Day of the Jackal

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Summary: Freddy outfoxes us all with the Jackal.
Review: I have read the novel several times and have seen the film version several times.Both are excellent. It is a real tour de force that Forsythe makes irrelevant the fact that we know that De Gaulle was not assassinated. The pace is so fast and the storyline so gripping that we are carried along by the thrill of what happens to the exclusion of the fact that De Gaulle will survive. The detail of the preparation for the kill is credible and superbly researched. In particular the novel details for the first time, as far as I'm aware, the best method of applying for a passport in a false name, something with which the Jackal is all too familiar. You enter easily into his world and yet you never really know who he is, even his nationality. His anonymity is attractive. A personal point of interest is that I spotted an error in the text that has persisted since the book's original publication in 1971 but should be corrected since I have pointed it out to the current publishers. It's a really freudian slip in chapter 18 when instead of asking about the "make and number" of the car Lebel actually asks about the "make and murder" of the car. Strangely enough the italian translation of the novel corrects the mistake. I was curious to know if Forsythe had made the mistake in the original text, particularly if he had handwritten the original. The publisher did not forward my question to the author or give me an e-mail address to correspond with him. If anyone knows it I'd be grateful.
This novel must rank as one of the greatest thrillers of modern times. I highly recommend it to those who enjoy thrillers.

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Summary: Fedrick Forsythe at his best !
Review: This fiction work by Fedrick Forsythe is his best and makes you keep on reading till the end. You just can't stop reading till the end. His decription and his narrative style are simply the best. He has a 3 or 4 page description of just a gun ! The plot in the novel is one of the best and ranks with other classics like Godfather.

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Summary: The Best!
Review: This is by far the best book I have ever read. If you have not read this book, read it! See the movie after you read the book.

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Summary: The Day of the Jackel
Review: The Day of the Jackel is a fascinating look into the mind of an assassin. "The Jackel" kills not to fulfill a vendetta, but rather his bank account (in Switzerland, where else?). The intense preparation - identity, location, weapon - are described so throughly by Mr. Forsyth . . . it makes one wonder how he got all this information. Perhaps a tall, blond, Englishman with a love for expensive suits, afternoon tea, and only the finest luggage? Anyway, this delve into French history is an excellent read. The pace is hindered by a slow, somewhat tedious beginning but the second half is very enjoyable.

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Summary: Really good but not exceptional.
Review: I really didn't like this book all that much. Not enough of of intrigue for me.

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Summary: The greatest political thriller ever written
Review: I feel sorry for Freddy Forsyth. Never again did he (or anyone else for that matter) ever reach the heights set in this book. You KNOW that Charles de Gaulle died in his bed in his home village sortly after leaving office in 1969, so the book can have only one ending, but Forsyth keeps you turning the pages as the cunning Jackal and the tenacious policeman in pursuit match wits. I keep rereading the thing and the skill with which it is put together and worked out never ceases to amaze me.

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Summary: The Man With No Identity
Review: The Day of The Jackal, writen by Fredrch Forsyth was writen in the 1960s. Algeria had just been liberated after a long bloody war over it. This angered many politicans. Most of them formed a secret orginization known as the OAS. This orginization had many views against the hipocracy in France. But most of all they blamed Charels DeGaul president of France. After many failed attemps at killing DeGaul the OAS was running out of funds, morail, and most of all people. Many of the members of the OAS told authorities about its opperations. So the new leader decided to do the most ratical thing they could think of which included hireing an assasin from the outside. The one and only man who would be up for such a job was known only under the alis Clark Duncan. He was a tall Englishman. He had blond hair and blue eyes. He was a master of disgises, forgery, gunsmithing, marksmanship, poisin, torture, and hiding his tracks. He would be paid by way of bank robberies. He would create the smallest light weight gun ever made. He would come to forge hundreds of fake documents that would help elude the police with. And through the course of the story would kill eight people by way of stabing, shooting, hanging, poisin, and torture. For nine months he would heckel the French authorities. And would not stop until the day he pick for the death of Charels DeGaul. His identity is breached by the French Forien Legion but still chooses to continue with the opperation. He sneaks into Paris on the day of liberation, a French holiday in which DeGaul would give a speech in open day. Possing as a war veteran that would be reciving an award that day, he snuk in to a hotel across from where DeGaul would be giving the speech he hide in wait for three days. I have thought a long time to the question: do you recomend this book, and I have decided that I would recomend this book to anyone who can handel the sometimes hard to follow techincal terms, mostly in French, that slow the books story consideribly.

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Summary: The Man With No Identity
Review: OAS forces were dwindiling after the failed attempts on the head of the President of France. They had all failed and opptions were slim. The final one was assasination. Only one man could do it. He was only known underthe alis of Clark Duncan. He stole passports, killed five men, and made the smallest longrange gun ever created. I have thought a long time about the question " do you recomend this book". Ive come up with the answer yes and no. The reason is, that there is a lot of French and technical terms that make the book go a little slower than any other than I have read.

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Summary: The President Hunter
Review: What would be the most difficult thing in the world to hunt and kill? The Snow Leopard? A giant squid? Saddam Hussein? How about a President who has increased his security to the maximum? Yes. Here we meet the Jackal- a professional killer like no other. Paid to assinate the French Prime Minister Charles de Gaulle, he masquerades to hide his identity and he stalks his prey. We see every detail of his plan from plot to execution. But the hunter is equally the hunted. Does he succeed? C'mon now- I'm not going to spoil the climax! You'll have to read the book to find out! Forsyth writes about the subject with uncanny knowledge and intensity- a fiction that will keep you at the edge of your senses!

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Summary: truth not a story
Review: The attempt on the life of French President Charles de Gaule is not a fiction or story ;but a histrical fact; of course narrated by the author in an excellent way.Even the movie had not that much thrill as the book. chandramowleeswaran