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Summary and Reviews of Code To Zero by Ken Follett

Code To Zero by Ken Follett

Code To Zero

by Ken Follett
  • Critics' Consensus (5):
  • Readers' Rating (14):
  • First Published:
  • Dec 1, 2000, 368 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Oct 2001, 480 pages
  • Rate this book

About This Book

Book Summary

Declared "a master" by Time magazine, Ken Follett returns with Code to Zero - a page-turning novel of suspense in the bestselling tradition of Eye of the Needle, The Key to Rebecca, and The Man from St. Petersburg.

January, 1958. A man wakes to find himself lying on the ground in a railway station. He cannot remember how he got there. He has forgotten where he lives. He does not even know his own name.

At Cape Canaveral, a countdown has begun. On launch pad 26B sits Explorer I, America's best hope to match the Soviet Sputnik and regain the lead in the race for the skies above.

Bound together by the past, separated by the war, and caught up in the mighty struggle between the superpowers, four old friends from Harvard sit at the very center in the this dangerous heart of the cold war. And as Luke Lucas relearns the story of his life, he uncovers long-kept secrets about his wife, his best friend, the woman he once loved more than life itself... and realizes that his fate is tied to the rocket that stands ready on launch pad 26B at the Cape. Luke knew something that someone was desperate for him to forget, and unless he is able to discover that terrible, deadly secret, Luke may be left powerless to save the launch of Explorer - and with it, America's future.

Chapter One
5 A.M.



The Jupiter C missile stands on the launch pad at Complex 26, Cape Canaveral. For secrecy, it is draped in vast canvas shrouds that hide everything but its tail, which is that of the Army's familiar Redstone rocket. But the rest of it, under the concealing cloak, is quite unique.

He woke up scared.

Worse than that: he was terrified. His heart was pounding, his breath came in gasps, and his body was taut. It was like a nightmare, except that waking brought no sense of relief. He felt that something dreadful had happened, but he did not know what it was.

He opened his eyes. A faint light from another room dimly illuminated his surroundings, and he made out vague shapes, familiar but sinister. Somewhere nearby, water ran in a cistern.

He tried to make himself calm. He swallowed, took regular breaths, and attempted to think straight. He was lying on a hard floor. He was cold, he hurt everywhere, and he had some kind of hangover, with a ...

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Reviews

Media Reviews

Los Angeles Times
Ken Follett delivers the surefire suspense readers have come to expect.

Philadelphia Inquirer
Follett is an artist of compelling talents.

San Francisco Chronicle
Follet has introduced enough new wrinkles to make Code To Zero fresh and fast-paced, even if it isn't exactly exploring new territory. Follett is no slouch at keeping the pages flying by. He maintains a brisk clip throughout and creates compelling and likable characters.

Library Journal
With Eye of the Needle and the numerous novels that followed, Follett established himself as a master of the thriller. This latest tale of Cold War espionage is one more bit of evidence....a taut and exciting story.

Publishers Weekly
Follett does a wonderful job of keeping readers guessing about Lucas....suspense junkies won't be disappointed by Follett's man-on-the-run framework; tension courses through the book from start to finish.

Reader Reviews

Jule Rabino

Pow pow pow
Pounding, pulsating. The story is tight, and the readers are left breathless from its grip.
Matrin Kolb, 17

Excellent Book!!
I can't stop reading it. I'm reading it for the third time now.
ted alzate

Wow! Follett is the best next to none! Great plot, superb thrill to the finish.
Kiley Bedwell

Awesome book!
Could never put it down...

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Read-Alikes

Read-Alikes Full readalike results are for members only

If you liked Code To Zero, try these:

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    About this book

    Set against the backdrop of one of the most emotionally charged periods in American history, The Last Pilot is a mesmerizing debut novel of loss and finding courage in the face of it from an extraordinary new talent.

  • The Constant Gardener jacket

    The Constant Gardener

    by John Le Carre

    Published 2001

    About this book

    More by this author

    Frightening, heartbreaking, and exquisitely calibrated, John le Carré's new novel opens with the gruesome murder of the young and beautiful Tessa Quayle near northern Kenya's Lake Turkana.

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