Book info

• Title Eye of the Needle
• Author Ken Follett
• Year 1978
• Genre Historical

Victory Hangs in the Balance. 1944. In the weeks leading up to D-Day the Allies are disguising their invasion plans with elaborate decoy ships and planes. If they can land a force on mainland Europe they will gain the upper hand in a war that has ravaged the world for years, and take the fight to the Nazi menace. A Cold-Blooded Killer. His weapon is the stiletto, his codename: The Needle. He is Hitler’s prize undercover agent – a ruthless and professional murderer. In England he uncovers the Allies’ D-Day plans but his cover is blown in the process. A Deadly Chase. Leaving a trail of bodies in his wake, The Needle ruthlessly races to a U-boat waiting to convey him and his critical message to Germany, with MI5 on his tail. But he hasn’t planned for a storm-battered island and the remarkable young woman who lives there...

Thoughts

I’m a fan of Ken Follett’s work and jumped at the chance to buy a collection of three of his early thrillers for the Kindle. This was the first and introduced me to the adventures of World War Two spying and those trying to catch them. The novel spends half the time in the company of a German spy trying to get some important photographs out of the country. The rest is with those who are half a step behind, and have to stop him to save the war.

I liked the little details, the moments where the spy was surprised Britain isn’t all stiff-upper-lipped, and the problems caused by the lack of road signs taken down in case of invasion. It was also interesting how the story of the spy was offset by the story of the troubled married couple on a remote Scottish island, and then how those two plots ended up coming together.

Overall, enjoyed reading it - it wasn’t perfect, but I’m glad I still have two more thrillers to get through.

Rating: 4 / 5