In his own bestselling tradition of Eye of the Needle and The Key to Rebecca, Ken Follett delivers a breathtaking novel of suspense set in the most dangerous days of World War II. 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 … 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.
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Grabbed me from the beginning. Forgot lunch and dinnertime. Memorable characters whose future actions you can try to guess but come up wrong at every turn. Disturbing times in history depicted, I think, realistically. As usual a winner from Ken Follet.
I enjoyed seeing the impact that women had in the resistance during WWII.
Ken Follett always delivers ! Suspenseful with complex characters
This book is a great reminder that many women took part in the second world war risking their lives spying and working with the French Resistance. Today they would be called terrorists, but the author made them heroes. The plot was believable and I found it hard to put the book down.
If you are a fan of Ken Follett you will find this a very entertaining read.
I loved this book. Everything by this author is so good. I had skipped over this one and so glad I came back to it. It’s one of his best. I love anything WWII anyway.
Learning more about the role women played during WWII
I loe Ken Follett’s books – this is a great one with women in WWII
Ken Follett is always excellent; I’ve read a dozen of his titles at least.
some very tense moments, in a realistic setting
I’m a big Ken Follett fan, so I really liked the book. Kept me on the edge of my seat the entire book.
Master of action
Really good book
Fairly typiecal Follett book. A clear plot with well crafted characters that is a cross between a story and a historical description of the “facts”
Although somewhat clumsily written, this was a terrific story about a real situation that happened during World War II
This is a typical Ken Follett book—a well researched, well written story. It touches on a less well-known aspect of WWII history and is an exciting story with many twists and turns.
I like historical fiction and stories about brave women. This was an exceptional story on both counts about the French Resistance during WWII. These women played an important role in the war effort against the Gestapo.
If I could give more then five stars I would. I do Ken Follet was great but this one is outstanding
Exciting view of WWII
I read this a long time ago and thought it was excellent. Ken Follet is one of my all time favorite authors. Anything Ken writes is pure gold.