As Ken Follett notes in an introduction, “This book was written in 1976, immediately before Eye of the Needle, and I think it is the best of my unsuccessful books.” Of course, as everyone who reads thrillers must be aware, Eye of the Needle was a publishing sensation, becoming one of the bestselling thrillers ever written. And Follett has gone on to earn a fortune from the scores of novels he has written during the half-century that has elapsed since then. In comparison with most of his other novels of suspense, Paper Money isn’t about spies or soldiers or terrorists. The characters in this novel are bankers, politicians, journalists, and home-grown criminals. And the centerpiece of the tale is a classic armored-car heist.
Three puzzling stories. How are they related?
Three stories hit us in the face as the novel opens. A politician, a junior minister in fact, attempts suicide after a night with a call girl ends in blackmail. A business tycoon meets an official for the Bank of England for breakfast. And criminals capture an armored car carrying hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of banknotes, killing the guards. Three stories that seem unconnected. But then a young reporter hungry for a front-page byline starts asking impertinent questions, and it quickly becomes clear that all three are closely linked.
Paper Money by Ken Follett (1977) 272 pages ★★★★☆
Surprising connections emerge until the very end
Follett’s pride in the cleverness of his plot in Paper Money is palpable in the introduction, and it’s well deserved. You’re unlikely to guess how the three stories are connected. The strength of this novel lies not in the depth of characterization, which is what usually drives us to finish reading a book. You won’t especially care about any of the people at the core of this story, with the possible exception of the reporter. But Follett’s devious interweaving of those three stories is likely to keep surprising you until the very end.
About the author
Ken Follett, or more properly Sir Kenneth Martin Follett, CBE, FRSL, has been one of the world’s bestselling authors since 1978, when his breakthrough novel, Eye of the Needle, first appeared. Every one of the scores of novels he has published since then has been an international bestseller. All told, his thrillers and historical fiction have sold more than 160 million copies. He has won innumerable awards for his writing.
Follett is Welsh, having been born in Cardiff in 1949. He studied philosophy and became involved in centre-left politics at University College London, beginning a career in journalism after his graduation. According to Wikipedia, “He began writing fiction during evenings and weekends as a hobby. Later, he said, he began writing books when he needed extra money to fix his car, and the publishers’ advance a fellow journalist had been paid for a thriller was the sum required for the repairs.”
Follett now lives in Hertfordshire, England. He is prominent in the Labour Party.
For related reading
In addition to all five books of the author’s celebrated series of Kingsbridge historical novels, I’ve reviewed many of Ken Follett’s other thrillers, including:
- Eye of the Needle (The 40th anniversary edition of Ken Follett’s classic WWII spy novel)
- Never (Is a new world war possible by accident?)
- Hornet Flight (The Danish Resistance and a secret Nazi base)
- The Man from St. Petersburg (A terrorist threatens a WWI British alliance)
You might also enjoy 26 mysteries to keep you reading at night.
And you can always find my most popular reviews, and the most recent ones, on the Home Page.
