This is undoubtedly one of the best thrillers to come out of World War II. The Allies are planning for invading Europe, and where is it going to be? Normandy or Calais? The outcome of the war depends on fooling Hitler - and the German spy, known as "The Needle", may yet prove spoilsport.The story moves at a rapid pace as the Needle and his pursuers move across Britain - but what makes it stand apart is its exquisite climax, set on an island, involving the protagonist, an Englishwoman who has bec...

A fast paced World War 2 thriller, set against the backdrop of D-Day plans secretly laid by the British. The story is very engrossing, making it a real turner and a thrilling experience, but I felt that there were a bit too many clichés. It started off pretty well, but by the end it felt like a Hollywood style spy-flick. The writing is quite good at times, while on some occasions the lines were overtly simplistic, the romantic intrigue was mostly about sex and nothing more. Throughout the readin...

This is my first Follett book I have read and he has a very enjoyable, concise and precise style of writing. The year is 1944, and a German spy (code-name: "the Needle") has photos that could damage the Allies' plans for D-Day. While trying to get the photos to a U-boat, he is shipwrecked on a remote island off the coast of Scotland, which is home to a loveless and amputee man, his lonely wife, and their three-year-old child. This is an enthralling wartime (WW2) thriller with a interesting plot

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 Ge...

A enthralling tale with falling off your seat suspense.I absolutely couldn't stop thinking about the characters and their plight in this "older" gem of a read! I enjoy WWII historical fiction and this one delivered on many fronts. The terrifying German spy called "The Needle", a determined British intelligence officer, a betrayal, a strong English woman, a hunt for the villain, a shipwreck, an unlikely rendezvous. There are even a few steamy scenes that may give you some chills.A friend handed m...

Eye of the Needle, Ken FollettEye of the Needle is a spy thriller novel written by Welsh author Ken Follett. It was originally published in 1978. In 1940 Henry Faber is the alias used by a German spy, nicknamed The Needle, due to his preference for the use of a stiletto as his trademark weapon. He is working at a London railway depot, collecting information on troop movements. Faber is halfway through radioing this information to Berlin when his widowed landlady stumbles into his room hoping for...

Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett is an adventurous spy thriller novel set in the backdrop of World War II, specifically leading to the D-Day aka the Battle of Normandy. Henry Faber aka The Needle, is a German spy in the midst of the English. He somehow gathers the most important intelligence information that can decide the fate of the war for the Germans. Hitler trusts him, but will he able to successfully transfer that knowledge, given that the English Intelligence is doing everything in their

Eye of the Needle, a sharply-written WWII era thriller, is miles away in style and length from the mammoth, medieval epics Follett would later create. Though not a mindbendingly difficult read, the quality of the writing was already present at this early stage. Extra kudos must be given to any author who can switch gears and dabble in different genres. Working outside your comfortable corner can not be the easiest thing to do.

When Faber arrives at Storm Island near Aberdeen, he finds a very lonely Lucy who lives with her crippled husband, an embittered husband who has never touched her after their marriage ceremony. Lucy then embarks on a relationship with Faber. Although Faber really 'seems to come to love someone' for the very first time in his life, it sounds improbable, because Faber is incapable of 'love' as we know it, he is trained to look at people as objects to be eliminated immediately if and when threatene...

Carl Sandburg said (in another context) "it pays to have a good forgettery." In this case, a good forgettery allowed me to reread Ken Follett's EYE OF THE NEEDLE (British title, STORM ISLAND) with every bit as much enjoyment as when I first read it 30 years ago. Also, having recently reread THE DAY OF THE JACKAL, it was fun to compare these two similar, but different, thrillers.Both books feature multiple points of view -- quite a few of them in Follett's case -- and on both sides of the good gu...

We are looking for a needle in the haystack.First published in the year 1978, Ken Follett`s Eye of the Needle is an intense suspenseful spy thriller. Set in the 1940s and close to the D-Day (June, 1944 – Normandy landings), this is the story of Henry Faber, a German spy nicknamed `The Needle`. With an engaging plot, this spy`s journey is quite the adventure.The needle with the deadly stiletto.There are certain places where it feels that some of the chapters were not needed or can be skipped, and...

Today, most people know Ken Follett as the author of mammoth works of historical fiction. I mean, we’re talking novels that would make War and Peace turn and run like Napoleon’s troops from Moscow. (See what I did there?) It’s a known fact that you can construct a home able to withstand an F5 tornado solely from copies of Pillars of the Earth, World Without End and Fall of Giants. (Note: this house will not have doors, windows, a roof, or the ability to withstand an F5 tornado). Before he starte...

I do enjoy a good old fashioned spy thriller and who better than Ken Follett to write a suspenseful and exciting story that had me intrigued from start to finish. In the weeks leading up to D-Day. Hitler’s prize undercover agent and a cold and professional Killer who goes by the enamel of The Neddle, is on the cusp of discovering the Allies Invasion plans and ruining what has been months of planning. Hunted by MI5 he leads a murderous trail across Britain to a waiting u Boat but he hasn’t planne...

If you have never read any of Follett's work, then this is a good place to start. The paperback is 368 pages, which is shorter than many of his other books. If you like his style, then his other books have even more point-of-view characters that he rotates his narration around. I'm guessing that Follett realized he had a solid formula for creating tension. He just added more characters to prevent telegraphing too many plot points.This spy thriller delivers quite the adventure! No master work of

Clichéd and predictable: an ultimate disaster. Wasted my precious time on this one.

"It has taken the total military and industrial might of the whole English-speaking world - the greatest civilization since the Roman Empire - four years to win this 50/50 chance. If this spy gets out, we lose even that. Which is to say, we lose everything. Don't bring me probabilities, professor. Bring me 'Die Nadel.'" -- Winston Churchill, fictional quote but actual U.K. prime ministerFollett's Eye of the Needle is probably best remembered as being his first bestseller over 40 years ago, as we...

One of the Best of All Time“The Eye of the Needle” by Ken Follet is one of the top ten books that I have ever readBesides being a WWII psychological thriller, it is 100% factual about the planning and spying of the Normandy Landing.Memorable characters like Henry Faber, a nondescript Englishman, who is a railway clerk living in a widow's house. Oh by the way, Henry is a German agent and assassin working in Britain where bhe discovers one of the biggest secrets of WWII--rhe date and location for

full review…Again I am truly mesmerized by Ken Follett's imagination his writing style and this absolute gem of a book Eye of the Neddle. This is an incredible novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat, with massive suspense, thriller and the elaborate machinations that only Follet could design! I'm truly shook!"In wartime, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies. "—Winston Churchill Eye of the Needle became Follett’s first ‘breakthrough’ book, the

Excellent thriller where the action is happening at the time of the Second World War.

Read for my lifetime challenge (1978).This is a fantastic page-turner that outshines most contemporary thrillers. I could hardly bear to put it down for the day and a half it took me to devour it!The story is set during WWII just before the allies invade at Normandy. This first offensive by British, US and allied forces could determine the entire war. The only chance they have is if they can land where the Germans aren't expecting them. Otherwise they'll be decimated as they try to get their arm...