All the Old Knives    by Olen Steinhauer Order:  USA  Can Picador, 2015 (2015) Hardcover, Softcover, CD, e-Book      Reviewed by Barbara Lingens Lovers of spy stories are probably already familiar with acclaimed author Olen Steinhauer. In this work, All the Old Knives, he sets himself quite a task: a complete story that unfolds during a dinner conversation. Celia and Henry were fellow CIA workers in Vienna when there was a terrible hostage incident. At the time they were also lovers. Immediately after the hostage crisis, Celia left the agency for good. Now, a question has come up about whether an agent embedded among the hostages was compromised. Henry flies to California, where Celia now lives, to complete his investigation. Henry starts off, then it's Celia's turn, and finally both of them carry the story forward and fill in the blanks about this history. As the story unfolds, it becomes more and more clear that each suspects the other. The fact that they were lovers, and that maybe there is still an attraction between them, makes the tale even more intriguing and then ultimately devastating. You won't believe how tightly plotted a story can be until you read this one. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Contemporary books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews