"D day is approaching. They don't know where or when, but the Germans know it'll be soon, and for Felicity "Flick" Clairet, 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 communication, 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. Codenamed 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.
Penzler Pick, November 2001: Each book by Ken Follett, one of the most successful suspense writers of our time, is a welcome event. With Jackdaws, he returns to his most successful era, the darkest days of World War II.

It is 1944 and the Allies are preparing for the invasion of Europe. In the occupied town of Sainte-Cecile, the French Resistance is preparing to blow up the chateau that now houses the crucial telephone exchange connecting the French telephone system to that of Germany. Bombers have been unable to inflict enough damage on the chateau to disrupt communications for more than a few hours at a time, but the Allies need to make sure that communications is down for longer so that there will be as little warning of the invasion as possible.

Felicity Clariet, known as Flick, is a British secret agent patrolling the streets around the chateau waiting for the first explosions that will give the signal for the attack to begin. She is married to Michel, a Resistance fighter. When the operation goes horribly wrong, they barely escape with their lives and Flick returns to her home in London--but not for long. When Flick returns to France it will be as part of an audacious, quickly assembled plan to put female spies in the chateau as telephone operators and cleaners, enabling the Allies to destroy the ability of the Exchange to warn Germany in advance of the landing on the beaches of Normandy. The twists and turns of the plot will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Follett tells us that Jackdaws is based on a true story. The Special Operations Executive sent 50 women into France as secret agents. Thirty-six survived. --Otto Penzler

Customer Rating:
Summary: A Feat--and a Feast
Comment: Ken Follet achieves the nearly impossible task of creating genuine suspense about an event that is well-known, using fresh characters, clever plotting, and surprising twists on an old story. You will enjoy this book on a long plane flight, or just sitting out on your porch during the lazy days of summer. I always enjoy Ken Follet's approach to history--crackerjack pacing, strong dialogue, and a deep desire to entertain. If only all writers cared as much about their audience's enjoyment as Follet does, TV would become obsolete.

Donald Gallinger is the author of The Master Planets

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Not very thrilling
Comment: In the field of World War II historical novels, this is strictly
a commercial entry. I turned the pages, but I also felt Follett
searching to keep interest up (like with a female impersonator).
And as is too typical in the commercial fiction realm, these Nazis
are not very scary. Question for Mr. Follett: why do your Nazis
never have opinions about Jews, or Hitler, or anything else? No
matter, they only exist to add plot obstacles. This novel is full
of activity, but not so much excitement.
Steve Wiggins, author of "Streets of Warsaw"
Streets of Warsaw: A Novel of the Polish Resistance in World War II

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Follett Fun
Comment: A bit of a slow starter, but within a few chapters it really had my attention.

Ken Follet has a knack for creating interesting characters that really draw you in, and Jackdaws is no exception. What fun to read a story of espionage and war with a great cast of female characters. At the end of the story I wanted to know what happens to the women who survived their missions.

I'd love to see a post-war sequel to this story.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Awesome, Awesome book!!
Comment: I love Ken Follet as an author, and this is definitely my most favorite of his books. I love WWII and this book talks about this time, but has enough drama, adventure, and love for those who just like good books. The characters were fantastic, the book kept you enthralled! I could not put it down, and I get it out and read it over ever once in a while because it is that good! I completely recommend it!!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Fast-paced Espionage Story
Comment: This is a fantastic story about a rag-tag group of female spies that infiltrate a Nazi-occupied French telephone exchange on the eve of D-Day.

The characters are believable, the story fast-paced, and the action scenes unbelievable. This would make a fantastic movie, a la The Bourne Identity. Some of the torture scenes are not for the faint of heart, but the book is a real page-turner, with thrilling plot twists that keep you on the edge of your seat, constantly rooting for the female heroine.

If you like suspense and/or war time novels, this is a must-read.

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