Product Description

His weapon is the stiletto, his codename: The Needle. He is Henry Faber, a coldly professional killer and Germany's most feared deep-cover agent in Britain. His task: to discover the Allies' plans for D-Day, and get them to Germany at all costs. It's a task he undertakes with customary relish and ruthlessness - until he encounters Storm Island, and a woman called Lucy ..."An absolutely terrific thriller, so pulse-pounding, so ingenious in its plotting and so frighteningly realistic that you simply cannot stop reading" - "Publishers' Weekly". "A tense, marvellously detailed suspense thriller built on a solid foundation of fact" - "Sunday Times".

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20297 in Books
• Published on: 2002-09-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Customer Reviews

The first and the best of Ken Follett's books
I read this book ages ago, when still a teenager, and recently I was happy to discover, that "The eye of the needle" really didn't age at all. This fast paced and quite violent story is about the last German spy still operating in 1944 in Great Britain. Although this is pure fiction, it is a very good read, as the author did his best to make the story stick to the reality of WWII. The "hero" of the book is a very bad guy, but it is impossible not to feel at least a little for him, as he is trying to escape the tightening noose, with a vital piece of information - he is totally alone, very far from home, in a totally hostile place and faces certain death at the slightest mistake or weakness. The way in which he deals with all the adversities forces some respect. His final fate is very surprising and gives this novel a flavour rarely seen in spy stories. This is a really good book for holidays or a long rainy weekend -I enjoyed it mightily. Ken Follett wrote some good spy novels later - but this is his first and best, no argument there.

Thrilling spy yarn
I read this years ago but would like to include it among my reviews as it was one of my early favourite spy stories.
Faber has survived as the only German spy at large in Britain because he does not trust the network he is supposed to rely on. He is a loner and ruthless. He soon discovers the secret of D-Day but is marooned upon a remote island off the coast of Britain, where a bitter invalided ex-fighter pilot lives in virtual seclusion with his unhappy wife and child.
It is a thrilling advenutre story without being in the least bit corny. The film version is also very good.

Out of interest, the only enemy agent known to remain at large in Britain during the war was a Dutchman, Englebertus Fukken. But he only survived from November 1940 to April 1941, when he committed suicide.

An exceptional suspense thriller about WWII
The book "eye of the needle" is, in my opinion, a very entertaining and exciting book. it combines suspense and history about WWII. the plot is conclusive and the characters are plausible. it won't take long to read it. although the beginning is slightly long-winded the entire story is a very solid espionage thriller. people who are interested in this area should definitely read this book just as people who haven't read espionage books. "eye of the needle" has been the fourth book of ken follett I have read, and so far has been his best. books of ken follett are mostly convincing and very suspensful although my favourite author for exciting espionage thrillers is forsyth. despite the exceptional story I have to add at least on point of criticism. the cover of the paperbook (read, white, and black colored with a swastika in the middle) is more than nonsenitive according to the history and therefore ought to be changed immediately by the publisher. the cover is a typical example for "political more than incorrect". anyway, this has nothing to do with the content of the book. BUY IT!