All The Old Knives, Steinhauer - B +

                                              Olen Steinhauer, at this stage, is pretty well-known and admired for his ability to shift his method of writing thrilling spy novels. His last two were a bit complex and this one responds to that criticism.  His two principal characters are former lovers and the entire book is spent over dinner at a lovely restaurant overlooking the sea in Monterey CA. He still works for the CIA and is stopping by because he's "going to be in her neck of the woods". She bailed five years previously after the Vienna office may have contributed to an Islamic- inspired act of terrorism at the Vienna airport. Her new life  involves a husband, two children and forgetting about her old life. It appears as if someone in the Office may have called a number in Jordan that could have tipped off the terrorists about an asset the CIA had on the plane. She thinks it was him.  He wants to know why she never told anyone about the call,after she checked the logs.  Love and trust are distant memories. They both arrange back-up, which leads to some unexpected consequences and a wholly unimaginable ending.