The Day of the Jackal in SSG: Spy/Spec-Ops Group

May 03, 2013 Samuel rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

THE GREATEST HIT

"One shot. One kill".- US Army Sniper motto.

Frederick Forsyth. In terms of thriller writers, he's one of the greats or perhaps the great modern thriller writer. A journalist by trade, Forsyth made his name working in France and the slowly disintegrating republics of Cold War era Africa. It was in the latter where while reporting on the Nigerian civil war, he ran afoul of the British establishment for supporting the secessionist Biafra province in stark contrast to British forei THE GREATEST HIT

"One shot. One kill".- US Army Sniper motto.

Frederick Forsyth. In terms of thriller writers, he's one of the greats or perhaps the great modern thriller writer. A journalist by trade, Forsyth made his name working in France and the slowly disintegrating republics of Cold War era Africa. It was in the latter where while reporting on the Nigerian civil war, he ran afoul of the British establishment for supporting the secessionist Biafra province in stark contrast to British foreign policy which backed the central government. Eventually returning to England, Forsyth noted that since he was broke, he should write a novel. He did so in 30 days, using what he had learned in journalism. What resulted was a book which has defined modern thriller writing for decades, creating many tropes, conventions and expectations the majority of thriller writers since have drawn upon. The Day Of The Jackal. The influence of this book on the spy/political/conspiracy thriller genre cannot be overstated. Brad Thor didn't create faction. Forsyth did, his book wowing audiences with a look behind the curtain into a shadow universe populated by criminals, spies and unscrupulous politicians who existed among us in real life. Tom Clancy may have taken the genre into the realm of a geopolitical Wagnerian epic, but Forsyth set down the principles all non military/intelligence/law enforcement personnel turned writers must follow. Research. Do your homework on the subject matter. Check out the places where you set your book. Or develop contacts with experts and sources who can give you pointers on the real world details which factor into your narrative. Having made friends with many professional mercenary soldiers, criminals and during a stint at reuters, President Charles De Gaulle's security detail, Forsyth was well prepared to write about one of the great what-if novels of all time, and create the most iconic contract killer in the thriller genre.

The plot and outcome are already known. So for here, I'll be brief. It's the 1960's. The OAS terrorist group which wishes to bring about a conservative/nationalist coup in France due to the destruction of France's colonial empire is on the back foot. This is because of the then SDECE deploying the world's first intelligence service run paramilitary unit, the "Action Service". With the action service engaging in a campaign of assassination and rendition targeting the terrorists, the OAS decides it's time to go nuclear and finds itself a professional killer to pull off the impossible. Kill President Charles De Gaulle, the man who they believe has betrayed France. But like all jobs, it's not easy. Having an extensive law enforcement infrastructure at its disposal and Europe's best close protection detail, the French government seemingly has all bases covered. Except a few. They don't know the contract killer exists. They don't know what he is capable of. They don't know when he's coming. And by the time they do, the hunter may be in place to take down his prey.

In terms of plot, while technology and events have changed (the author noted this himself in a new edition of the book), The Day Of The Jackal holds up quite well due to the excellent structure. Methodical, yet throwing in curveballs for the characters with increasing frequency, forcing them to adapt, while we know the outcome, each new plot development will keep the reader on their toes, asking how The Jackal or his hunters are going to overcome the new hurdle that's been thrown down. The settings are also well done and accurate. Forsyth lived in France for a time and the locations which The Jackal goes to when doing a recce on the best area to make his killing are geographically correct. He also gives us a trip into the 1960's underworld of Western Europe, the center of the spider's web being the innocent looking Belgium, packed full of gunsmiths, forgers and other professional criminals who exist below the seemingly benign facade of civilization.

It's that dichotomy of a darkness co-existing with mere mortals which also make Forsyth unique. His worldview is not of the Ian Fleming school, but instead far more brutally honest about the moral ambiguity which exists, especially today. There are no boy scouts. There are only the quick and the dead. The competent or the incompetent. No idealists. Only realists In a Forsyth book, most of the characters have to leave whatever principles(if any) at the door because they don't matter in a world where there is no substitute to victory. There are very few heroes among Forsyth's characters. Almost all of them, especially The Jackal, have bathed their hands in blood. And the few that are aren't your glamorous/rugged spy/soldier, but more down to earth and far more intelligent. Brains, not brawn is the name of the game, along with a good plan which comes together.

