Early crime novels
The Modigliani Scandal
Three people learn of an undiscovered Modigliani: an ambitious young art historian in Paris, a distinguished London dealer and a gallery owner with a financial crisis and a discontented wife. No holds are barred in the fight for possession. Meanwhile an angry young painter plotting revenge, executes a brilliant forgery. And an idealistic actress becomes involved in a Robin Hood-style enterprise. The lives of masterpiece hunters, forgers and thieves inexorably collide.
The Modigliani Scandal
by 'Zachary Stone'; Collins, London 1976. Published in the USA under the name Ken Follett. Also published by Pan Macmillan and Penguin Putnam.
Paper Money
A politician wakes with a beautiful girl; a criminal briefs his team; a tycoon breakfasts with a Bank official. Then three stories break: an attempted suicide, a hijack, and a takeover bid. They seem unrelated – until
Evening Post
reporters ask questions. Why is a Jamaican bank in trouble? Who drove the Rolls-Royce seen near the raid? Who was the man with gunshot wounds? As the day wears on, new questions arise – about paper money.
Paper Money
by 'Zachary Stone'; Collins, London 1977. Published in the USA under the name Ken Follett. Also published by Pan Macmillan and Penguin Putnam and as an audio book by ISIS publishing.
Ken's View
I was almost good when I wrote
The Modigliani Scandal
and
Paper Money. They were the last two novels before I found success with
Eye of the Needle. By this time my storytelling skills had improved, and these books have more depth than my earlier efforts. They are too short, however, the characters have no past and the action often moves too quickly for the reader to enjoy.
For hard-core fans, I have allowed these two to be republished in most countries, but included a preface for each emphasising that they were early works. I was afraid I might get a lot of mail from disappointed readers, but in the event I didn't get any. People seem to enjoy them, so they can't be too bad.
Hear Ken discuss The Modigliani Scandal and Paper Money
