The Hammer of Eden

1998 | Thriller | 576 pages

The Hammer of Eden is a pulsating state-of-the-art suspense thriller from number one bestseller Ken Follett.

A Deadly Threat

The FBI receive an anonymous threat from a terrorist group that claims it can trigger earthquakes.

A Lone Agent

Judy Maddox, an FBI agent with a point to prove, is tasked with investigating the threat by her obstructive superiors. She must discover if it is credible and, if so, where it comes from.

A State on the Verge of Destruction

When a suspected, machine-generated tremor is detected her investigation reaches a critical point – can she find those responsible, and their next target, before they trigger a catastrophe that will devastate the entire West Coast of America and the millions of people who live there . . .

First chapter

When he lies down to sleep, this landscape is always on his mind:
A pine forest covers the hills, as thick as the fur on a bear’s
back. The sky is so blue, in the clear mountain air, that it
hurts his eyes to look up. Miles from the road there is a secret
valley with steep sides and a cold river in its cleft. Here, hidden from strangers’ eyes, a sunny south-facing slope has been cleared, and grapevines grow in neat rows. When he remembers how beautiful it is, he feels his heart will break. Continue reading

Ken's view

I got the idea from New Scientist magazine. The debate about what actually causes earthquakes is long running and multi-faceted. There is a theory called the low stress theory which suggests that the triggering event of an earthquake is a relatively weak vibration in the earth’s crust.

I figured that if that theory was correct then a terrorist group could hijack a seismic vibrator and use it threaten an earthquake to further their own aims. That’s where the fun starts. I think The Hammer of Eden is my best book so far.

Reviews

"So exciting I found myself setting the alarm clock for four in the morning to finish it." - Daily Mail

"Crackles with suspense." - Daily Telegraph