The Key To Rebecca by Ken Follett

I needed an easy "beach read" for our 10th anniversary trip to Aruba, and so I downloaded this early book by Follett, an author that I've been wanting to check out.  I've never thought much of historical fiction (although I admit to not actually having ready any before), but a number of people have recommended Follett to me recently, so this was my chance.

The book was good, not great.  It read like a Tom Clancy novel, but more intricately interwoven with history, in this case pertaining to Egypt during World War II.  Rather than set during that context in general, the story was deeply interwoven with actual historical figures (a 20-something Anwar Sadat, for example) and real military battles (the siege of Tobruk, for example).

I deliberately chose Rebecca because it was one of Follett's most highly reviewed books on GoodReads, and because unlike most of his works, it was quite short at some 300 pages.  My reading itinerary couldn't afford a year-long tangent to enjoy his epic works such as Pillars of the Earth, Fall of Giants, etc. as much as I would like to do so.  Written more than 30 years ago, I'm sure Follett's writing has much improved since Rebecca.

It's worth noting that Follett is British, so he writes historical fiction from a British perspective, which given my Anglopholic meanderings of the last year or so, was much appreciated.