Night Over Water

by Ken Follett

Southampton, Angleterre, septembre 1939 : l’Europe entre en guerre, et le Clipper de la Pan American – un fabuleux vaisseau des airs, le plus luxueux hydravion jamais construit – décolle pour la dernière fois vers l’Amérique. A son bord, un lord anglais, fasciste notoire, et sa famille ; une princesse russe ; un couple d’amants ; un beau jeune homme, très intéressé par les bijoux qui ne lui appartiennent pas ; et puis le chef mécanicien, officier irréprochable, soumis au plus odieux des chantages. Durant trente heures de traversée, la tempête va secouer l’appareil. Au-dehors… et au-dedans.
Un savoureux cocktail de suspense et d’humour, écrit par le romancier de L’Arme à l’œil et du Code Rebecca .

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Historical, Suspense, Adventure

448 pages, Paperback

First published September 28, 1991

About the author

Ken Follett is one of the world’s most successful authors. Over 170 million copies of the 36 books he has written have been sold in over 80 countries and in 33 languages.

Born on June 5th, 1949 in Cardiff, Wales, the son of a tax inspector, Ken was educated at state schools and went on to graduate from University College, London, with an Honours degree in Philosophy – later to be made a Fellow of the College in 1995.

He started his career as a reporter, first with his hometown newspaper the South Wales Echo and then with the London Evening News. Subsequently, he worked for a small London publishing house, Everest Books, eventually becoming Deputy Managing Director.

Ken’s first major success came with the publication of Eye of the Needle in 1978. A World War II thriller set in England, this book earned him the 1979 Edgar Award for Best Novel from the Mystery Writers of America. It remains one of Ken’s most popular books.

In 1989, Ken’s epic novel about the building of a medieval cathedral, The Pillars of the Earth, was published. It reached number one on best-seller lists everywhere and was turned into a major television series produced by Ridley Scott, which aired in 2010. World Without End, the sequel to The Pillars of the Earth, proved equally popular when it was published in 2007.

Ken’s new book, The Evening and the Morning, will be published in September 2020. It is a prequel to The Pillars of the Earth and is set around the year 1,000, when Kingsbridge was an Anglo-Saxon settlement threatened by Viking invaders.

Ken has been active in numerous literacy charities and was president of Dyslexia Action for ten years. He was chair of the National Year of Reading, a joint initiative between government and businesses. He is also active in many Stevenage charities and is President of the Stevenage Community Trust and Patron of Home-Start Hertfordshire.

Ken, who loves music almost as much as he loves books, is an enthusiastic bass guitar player. He lives in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, with his wife Barbara, the former Labour Member of Parliament for Stevenage. Between them they have five children, six grandchildren and two Labradors.

Reviews

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars to Ken Follett's Night Over Water. Someone else I know was reading this one and thought it was amazing. I decided to give it a chance. It WAS amazing. I couldn't put it down. All the characters work so well together and I decided I like Ken Follett a lot! This is a definite read if you like suspense and thriller combined with some light romance and a bit of history!

The number of stories that interweave, and the possible connections. And who is actually going to win whose heart. I am rambling, but it was just so good.

I think he may be my favorite author these days...

[Maria Espadinha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Follett, the Great


Wow, Wow, Wow!!!
Ken Follett is such an amazing storyteller!
His books are a combination of Truth — History plus Politics — and fictionized adventures.
And here is what we do:
We learn a bunch of Trues, while enjoying a couple of Adventures!
He’s the teacher and we are the happy, happy students 😊👍

5 stars from me, followed by a deserved standing ovation 👏 👏 👏...


Nota: A correspondente edição em português intitula-se Noite sobre as Águas

[Maria Espadinha · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Strange Kind of Meeting


An odd group of people will fly over the Atlantic Ocean for an estimated period of 30 hours. Among others, you’ll find a charming thief, a British noble family, a German scientist, a runaway maiden and a killer with his mob.

In those 30 hours they’ll have plenty of time to socialize in all possible ways, although it’s hard to imagine one of them having the slightest conversation to any of the others. However, we could always provide ourselves some entertainment in a crazy guessing game:

Will they play Monopoly or Bingo? Or maybe they’ll be more in the mood for Roulette?
Will they talk about the BDSM in Fifty Shades of Grey or discuss Shakespeare’s most relevant plays?
Will the burglar start stealing everything around or make a pass at the runaway maiden?
Will the murder start shooting everyone except the pilot, or socialize with the German scientist to improve his German accent?

