Code to Zero is one of the most gripping Ken Follett books I have ever read.. And that is saying something considering all his books are difficult to out down!
As the novel begins, the hero, Luke wakes up in a public toilet with no memory of who he is or how he ended up there. Even his name Luke he learns from a fellow bum who informs him that he is a regular drunkard, and that is what caused him to eventually lose his memory.
But somehow, Luke feels that he has not been a bum all his life. He is easily able to spot people who follow him (why, first of all!), and is able to fight like a trained fighter. In the rest of the novel, he tries to figure out who he actually is.
What would you do in such a situation? The methods Luke adopts for discovering his identity are quite ingenious and interesting. Read the novel to find out. Anyway he finally, finds out that he is actually Dr. Luke Lucas, a rocket scientist for the USA and a part of the team launching USA’s rocket in a day’s time. He also finds out that his memory has been erased deliberately, but WHY? That is the big question!
With his old flame Billie, a psychologist, and some help from another old classmate, Luke works out the puzzle of his loss of memory to get to a quite shocking solution.
Code to Zero is a story of love, betrayal, trust, misunderstandings and loyalty. There are no truly black characters in the novel. The boundary between good and bad is delicately constructed, and at the end, you feel pity even for the villains of the story.
Anyway, I feel that it is definitely worth a read. And better take it up on a weekend, or you will have to wake the night to finish it!