This is my second Ken Follett (after Hammer of Eden) and I am adding his other books to my queue. He published this book in 1977. The version I read included a new preface that was quite entertaining to read as well.
Like the popular TV series “24”, the book narrated the events of a day sequentially. It began as the newspaper editor thought it as a “slow news day” and struggled to fill the pages with interesting stories. Unbeknown to him, two criminals, Tony Cox and Felix Laski, have planned for some major heists that will upset London’s high political and financial circles. I “witnessed” those crime unfold, “saw” the unexpected situations, and was truly suspended till the very end. In fact, as I finished the last page, I thought, “Really? What happens after?” Guess that’s the sigh of a good story.
This is one of Ken Follett’s earliest works. He published them as Zachary Stone and apologized for the story when republished as Ken Follett. The book was quick paced and emphasized more on the plot than the characters. I guess that’s what he apologized. I can see his point when I tried to compare Hammer of Eden from memory. Ken’s primary skills are clearly in the plot, although the characters did become more vivid 20 years later.