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“A sneaky little gem…Steinhauer sustains the difficult balancing act of melding a heart-racing espionage plot with a credible dinner table conversation.”
— New York Times
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“A splendid tour de force…without neglecting the turmoil of the geopolitical landscape, the novel focuses more intensely on the equally treacherous landscapes of the human heart.”
— Washington Post
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“It’s not news that Olen Steinhauer is among the best contemporary espionage writers, and All the Old Knives confirms it. If you’re a fan of intelligent spy novels that don’t need much bang-bang, details about ordnance, or people who save the world singlehandedly, this one’s for you.”
— Seattle Times
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“All the Old Knives has a disarmingly quiet start, but good spy novels are like good spies: they draw you in, earn your trust, and then grab hold with both hands…By the last one hundred pages Steinhauer’s hook is firmly embedded and it’s hard not to race to the finish. And the ending? I can sum it up in one word—brilliant.”
— Amazon.com, editorial review
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“Most of All the Old Knives revolves around Pelham and Favreau’s dinner, and the fact that the book moves so swiftly and alluringly is a testament to Steinhauer’s skills as an entertainer. He stretches considerable tension across an entire book, rather than a handful of swift scenes, and it’s gratifying to watch him do something so daringly retro and contrary to what we’ve come to expect in a thriller.”
— Richmond Times-Dispatch
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“Terrific standalone thriller…There’s great narrative energy in the thrust and counterthrust of the dinner conversation, as well as in the re-creation of the Viennese events; Steinhauer is a very fine writer and an excellent observer of human nature, shrewd about the pleasures and perils of spying.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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“The stakes are high and the tension unrelenting in Steinhauer’s top-notch standalone spy novel, perfect for fans of Homeland.”
— BookPage, Top Pick
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“This genre-bending spy novel takes Hitchcockian suspense to new heights…Readers drawn to the story of a loving couple trapped in a terrible embrace will be thrilled to follow Henry and Celia’s tortured pas de deux.”
— Library Journal (starred review)
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“Masterfully plotted and suspenseful…It’s an understatement to say that nothing is as it seems, but even readers well-versed in espionage fiction will be pleasantly surprised by Steinhauer’s plot twists and double backs.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
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“A compelling spy story that…delivers intrigue, suspense, and a heart-stopping finale. In his acknowledgments, Steinhauer tells us he wrote it in one month. You’ll devour it in one night.”
— Booklist (starred review)
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“A sneaky little gem... Steinhauer sustains the difficult balancing act of melding a heart-racing espionage plot with a credible dinner table conversation.
— The New York Times
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A splendid tour de force...without neglecting the turmoil of the geopolitical landscape, the novel focuses more intensely on the equally treacherous landscapes of the human heart.
— The Washington Post
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It's not news that Olen Steinhauer is among the best contemporary espionage writers, and All the Old Knives confirms it. If you're a fan of intelligent spy novels that don't need much bang-bang, details about ordnance, or people who save the world single-handedly, this one's for you.
— Seattle Times
-
Most of All the Old Knives revolves around Pelham and Favreau's dinner, and the fact that the book moves so swiftly and alluringly is a testament to Steinhauer's skills as an entertainer. He stretches considerable tension across an entire book, rather than a handful of swift scenes, and it's gratifying to watch him do something so daringly retro and contrary to what we've come to expect in a thriller.
— The Richmond Times-Dispatch
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Terrific standalone thriller...There's great narrative energy in the thrust and counterthrust of the dinner conversation, as well as in the re-creation of the Viennese events; Steinhauer is a very fine writer and an excellent observer of human nature, shrewd about the pleasures and perils of spying.
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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Masterfully plotted and suspenseful stand-alone...Steinhauer expertly shifts perspectives between the two spies in both their present and past lives, when Henry was a rough-and-tumble field agent and Celia wielded power behind a desk. It's an understatement to say that nothing is as it seems, but even readers well-versed in espionage fiction will be pleasantly surprised by Steinhauer's plot twists and double backs.
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
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A compelling spy story that takes place at a restaurant table...It delivers intrigue, suspense, and a heart-stopping finale. In his acknowledgments, Steinhauer tells us he wrote it in one month. You'll devour it in one night.
— Booklist (starred review)
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This genre-bending spy novel takes Hitchcockian suspense to new heights. Over the course of a meal with flashbacks, the eternal questions of trust, loyalty, and authentic love are deftly dissected. Readers drawn to the story of a loving couple trapped in a terrible embrace will be thrilled to follow Henry and Celia's tortured pas de deux.
— Library Journal (starred review)