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Publisher's Summary

One enemy spy knows the secret of the Allies' greatest deception, a brilliant aristocrat and ruthless assassin - code name: "The Needle" - who holds the key to the ultimate Nazi victory. Only one person stands in his way: a lonely Englishwoman on an isolated island, who is coming to love the killer who has mysteriously entered her life.
This is Ken Follett's unsurpassed and unforgettable masterwork of suspense, intrigue, and dangerous machinations of the human heart.
©1978 Ken Follett (P)1985 Brilliance Audio
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Critic Reviews

"Sheer suspense." ( Washington Post)
"Fans of old-time radio drama will particularly enjoy this full-cast version. Narrator Eric Lincoln proceeds smoothly, until the action starts cooking, and his urgency turns up the heat. The small ensemble creates a wide range of lead and supporting characters." ( AudioFile)
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful
5 out of 5 stars
By Arnold on 10-15-09

On the edge of my seat

Eric Lincoln's narration was phenomenal. The female voices and accents of the various characters was superb. Follett's descriptive style was so vivid it left me breathless. It felt like I was reading a screenplay of a movie about Nazi espionage and I was part of the action. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is new to audio books. Thanks to the Audible sale, I stumbled upon a gem. I would pay full price for this fabulous audio book.

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28 of 30 people found this review helpful

5 out of 5 stars
By AudioAddict on 11-11-13

Great Spy Thriller

STORY - First let me say that I normally avoid stories about Hitler and WWII, but this one caught my eye and I'm so very glad I listened to it. It starts off fast, stays good, and you will be on the edge of your seat by the end. While the background of the story is Europe during the war, the plot is about a German spy called The Needle who is trying to get a vital message to Hitler. On the other side, there are the efforts of a handful of main characters determined to find and stop him. There are no battle scenes, just lots of cat-and-mouse action with a little bit of romance tossed in. I've listened to about 100 books at this point, and this is one of my favorites.

PERFORMANCE - This is the first book I've heard where multiple voices were used conversationally (as opposed to reading entire chapters or diaries). It was a treat to hear men speaking as men and women as women, with all the different voices and accents. It wasn't perfect, though, because some of the voices sounded like they were in a tunnel when they were supposedly in the same room with the other speakers. All in all, though, I give them a five for the overall effort.

OVERALL - I can't imagine anyone not liking this book. (But there is sex and cursing, if that offends you).

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17 of 18 people found this review helpful

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful
5 out of 5 stars
By A. D. Thacker on 07-01-08

Wonderful thriller

This is a gripping thriller. Really enjoyed it. Only let down by ludicrous, hilarious accents of the dramatized dialogue.

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7 of 7 people found this review helpful

1 out of 5 stars
By Amazon Customer on 04-06-13

I gave up the reading was terrible

I have this on my kindle but I thought my husband might like to listen to it, but listened first.



It is an atrocious reading. This is a British book which has been altered to make it more easy for Americans to understand. I could almost forgive the replacing of such words as "nappy" for "diaper", if the reader had not sunk into a Dick Van Dyke style mockney accent.



Audible please choose appropriate readers for your books. This is truly AWFUL.

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6 of 6 people found this review helpful

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful
4 out of 5 stars
By Kate on 05-17-15

A Classic Thriller

I have enjoyed many of Ken Follett's other works so I decided to look into his earlier novels, and found lots of entertainment within his stories. Set in latter years of the Second World War, the story revolves around the secrets and conspiracies of tricking the enemy and hunting for spies, the most sought after being 'The Needle'. Taking the listener into the barren Scottish islands, Follett weaves intrigue and suspense into the lives of the island dwellers. The narrator carried the story well, defining characters by accents and the scenes with gravitas. Definitely a recommended listen for any wanting a dash of gallant intrigue and old-fashioned thrills.

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2 of 2 people found this review helpful

3 out of 5 stars
By Michael on 05-13-16

Narration

The different voices were annoying at first, it was like listening to a bad radio play. The story was good overall

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1 of 1 people found this review helpful

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