January 6, 2005

'Whiteout' is another solid tale from Follet

By Chris Honoré
For the Tidings

If the narrative form can be defined as typically proceeding from an initial state of equilibrium (however brief) to a series of destabilizing events, ultimately concluding with a heightened state of equilibrium, then Ken Follet is one of its masters. That isn't to say that he is a superb writer, or a genuine wordsmith; instead, he is simply one heck of a good storyteller. Something he has demonstrated repeatedly with books such as "Eye of the Needle," "Triple," and "The Man From St. Petersburg," to name just a few of his novels written over several decades. Like many writers of the thriller genre, Follet's books don't challenge the reader to do much more than just follow a series of quick-moving, page turning events that traverse along a precipice with possible disaster looming at every turn. It's never a question of whodunit in a Follet novel, but rather will those whodunit prevail?

With the release of his current novel, "Whiteout," Follet proves once again that he can pick headlines from the news and set about building an engaging, if somewhat superficial plot. The story involves a sinister plan to steal a canister of deadly virus from a Scottish research laboratory and then sell it for millions to global terrorists. Meanwhile the body of a missing lab technician found in his garage bleeding from every orifice, puts the protagonist, Toni Gallo, head of security for the lab, on high alert. Gallo is a strong woman who has spent years on the Scottish police force and understands thoroughly what is at stake.

The search for the missing virus, which has the potential to make the Black Plague seem like a minor event, becomes hugely problematical. Soon after its disappearance is discovered, a monster snow storm moves across Scotland, covering everything in massive amounts of snow and ice, causing a whiteout. Somewhere, on a road, struggling to get to a designated airport, are the men who have the virus, men who want only to reach their terrorist contacts and sell the virus. It's Gallo's mission to stop them. At all costs.

Follet often flirts with turning his stories into melodramas, exaggerating the personalities of the characters, taking the plausible and giving it an extra push, as if he is afraid if he doesn't make the characters oversized the reader won't fully grasp how sympathetic or despicable they are.

Follet's best writing occurs when he is fully engaged in the hunt and he brings all his talents to bear describing how the bad guys are truly bad and the good guys are, while resourceful, also truly lucky.

For fans of the thriller genre, Follet doesn't disappoint. "Whiteout" is a quick and ultimately satisfying weekend read.

Whiteout by Ken Follet Penguin Group, New York, NY; 374 pages (hardback)