One of Follett's earlier novels. A degree of humour woven amid the violence and crime. Not as polished as his later work but worth reading. ( )

Una lettura piacevole e interessante per una storia intricata ambientata nel mondo della finanza dove traffici, inganni e malaffare daranno vita nell’arco di una giornata a una vicenda ricca di continui rivolgimenti.
Una lettura abbastanza veloce ma che non centra completamente l’obiettivo, un Follett da leggere comunque anche se sottotono rispetto alla sua produzione migliore.
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This book is much better than I thought that it would be when I began reading it. ( )

El maestro del suspenso y la intriga internacional

Audible audio read by Jonathan Keeble
2.5**

Before he rocketed to fame with Eye of the Needle, Ken Follett published a couple of crime novels under a pseudonym: Zachary Stone. In this one he explores how crime, high finance and journalism are connected through corruption, with the action taking place in a single day.

The relatively small volume is tightly packed, with a dozen (or more) characters and a complex plot. Follett structure the book by telling us the time of day, and then giving us several vignettes taking place simultaneously during that hour: a scene at the newspaper, contrasted with two or three scenes depicting the stories the newspaper is covering (or should be). It’s full of politics and scandal, and characters range from high-powered men to street criminals, and taking the reader on a tour of mid-1970s London from its tony neighborhoods to its slums.

Jonathan Keeble does a good job of reading the audiobook, but the many characters and some complicated financial elements taxed my ability to focus while listening. I might have rated it higher if I had read the text, but I’m not sure the story has really stood the test of time. ( )