is a constant.

A character who is very afraid of dying says "death works backward; it eats up the past." In "You Know What's Going On" the ending obliterates everything that went before but creates a new, simpler reality. Shakespeare does the same thing at the end of his tragedies. Steinhauer manages to cram big thoughts into this small package. And as for action and thrills, the spymaster is at his best.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
You Know What's Going On 18 April 2012
By Merrill F. Rajeck - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm a Steinhauer fan. This short work is a great read. Seeing the story develop from the eyes of the the various actors is a wonderful technique that I wish more authors would use.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Another Excellent Story 30 Aug 2011
By ndowidar - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Steinhauer shows incredible talent at portraying the scenes sharply and vividly. His plots are always top notch and put together with such skill you wish the story wasn't so short. I think his writing prose is excellent at keeping the subtly of the character dynamics and scenes so real.
I can't wait for the next novel to come out.

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