Code to Zero - Softcover

Follett, Ken

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0451216725 ISBN 13: 9780451216724

Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group, 2005

Synopsis

In this classic Cold War thriller, #1 New York Times bestselling author Ken Follett puts his own electrifying twist on the space race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. As the clock counts down to a shocking climax, "Code to Zero's split-second suspense proves that . . . [Follett is] still a hell of a storyteller" (Entertainment Weekly). Look out for Ken's newest book, A Column of Fire, available now.

January, 1958--the darkest hour of the Cold War and the early dawn of the space race. On the launch pad at Cape Canaveral sits America's best hope to catch up with the Russians: the Explorer I satellite. But at the last moment, the launch is delayed due to weather, even though everyone can see it is a perfectly sunny day.

The real reason for the delay rests deep in the mind of a NASA scientist who has awoken that morning to find his memory completely erased. Knowing only that he's being followed and watched at every turn, he must find the clues to his own identity before he can discover who is responsible. But even more terrible is the dark secret that they want him to forget. A secret that can destroy the Explorer I--and America's future. . . .

Praise for Code to Zero

"This spy thriller is Follett at his best." --People

"Starts off fast and never slows down. . . . Follett creates a rousing story that never flags." --Chicago Tribune

"Gripping." --The New York Times

"Flawlessly plotted, tautly told, and suspenseful." --Minneapolis Star Tribune

"A winner . . . a jolting joyride." --St. Louis Post-Dispatch

About this title

Review

A man wakes up in ragged clothes in a back-alley with a headache, no memory and an equally shabby companion who assures him that this is an everyday occurrence. What distinguishes Luke, hero of Ken Follett's effective new thriller Code to Zero, is that he realises so very rapidly that the absence of any desire for alcohol means that he is being lied to. Smart and resourceful, but no superman, Luke's personal memories are gone, but his skills are still there--skills he realises he learned in WW2. Follett's sense of the conflicts and loyalties of the late Eisenhower 50s, with Sputnik in the sky and its American equivalent about to launch, is spot on; he is excellent on the game of shadows played by the early CIA men like Luke's old friend turned enemy Anthony, and the reasons why some people retained treasonable allegiance to Stalinism for so long. His management of shifts of time and viewpoint is slick and professional, but he also remembers what all this is for; the back story of Anthony, Luke, Luke's wife Elspeth and Billy, the woman whom Luke once loved and who holds the key to his mind, is intensely credible and moving. --Roz Kaveney

Review

Praise for Code to Zero

"Focused, fast-moving . . . this spy thriller is Follett at his best." --People

"Follett weaves the threads of his narrative together, tying them into an unexpected and story-resolving knot at the end . . . gripping." --The New York Times

"Fresh and fast-paced. . . . Follett is no slouch at keeping the pages flying by. He maintains a brisk clip throughout and creates compelling and likable characters." --San Francisco Chronicle

"Follett has total control of his fast-paced story line." --The Orlando Sentinel

"Absorbing, tightly plotted. . . . Suspense junkies won't be disappointed." --Publishers Weekly

"A knockout, a big fat wallop of a book that won't let [fans] get back to their lives until they've finished. . . . Follett writes beautifully." --South Florida-Sun Sentinel

"Flawlessly plotted, tautly told, and suspenseful . . . with the kind of page-turning quality that made Follett a big name in the thriller field." --Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Starts off fast and never slows down . . . sharply told. . . . Follett creates a rousing story that never flags." --Chicago Tribune

"A finely crafted mystery that builds suspense all the way to the hair-raising finale . . . blends fact with an elaborate fiction." --The Memphis Commercial Appeal

"The Cold War is cool again. . . . [Follett] pulls out all the stops." --Ottawa Citizen

"A fascinating scenario that takes the listener between World War II and the launching of Explorer I . . . a winner . . . a jolting joyride." --St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"[Moves] briskly toward a down-to-the-wire climax while stretching but never breaching the barriers of disbelief . . . entertaining." --The Seattle Times

"Grabs you from page one and doesn't let up until the very end . . . extremely entertaining. . . . The plot is tight, racing along at a breakneck pace with absolutely no holes. The suspense is palpable, and the characters are larger than life in a pleasing way. . . . Follett is excellent at his craft, and Code to Zero is one of his strongest efforts." --The Daily Cardinal

"Ken Follett has written another blockbuster . . . a superb espionage tale. . . . Code to Zero is just too good to tell you more. Its plot is skillfully developed, and for a thriller, it is refreshingly plausible." --Roanoke Times & World-News

Edition details

• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0451216725
• ISBN 13: 9780451216724
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 384