The real star of the show however is the research. Others authors(even Ian Fleming) experimented with adding real world details into their work. But not to the awe-inspiring extent and accuracy Forsyth did. His work has set the bar/standard which all spy/military/geopolitical authors who have come after him must reach if they wish to be taken seriously. Take for example the operating procedure of The Jackal. He doesn't go buy some rifle off the shelf and immediately head off to France expecting to blow his target's head off. He does his homework on his target's routines, brainstorms the best method to make the killing, enters France covertly with a forged passport and then does a recce of potential locations to conduct the hit. And that's only the tip of the iceberg regarding the man's preparations. It's no small wonder why the perpetrators of three real life political killings have used this book for pointers on how to commit their own murder attempts.

Apart from that, we also have a pretty impressive look at law enforcement in 1960's France, (presumably courtesy of Forsyth's buddies running French Presidential security.) You think post-9/11 America went down a dark road? You ain't seen nothing yet. The French unjustly get slapped with the "cheese eating surrender monkey" label. It couldn't be further from the truth. Most people think Mossad created the paramilitary side of the espionage game. Nope, it was the French. Meet the Action service, a group which still exists under the DGSE. Before the world had heard of Jack Bauer or Mitch Rapp, these were the guys dealing death to the enemies of the French state, breaking laws to preserve the democracy they served for the greater good. And in The Day Of The Jackal, we get to see the sort of thing, they're capable of, in scenes more brutal than a "24" Season.

Now, characters. This is the main criticism of the novel. First of all, Frederick Forsyth's work is not about character development. It never was, considering each of his books is a closed loop/stand alone story. Want decent psychological depth? Tom Clancy and John Le Carre serve that up in spades. However, never fear, even if they seem a bit more shallow than modern thriller characters, The Day Of The Jackal is primarily a story between two titans, whose conflict is the driving force behind the plot.

Meet The Jackal. The sort of contract killer with the best odds of executing a complex political killing. No name. No past. No future. He could be an Englishman, a German or an American. He could have toppled a dictatorship in his first contract. He could be a mercenary who has decided to take on more interesting prey in Europe. Who knows? The only thing you really need to know is that he's bloody good at what he does for a living. The ultimate consummate professional in other words. While undeniably a decent shot and fighter, that pales into comparison with his phenomenal planning abilities. With what the job entails, it's not going to be a simple sort of plan. But being capable of adapting to changing circumstances allows The Jackal to make it work up to the point he's within range of the target. However, as the old US Military saying goes "plans don't survive first contact with the enemy", and that, combined with neglecting one insignificant detail leads to his downfall.

Next, we have Inspector Claude Lebel. Middle aged, unglamorous and held in contempt by the politicians who put him in charge of investigating the incoming threat, he's the polar opposite of the modern day spy/counter-terrorist thriller character. But having the face of a nobody has advantages, namely hiding his intelligence. His storyline has a lesson of sorts. While the French law enforcement infrastructure, especially the SDECE with all its strength flails impotently, he succeeds where they fail, using solid investigative work to pick apart The Jackal's contract in a methodical fashion. This is best exemplified during the climax. While the presidential security team stacks insurmountable meat-shields around De Gaulle, Lebel, knowing The Jackal would have had to come early, systematically begins checking the windows of the buildings around the area, which ultimately saves the day.

So, overall, while dated, and perhaps not as enlivening as other conspiracy/political thrillers which have come after it (due to the slower pacing and characterization), I have to say this. You cannot call yourself a fan of spy/political/conspiracy thrillers if you have not read "The Day Of The Jackal." It is perhaps the most influential book in thriller writing history. Brad Thor said fiction had to make sense. The Day Of The Jackal is the first thriller novel to make this idea an expectation for readers around the world. You might not need to be a former soldier/spy/cop to write a novel. But you must do your homework to make one successful. It might be fiction at the end of the day. But as Forsyth proved with an assassin, a cold day in Paris and a shot that would have made history, the facts can make fiction even better.

MOST CERTAINLY RECOMMENDED. ...more

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