Product Description
An extraordinary cutting-edge thriller from the New York Times-bestselling grandmaster of international suspense.

Meticulous research, crisp narratives, plots as current as today's headlines-Frederick Forsyth has helped define the international thriller as we know it. And now he does it again.

What if you had carte blanche to fight evil? Nothing held back, nothing off the table. What would you do? For decades, the world has been fighting the drug cartels, and losing, their billions of dollars making them the most powerful and destructive organizations on earth. Until one man is asked to take charge. Paul Devereaux used to run Special Operations for the CIA before they retired him for being too ruthless. Now he can have anything he requires, do anything he thinks necessary. No boundaries, no rules, no questions asked.

The war is on-though who the ultimate winner will be, no one can tell...Amazon.com Review

Customer Reviews (54)

Awful Book
I am a fan of this author but this was one of the least interesting books I've ever read.And, this is a perfectly awful ending.If I had had any idea it would end like this I would never have read the book.In addition, I could not fully comprehend the role of the Cobra and his cohort in the book's last few pages.I do not recommend this book.

Worth my time
I read several thrillers each year, and I thought this was one of the better ones.It was plausible, creative, interesting, educational and it held my interest.

half non-fiction like documentary, half fiction, good read
still a very sharp writer with creativity and imagination. f.f. did it again. had to skip all the resumes of the characters appeared in this novel as usual to glide over the novel's structure as every book written by f.f. the scenario and the storyline are very believable and entertaining, if you could bear the non-fiction, documentary-like writing style of this great author. too many resumes and short bios of all the characters appeared in this novel had to be read just like the others written by f.f., it's his habit that you have to accept to read along, but it also served as part of the larger tapestry of a great story as always. the writing, as always, so smooth and so effortlessly to be absorbed. just wish all the non-fiction documentaries could be as readable as f.f.'s novels.

The Cobra
Well written, fast paced, smooth flowing story. Also very realistic storyline and plot. Looking forward to reading more of this authors works.

Riveting thriller
Forsyth is at the top of his form in this page-turning thriller about the cocaine trade.
This is one of the best books I've read in a while. The Cobra is a cool customer. ... Read more

Product Description
Attorney Calvin Dexter hangs his shingle in a quiet New Jersey town, has a reasonably successful practice, and takes the hills strong while triathalon training. But Dexter is no ordinary man.

***

The summer before he goes to college, Ricky Colenso travels to Bosnia to volunteer as an aid worker. A few weeks later, he disappears and is never heard from again. A family grieves and is offered little hope--in the fog of that horrible time and place, the killer, too, has vanished.

***

Or so it would seem. For in a world that has forgotten right and wrong, there are few like Cal Dexter who can settle the score. And so, years later, a worldwide chase is on and Dexter begins to draw a net around the killer. But this time CIA agent Paul Devereux must find a way to stop Dexter before his quest for vengeance throws the world into chaos.

***

A heart-stopping novel of murder and mystery, double-cross and triple-cross, old loyalties and new hatreds, Avenger has all of Frederick Forsyth's page-turning trademarks.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (113)

Well Told, but Sometimes it was Slow Going
It's been something like half an average lifetime between DAY OF THE JACKEL and AVENGER and Frederick Forsyth is still writing about international intrigue and spy type characters that are over the top and his reads are almost as good now as they were way back then. Almost, but not quite. AVENGER felt like a jumble of short stories that took place over that same third of a lifetime mentioned above. One chapter we're in the present, the next we're in the fifties, back to the present then to Vietnam, back to the present, back to Vietnam again. To add to the confusion you need a score card to keep track of all the characters and just when you get interested in one, all of a sudden, he's out of the story.

However the short stories that make up the chapters are all masterfully told and gripping and that does help keep us grounded and Mr. Forsyth does tie up everything at the end. Sometimes it was slow going though. All and all a four star read.

Excellent!
I read first line and knew i had read it before when it first came out 7 years ago. Didn't matter. As compelling and exciting as first time. I wish Forsyth wrote more books.

The utmost political clarity
Usually, I am not interested in vengeance stories, but this one is so intricate and credible that you eat it up to the end. The political background is impeccable. I am always impressed by Forsyth's understanding of politics. His one page account of the Yugoslavia drama is more accurate than anything you have read in the NYT.
It is always nice to read a great thriller, but when it comes from a great brain, you certainly get more for your money.

