It is amazing how novel almost 50 years old is written in a way that is as captivating as it was when I first read it 30 years ago.

Author's ability to blend fiction and non-fiction makes this novel read like something from the newspaper headlines. Level of details when it comes to criminal underground, lonely world of political assassins and state security apparatus is amazing. Isn't it interesting how during the 1960's main reason why UK did not like France was because France did not want it in the EEC in the first place. When you go through all the side-stories and comments, isn't it interesting that UK wanted to enter EEC in the 1960's for the same reason UK wanted out 60 years later. Politics, eh :)

That aside, novel illustrates that only difference between state security oppression in last two years and situation before that, was just in lack of powers to do "whatever is required" - same as was case in France at the time of the novel's story, 1960's which were very turbulent and violent. All those paramilitary state elements enforcing justice by rule of stick and gun sound so contemporary it is incredible. So it is not that there was no oppressive apparatus in past, it just was not put into streets like in last two years with all free reign. People just forgot about it (hopefully they will remember it for next couple of weeks ..... because goldfish :)).

Besides these always contemporary elements author's ability to make character of Jackal - defined only through his actions, not that much talk and definitely very scarce interaction with other characters - so alive is exquisite. Descriptions of manhunt and the way very skilled assassin manages to infiltrate fortress that is France - they will keep you turning pages whole night. Intricate network of OAS informants and spies, way how they found their foothold in French society, basius for the OAS existence and conflict with France government, actions of security forces and some shady elements working for the government (Union Corse) and level of violence in the 1960's - it is unbelievable vivid and would make you to get your hands on some historical books to learn more.

Of course let us not forget Lebel, silent hero of the book, police inspector who proves the eternal maxim - only professional people will achieve something. Bureaucracy that points always to where the current wind blows never achieves anything.

Author definitely did his research and presented the reader with a world of shadows that exists so closely next to our own.

I cannot recommend this book enough. True gem. ( )

2522

I read this book many years back and was on the edge of my seat. At that time, I had not read about Charles de Gaulle and only knew him as the President of France. I did not know he had died in his bed, and when I read the book, I wanted 'The Jackal' to succeed. He had to fail, of course.

When I read the book this time, I was engrossed by the description of the detailed planning of the assassination and the chase. You must be knowledgeable, disciplined, and focused if you want to be a high-level crook, as the book demonstrates.

It is a brilliant book, and has lost none of its charm over the years. ( )

Still my favorite novel by Forsyth. Great book. It's long but interesting. Read it in my twenties and read it decades later. Good both times. The movie is also good. ( )

I read "The Day Jackal" as a preteen, a few years after it came out. I know I did not understand half of what was in it then. I do remember that it was pivotal in my choice to read adult-level books in the future.

What makes Jackal such a good book is its pacing, realism, and equality in the players.

There is a little bit of description and then action. Sometimes Frederick Forsyth uses dialog to convey details, keeping the book moving.

Frederick Forsyth was first a reporter, a teller of truth. When he couldn't make enough money with that fact, he tried fiction. Jackal was his first novel, but he researched it just like any factual story, scoping sites and interviewing people.

Here are some character notes:
OSA Guard whose daughter has leukemia--They only found him because he filled out a Will. He gave up his daughter for adoption to his friend.
Claude Lebel comparison with the Jackal--The French detective leading the search for the Jackal is "henpecked," while the Jackal preys on women.

The equity in the foes is what sets "The Day of the Jackal" apart. The Police Departments are competent but have their leaks. Jackal is a professional and very good at his job, but his pride gets him killed.

My favorite lines from the book are when the wiretaps happen. How did you know to wiretap such-and-such? "I didn't. I wiretapped all of you," and he leaves. Door Slams. Excellent.

Can you tell I loved this book? I am so happy I found it again. ( )

This book was written almost 45 years ago, and even though I knew the plot & the outcome, it had me madly turning page after page. A classic thriller that does not get old. ( )

I have never read any books about espionage. So I was really interested in this topic. And the book “The Day of the Jackal” has a lot of good reviews and high average rating.

The beginning was quite interesting: assassination attempt, OAS’ failure and finding new ways of assassination. Plan that was made up by leaders of OAS, looked quite courageous and intellligent for me. I really wanted to know how it would be realized. But when all the preparations of the mercenary - Jackal - started, reading became harder. I prefer a lot of action, that’s why it was boring to read about all the things Jackal prepared for assassination. I understand that this part is important too and it would be difficult to understand the subsequent events without it. But, in my opinion, the author could have omitted such details.