Etc, etc... we could go on endlessly like this, without getting nowhere but here 😜 Therefore, in case you’re intrigued by what could possibly come up from the interaction of this bunch of characters, I’ll suggest you another sort of approach:
Please fasten your seatbelt and fly with them, which is another way of inviting you to read this magnificent literary specimen 😉
You won’t miss such a fantastic flight over the Atlantic waters, will you?! 👍👍👍

[Maria Espadinha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uma Estranha Reunião


A bordo dum hidroavião de luxo encontra-se uma panóplia de indivíduos com as mais diversas proveniências. São eles:
Um ladrão carismático, uma donzela em fuga, uma nobre família britânica, um cientista alemão, um assassino e respectiva trupe, etc, etc...

O dito hidroavião irá efectuar um voo transatlântico com uma duração aproximada de 30 horas, e é durante esse intervalo de tempo que esta estranha prole de passageiros irá conviver, trocar impressões, opiniões... e sabe-se lá que mais...

Se esta reunião fortuita de seres tão heterogéneos vos espicaçou a curiosidade, das duas uma: ou embarcam numa leitura empolgante, ou se entregam a um jogo estéril de adivinhas mais ou menos assim:

Irá o ladrão carismático assaltar a família aristocrática? Ou optará por cortejar a donzela fugitiva?
Irá o assassino embirrar com o cientista alemão com fortes probabilidades de aniquilação do segundo, ou irá o primeiro aproveitar o que aparenta ser uma oportunidade imperdível para aperfeiçoar o sotaque germânico?
Etc, etc...

É certo e sabido que as respostas a estas e outras questões se encontram, obviamente, nas páginas deste livro, o que significa que esta segunda alternativa vos conduzirá, analogamente, à leitura 😜...

Antes de terminar, acresce dizer que o dito hidroavião de luxo existiu mesmo — os livros de KF contêm, invariavelmente, algo de verdadeiro; no caso concreto trata-se dum super avião que a História conhece como Boeing 314 Clipper: https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_...

Resumindo e concluindo:
Recostem-se, apertem os cintos e desfrutem dum voo de 5 estrelas ✈️!!! 💖🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟💖

[Beatriz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Realmente me gustó. No es una obra maestra del suspenso, pero tiene muchos componentes que hacen que la lectura se disfrute mucho y deje un muy buen sabor.

Si bien hay un conflicto principal, relacionado con este vuelo de 27 horas en que se cruza el océano Atlántico desde Inglaterra hacia Estados Unidos, la trama se nutre de las historias individuales de los pasajeros del avión, entre las que se mezclan el adulterio, la delincuencia, el nazismo, la nobleza británica, la mafia, traiciones empresariales, engaños políticos y mucho más. Todos los pasajeros abordan huyendo de algo o persiguiendo a alguien, pero durante el accidentado viaje se redefinirán las vidas de muchos de los personajes y la mayoría tendrá un papel decisivo hacia el final.

Me ha dejado sorprendida la versátil pluma de Ken Follett que, independiente de lo que esté contando, logra atrapar al lector. Con la misma intensidad e interés aborda tanto el encuentro íntimo de una pareja como los detalles técnicos que pondrán en riesgo al Boeing 314, todo bajo el marco histórico de los inicios de la Segunda Guerra Mundial y con excelentes descripciones de la sociedad del momento.

Lo recomiendo mucho para pasar un rato más que entretenido.

[William Galaini · Rating 2 out of 5]

Night over Water is an amazingly well paced suspense novel with a traditional noir feel. It is loaded with well-timed action, typical intrigue, and indulgent sex scenes with every woman desperate for a man and every man reluctant, but passionate, toward a woman.

Honestly, that is the predominant crime here. It feels and moves very predictably and along all the expected tenants without deviation. It is not a brave book, and the author's choices feel too safe to deliver any depth or surprises. This book lacks metaphor or character arcs of value.

What I've written thusfar would give it three stars, but it loses a star for another sort of crime: over sexualization of its female characters. Ken Follett makes certain we know each woman's cup size and we can't escape that this is a man writing women. Whereas his female characters were fantastic in World without End and Pillar's of the Earth, here they are merely stock and act as golden pots at the ends of the male character's rainbows.

Yeah, that last analogy was reaching, but I did my best. The book is fairly forgettable and indulgent.

[Valerie Book Valkyrie-on Holiday Semi-Hiatus · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Bait & Switch Stars.
11/4/2025 Addendum
In response to comments about the statement in my initial review that "I learned that he [Follett] had an entire team (including researchers worldwide and pseudo co-writers) at his disposal", I did a little more internet digging and came upon multiple articles and interviews where this issue is addressed. Here is an excerpt from an interview published March 19, 2018 in BIG ISSUE NORTH:
(if you would like to read the entire interview you can find it here: https://www.bigissuenorth.com/reading...

Q: When you write, it’s not just you writing, is it? You are said to have a large team. How does that work?
A: I have an office at home, of course. My team don’t do research, but they organise lots of things for me. I try to make enquiries myself as far as possible. Of course, people help me when I’m looking for a particular map or I need a date for an interview with someone. But I do the interviews myself. And I also have several history professors who read my books and ideas and check the historical background is correct. That’s no secret. I pay them for it and you can find them in the acknowledgements in the book.

The underlinig in the above content is mine. There are many ways to answer any given question depending on numerous independent and dependent variables related to the comprehensive agendas of both the interviewer and the author. Likewise, there are a multitude of ways to interpret that answer with consideration to yet another, completely separate, set of variables related to the third party reader (that's us!). The underlined content may not be blatently ambiguous but does lend itself open to interpretation thereby begging further inquiry.

In 2020 another interviewer addresses this issue in an article published on the site the editorial department.com and is excerpted here:

If you’ve read any of the Kingsbridge trilogy you know how complex, ambitious, and exhaustively researched these books are. It’s no surprise Follett often encounters suspicion that he surely can’t be doing this alone, that he must have a team helping him write, or at least research, these epic tales. And some wonder if some sort of mystical muse might also be at work, helping him dream up these stories and make them so engaging.

Follett is quick to dispel both notions. This is a writer who has never experienced writer’s block yet does not believe in muses or anything magical or mysterious when it comes to inventing his stories. He credits instead his own imagination, a diligent work routine, and a restless creative spirit that draws him to a broad array of settings, circumstances, and events on which his books are based. He’s an avid reader of history, always on the lookout for where good fictional stories might lurk in real-life conflicts of the past. While he does get vetting for factual accuracy from experts on pertinent topics, he does all his own research and all his own writing. The motivation to take on this sometimes colossal task usually stems from his own curiosity about something he thinks readers might find interesting.
(if you would like to read the entire article you can find it here: https://www.editorialdepartment.com/e...#

There are no direct quotes from Follett included in the above article. The article's author is reporting on, i.e. interpreting and paraphrasing, what he heard the author say.
Perhaps Follett truely is the dynamo that he portends to be. In the two novels I've read he does acknowledge several people in each to whom he is "deeply grateful for their kind help with the research" as well as being grateful to various editors, friends, family, agents, "and most of all-my oldest collaborator and sharpest critic, Al Zuckerman."

You may also like to view this 2020 video (12min) regarding his inspiration wen writing his book Never: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEcAG...

Indeed, Follet admittedly has had "a great deal of help" in his writing. Exactly what that means may remain open to interpretation...

11/3/2025 INITIAL REVIEW
This is my second Follett novel, read it immediately after completing my first Follett novel, The Third Twin (review pending) written five years after Night Over Water. Initially I was hugely impressed with the way a singular author could pen two expert novels so completely different from eachother in subject matter, premise, theme, plot, tone, etc until I learned that he had an entire team (including researchers worldwide and pseudo co-writers) at his disposal, then,
well, જ⁀➴🎈fᶻ 𝗓 𐰁t- 💥💨༄ .･:･:･:･:･:.🧹👩🏻‍🦯.
Oh, but that's not where the "Bait & Switch" Star rating derives from.

The story opens on Sep 3, 1939 when England declared war on Germany. Fearing arrest, conscription, and/or bombing, many people scrambled to book passage out of England. The wealthiest of these booked flight on the Pan American Flying Clipper. Almost exclusively the domain of the super-rich, a return ticket between New York and Southampton cost $675USD, the equivalent of $12,000USD today! Despite its ability to fly great distances, the Clipper made three scheduled stops on its transoceanic flights from Southampton (UK) to New York (US); the first stop in Foynes, Ireland, then Botwood, Newfoundland, and finally Shediac, New Brunswick before arriving at its destination in Port Washington, New York.

The inside cover of the book is illustrated with a map of the Clipper's flight route, denoting locations of its scheduled stops. The following half page of untitled text emphasizes the short lived service of the Clipper due to Hitler's invasion of Poland in September of 1939. Turning that page you will be presented with a definative diagram of the passenger deck and a few basic stats as follows-
Plane: Boeng 314
Passengers: 74 day, 40 night
Wing Span: 152ft
Hull: 106ft
Power: four 1500 h.p. Wright Cyclone Engines

The story is divided into six titled parts, each title contains the name of all or part of one of the legs of the flight. There are 29 chapters, all untitled. I was so pleased going into, and throughout, the first chapter which held The Clipper front and center:

“Everyone called it the Clipper, but technically it was a Boeng B-314. Pan American had commissioned Boeng to build a plane capable of carrying passengers across the Atlantic Ocean in total luxury, and this was the result: enormous, majestic, unbelievably powerful, an airborne palace. The airline had taken delivery of six and ordered another six. In comfort and elegance they were equal to the fabulous ocean liners that docked at Southampton, but the ships took four or five days to cross the Atlantic, whereas the Clipper could make the trip in twenty five to thirty hours.
It looked like a winged whale. It had a big blunt whale-like snout, a massive body and a tapering rear that culminated in twin high-mounted tailfins. The huge engines were built into the wings. Below the wings was a pair of stubby sea-wings, which served to stabilize the aircraft when it was in the water. The bottom of the plane had a sharp knife edge like the hull of a fast ship. Two irregular rows of rectangular windows marked the upper and lower decks. The upper deck comprised the flight cabin and baggage holds and the lower was the passenger deck. Instead of seat rows, the passenger deck had a series of lounges with davenport couches. At meal times the main lounge became the diningroom, and at night the couches were converted into beds.” pg 14


Credit: Pan Am Clippers cruised at a relatively slow 155 miles per hour. Photo: Harris & Ewing via Wikimedia Commons

Chapter one and all preliminary indicators pointed to an ensuing WWII Historical Fiction narrative gravid with allied ability and axis angst, documented aeronautical errata of the era, piloting prowess and slip-up, navigational knack, and transoceanic tension. I took the bait...

If you'd like to see the Clipper in action, here is a 5min Pan Am Museum video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=041ms...

Then came the switch!

The Clipper didn't appear on the scene until 130 pages in. There was certainly piloting prowess and navigational knack in evidence, yet sorely devoid of the detail and explanation it deserved. A little unexpected and discrete mobster and FBI action was most welcome.

However, this novel landed laden with the baggage of a cast of well drawn characters that I had little interest in getting to know as they trapsed over land and sea with their frenemies, jilted spouses, tawdry lovers, and spurned siblings. The numerous “sex scenes” were gratuitous and amateurish, pathetically comical at best, and will not be replicated, even if only in-part, in this comme il faut review.

No doubt, there are a good many readers who do enjoy this sort of meretricious entrenchment, and to those I highly recommend this rumpus of a read. As for me, this was Follett's finale 🧚‍♀️🙋🏼

[Dee Toomey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an exciting story with a great plot. Follett takes his time to develop the characters in such a way that before long you feel you know them intimately. Some you like...some you dispise. Some surprise you in the end.

I would give this book 4 stars easily, except that Follett, like so many authors, decided he needed to include several instances of sexual rendezvous, all of which, in my humble opinion, were really unnessarily explicit, which added nothing to the story but was just written gratuitously. Whatever! For that reason I have given this book a rating of only "it was ok".

[Fátima Linhares · Rating 3 out of 5]

E terminei este livro, que era o e-reader dos anos de 1990. Quatro livros num só, imaginem! :D

Li alguns destes livros condensados e foi através deles que conheci as histórias de um dos meus autores de enredos legais preferido, John Grisham, por isso tenho um certo carinho por eles, apesar de hoje saber que são uma espécie de resumo dos livros originais, condensados às vezes de forma muito mal amanhada, como reparei ao ler este. Não penso que isso tenha influenciado a minha classificação, pois as histórias não são nada por aí além. Entretêm e nem fazem pensar muito. Foram leituras memoráveis? Não, mas nem todas o podem ser.

Recapitulando:

Noite sobre a água - 3*

Sara Dane - 3*

Condição negra - 2*

A torre de marfim - 3*

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

Seemingly unconnected people and events all come together over the Atlantic Ocean aboard the luxurious American airliner, nicknamed The Clipper. The year is 1939, trans-Atlantic crossing is for the wealthy and the daring, but as England has just declared war on Germany, many will flee to the United States. Some for political reasons, some for love, some for business and some from the law.
What no one knew was that one crew member would be making a desperate attempt to save his young wife or that he would risk the souls of all on board in his attempt.

NIGHT OVER WATER by Ken Follett is an intriguing and twisted drama that plays out among a group of passengers aboard and each outcome is never quite clear until the end.

Ken Follett is a master at subplots driving together to create a kaleidoscope of tension, passion and humanity at both its best and worst. Prepare to witness each thread of this tale come together as each mile is traversed and each lie and every truth is exposed.

Fasten your seatbelt and prepare for takeoff…this journey is one you’ll never forget!

Publisher: Penguin Books; Reprint edition (April 6, 2004)
Publication Date: April 6, 2004
Genre: Historical Fiction | Intrigue
Print Length: 448 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Blaine DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

First read this book 25 years ago and decided to go back again and reread it. Not as good 2nd time through. Because there has been 25 years in between I did not remember a lot of the plot. The story is interesting, one of the last flying seaplanes (there were such planes) departs Southampton the day after Britain declares war on Germany. A totally luxurious plane that only holds about 40 passengers for night crossings. It take almost 27 hours to cross from Britain to New York back in the day, and that sets up a lot of the tension and plot. We follow about 8-10 people onboard the flight including a crew member whose wife has been kidnapped, British Royalty, business owners, movie stars, gangsters, thieves and more. Romance is all over the place a fast developing relationships bloom into sexual tension. A ending is a little too unbelievable for me, and while I rate this a 3.5*** my love of Follett's writing just edges it up to a 4****. Not your typical Follett, which also makes it a fun read.

[Rene · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not like this book at all. Felt so much time was spent describing sexual indiscretions that the characters weren't fully developed. Also found female characters in this time period unrealistically feeble, written more like men would want them to be, but probably not how they are. Plot was thorough, but a little far fetched. Felt like this was a fantasy rather than a real story. However, he obviously did his research and was very thorough with descriptions of the plane, etc. so I had to give him one star. Sorry Mr. Follett, but I recommend our readers try something else.

[Karl Marberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it.

Throughout, the book jumps between soap opera and thriller; the romance often feeling a bit forced and/or out of place.

I was going to rate this book 3 stars, but I’m going to be a bit generous and give it a narrow 4 stars. Good character build and well written narrative and dialogue.

[Lemar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ken Follet’s stories are so easy to get absorbed in. This one touches on the disturbing fascist groups in 1939, in both Britain and the U.S., that were pushing not just appeasement but outright support for Hitler.
Much of the action takes place on an enormous sea plane, a luxury hotel in the air. Follet’s detailed research on the plane really pay off as he makes the scene come alive creating terrific suspense in a unique and fascinating setting.
The characters are nuanced with interesting shades of gray. Still there are ones I rooted heavily for and others against, adding to the satisfaction this novel.

[Skorofido Skorofido · Rating 2 out of 5]

Τη στιγμή που ξεσπάει ο Β' Π.Π., διαφορετικοί άνθρωποι ταξιδεύουν με την τελευταία πολιτική πτήση της Παναμέρικαν από την Αγγλία στην Αμερική.... 27 ώρες το ταξίδι κι όλοι μαζί κλεισμένοι, φασίστες, κλεφτόνια, απατημένοι σύζυγοι, γυναίκες πεταλουδίτσες, χολιγουντιανές σταρ, απαγωγείς, πλήρωμα, ξεπεσμένοι αριστοκράτες, τρελοί επιστήμονες, μαφία, ό,τι βγάζει ο μπαξές δηλαδή...
Ενδιαφέρον ίσως ως σενάριο χολιγουντιανό αλλά έχουμε δει και καλύτερα...
Αργό πολύ στην αρχή κι η αγωνία ποτέ δεν ήρθε...
Φαίνομαι μεγαλόψυχο γιατί είναι bell παλαιάς κοπής και παίρνει δύο και όχι ένα αστεράκι...

