Triple, Ken Follett

Triple, a book written by Ken Follet in 1979, is one of the most original and breathtaking espionage novels that I’ve read in a while. I’ve had a ball reading this book since it’s unpredictable and it’s impossible to know whether a plot twist will happen or not.

It’s 1968. The novel’s main character is called Nat Dickstein, he is a unique Jewish spy that lives in Israel. He’s old but strong and he can sometimes be really stubborn, which will be a great asset in this adventure. He will be told about a possible nuclear threat to Israel and will do whatever he can to make sure his country is safe. He’ll embark on a journey to steal uranium, because if you’re warned about a possible nuclear war, the best way to defend yourself is by having your own bomb. Nat Dickstein will torture people, kidnap them or even kill them to ensure that no one knows about his scheme.

So you may ask yourself  what his brilliant idea is for stealing that uranium. The answer to the question is extravagant and crazy: Nat Dickstein will try to steal a ship in the middle of the sea and get it to Israel! The authorities will then be able to get all the uranium from inside the ship and make their nuclear weapon. He will have to outrun the Russian KGB, the Egyptian intelligence and the Arab extremist Fedayeen, since they’ll be racing against him trying to stop him from stealing the materials. But there’s a catch: while planning the hijack of the ship, he’s going to fall in love with an English-Arabian young woman that will make Dickstein more careful and predictable. That will allow David Rostov, one of the Russian KGB agents, to follow Dickstein’s trail. They’ll have to brawl until death to find out who’ll win the battle.

I loved seeing the amusing and crazy ideas this story tells and that’s what makes me want to recommend it to everyone who likes reading. On the other hand, it is a long book and reading it is exhausting. There are many pages and plenty of words on each page.

I hope you like it as much as I did.

Unlike other books by Ken Follet, this one isn’t complex to understand, the characters are introduced very well and their purposes are clear. However, I recommend to stay focused while reading and try to stop reading at the end of a chapter, otherwise you might lose your orientation on where you are in the book.

- Ricard Barbany