Eye of the Needle

I have read this novel twice and will undoubtedly read it again. It’s captivating because of the suspenseful plot and the perfect story structure, which is my favorite part of writing books.

The reality of the WWII challenges that the main players must face is gripping. It’s a reminder of how courage springs forth when fear is so overwhelming that there is no other choice but to be brave and do things you never believed you could do.

That is true for the Nazi spy who usually killed anyone who got in his way and for the woman who risked… show more.

Leave it to Follett to keep you in suspense from one chapter after another when a German agent operating in England discovers that the barracks and equipment on the coast are fakes and needs to get the information to German Intelligence.

The book’s title comes from the agent’s code name, The Needle, who uses a long needle to kill anyone. The book later became a movie in 1981. Ironically, only Hitler had the right guess where the invasion would take place. He was ignored by his generals.

I admire Follett’s great writing style. It’s fast-paced, with almost every chapter filled… show more.

I have been transfixed by this novel for as long as I can remember. It describes in compelling detail the complexities of global politics and the human cost of war. Follett sets this novel during World War II and presents the intrigue of spies trying to outwit spies, as well as ingenious people using remarkable survival skills to stay alive. The characters are as compelling as the storyline, and the prose catapults the reader forward. Eye of the Needle was the book that made me want to write political thrillers.

No subject in history has ever been more raked over than World War Two. And the trope of hunter and prey is standard thriller fare. Yet with this book, Ken Follett reinvented the WW2 thriller. How’d he do it? First, by making his protagonist not the good guy, but the Nazi spy. Second, by writing it so compellingly, you can’t put it down. Faber, a deadly German spy codenamed “the Needle,” uncovers the biggest secret of the war: clues that will let Hitler know where the D-Day invasion will take place. Can Professor Godliman and ex-copper Bloggs stop him before… show more.

Sometimes romance is even more romantic when it’s tragic. Another story set against real events of WWII, this story is a classic cat-and-mouse that attributes the outcome of the war to a single, accidental event: love. Well-researched and brilliantly describe, this is a setting that cleverly weaves the fictional with the real.

This was the book that hooked me on espionage thrillers. Follett takes an enormous subject and boils it down to a battle between a few. There are memorable characters all over this story, and each of them are faced with difficult choices. Once again, the antagonist has a shred of humanity, which occasionally puts the reader at odds. You’ll be hooked.