While reading I started sympathizing with the main hero so much that I wanted his success with all my heart. I was sincerely worried about him. But at the same time I felt that it was cruel with regard to his victims, Jackal is an assassin after all. So this book made me feel mixed emotions about it.

I gave this book 3 stars because the plot was really good. But it was interesting to read it only at some places, I would make it much shorter. And the ending made me sad, though it was quite realistic. ( )

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 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. ( )

It's weird doing the research around this. Bits and pieces of real detail, a flavor of history... I learned a lot from the surrounding stories while I read, and came away entertained, but not greatly enamored. Significantly less misogynistic than I expected, which was nice, but very much in vein with Flemming's undertones, if not the overt ass-hattery I find in Bond.

*shrugs*

So a fun read, but mostly for the other stories it led me to. ( )

A lot of good action and suspense, but at this point pretty dated. The racism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia come across very differently now. Always interesting to read action/crime/spy stuff written in a different technological age -- how would an anonymous assassin operate now? ( )

Master of accents
red herring generator
thrill as he eats lunch! ( )

I found this absolutely enthralling. ( )

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 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. ( )

Whoa!
I am kicking myself to have not read this earlier. ( )

I loved every moment of it. Riveting from its inception to its rippling conclusion. A masterpiece of a thriller. DEFINITELY recommended. ( )

Any details I give about this book will quaff the fun out of this engaging read, so I would stick to the literary basics. The author does very well in setting up the context in the first half and drives the reader to fast-paced action that follows. The Day of the Jackal is a captivating battle between two meticulous professionals, two experts of their trades on either side of the law. And finally, beneath all its action, drama and chases, it actually boils down to which of them is more disciplined about his work. At one point I did feel though one of the characters did something totally out of character, but I could attribute it to survival instinct. A must read thriller. ( )

Yea, not a bad read. ( )

Boring... I couldn't finish it. I got halfway through the book and had to put it down. So overrated. ( )

Very enjoyable

I was ready to give up after about 50 pages, but am glad I continued. That first 50 felt cold and emotionless. Steeped in exposition that was of little interest to me.
Then all of a sudden the real story kicked in and it was masterful. The differing points of view all slowly converged together over the course of the book in shorter and shorter sections making it feel like the net was closing in on the jackal. Very clever and very effective.
This is not my genre at all, but I'm extremely happy I gave it a go. I'll certainly read more. ( )

The Day of The Jackal - Frederick Forsythe ***

This is my first book by Forsythe, he has always been one of those readers I meant to pick up, the blurbs always sound as if I will love the contents of the book, so what better place to introduce myself than by reading perhaps his most famous novel, The Day of the Jackal’.

I have always loved spy thriller books and read many different authors from Fleming & Deighton, through to Higgins and Innes and started reading with high hopes. I can’t put my finger on the reason but I just didn’t enjoy this book anywhere near as much as I thought I would. The storyline is a solid one, an unknown Englishman man is hired to kill the president and the powers that be must identify and stop him before he manages to complete the deed. The race is on to see who will reach their target first and what the eventual fallout will be.

It is a well written novel with characters that come to life and it is easy to visualise the settings. Forsythe hasn’t fallen into the usual trap of making his leading man totally infallible and for that reason I think you end up rooting for the killer more than you possibly should. But I found the plot extremely slow and at times far too detailed, I kept wanting something to happen that would make me race along to the next page, but it rarely did. At just over 400 pages it shouldn’t really have been a slog but I struggled over 2 weeks to reach the eventual ending. Maybe I went into the book with the wrong expectations, and looking at the hundreds of positive reviews I know I am in the minority. Perhaps I will pick it up again the future and see what I missed.... you never know ( )

Battle of wits, exciting to the end. ( )

Excellent story telling. Thriller from beginning to end. ( )

Listened to this on audiobook and it is quite possibly the best mystery I've had in years (I'm a fan of Agatha Christie, Patricia Highsmith, sometimes John le Carre for calibrating to taste). Super well suited to audio also and the reading by Simon Prebble was nice. Feels like a movie. Not a heartracing thriller, but a steady engaging one. Coolest thing about this book is that it begins with the jackal, and one is almost rooting for him, while later also rooting for the police. So kind of sports-watching enthusiasm thing happening here. Good times had by all. Read this book. ( )

Very good read.. fast paced and exciting.

Awesome thriller! It actually started pretty slowly for me, but when it kicked into gear (with the introduction of the Jackal), it really took off! The cat and mouse game between the hired assassin of the French President Charles de Gaulle, the Jackal, and the lead detective from France, Lebel, just gains speed with each page! Move and counter move, check and mate! And it literally doesn't end until the last five pages! Bravo Mr. Forsyth, bravo! ( )