EYE OF THE NEEDLE - Book review

 

Ken Follett’s debut novel Eye of the Needle (1978) is a fast-paced thriller which deservedly got him noticed – and was made into a film of the same name starring Donald Sutherland, Kate Nelligan and Christopher Cazenove.

Henry Faber (Sutherland) was a Nazi sleeper agent working for Canaris. His nickname is ‘The Needle’ as he uses a stiletto knife to kill. He is almost caught sending radio messages but manages to murder his landlady before she can give him away. He goes on the run, resorting to one of several aliases. 

At about the same time Lucy gets married to RAF pilot David Rose, who is due to join his squadron for his first flight in a Spitfire. Driving away on their honeymoon, they’re involved in a car crash.

Some three or so years later, Lucy is with David and their young son on Storm Island, virtually cut off  from the world and the war. Which is how David likes it, since he lost his legs in the crash and has become embittered. He no longer seems to love Lucy and she has become a drudge; if it wasn’t for David’s disability and her son, she might have left him. There is a sheep farmer at the other end of the island, with a radio transmitter.

At this time Faber has been ordered to investigate Patton’s troops who are supposedly poised to invade Calais. He penetrates the fake airfield and camp in Norfolk, complete with inflatable tanks and plywood aircraft. It’s an elaborate ruse to misdirect the Nazis, when the real landings will be in Normandy. He takes photos and then moves north to keep his rendezvous with a submarine in the North Sea.   

Hunting Faber is a spycatcher called Godliman, a recently recruited history professor, and his colleague Special Branch Inspector Fred Bloggs. Considering the communication limitations during wartime, they still manage to track Faber to the north.

While a sleeper, Faber met Godliman when they were both admiring a cathedral’s architecture. So Follett even then was interested in the subject – and of course that interest blossomed into his outstanding magnum opus The Pillars of the Earth (1989).

Faber steals a boat in an attempt to meet the U-boat. Unfortunately, a storm hits and he is washed ashore on Storm Island. Lucy takes him in and he provides her with a believable cover-story. Once he learns about it, Faber intends to use the radio transmitter to summon the U-boat. 

Follett convincingly portrays the frustration and despair of Lucy. David’s attitude virtually throws together Faber and Lucy – and a guilt-ridden passionate interlude follows. The claustrophobic atmosphere of the farmhouse combined with, the close proximity of a fit good-looking stranger, an attractive woman and an embittered cripple result in violence and death.

A tense page-turner that has not lost any of its appeal since publication.

If you’ve never read any Follett, this is a good place to start.

 

PS - It's rare to find a typo in Follett's books. Here's one, though: '... picked up her wristwatch from the door.' (p249) Should be 'door', of course. :)