Jackdaws

By: Ken Follett

Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat, Colin Stinton

Length: 13 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

PLEASE NOTE: This is the abridged edition. An unabridged version is also available.

Don't miss Ken Follet discussing the history of the thriller and its role in literature at the 92nd Street Y.

©2001 Ken Follett (P)2001 Penguin Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"[A] celebration of uncommon courage and unlikely heroes." (People)

"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...adventure, romance, derring-do.... [Jackdaws] promises to be one of Follett's most popular novels ever." (Publishers Weekly)

"Compelling reading...great entertainment." (The Baltimore Sun)

Great Thriller

Follette delivers again in his classic thriller writing style. Enjoyable for all fans of spy genre set in World War Two.

Awesome thriller! The suspense never stops.

I am a big Ken Follett fan, This is one of my favorite books of all times. I had not read it for years, and once i started audible i went back and had to hear it. You know the two foes will meet, but who will overcome and how will they cross paths and who will win, One thing for sure it is a page turner or audio chapter burner...

Great Action and Adventure set in WW II

Would you listen to Jackdaws again? Why?

I would listen again as the book is fast paced and there are some details I missed in my first listen. I listened almost start to finish in a day.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Jackdaws?

The 2nd attack on the communication station was very good. You felt like you were there in the action.

What about Barbara Rosenblat and Colin Stinton ’s performance did you like?

I liked that the two narrators switched off so that it had a more realistic feel like a movie.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Several situations where there was torture definitely were upsetting.

One of Ken Follett's best novels, nicely performed

Ken Follett has written some outstanding books involving spies and war. This is one of his best, and Audible did a great job in getting the narration done well. The characters, both good and evil, are entertaining and compelling. Dont miss this one.

Fabulous

Suspenseful throughout the entire story.
It invokes intrigue, romance, danger, patriotism in the midst of great interesting descriptions.

Great book! Read - Don't listen.

One of Follett's very best. A good read but audio version is not. Definitely not.

Extremely enjoyable

I listened to it every chance I could. It was like watching an exciting movie with vivid, intriguing characters. Loved the voice of the reader.

historical reality

As usual, mr follett wrote an historically fictional story that is continuously interesting, and page-turningly gripping. loved it!

Follett is My Favorite!

Like all of Follett’s books, and there are only a few left I haven’t yet immersed myself in, this book took me a little while to get into, but then I couldn’t put it down (couldn’t stop listening), and finally can’t stop thinking about. He is my favorite. I wish I could do all his books again as a newcomer!

Great story but the music added, distracting

great book, I think the unabridged version would be better. the music added for dramatic effect was distracting at best, annoying at worst.