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The Day of the Jackal

The Day of the Jackal

  • The legendary assassination thriller

'As gripping now as it was 50 years ago' THE TIMES

'Masterful suspense . . . The Day of the Jackal changed the shape of popular fiction from the moment it was finished' BEN MACINTYRE
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50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY LEE CHILD

One of the most celebrated thrillers ever written, The Day of the Jackal is the exhilarating story of the struggle to catch a killer before it's too late.

1963. An anonymous Englishman is hired by the Operations Chief of French terrorist organisation O.A.S. to murder the French president, General Charles de Gaulle. A failed attempt in the previous year means the target will be nearly impossible to reach.

Only one man could do the job: an assassin of legendary talent known only as The Jackal.

This remorseless and deadly killer must be stopped. But he is a man without a name, without an identity; a lethal spectre.

How can you stop an assassin nobody can identify? The task falls to the best detective in France - and the price of failure is unthinkable.
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'In a class by itself. Unputdownable' SUNDAY TIMES

'Very clever and immensely entertaining' DAILY TELEGRAPH

'A perfect example of the adventure story . . . well written, entirely believable, with this intriguing, enigmatic character at its centre' ROBERT HARRIS

'A year-zero, game-changing thriller, one of the most significant of all time' LEE CHILD

'Wonderful and way ahead of its time' JAMES PATTERSON

'An extraordinary book' NICK ROBINSON, BBC RADIO 4 TODAY PROGRAMME

'A masterpiece' MARCUS SCRIVEN, MAIL ON SUNDAY

'I was spellbound . . . riveted by this chilling story.' GUARDIAN

Reviews

  • In a class by itself. Unputdownable.

    Sunday Times

  • Mr Forsyth is clever. Very clever and immensely entertaining.

    Daily Telegraph

  • I was spellbound ... riveted by this chilling story.

    Guardian

  • It is no exaggeration to say The Day of the Jackal has influenced a generation of thriller writers... Before, thrillers were self-evidently works of the imagination. Forsyth changed all that; never before had a popular novelist created a world that seemed indistinguishable from real life... Few writers can claim to have changed the literary landscape. Forty years ago, a penniless British journalist, unwittingly or not, did just that

    Guardian

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About the Author

Frederick Forsyth

Former RAF pilot and investigative journalist, Frederick Forsyth defined the modern thriller when he wrote The Day of The Jackal, described by Lee Child as ‘the book that broke the mould’, with its lightning-paced storytelling, effortlessly cool reality and unique insider information. Since then he has written twelve novels which have been bestsellers around the world: The Odessa File, The Dogs of War, The Devil's Alternative, The Fourth Protocol, The Negotiator, The Deceiver, The Fist of God, Icon, Avenger, The Afghan, The Cobra and, most recently, The Kill List. He lives in Buckinghamshire, England.

Frederick Forsyth

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Features

Frederick Forsyth

Bestselling author Frederick Forsyth feels it may be time to retire from writing. But what inspired him to pick up a pen in the first place?

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