Paper Money
(Ken Follett)
Set in London over one day, this book follows the fortunes and misfortunes of several disparate characters: British Member of Parliament Tim Fitzpeterson, immigrant tycoon Felix Laski, crime boss Tony Cox, ulcer-plagued businessman Derek Hamilton and ambitious young journalist Kevin Hart. Linking the various stories is the planning and execution of a million pound heist, setting the stage for a briskly-written novel in which the action builds rapidly to an ironic climax.
The paper money of the title provides the common background for all the sub-plots. Tim Fitzpeterson is blackmailed into providing Tony Cox with information about an oil drilling licence, which Cox then passes on to Felix Laski. In return, Laski rewards Cox with details about the route of the cash-carrying van. With his secret information about the oil licence, Laski is able to bluff his way through a purchase of the company owned by Hamilton, with whose wife Laski is enjoying a clandestine affair.
As the day advances, and details of the various events filter through to the newsroom of the Evening Post, Kevin Hart becomes increasingly frustrated by the obstacles which impede his investigative activities. The scenes set in the newsroom are among the most realistic and entertaining of the book. A former journalist himself, Follett draws on his experiences with a London newspaper to create a number of wry, tightly-written episodes highlighting both the media?s determination to create headlines and the conflict that ensues when stories are watered down for legal or political reasons.
An early Ken Follett work, originally published under his Zachary Stone pseudonym,
?Paper Money? is competently written, provocative in its subject matter and an interesting lead-in to Follett?s better-known works such as ?Eye of the Needle?. At around 280 pages it provides a quick, entertaining read, culminating in a not-so happy ending.
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