Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

So far as captivating page-turners go, few writers of popular fiction can top Ken Follett when he is at his best, and though I've not read all his novels, I definitely consider Triple (a political thriller) to be one of the best of those I've read. (Other favourites of mine are A Dangerous Fortune and The Third Twin--and I am eager to read The Pillars of the Earth). Briefly (and without giving anything away), the plot centres around three secret agents--one from Israel's Mossad, one from Russia's KGB, and one from Egypt's Intelligence Agency. It involves the arms race between the Israelis and the Arabs and takes place in 1968. I really can say no more other than to mention that one of these groups has an idea for ensuring that it remains a competitor in that race, and the method the agent has for bringing that idea to fruition (and this is what the novel is all about) is complex and really quite ingenious. Stripped to its most basic level, this could be said to be something of a cat and mouse story. However, there is so very much more to it than that, for Follett is a master storyteller who not only excels in deftly handling relationships between individuals (no mean feat in itself!) but is simply brilliant at creating characters that the reader cares about and hence in writing novels that one hates to reach the end of. Though not a light read, this novel is certainly enlightening. I, for one, learned a fair bit about Middle Eastern politics and something about nuclear weaponry. Further, I felt Follett did a splendid job of conveying the political situation from the points of view of both the Israelis and the Palestinians in a manner that simultaneously evoked both sympathy for and censure of both sides. It's a sensitive topic (perhaps even more so now than in 1979 when the novel was first published) and one in which Follett's skill as a writer really shines through. Highly recommended to fans of Ken Follett in general, to fans of the spy genre in particular, and to anyone who enjoys a consumately written (and insightful) thriller!