LoveReading Says
August 2014 Guest Editor Gerald Seymour on The Day of the Jackal...
I have big respect for Frederick Forsyth. There have been very few lurches in direction for thriller writers in the last half century. Ian Fleming changed direction with the Bond books, but Freddie set the tone with ‘Day of the Jackal’ and he has had a wheelbarrow load of imitators but no equals. The style demands detail and authenticity but is never mechanical: it is one of those stories that keeps new readers, and the old ones who dip back in every few years to repeat the pleasures, up half the night. A real page turner.
Matthew Dunn, author of The Spycatcher, on The Day of the Jackal...
I read the book when I was a teenager and was captivated by the notion that a single man could be employed to kill a president and thereby allow for a regime change in France. Seen largely from the perspective of the assassin The Jackal, the book follows his meticulous preparations, while being pursued by French agencies, leading to the moment he has Charles de Gaulle in the crosshairs of his custom made sniper rifle. We know he won’t kill him (de Gaulle died of natural causes in old age) but that doesn’t matter because the book isn’t about whether the assassination will succeed, but rather how could it happen. A thriller masterpiece.
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The Day of the Jackal Synopsis
One of the most celebrated thrillers ever written, The Day of the Jackal is the electrifying story of the struggle to catch a killer before it's too late. It is 1963 and an anonymous Englishman has been hired by the Operations Chief of the O.A.S. to murder General de Galle. A failed attempt in the previous year means the target will be nearly impossible to get to. But this latest plot involves a lethal weapon: an assassin of legendary talent. Known only as The Jackal this remorseless and deadly killer must be stopped, but how do you track a man who exists in name alone?
About This Edition
ISBN: |
9780099557364 |
Publication date: |
7th April 2011 |
Author: |
Frederick Forsyth |
Publisher: |
Arrow Books Ltd an imprint of Cornerstone |
Format: |
Paperback |
Pagination: |
411 pages |
Primary Genre |
Thriller and Suspense
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Other Genres: |
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Recommendations: |
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About Frederick Forsyth
Frederick Forsyth is the author of ten bestselling novels: The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, The Dogs of War, The Devil's Alternative, The Fourth Protocol, The Negotiator, The Deceiver, The Fist of God, Icon and Avenger. His other works include The Biafra Story, The Shepherd, two short story collection, No Comebacks and The Veteran, and a sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, The Phantom of Manhattan. He has also collected together an anthology of flying tales, Great Flying Stories, which includes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Roald Dahl, Len Deighton and H.G. Wells. He lives in Hertfordshire, England.
In February 2012 Frederick Forsyth was announced as the winner of the prestigious CWA Diamond Dagger 2012. Chair of the CWA Peter James said, “Frederick Forsyth is a hugely deserving recipient and The Day of the Jackal remains one of the greatest thrillers of our times. He has set a new standard of research-based authenticity with his writing, which has had a major influence both on my work and on many of my contemporaries in the crime and thriller field. We are very thrilled that he has accepted this award.”
The CWA Diamond Dagger is a much-coveted lifetime achievement award and as the name suggests, it was sponsored by Cartier, who have done so since its inception in 1986 through to 2011. The winners’ careers have been marked by sustained excellence, and they have made a significant contribution to crime fiction published in the English language.
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