D-Day is approaching. They don't know where or when, but the Germans know it'll be soon, and for Felicity "Flick" Clariet, the stakes have never been higher.
A senior agent in the ranks of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) responsible for sabotage, Flick has survived to become one of Britain's most effective operatives in Northern France. She knows that the Germans' ability to thwart the Allied attack depends upon their lines of communications, and in the days before the invasion no target is of greater strategic importance than the largest telephone exchange in Europe.
But when Flick and her Resistance-leader husband try a direct, head-on assault that goes horribly wrong, her world turns upside down. Her group destroyed, her husband missing, her superiors unsure of her, her own confidence badly shaken, she has one last chance at the target, but the challenge, once daunting, is now near-impossible. The new plan requires an all-woman team, none of them professionals, to be assembled and trained within days. Code-named the Jackdaws, they will attempt to infiltrate the exchange under the noses of the Germans--but the Germans are waiting for them now and have plans of their own. There are secrets Flick does not know--secrets within the German ranks, secrets among her hastily recruited team, secrets among those she trusts the most. And as the hours tick down to the point of no return, most daunting of all, there are secrets within herself....
Filled with the powerful storytelling, unforgettable characters, and authentic detail that have become his hallmarks, Jackdaws is Ken Follett writing at the height of his powers.
Publishing News
Starred Review. [Flick's] team (all women bar one) are the jackdaws of the title. This unusual idea is carried off with the kind of galvanic skill that was the hallmark of Follett's early books, and Flick is a memorable, complex heroine.
Kirkus Reviews
Another plumpish thriller from the Follett factory (Code Zero, 2000, etc.), this time featuring a sort of distaff dirty (half) dozen. They don't come any tougher, smarter, braver, or, for that matter, deadlier than Major Felicity (call her Flick) Clairet.... Ersatz characters, featureless prose, departures from formula nil. But to the Follett faithful that's probably good news.
Publishers Weekly
Follett delivers a very entertaining, very cinematic thriller about a ragtag, all-female band of British agents, code-named Jackdaws, sent to blow up a key telephone exchange in France on the eve of D-Day.
Library Journal
An exciting look at the dangerous world of courageous souls who confronted the Nazi monster in its lair, Follett's latest will not disappoint fans.
Recent Reader Reviews
Rated of 5
by Manz
Loved it thoroughly
Rated of 5
by Justin
As a fan of World War Two based literature, I find Mr. Follett's book, Jackdaws, to be an excellent piece of writing that adequately represents France and its Nazi occupation in the 1940s. I am extremely impressed with this book and it has quickly... Read More
Rated of 5
by Blake
This book had a good beginning. An intense start and a back and forth manner that made it interesting to read (though annoying at times). I almost was at the point of comprising a good script on the idea and that the story could easily be adapted... Read More
Rated of 5
by Dave
The author generally has very good character development in his novels. To me, the characters in this book were so real that I could actually visualize them as I read. I thought the story was a little bit of a stretch but the characters made the... Read More
Rated of 5
by patty
I am listening to this book on tape and have a difficult time pulling myself away from the car! This is an excellent book and it has some very complex and disturbing moments. I can't wait to get in the car to go to work tomorrow!
Rated of 5
by Monique
I have read tons of American Literature and have been thrown books left and right to read but none capture the true essence of a good read like Jack Daws.
A conscience-plagued mobster turned government hitman struggles to find his moral compass amid rampant treachery and betrayal in 1936 Berlin.
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