[Ola · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I finished reading it, I couldn't help but think to myself: What the...? I enjoyed the first half of the book (it would probably be 4/5 if it continued in a similar fashion) and then with almost every chapter gradually started lowering my rating. I wanted to read a simple, but good thriller, not some trashy porn! Why so many sex scenes? And why the hell do they have to be so tasteless?
The plot sounded interesting at first, but it turned out to be very unconvincing. Most of the charaters and their interactions were dull and predictable. The final scene - simply horrendous. Complete with the least professional gangsters ever and even a guy who manages to reveal his identity just a second before he dies.

My rating is 2 (instead of 1) because there are also some good parts of the book. I didn't expect a masterpiece here, but I was disappointed it wasn't written better. It is a real page-turner and might seem promising at first, but in the end it turned out to be very, very tacky.

[Rellim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a buddy read with my dad. Despite having no previous experience with the author or narrator - I really enjoyed this. It’s an interesting series of chapters giving backgrounds of various unrelated characters who will eventually end up on a transatlantic sea plane together. Set during the declaration of WWII, this is sort of soap opera meets mystery/thriller. These individual characters and their stories were really wild and it was a fun listen. Many times I thought I knew where Follett was taking the storyline to end up being completely surprised. More than 14 hours of pure entertainment.

Tom Casaletto’s narration was really well done. There were dozens of characters of various genders, ages, and accents. One character even fakes multiple accents and Casaletto keeps them all consistent.

[Rita Tomás · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ken Follett nunca desilude. Mais uma história incrível do mestre.

[Filipa · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I started Night Over Water I wasn't really sure what to expect other than another book about the WWII. So, I was completely surprised to love it almost from the beginning. One of the reasons was because this book reminds soooo much of the Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (that by now you should know I absolutely loooove) - well, the parts that narrate the passengers on the Clipper with no way out reminds me of Christie's novel. The atmosphere is the same, the tension, the mystery... Ken Follett created the perfect scenario for a crime. The plot line is incredible, fast paced and really interesting. I loved how things turned out in the end and I would love to know more about how some of the characters got on with their lives.

[Mihaela Abrudan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ultimul zbor al unui hidroavion peste Atlantic a avut loc chiar în primele zile ale intrării Angliei în război. Mai mult ca singur că a fost un zbor obișnuit. Follett imaginează acest ultim zbor ca fiind o adevărată aventură a unor oameni care își părăsesc vechea viață. Într-o singură noapte fiecare pasager va avea propria aventură, iar la capătul drumului va deveni o altă persoană.

[Corey Woodcock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone that knows me in our group especially, knows this and is surely tired of hearing it, but I have to say it again. Ken Follett is one of those writers that’s kind of an easy target; he’s popular in the mainstream, and has been for forty years, his prose is plain, and he writes thrillers (and historical fiction, but even those read more like thrillers IMO). He’s often thought of as a “guilty pleasure” writer by many, but I’m going to admit that I’m a huge fan of this guy, and I don’t consider him a “guilty pleasure”. We all have those writers; for me it’s Clive Cussler…there’s nothing wrong with it.

But I put Ken in a different category, because his storytelling is just so damned good. He’s the master of the page turner; an absolute master. And while his books always have the romantic subplot and lurid sex scenes (I honestly wish all authors would do with a little less of this lol), he’s very creative, does a mountain of research before he writes, and most of all, you can feel the guy’s passion for what he does in his books. His love of history absolutely oozes from these pages. While his writing may be average, his storytelling is not. His characters are fine, even if he does reuse some things. Bottom line, Follett has a rare ability to completely grip me up, usually immediately, and not let go until the book is over.

Okay enough about that. Night Over Water is a book that takes place largely on a Pan Am Clipper crossing the Atlantic from England to the US on the eve of WWII. Follett brings together a fantastic mix of characters and intertwines their stories and their lives—it’s tough to say much more about the plot than that without giving things away, and Follett does a superb job at unrolling everything for the reader. If you’ve never read him before, this would be a great one to start with. I found myself completely invested in every storyline here, even the romantic ones.

As the plane heads further and further away from Europe, and more and more is revealed about our characters, the tension builds to a point where things are so taut, I couldn’t have put the book down if my hair was on fire. This truly is one of his tensest novels, and I just can’t see how anyone couldn’t find be thrilled by a story like this; even if you’re a literary snob.

So bring on more Ken Follett; every time I read him I remember why I love picking up his books. Even the weakest of his novels I have read, probably Whiteout , still had me glued to the pages. If you’ve never read him, this is as good of a place as any to jump in. His WWII books are an exception era of his work, as he often picks unusual or not often discussed or written about aspects of the war to write about, and this is no exception.

4.5, but I’m rounding down to balance it out a bit

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a flying "Grand Hotel" story. A group of individuals fly from England to the U.S. in 1939, aboard a Pan-Am Clipper (B-314). There are love stories, stories of betrayal, stories of young people trying to reach out for independence, and stories of gangsters and fascists. Well done, if a bit slow at times. Recommended.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book, fairly fast read, with lots of different characters and their own agendas. Mr. Follett certainly did his research on the "Clipper" and worked it very well into the story line.

A few twists and turns and a red herring to boot! What got my attention to read this book is that it has a New Brunswick flare to it - later in the book, the events take place in Shediac (of all places) and then the Bay of Fundy, around Grand Manan!

Who are the bad guys - the gangster, the wealthy fascist Englishman, the thief, the crew - so many suspects! A bit of caution - some very hot scenes in this book.

Would have given this 5 stars, but I feel that the book left some unfinished business - not going to say what that is though - read the book!

4.5 stars and 2 thumbs up

[Mary Slowik · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let me begin by saying that this is a perfectly effective and empty thriller, a page-turner, etc. There's a steadily-rising level of suspense throughout, and one good plot twist. However, the rest of it is painfully predictable and soap-opera melodramatic. For long stretches it feels more like an awkward, rushed and frankly boring romance than the thriller I'd been led to expect. And believe me, the gratuitous sex scenes are uniformly tepid. You'll probably feel like you could do a much better job writing sex, or at least keep the eroticism intact. Didn't anyone tell Ken Follett that 'penis' is, objectively, the worst, most clinical term for itself? I'd sooner read 'towering obelisk of manhood' than that... (Others have made this point about proper 'bedroom' diction-- see Chris Rock's phone sex skit.)

Beyond that, there seems to be an odd, conservative tone at work in all the scenes of the wartime couples. They all either have kids, are pregnant, or prominently plan to have children-- even those who'd just met. The female characters are all pretty flimsy and appear unduly swayed by that idea. As in, "Sure, he just neglected and disrespected me, but think of all those kids we're gonna have! Maybe six!" Gross. The story may take place during the 1930's, but unfortunately the tone seems stuck there, too. Follett is patently nostalgic for the flying-boat days, but his moral position feels just as staid and trapped-in-the-past. I had a hard time believing this was written in 1991. Caution: several of the plotlines (and the novel as a whole) only produce major letdowns by the end.

Just read Pillars of the Earth. You can safely skip this one.

[Rae · Rating 2 out of 5]

Set in WWII just after the declaration of war between Germany and England, the plot details the 36-hour flight of the Clipper, a large luxury sea plane. On board or otherwise involved are a former Nazi nuclear scientist, gangsters, Fascists, hijackers and escaping Nazi sympathizers. Follett's plots are always fun but he is also known for his obligatory smut scenes with too much gratuitous (and often silly) detail.

[Xana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A minha estreia com Follett.
Os livros dele intimidam, confesso. Mas andava curiosa.
Gostei mesmo muito da escrita dele, e apesar de grandote, manteve-me sempre interessada.
Vou querer ler mais 🙂

[Addy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Night Over Water by Ken Follett.

Just when I was convinced that I will be giving a negative review about a Ken Follett novel for the first time, he delivers such a block buster ending and an interesting bit of trivia in the afterword(refer pic), that I can't help but love this novel too.
Okay, let me give the bad parts first. This novel is drastically over stretched. It could easily have been at least 150-200 pages shorter. Now, when I read his century trilogy with each novel hovering around the 1000 page mark, I never felt that there was anything he could have omitted. But this one has too many repetitive paragraphs which abruptly break the rhythm of an otherwise we'll researched and well plotted 'Romantic Thriller'. Yes, the initial background stories about the various characters were definitely justified but the constant and repetitive 'whining' by some of the characters (in their minds) in almost every chapter excruciatingly slows the Novel. And another sore point, there were too many sexual encounters on a single flight on one night which makes you laugh at their credibility. I mean come on, one of them involved a young girl whose parents were sleeping in the same compartment 😂.
Fortunately, the positives did outweigh these irritants at the end. The script is tailor made for a Hollywood movie (if it hasn't been made already). It's the day England finally declared war on Hitler's Germany and as a result many eminent people want to escape from the Island before its too late to the safe havens of America. There is an assortment of passengers who are on board the flying boat for different reasons ranging from someone trying to catch his wife who's running away with her lover to a businesswoman who has been duped by her own brother. Interestingly, this was the first Trans Atlantic passenger service started by Pan American and that lends even more realism to the plot(refer pic). My favourite character was the Young Boy Percy, whose father happens to be one of the founders of the British Union of Fascists; an elder sister Margaret who is a staunch socialist who wants to live a free life but can't summon the courage to defy her father. Harry Marks, the 'lucky and charming' jewel thief is delightful while the three leading ladies Diana, Margaret and Nancy (my favourite) are an interesting cocktail of fluctuating emotions and affections. And of course, how could I forget the guy who risks (forced to) the lives of all of them, the engineer aboard the flight, Eddie Deakins.
So, there you have it- an interesting line up of characters(some of them deliberately not described in detail in the beginning of the Novel), a palace flying over the Atlantic, someone wants to bring it down before its destination, and love is literally in the air.
Go for it, despite the drag midway, the ending is well worth it.
4/5

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel takes place in 1939 just after England has entered World War II. It's told from multiple points of view, all from people who will take a flight aboard a Pan-Am Clipper (a truly luxurious (and historically accurate) airplane in the second 2/3rds of the book. This is sort of like a "Murder on the Orient Express" set-up although more thriller than who-dunnit mystery. Passengers include business people, aritocratic families, a debutante, a film star, a petty thief, etc. They all have reasons for being on this luxury plane ride across the Atlantic, some of them because they want to be there and some because they have to be. The thriller/action part of the plot surrounds the lead engineer of the plane who is forced to sabotage it in order to save his wife who has been kidnapped in America. Follett leaves the reasons for this unclear at first as well as who the kidnappers are but uses it to build the suspense. In the end it turns out to be quite a complicated plot but I won't spoil it for you.

This is a well-plotted novel; the suspense builds as we make our way through the story and we get to see events from several perspectives. Mr Follett does a great job building his characters and even though there are quite a lot of them, it is easy to follow the action because we know them so well. And he does a fantastic job of establishing the atmosphere. The descriptions of the scenes and especially the dialog of the characters really brought me in to the era. Sometimes it was like I was watching a Humphrey Bogart movie. I highly recommend it for fans of WWII era historical/thriller fiction.

[Noni Wardani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy reading Ken's books.However, I have to admit that this book is not as spectacular as his other books. The plot is set at the out break of World War II between England and Germany on a flying boat " The Pan American Clipper". For those who's interested in aircraft or engineering, might find this book interesting, because Follet did excellent research on the Clipper.For those who is not, the story might seem a bit slow in the beginning, because he starts the book with different stories of the characters who later on will be the passenger of the Clipper.

The Oxenford family-a troubled aristocratic family, Harry Marks-the young jewel thief, Diana Lovesey-an Englishwoman who is leaving her husband to run away with her american lover, Mark Alder, Mervin Lovesey-the abandoned husband who tries to catch the Clipper to win his wife back, Nancy Lenehan-an American businesswoman, Eddie Deakin-the flight engineer.
All those characters mixed together in the Clipper with their own situation and problem, creating a pretty good story.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the book, however it was not as suspenseful in the air as I thought it would be. Follett did a good job of the character development of everyone, would love a sequel. Another good Follett book that takes you in right from the beginning.