50th Anniversary edition published 22nd July 2021 by Penguin UK.
From the cover of the book:
50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY LEE CHILDOne 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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It's hard to believe that this classic thriller is now 50 years old! To mark this significant anniversary, a simple review will not do, so I thought it might be fun to muse a little about the enduring charm of the old school thriller epitomised by this absolute classic, as well as talking about the book itself.
If you have followed my reviews in the past, you will know that I sometimes talk about the way my reading preferences were shaped by the huge collection of wartime classics that my father had collected. Having worked my way through the usual childhood classics, it wasn't long before I began to cut my literary teeth on such delights as Reach for the Sky by Douglas Bader, The Cruel Sea by Nicholas Monsarrat, The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk and the like, and consumed as much Nevil Shute as I could get get my mitts on (if you haven't read any of his epic books, you really should, especially A Town Like Alice). Ok, perhaps some scenes were a bit strong for a child of tender years, but I was fascinated by them, and they were great stories.
It wasn't until my mid teens that along with the wonderful selection of bonk busters from Jackie Collins and Shirley Conran, and the horrific delights of Stephen King and James Herbert, I discovered my passion for an old school thriller.
What created this passion I hear you ask? Well, of course, it was the incredible Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth! I was way too young to have read it on publication in 1971, but by the mid 1980s Forsyth was firmly on my reading menu. I went on to read many more of Forsyth's books and have loved them all - The Odessa File is probably my favourite, but the bar was set very high indeed by this book. My head was turned, dear reader, and it has led to a love that has lasted a lifetime. Following it in its wake have been hundreds of old school thrillers, from different authors, but today we will stick to Forsyth.
I thoroughly enjoy a thriller jammed with cutting edge hi-tech gadgetry, satellite imagery and as much futuristic magic as possible, but the enduring appeal of the old school thriller where the characters have to rely on their wits alone cannot be denied. If we are talking cat and mouse games, tatty paper files, reel to reel surveillance tapes, clunky listening devices, grainy black and white photographs, and agents lurking on street corners then it's definitely for me. Whether you are rooting for the good guy or the bad guy, or even if you cannot tell the difference in the grand scheme of things, it matters not a jot, because what makes it compelling is the requirement for cracking, character led stories to hold the interest of the reader - as evidenced by this very book.
Perhaps you think this is old fashioned? I think Lee Child, who has written the insightful introduction to this 50th anniversary edition extolling his love for the book would disagree - especially given the appeal of his 'off the grid' hero Jack Reacher.
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So, what about the book itself? It was a joy to revisit The Day of the Jackal - Forsyth's debut work of fiction, that he wrote in double quick time, and is considered by many to have broken the thriller mould.
France 1963: A highly skilled, and anonymous, professional assassin is hired to kill the president of France, Charles de Gaulle, by a group of former military types who feel he has betrayed them over his decision to grant independence to Algeria.
By accident, the plot is discovered by French Intelligence and the cat and mouse game begins to track him down and stop him from completing his mission, but how do you stop a highly capable killer without a name or identity?
This is a beautifully descriptive and intense book, with an incredible feel of time and place. It goes into great detail from both sides of the manhunt, with oodles of well researched information about intelligence protocols and the life and times of a professional assassin that really show off Forsyth's credentials as an investigative journalist.
Forsyth does not shy away challenging your sense of right and wrong as the story unfolds, and leaves you to decide who earns your allegiance here - for me, I always want the assassin to succeed, but Forsyth makes no judgement either way and he makes a good case for both sides of the argument. Of course, I am not about to tell you the outcome, but be assured that the journey towards the gripping climax is about as entertaining as it gets.
This is a thriller in every sense of the word, as fresh and engrossing as the first time I read it all those years ago. I urge you to take a chance on an oldie and experience the words of a master of the genre, no matter how old they now are - who knows you may develop a taste for and old school thriller too? I am happy to provide further recommendations if you do!
The Day of the Jackal 50th anniversary edition is available to buy now from your favourite book retailer.
Thank you to Penguin UK for sending me a copy of this book in return for a honest review.
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