What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedAll the Old Knives
Film · 2022
If you loved All the Old Knives, start with The Old Man (Jonathan E. Steinberg, 2022) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to All the Old Knives across media.
What hooked you in All the Old Knives was the way the cold precision of espionage forces personal history to collide with professional betrayal.
Books on the same thread
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
John Le Carre · Book · 2011
Shares 3 threads with All the Old Knives: Betrayal, Moral Ambiguity, Espionage Thriller.
If you enjoyed the intellectual mole hunt in All the Old Knives, you will appreciate this definitive story of paranoia and betrayal within the highest levels of British intelligence.
Eye of the Needle
Ken Follett · Book · 1978
Shares a thread with All the Old Knives: Moral Ambiguity.
This novel echoes the high-stakes cat and mouse tension found in All the Old Knives, pairing ruthless professional duty against the moral ambiguity of a deeply personal, hidden connection.
Oath of Loyalty
Vince Flynn, Kyle Mills · Book · 2022
Shares 2 threads with All the Old Knives: Betrayal, Espionage Thriller.
The intense focus on the intersection of personal loyalty and institutional betrayal mirrors the central conflict of All the Old Knives, driving a desperate race against a compromised system.
Silverview
John le Carré · Book · 2021
Shares 2 threads with All the Old Knives: moral ambiguity, espionage thriller.
Le Carré returns to the themes of bureaucratic betrayal and the long shadows of the past that defined All the Old Knives, stripping away the glamour to reveal human fragility.
Series on the same thread
The Old Man
Jonathan E. Steinberg · Series · 2022
Shares a thread with All the Old Knives: Espionage Thriller.
This series captures the same haunting atmosphere as All the Old Knives, centering on a former operative forced to reconcile his past sins while navigating a dangerous government conspiracy.
The Agency: Central Intelligence
Jez Butterworth · Series · 2024
Shares 3 threads with All the Old Knives: Betrayal, Spy Drama, Espionage Thriller.
Much like the reunion dynamic in All the Old Knives, this story explores the friction between a rekindled romance and the harsh reality of a mission that demands everything.
Berlin Station
Olen Steinhauer · Series · 2016
Shares 2 threads with All the Old Knives: Betrayal, Moral Ambiguity.
This series immerses you in the same clandestine world of CIA station intrigue and deep-seated betrayal that made the stakes of All the Old Knives feel so personal.
Smiley's People
John le Carré · Series · 1982
Shares 2 threads with All the Old Knives: Betrayal, Moral Ambiguity.
The exploration of loyalty and the quiet unraveling of a professional life mirrors the methodical pacing of All the Old Knives, as Smiley confronts the rot within his organization.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Rest Is Classified
Podcast
Shares a thread with All the Old Knives: Double agents.
If the intelligence analysis in All the Old Knives fascinated you, this podcast provides the real-world context behind the tradecraft, covert operations, and geopolitical maneuvering that define the genre.
True Spies: Espionage | Investigation | Crime | Murder | Detective | Politics
Podcast
Explores: Spy Stories, Undercover Operations, Moral Dilemmas.
These firsthand accounts of moral dilemmas and undercover operations ground the fictional espionage of All the Old Knives in the stark, often dangerous reality of professional intelligence work.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is All the Old Knives a film about a CIA mole hunt?
Yes, All the Old Knives follows veteran operative Henry Pelham as he investigates a CIA leak that resulted in the loss of over 100 lives. He is tasked with identifying the mole among his colleagues, specifically focusing on his former lover and fellow agent, Celia Harrison.
What is the primary conflict in All the Old Knives?
The central conflict in All the Old Knives involves the CIA attempting to uncover a mole responsible for a catastrophic intelligence failure. Henry Pelham must navigate his professional duty to root out the traitor while managing his complicated personal history with his colleague and former lover, Celia Harrison.
Who are the central characters in All the Old Knives?
The two central characters in All the Old Knives are Henry Pelham and Celia Harrison. Henry is a veteran CIA operative assigned to investigate a deadly information leak, while Celia is his former lover and colleague who becomes a key focus of his internal mole hunt.
Does All the Old Knives feature a romantic subplot?
Yes, All the Old Knives centers on the complex relationship between Henry Pelham and Celia Harrison. The narrative explores their professional dynamic as colleagues and their past history as former lovers, which becomes increasingly relevant as Henry investigates her potential involvement in a fatal CIA information leak.