Paper Money – Ken Follett

This is one of Ken Follett’s early works (1976), first published under the splendid pen name of Zachary Stone, and it resembles his more well-known blockbusters in neither content nor volume.  The length is a mere 300 pages and the setting is London of its day.

The action takes place over a single day in the capital, narrated from multiple points of view, the key players being a politician, a hoodlum, a social climbing entrepreneur, a businessman in trouble, and his wife who is also mistress to another.  Their activities seem unconnected, but not for long.

Their stories are pulled together by some ingenious plotting, which the reader can see better than a Fleet Street reporter and editor who try to juggle incoming fragmented reports of the same events – a curious hi-jack, a hospitalised MP, a company takeover and a potential bank failure.  At first these compete for the front page but eventually the dots start to join up into a potential major scoop.

In addition to the half dozen main movers there are as many in support – thieves, tarts, a radio ham, security guards, bankers and brokers – so many that each can only get a thumbnail sketch of character, just sufficient for their bit part roles.

It is fast and fluently written, and if the characters are stock the construction isn‘t.  Neither is the plot - that’s convoluted but clearly expounded and perfectly feasible with an unconventional ending.

For this reader an enjoyable introduction to Ken Follett and nothing here to put me off trying one of those blockbuster trilogies.

Before the Fall – Noah Hawley

Artist Scott Burroughs has been on the skids for a while but after rediscovering a boyhood obsession with long distance swimming he is on the up.  Alcoholism is on hold; the artwork is going well with a meeting due with a New York gallery to discuss an exhibition; and there’s even an offer of a lift into the city on a private jet.

The offer is from Maggie who is returning from holiday at Martha’s Vineyard with her millionaire husband David Bateman, their two young children, Rachel and JJ, and the family bodyguard.  Also getting a lift is dodgy financier Ben Kipling and his wife Sarah.

The planned flight is just a short hop. The actual flight is even shorter as the plane ditches in the Atlantic minutes after take-off.  Somehow Scott survives the impact, as does the boy, JJ.  Scott’s swimming strength is tested to the limit but somehow he manages to reach the shore with JJ on his back.

In the aftermath Scott struggles with roles of both hero and guilty survivor, questioned by crash investigators, the FBI (who were about to indict Kipling), anti-terror state authorities, and a media bully looking for dirt and someone to blame.

The unfolding story is punctuated by the backstories of those who didn’t survive – six passengers and the crew of three – that slowly piece together the events leading to the tragedy.

Noah Hawley, known for his Fargo TV scripts, puts together a good story, wordier than most of its genre, giving voice to Scott’s inner musings on the meaning of life, art and the modern media.

There is what seems to be one continuity error, but it need not spoil the enjoyment of a decent and slightly off-beat thriller.