Jackdaws Kindle Edition

Another great book by Ken Follett. Brilliantly written, you feel you are in the book, carried along with the characters and scenery. The story builds to a climax where you just can’t put the book down in the last three chapters.

This was my second adventure with Follet and it proved to be a wonderful one. The story line follows that of the one about the "Dirty Dozen". Only here he makes several adjustments in tone, action, and characters. First, the goal is the same to disrupt or destroy a Nazi phone exchange terminal in France just prior to the allied invasion of France. A female resistance fighter makes an attempt at this with a team of resistance fighters and they fail because of poor intelligence about the facility. Some of the men are killed, some captured and later tortured, and a few escape including the ring leader who also happens to be the husband of the female agent. The female agent returns to London with a plan on how to do the job, but it is first turned down and then later approved.The team to do the job is selected from a variety of people and they are all women except for one who is a male cross dresser. Interestingly enough the number on the team is six, or a "half-dozen". The team trains and fights among themselves based on their various backgrounds and characteristics. Finally, the big day comes and the night before the team is given a final test where one of them fails because she disclosed the mission to a stranger who is a member of the RAF and working to check the team's ability to not disclose the mission. This member is sent packing, but appears later with a high ranking officer because she is the daughter of a high government official and the female team leader is told she has to reinstate her. The team leader says, "No" and is backed up by others in MI6.In the mean time the Gestapo has questioned and tortured the captured resistance fighters and has learned how other members are added to the group from England and where they make contact. The local contact is captured, tortured, and replaced by a person working with the Germans who later meets agents and then hands them over to the Nazis. One of the agents that is captured has a radio and the Nazis now have the codes and radio frequencies needed to contact England's inner circle of spies working in France. As you may guess the story continues with the Nazis learning of the attempt by the resistance to damage a vital supply line. The female agents are supposed to do the job, but the real target is the telepone exchange again. There's a lot of cat and mouse play between the team leader and the Nazis which is fun to read and the Nazis do catch a few of the team members, but the team leader continues to outwit the Nazi detective at a number of turns in the later part of the story as she and her remaining team prepare to destroy the telephone exchange building and equipment.The ending is clever and action packed. Any reader of mystery and thriller books will really enjoy the last forty or so pages. The book is an easy read and at several points hard to put down. This is one you'll want to get and read.

Took a little while to get going but then the action was hard to keep up with. Many turning points which kept you guessing. Wonderful read recommended to all

incredible read, simply fantastic

I love Follett's. They weave an intricate story that draw you onto the characters. From the beginning to the end you are held in suspense to see who the winner is. Wait untilThe last chapter

9/10s of this novel were very well written and enjoyable; only the ending was convoluted relying heavily on "ex machina" .....much too much. The plot idea, based loosely on fact, was interesting and engaging....tho again often finding refuge in spontaneous, semi-credible happenings. The characters were well forged.

My husband remembers reading this before, but enjoyed it both times.Based on a true story, I really enjoyed it.

While the style of this book is reminiscent of Follett's stellar "Eye of the Needle", it is a poor story, more poorly written. Many of Follett's novels maintain a stream of reality and snippets of history throughout the text. In Jackdaws, reality or realism is abandoned in favor of a romp through the same make-believe world that Dorothy found in Oz. I can find Dorothy, the Lion, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Man, but I have yet to identify Toto. By the end of the book, I truly hoped Dorothy (a.k.a. Flick) would break a nail, at least. Sorry Ken, a "girl-scout" troupe with no training and less discipline, did not win the war.Who is the hero or heroine here? Is this a study in the moral ambiguity of war, or ethical relativism? Flick is ultimately not a likable character; after a fair start in the book, she turns out to be more mercenary than the Gestapo. The writing follows this incoherent tone throughout. One chapter ends with blood and guts, while the next starts with high tea and a discussion of dress hemming. This is not artistic or dramatic contrast, it's just bad.The character that comes closest to being a real and believable person is Dieter Franck. He of course is the evil Nazi antagonist, I think? Therein lies one of the most significant problems with the book. Dieter could actually be the hero, who many times his struggles with real professional and emotional dilemmas, evokes sympathy. But he's on the wrong side? In the meantime, Flick, who I believe Follett means to be the heroine, is shallow, self-absorbed, and really unlikable. In the end, the reader is left totally unsatisfied by the story and unhappy with Follett's stumbling text. Only those who really want to read another "Nazis bad-British good" comic book will find enjoyment here.

A drama about an all-female band of saboteurs who destroy German communications in occupied France just before D-Day. The sub-plots add humanity and suspense to the narrative.

Tout c'est passé comme décrit : article dans un état très correct et livraison le jour prévu.

Das Buch ist von der ersten bis zur letzten Zeilespannend und lässt den Leser erahnen, wie schrecklich es war, in Frankreich unter deutscher Besatzung zu leben. In einer solchen Zeit braucht es immer den Mut einzelner, die für ihr Land und ihre Freiheit kämpfen wie in der Resistance. Mit Blick auf die Ukraine hat sich daran nichts geändert. Die Freiheit ist das höchste Gut und muss verteidigt werden.

Great and easy-going book. Another excellent work from Ken F. 10 out 10 recommend it to anyone. Congratulations. Keep up the good work.

È la classica edizione tascabile economica.Copertina flessibile di buona qualità. Le dimensioni del testo permettono una buona lettura