Night Over Water
by Follett, Ken
pub by William Morrow, NY, 1991 -       - LCCN 91-17701 - - isbn 0-688-04660-6 - - 400 p.
A Novel from the first days of WWII. England has just the day before declared war against Nazi Germany.
The story involves a group of people, most wealthy, flying a commercial flight aboard a Pan American Airlines Clipper (a Boeing 314) across the Atlantic Ocean
from Southampton, England toward New York with refuling stops in Foynes on the west coast of Ireland, Botwood Newfoundland (not that far from Gander, Newfoundland of modern fame),
and Sheldiac, New Brunswic, Canada.
      Follett spends a lot of time at the beginning of the story doing character development and setting up his story.
This helps understanding the dynamics of the action of the story as it unfolds.
      Central to the story is a boorish member of British royalty (a Marquis) who is publically a Nazi supporter and who is fleeing England
taking his family with him to USA, so he will not be interned during the war. Also central is a young adult master thief escaping arrest,
a woman leaving her husband with an American she met to lead a new life and her husband managing to follow her.
A member of management running a shoe mfg. company, who may be losing control of the business to her brother. The brother is also aboard.
There is an FBI agent bringing a extradited prisoner back to USA. Of course there is the crew who are also major players. And some significant others.
      This story follows a common pattern of people thrown together traveling having to deal with one another in dramatic situations.
      Ken Follett has a streak of the romantic in him and can throw sufficient curves in his plot to keep the reader engaged.
There is a little sex in it which spices the story up, but is placed so that it assists the understanding of the relationships between the characters and the reasons for their actions.
This was a fun read, which describes the first few days of WWII and the operation of those great dramatic flying boats which were in use for only about 10 years.
~ 2022-09-11~

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