Ken Follett is a multiple award-winning author of thrillers and historical epics. Most of his publications of the past two decades have been sprawling, multi-volume historical novels such as the Century Trilogy or the Kingsbridge Series. But for the two decades before that, his writing style was dramatically different. Tense and action-packed stand-alone thrillers were published at breakneck pace, with him averaging the publication of one and a half books each year between 1976 and 2004. The settings were often WWII, like his breakthrough literary masterpieces Eye of the Needle (1978) or Key to Rebecca (1980), while others focused on intrigues of the Cold War, such as Lie Down with Lions (1985).

With the publication of Never (2021), his career has taken another twist. While continuing his recent trajectory of accurately researched, lengthy tomes, he has also returned to the espionage thriller roots of his early writing. He has even returned to his successful formula of strong female protagonists as was at that time surprisingly found in his groundbreaking Eye of the Needle. In an interview in Publisher’s Weekly, Follett explains his choice and why he believes that spy thrillers remain relevant in the 21st century: