Call number
MYST FOR
Collection
Publication
Viking Press (1972), Edition: Book Club Ninth Printing, 380 pages
Description
France, infuriated by Charles de Gaulle's withdrawal from Algeria, had failed in six known attempts to assassinate the General. This book postulates that the seventh, mostly deadly attempt involved a professional killer-for-hire who would be unknown to the French Police. His code name: Jackal. His price: half a million dollars. His demand: total secrecy, even from his employers. Step by painstaking step, we follow the Jackal in his meticulous planning, from the fashioning of a specially made rifle to the devising of his approach to the time and the place where the General is to meet the Jackal's bullet. The only obstacle in his path is a small, diffident, rumpled policeman, who happens to be considered by his boss the best detective in France: Deputy Commissaire Claude Lebel.… (more)
Subjects
User reviews
LibraryThing member nesum
Forsyth's famous manhunt is a wonderful example of what an espionage novel could be. It has a smart and well-thought out plot where Forsyth meticulously creates a plot to assassinate Charles de Gaul and then steps back and unravels it from the point of view of a French detective.
It's only flaw is
Still it is a masterful novel and a fun read.
It's only flaw is
Show More
its pace and characters. Forsyth hurries through several scenes too quickly, and many of his characters have very little depth, including the Jackal, unfortunately.Still it is a masterful novel and a fun read.
Show Less
LibraryThing member zzamboni
This is my all-time favorite novel. I re-read it every 1-2 years, and it is always enjoyable and thrilling. The story of an intelligent, unstoppable assassin out to kill Charles de Gaulle, and the immense manhunt orchestrated by an equally brilliant detective. The story has me rooting for both
Two movies have been made based on this book: Fred Zinnemann's 1973 movie, which is very good and close to the book, and the 1997 version with Bruce Willis, which is not worth watching.
Show More
sides alternatively, and every time I read it, I secretly wish that one of these times, the ending will have been rewritten to the other possible outcome.Two movies have been made based on this book: Fred Zinnemann's 1973 movie, which is very good and close to the book, and the 1997 version with Bruce Willis, which is not worth watching.
Show Less
LibraryThing member john257hopper
This is a brilliantly written thriller based on a fictional assassination attempt against French President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. While we know from history that he won't succeed, the novel focuses on the Jackal's thought processes, how he devises his plans, develops a weapon and constructs
Show More
several false identities. It follows the manhunt and how the efforts of the various French agencies to track him down are frustrated by a combination of the killer's resourcefulness, bad luck and a mole in the authorities' midst. Even when he is cornered in Paris he almost succeeds in carrying his audacious plan. This is deservedly a classic of the genre, focusing on detail in almost an instructional sense, but still managing to be a gripping narrative which never flags. Show Less
LibraryThing member Stbalbach
The Day of the Jackal (1971) is a classic thriller/spy novel. Much of it is convincing, some is not, but I couldn't wait to find out what happens next. The Jackal's plan of driving from Italy north to Paris gives the novel structure but it was completely unnecessary, he could have flown into Paris
Show More
weeks before, changed his identity, hold up somewhere and not exposed himself to moving around, but that would have ruined the story. My favorite parts are the descriptions of how the police worked in the days before computers and modern forensics. Show Less
LibraryThing member reading_fox
One of, if not the, best of Forsyth's work. Now dated, but still a gripping read. Terrorists (see its still relevant all these years later) plan to assassinate Charles de Gaule, and decide to hire in an unknown marksman "the jackel". The story is told mostly from the Jackel's point of view and
Still an amazing read.
Show More
details every step of his way to Paris, with exerts to the various policeman who become aware of the plot, but can they identify and catch the killer before he strikes?Still an amazing read.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Jiraiya
The day of the jackal was over, and I was glad of that. Just because this old thriller was related to a favored genre of mine - the historical fiction - didn't mean I would like outdated thrillers with no idea that hasn't been milked by movies of various characteristics. But I learned one thing
There were defining aspects in this hefty - not too much though - novel. There were new characters that kept making entry until the last pages. Also there was the fact that we know that The Jackal wasn't going to succeed. At the other end of the spectrum, there was another type of sitting duck of the species known as Dead Meat. Those who you knew were going to die did die. But as the novel progressed, it was more difficult to care for the victims. The only brilliant idea in the story was that the info that set the ball rolling was an error of identification. That threw this reader completely. In the end, though, it wasn't enough to justify reading the book in the first place.
Show More
after reading this book, and that was that archaic books like this died intestate.There were defining aspects in this hefty - not too much though - novel. There were new characters that kept making entry until the last pages. Also there was the fact that we know that The Jackal wasn't going to succeed. At the other end of the spectrum, there was another type of sitting duck of the species known as Dead Meat. Those who you knew were going to die did die. But as the novel progressed, it was more difficult to care for the victims. The only brilliant idea in the story was that the info that set the ball rolling was an error of identification. That threw this reader completely. In the end, though, it wasn't enough to justify reading the book in the first place.
Show Less
LibraryThing member fothpaul
The first thing I mention say about this book, is the extraordinary tension and excitement which kicks in about a third of the way through the book, as they begin to discover the plot and search out the Jackal. This keeps on going right until the very final pages of the novel, this is the only one
The initial few chapters did not seem to be too promising and were bogged down somewhat by details of the French police system and the formation of the OAS terrorist organisation. Although it was good background information to the rest of the novel, I’m not sure that it was strictly necessary. This is the only part of the book which I found a bit tedious and the part which kept me from giving it a full 5 stars.
I found the character of the Jackal to be fascinating, and it reminded me somewhat of the main character from the film Drive, a man who seems quite pleasant and maybe a little shy, but then you realise that he’s actually a cold blooded killer and not quite all he appears on the outside. I found myself quite liking his character and enjoying his quest, not wanting him to get caught. Then he started killing people because they would ruin his chances of success, and you remember that he is an assassin.
The hunt for the Jackal, with the French and British police always one step behind the man they are searching for. The dual narrative style allows the story to flow quickly and the tension to remain at a high.
Overall a really enjoyable and well constructed book. Without the initial tedium it would be 5 stars, but would it be the same book without this? Probably not, as it is the authors obsession with detail that makes this such a well constructed book.
Show More
I can remember where the suspense is so expertly maintained.The initial few chapters did not seem to be too promising and were bogged down somewhat by details of the French police system and the formation of the OAS terrorist organisation. Although it was good background information to the rest of the novel, I’m not sure that it was strictly necessary. This is the only part of the book which I found a bit tedious and the part which kept me from giving it a full 5 stars.
I found the character of the Jackal to be fascinating, and it reminded me somewhat of the main character from the film Drive, a man who seems quite pleasant and maybe a little shy, but then you realise that he’s actually a cold blooded killer and not quite all he appears on the outside. I found myself quite liking his character and enjoying his quest, not wanting him to get caught. Then he started killing people because they would ruin his chances of success, and you remember that he is an assassin.
The hunt for the Jackal, with the French and British police always one step behind the man they are searching for. The dual narrative style allows the story to flow quickly and the tension to remain at a high.
Overall a really enjoyable and well constructed book. Without the initial tedium it would be 5 stars, but would it be the same book without this? Probably not, as it is the authors obsession with detail that makes this such a well constructed book.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Schmerguls
This book is an easy read, and never is dull. It tells of a (fictional) plot to assassinate DeGaulle. The hired killer is meticulous and very cool, and almost succeeds. (One know all the way through he will not succeed since one knows DeGaulle was not assassinated. The events decribed are laid in
Show More
July and August 1963. nearly 500 pages but interest in the story never abates. I almost gave it five stars, and maybe I should have. Show Less
LibraryThing member jayne_charles
I liked the way this book kept its secrets until it absolutely had to reveal them. We don't know who the jackal is...we don't know what the weapon is.....it made me want to keep reading, and I didn't guess any of it right. Perhaps relied on some far fetched/coincidental happenings in places, but
Show More
all in all I'd recommend it. Show Less
LibraryThing member tetchechury
Good book. A little slow in parts, but overall very enjoyable.
LibraryThing member www.snigel.nu
I liked Frederick Forsyth immensly for a while in my teens, and this book is without doubt my favourite one.
LibraryThing member bookswamp
CR 1971, this was one of the authors we read in my younger years - so when I found it at a flea market, I bought it - and found it kind of antique... so it will land on a flea market again, I guess.
1995 edition.
1995 edition.
LibraryThing member meggyweg
This is one of the great classics in the suspense novel genre, and with good reason. I was stunned by it. This book made me want to go to the library right away and check out every Forsyth novel they had.
You know at the beginning that the assassination plot failed -- it says so -- but that doesn't
You know at the beginning that the assassination plot failed -- it says so -- but that doesn't
Show More
stop you from clinging to the edge of your seat as your follow The Jackal and those who are chasing him. He's the consummate killer, using money, sex, drugs and whatever other tools are at his disposal to get the job done. He was enthralling and I was rooting for him as well as for Lebel, the policeman chasing him. And the ending was as satisfying as I could have wished. Show Less
LibraryThing member jimmaclachlan
I've read it a couple of times in the past 30 years. It's a 'must read once' although I found it paled the second time. Definitely a thriller, so if you know the ending, it ruins a lot of the story for me. I think it was a better read back in the 70's when it came out, because the idea was pretty
Show More
new. Now it's been reused by so many others that it doesn't have the same impact. Show Less
LibraryThing member shenoychandrika
GodAwesome Book!!! Saw the movie too but liked the book better!!
LibraryThing member BellaFoxx
In the forward to this book Forsyth writes that he seeks for ‘interesting, accurate, and feasible’, I would say he has succeeded with this book.
This historical fiction in that the story is woven around people who actually existed and events that happened. French President Charles de Gaulle was
At first I thought the book was going to delve into this political stand and that conflicting stand, but we get enough to understand why de Gaulle was hated. What makes this book fascinating is the preparations the Jackal takes to assassinate President de Gaulle and the efforts of the French police to find him, all while operating under a clock of secrecy imposed by de Gaulle. Even the reader doesn’t know the Jackal’s real name but we are taken along with him as he moves toward his goal. We see the utter ruthlessness of the Jackal and the working of the brain of the little hen-pecked detective, forced to stand up to the scorn of the Ministers of the government. This is a fast paced political thriller as Forsyth counts down the days, then the hours up to the assassination attempt. I highly recommend this to people who enjoy thrillers, political and otherwise.
This historical fiction in that the story is woven around people who actually existed and events that happened. French President Charles de Gaulle was
Show More
hated by many of the French people and Jean Bastien-Thiry did organize an assassination attempt on 22 August 1962. As for the details of the French police and some events related (kidnappings and torture), those I am not sure of.At first I thought the book was going to delve into this political stand and that conflicting stand, but we get enough to understand why de Gaulle was hated. What makes this book fascinating is the preparations the Jackal takes to assassinate President de Gaulle and the efforts of the French police to find him, all while operating under a clock of secrecy imposed by de Gaulle. Even the reader doesn’t know the Jackal’s real name but we are taken along with him as he moves toward his goal. We see the utter ruthlessness of the Jackal and the working of the brain of the little hen-pecked detective, forced to stand up to the scorn of the Ministers of the government. This is a fast paced political thriller as Forsyth counts down the days, then the hours up to the assassination attempt. I highly recommend this to people who enjoy thrillers, political and otherwise.
Show Less
LibraryThing member ACannon92
Amazing! So fast-paced and unpredictable. Plot twists and turns like a roller coaster. I feel like it started off kind of slow and it took a bit for me to get into it, but it accelerates to the end and the ending left me breathless.
LibraryThing member mtrumbo
Went on a bit too long for my taste but I really enjoyed the scenes where the Jackal prepped and planned for the assasination.
LibraryThing member debs4jc
This classic thriller still has the power to enthrall readers today--at least it enthralled me. The first chapter had me wondering, because there is some background on the French political situation of the time. But then I was all of a sudden immersed into the actions of a group of revolutionaries
Show More
who are attempting to assassinate De Gaulle. From that point on the cat and mouse game between a police detective and the hired assassin out to get De Gaulle had me hooked. Forsyth lays out the meticulous planning of the assassin on one hand, counterbalanced by the efforts of the detective on the other. I highly recommend this book for fans of thrillers, especially if they books of espionage or that deal with political matters. Show Less
LibraryThing member BooksForDinner
Very good. I'm a LeCarre nut, so it's tough to give out 4s and 5s to other espionage writers, but this was a lot of fun. The detail of his preparing everything is of course what makes the book different and interesting.
LibraryThing member figre
I don’t have a lot to say about this novel, except that I wasn’t that impressed – definitely not impressed up to the expectations all the hype led me. That is to say, this is not a bad novel. But a tense, thriller? Not so much.
This is a story of a group’s attempt to assassinate De Gaulle
A slow read, and just not up to the hype.
This is a story of a group’s attempt to assassinate De Gaulle
Show More
through the use of a hired killer nicknamed The Jackal. Within this plot are some interesting characters and a plot that builds and comes together nicely. But the focus on all the details – excruciatingly detailed details - makes for more work to get through than it is worth. And, to be honest, the conclusion relies too much on chance – particularly after pages and pages where actions and counter-actions are prepared and put in effect.A slow read, and just not up to the hype.
