Jackdaws

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 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.

The beauty and fascinating ways of nature's creatures, as seen through the eyes of this acclaimed nature-loving poet.

The second book to feature DS Bene Douglas of the Levensbridge Police Force. In 1944 an astonishing secret is discovered by German soldiers in Northern France. The secret is never revealed and goes with them to their graves. In 2010 two bodies are exhumed from the woods and a deadly chase begins to find the secret. Suspicious deaths, attempted murder, robbery and a missing young boy all threaten to overwhelm our hero and his new colleague. The investment club are being wooed, the bowls club members are scared, and a crime from the past is re-opened.Finally the Jackdaws strike.

Peru, 2005. The towering mountains and deep, forested valleys of La Convención Province provide sanctuary for a dangerous criminal organisation with sufficient military capability to challenge government forces. An elite unit of British SAS are tasked to implement a solution. Their ground-breaking new equipment offers a decisive advantage and enables an unorthodox covert approach, but its untested nature also brings complications. Soon the British team find themselves ensnared in a web of corruption and conflicting interest, where the only way forward is to elevate the crisis to a chaotic conclusion. The Jackdaw Detail weaves between political, tactical and financial motives, as soldiers and civilians alike are drawn into an ever-thickening plot.

From the household cat to horses that can fly, a surprisingly wide range of animals feature in religions and mythologies all across the world. The same animal can take on different roles: the raven can be a symbol of evil, a harbinger of death, a wise messenger or a shape-changing trickster. In Norse mythology, Odin's magical ravens perch on his shoulders and bring him news. This compendium draws upon religious texts and myths to explore the ways sacred traditions use animal images, themes and associations in rituals, ceremonies, texts, myths, literature and folklore across the world. Sections are organized by the main animal classifications such as mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, amphibians and insects. Each chapter covers one significant grouping (such as dogs, cats or horses), first describing an animal scientifically and then detailing the mythological attributes. Numerous examples cite texts or myths. A final section covers animal hybrids, animal monsters and mythical animals as well as stars, constellations and Zodiac symbols. An appendix describes basic details of the religions and mythologies covered. A glossary defines uncommon religious terms and explains scientific animal names.