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Title/Author

Title

Author

Average Review Rating Average Rating 9/10 (1 Review)
Book Details

Publisher : Pan

Published : 2009

Copyright : Ken Follett 2001

ISBN-10 : PB 0-330-50990-X
ISBN-13 : PB 978-0-330-50990-9

Publisher's Write-Up

It is May, 1944 - a time of international tension where nothing is certain...

Two weeks before D-Day, the French Resistance attack a chateau containing a telephone exchange vital to German communications - but the building is heavily guarded and the attack fails disastrously. Flick Clairet, a young British secret agent, proposes a daring new plan: she will parachute into France with an all-woman team known as the 'Jackdaws' and they will penetrate the chateau in disguise. But, unknown to Flick, Rommel has assigned a brilliant, ruthless Intelligence colonel, Dieter Franck, to crush the Resistance. And Dieter is on Flick's trail...

From the master storyteller and bestselling author of Eye of the Needle and Code to Zero comes the new thriller, set against the menacing backdrop of the Second World War and crackling with suspense and action. Jackdaws is an irresistible novel of the Resistance and of love, courage and revenge.

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Reader Reviews

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Review by Katie.B (090111) Rating (9/10)

Review by Katie.B
Rating 9/10
It is May 1944 and Nazi-occupied France is waiting for an Allied invasion. In an attempt to weaken the Nazis' position, the French Resistance attacks an important Nazi communication centre. However, they are vastly outnumbered and the attack fails. But for Flick Clairet, a young British agent, the mission is not over yet. She devises a plan to lead an all-female team into enemy territory and destroy the chateau in disguise. Codenamed 'Jackdaws', it is a cunning but highly dangerous operation, which if successful, could help bring down the Nazi regime.

Following Flick's every move is Dieter Frank, a ruthless Intelligence Colonel. His mission is to crush the French Resistance before the Allies invade. A man unaccustomed to failure, he uses all his intelligence, power and expert interrogation skills to pursue the Jackdaws and destroy them before it is too late.

This is a heart-racing, brilliantly fast-paced and gripping read. To merely call it 'exciting' would be an understatement. The plot is fantastically well-written, bringing together drama, history and tangible emotion. This is certainly not a book which can be easily put down.

Follett not only knows how to tell a fantastic story and captivate the reader, he also knows exactly what the reader wants. As I came to the end of the book I began to worry that he would be one of those authors who knows how to write a brilliant beginning and middle but fails to write an equally good and satisfactory ending. However, I was pleased to discover Follett is certainly not one of those authors. The ending is just as gripping as the rest of the book and I can guarantee you will not be disappointed by it.

I was totally blown away by the bravery of some of the characters, especially the protagonist, Flick Clairet, who has without a doubt become my favourite fictional heroine. Never before have I encountered such a courageous, intelligent and determined character. She became even more inspirational to me when I learned right at the end of the book that she is actually based on a real female agent. This book has certainly altered my perception of World War Two and the role that many women played in it.

I confess I had never read a WW2 suspense thriller before this one and I had little idea what to expect. But I could never have imagined something as heart-racing and compelling as this. I literally had to tear myself away from the pages. The race between Flick Clairet and Dieter Frank is so intense and littered with unpredictable twists.

This is a definite must-have for all WW2 suspense thriller fans and even those who aren't. I certainly know what I'll be asking for this Christmas.
Katie.B (9th January 2011)

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