Show Less
LibraryThing member clfisha
Ever wondered how to assassinate the French President? Then this book is for you, oh and as a bonus you get a fascinating, page turning, thriller as government and assassin play the ultimate cat and mouse game.
Set in the 60s the book starts off with the true account of the terrorist group, the OAS,
The writing is sparse yet detailed, factual and deadpan and yet manages to fascinate, captivating you and slowly ramping up the tension. The book is fantastically cut, rather like modern TV as it dynamically switches between groups. It’s masterfully done, there are very few action sequences, really its the thrill of detection, of escape. From watching British & French police try and uncover the impossible to watching suave, sophisticated cruel killer get closer & closer to his goal.
If it wasn't for the obvious 60s morality i.e. bad guys never win, they are all guys and the idiot braying politician is always the one to muck up it would be superb. As it was the tension starts to drain out towards the very end and the last 2 page are a bit of a damp squib (obviously I need explosions). Of course it’s dated in other ways.. but oddly that doesn't matter yet. I wonder if the lack of biometrics and mobile phones will mystify soon or just enhance its mystery.
Recommended to crime lovers and would be time travel assassins.
Set in the 60s the book starts off with the true account of the terrorist group, the OAS,
Show More
failed attempt on the French presidents life but soon wonders what if they got an outsider? A professional political killer?The writing is sparse yet detailed, factual and deadpan and yet manages to fascinate, captivating you and slowly ramping up the tension. The book is fantastically cut, rather like modern TV as it dynamically switches between groups. It’s masterfully done, there are very few action sequences, really its the thrill of detection, of escape. From watching British & French police try and uncover the impossible to watching suave, sophisticated cruel killer get closer & closer to his goal.
If it wasn't for the obvious 60s morality i.e. bad guys never win, they are all guys and the idiot braying politician is always the one to muck up it would be superb. As it was the tension starts to drain out towards the very end and the last 2 page are a bit of a damp squib (obviously I need explosions). Of course it’s dated in other ways.. but oddly that doesn't matter yet. I wonder if the lack of biometrics and mobile phones will mystify soon or just enhance its mystery.
Recommended to crime lovers and would be time travel assassins.
Show Less
LibraryThing member soylentgreen23
Forsyth excels when it comes to the incidental, the minor details that make a story worthwhile. What he sometimes lacks is the good sense to make all of his characters, if not fully-realised, at least not so one-dimensional as some of them can be. I'm talking about you, mister French secretary for
The story itself is the popular tale of an anonymous English assassin hired to kill General de Gaulle. As I mentioned, the incidental details show a master craftsman at work, with Forsyth laying out in the assassin's plans in all their intricacy. Brilliant on the one hand, stubbornly annoying on the other, then.
Show More
the state (or something), running off to pillow-talk all your secrets to some nymphette in the pay of the other side.The story itself is the popular tale of an anonymous English assassin hired to kill General de Gaulle. As I mentioned, the incidental details show a master craftsman at work, with Forsyth laying out in the assassin's plans in all their intricacy. Brilliant on the one hand, stubbornly annoying on the other, then.
Show Less
LibraryThing member mah048
A classic cloak and dagger thriller. The story of a hit-man plotting to assassinate Charles DeGaul, and of the detectives trying to find him. Nothing special these days, but really way out ahead of the genre when it was published. A fun read.
LibraryThing member threadnsong
This is the third time I've read this book, and really, it is incredible. I know, I know, coming from a sci-fi and fantasy background, and preferring women's stories, this book just is so well-researched and well-written that it holds up well.
The basis is France's withdrawal from its colonialism of
While the remainder of this book is fictional, it is written as a police-procedural that describes politics, interdepartmental cooperation (and not), those who seek a rise to power, those who kill for a living, and those who do the "grunt" work in their search for a cold-blooded killer with very few clues to go by.
The basis is France's withdrawal from its colonialism of
Show More
Algeria and the impact that change had on the character of the French people. Many French followed Charles de Gaulle as he led France out of the grip of the Nazis, and he seemed to promise them unity including keeping a foot in Algeria. But when he decided to pull out there were assassination attempts, one of which is documented here.While the remainder of this book is fictional, it is written as a police-procedural that describes politics, interdepartmental cooperation (and not), those who seek a rise to power, those who kill for a living, and those who do the "grunt" work in their search for a cold-blooded killer with very few clues to go by.
Show Less
Awards
Edgar Award (Nominee — Novel — 1972)
Martin Beck Award (Winner — 1972)
Pages
380