Product Description

One enemy spy knows the secret to the Allies' greatest deception, a brilliant aristocrat and ruthless assassin -- code name: "The Needle" -- who holds the key to ultimate Nazi victory.

Only one person stands in his way: a lonely Englishwoman on an isolated island, who is beginning to love the killer who has mysteriously entered her life.

All will come to a terrifying conclusion in Ken Follett's unsurpassed and unforgettable masterwork of suspense, intrigue, and the dangerous machinations of the human heart.

This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12303 in Books
• Published on: 2005-01-01
• Released on: 2004-11-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780060748159
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From The Washington Post
"Sheer suspense."

Review
"A spy novel of the highest order." -- -- Baltimore Sun

"Follett is a master." -- Time

"Heart-stopping, nerve-freezing...Truly suspenseful...Extraordinarily satisfying." -- -- Los Angeles Times

"Thrilling." -- -- The New York Times Book Review

About the Author

Ken Follett is one of the world's most popular novelists. He has sold approximately 90 million books.

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Customer Reviews

Superbly written; quite an emotional tale
This was the novel that gave Follet star quality status in publishing circles. Not only was it a best seller but it also was adapted into a movie, starring Donald Sutherland.

Here are some reasons to read THE EYE OF THE NEEDLE:

(1) PRECISION: you like reading about cool, precise heroes or anti-heroes or villains who are painfully precise in their plans, the best at what they do and are totally "stone cold.";

(2) WWII BUFF: you love to read about the "big thrills" of WWII; this has it since the German spy discovers D-Day plans and tries to get back to Germany to warn the High Command (i.e. his tap was taken after he was shortly exposed);

(3) TAUT THRILLS: if this turns you on, Follet is right up there with Forsythe, Higgins and other masterful spy thriller novelists.;

(4) MOVING LOVE/LUST TALES: Follet has always been unusually good at the subplot love stories in his tales; the intimacy level is higher than some people encounter in their real lives; the details of the lovemaking is hot. I still remember, at one point, the female interest asks the male love interest why he never married and he replied to something along the lines as: "I never loved any woman enough to marry them."; and

(5) LOTS OF COMPLICATIONS FOR THE CHARACTERS: especially for the villain who seems to overcome almost all of them.

Follet also does a good job of centering the story on the villain so that you like him and then switching over to another character later. The transition works for a number of reasons but saying more would spoil the story.

One of the Best of the Type
Ken Follett was probably the best of this type back in the 70's; I would even go so far as to say that was his best period outside of The Pillars of the Earth. This book gives you a very good story that I found difficult to put down. Follett is great at developing his characters; you really get a feel for them. He also always gets the facts correct and is very generous with the historical items. He also writes a book that does not talk down to the lowest common denominator of the audience. This book is very good and one that should be read before many others of the same type.

A brilliant novel of suspense
Using late World War II as a backdrop for a breathtaking tale of espionage, Ken Follett brings together a ruthless German spy and a resourceful young Englishwoman, a combination that, believe it or not, serves at a catalyst for the Allies' victory. Though a work of fiction, EYE OF THE NEEDLE is utterly convincing from explosive beginning to explosive climax. The structure of the novel is fairly straightforward, but Follett manipulates the plot expertly and deftly, placing this story notches higher than the average chase thriller. What's notable here is the deft combination of wry British wit, skillful characterization, and flawless research, that makes this an adventure story worth reading for its intelligence and realism as well as its ample chills. As one of the character puts it, "Jolly good show."