Triple

Astounding Spy thriller

An international spy thriller spanning three continents, this twisted tale of friendships, betrayals, and war-weary generations is a page-turner.
Ken Follett drives the reader through the minds of plotters, planners, and politics as the leaders of each interested party fight for a stash of potential uranium and glory.

This one kept me hopping for a while. I liked it, and as Larry at TMI pointed out, not too heavy. A great weave of plot and intrigue. I could see ahead just as far as Follett wanted me to. Like when the Italian was really Mafia, you could just see how in the future that might be useful to Dickstein. I also could see him falling for Suza, although her falling for him was a surprise.

Each piece of the operation was detailed and acted out for us in the story, I found that to be especially enlightening. In most “spy” novels, there is a distinct lack of continuity of this type. The players simply do what they have to in short sentences and vague paragraphs. In this, Fopllett gives us Dickstein’s method and motive of action. Why he show more chooses the people he decides to exploit.

I also liked the opposite viewpoints he gave. I didn’t like Hassan’s actions, but I could understand his attitude once I understood the background and why that could motivate him to do what he does. And Rostov I found fascinating. He’s really a family man trying to do his best for his kids and the only way to do it is to sabotage Dickstein’s operation. Really a good device to make the reader care about the characters.

Also the behind the scenes at the top of the respective spy organizations was pretty good. You knew by the folly of the present Mossad head, that Dickstein would someday take over as he does in the end. And of course, he and Suza live happily ever after, although I’m not sure someone is considered Jewish if not born of a Jewish mother. The idea of changing the law is put forth, but I don’t think it was ever carried out. show less

Nice tantalizing story of intrigue as Israel struggles to survive the steady onslaught of destructive tendencies from their Arab neighbors. Clever intro where the main players in this gripping tale of espionage and deceit innocently meet together in a professor's home in their youth, never realizing what lies in store for them. Some expected, (but unnecessary) mushy love story stuff and graphic sex, but a very steady pulse of excitement as the heist of the uranium for atomic weaponry closes in near the end. Follett is very clever in how he weaves this tale of 3 competing forces striving for different goals for very different reasons around this leg of the late 1960s nuclear arms race. Enjoyed very much!

I don't want to downgrade a book just because I don't like the type of book it is (spy fiction and adventure), but what it is makes it hard to judge without bias. Ken Follett has a way of writing that irritates me because it leaves one with the feeling that one actually has a large understanding of a concept or period or event when it is really a view of one possibility. It's okay and sometimes good, but not too deep overall. Makes me wish I were reading something else. I am probably just overreacting to people who praise Follett as a great writer when really he's just okay as an adventure writer. His people aren't usually fleshed out and his plots are lacking. There's very little of the feel or taste of a location.

I was not a great Follett fan before I tried to read "Pillars of the Earth " once and got bored so never looked at his work for a long time.

This is a spy versus spy versus spy novel about Israel stealing uranium cake to provide the fuel to make plutonium towards making the an atomic bomb and Egyptian, Arab and Russian intelligence agencies trying to stop them. I am not certain if this was historically accurate but it reads like it might be from the references given.

The book starts slow and the constant profiles of the major characters were annoying at first but the action picks up steadily to a great finish.

I will look for more of his spy novels.

The story of a Mossad agent's mission to steal 200 tons of uranium for Israel so they can beat the Arabs in the race to build nuclear weapons, culminating in a high seas showdown between the intelligence agencies of Israel, Egypt, and Russia, and the Fedayeen, Triple has all (or almost all) of the elements that make so many of Ken Follett's spy thrillers such good reads, including some interesting characters and an exciting, high-stakes story. And it was a pretty good read.

But it seemed to be lacking something that much of Follett's other work has, some deeper meaning tying it all together, an integrating theme. And the characters and plot were not as good as they could have been as a result. A lot of other reviewers say that this is show more their favorite Follett novel after The Eye of the Needle and The Pillars of the Earth, but these three are actually my least favorite of his that I've read so far, and I think a lot of his later work is significantly better. But I'm clearly in the minority on this, so take that for what it's worth. show less

Quite a good page turning thriller set in 1968 when an Israeli agent is trying to steal a cargo of uranium so that his country can have the atomic bomb, to guard against Egypt getting the bomb with Soviet help. The Egyptians and a Palestinian terrorist group are trying to stop the Israelis succeeding. The number of betrayals and counter-betrayals gets confusing at times. Both sides use extreme violence to get their ends, not only against each other, but against innocent bystanders who get in their way. Quite good, but not one of Follett's best.