Some good entertainment
This is my third attempt at Forsyth after Fist and Jackyl. Jackyl is simply the best thriller I've ever read and Fist was too long and had too much exposition. This one is somewhere in between. The first part is incredibly tightly written, but part two goes overboard into exposition, reviewing history lessons about things I already know. It's paragraph after paragraph of basic modern history, with the only reward being the occasional quip at each paragraph's end. It's distracting and the time should have been used in other ways. Still, it is a fun read, but there will never be another Jackyl.

A first time reader who says "Get a grip!"
I'm a first time reader of Frederick Forsyth and about three quarters through "Avenger."I will definitely be reading more of his novels!I decided to check out the reviews before I continued to see what other readers had to say.Since I find this novel excellent and very informative about world history that for the most part always seems a little fuzzy and complicated, I thought it might be helpful to get some opinions of Mr. Forsyth's views brought about through the characters and circumstances of this novel.I looked at the negative views mostly as I always like to hear another side of an argument before I make up my mind what to believe.Without exception the naysayers claimed his writing was boring, trite, ridiculous character development, and generally too political or pushing his own interpretations of what's going on in our world today in regard to terrorism.I read a lot of books by a variety of authors and I totally do not agree Forsyth is a trite and boring author.James Patterson would be a good example as trite and poor character creations in his latest novel.J. Patterson used to write some wonderful fictional works, but no more!Anyway, in addition, I also believe terrorism cannot be dealt with through arbitration, negotiation, or any civil conversation between the terrorist and those he/she opposes.The events described in this book ring true in my understanding and Mr. Forsyth brings them clearly and succinctly together to tell a tale based in reality.Thank you, Mr. F.! All those who say he's all weak and wet in his writings and politically clueless, need to get a grip!" ... Read more

Product Description
On a grimy sidewalk in a defeated neighborhood, an old man is beaten to death. When a cop investigates, he finds two killers and a startling legacy of honor ... In a prestigious London art gallery an impoverished actor is swindled out of a fortune-until an eccentric appraiser hatches a delicious scheme for revenge... On an airplane high over war-torn Afghanistan, a passenger sends a note to the plane's captain, warning of suspicious behavior. But no one can guess who is really conspiring aboard the 747, or why...From the war-torn Italy to the Little Big Horn, from soldiers of fortune to victims of fate,The Veteran is a riveting experience in crime, heroism, and the kind of mano-a-mano duels-and surprising twists of fate-that are the hallmark of Frederick Forsyth at his very best.
Amazon.com Review
Penzler Pick, September 2001: Frederick Forsyth is known as the bestselling author of classic thrillers such as The Day of the Jackal and The Odessa File, among others. He is far less known as one of our premier short story writers (even though he won an Edgar for "There Are No Snakes in Ireland"), so it is a pleasure to have a new book from this superb storyteller.

"The Veteran" tells the story of an incident in one of the seedier parts of London. A Ugandan shopkeeper witnesses the mugging of a middle-aged man by two thugs. The shopkeeper has a perfect view of the crime so, when the man dies of his injuries, it would appear that the two thugs, now up on a murder charge, will be convicted. But justice does not always come easily, and it comes in many guises.

"The Art of the Matter" recounts an ingenious and deliciously satisfying art scam. The twists and turns are breathlessly entertaining and just when you think it's over, there's one more way for the bad guys to get their comeuppance. "The Miracle" tells the story of an American couple in Siena on their way to a festival. They are stopped when a stranger tells them the story of the courtyard in which they stand. Some very wonderful things happened right there during the Second World War. Will the couple get to the festival? Will they care?

"The Citizen" is a heart-stopping suspense story set on board a flight from Bangkok to London. We get to know the flight crew and some of the passengers very well, and they are not all who they might appear to be. And "Whispering Wind," the longest story in the book, is a very ambitious piece about the Battle of Little Big Horn and what came later for several of the participants.

Each of the stories in this volume is Forsyth in top form. The writing exceeds expectations, the stories are never less than compelling, and the suspense in each of them is nonstop. --Otto Penzler ... Read more

Customer Reviews (45)

The last story was terrible

First time i 've read the author with short stories. 3 Stars and well spaced out interms of believablity and holding one's interest.
An exception is the last storyin the book. Hard to believe an writer of Forsyth ability could pen such drivel.
Over the top to say the least. Not close to his quality.If i didn't know better i would suspect he borrowed it from some 5 th grader.
TThrasher

An entertaining and well written collection of short stories
When I came across this collection of short stories, I was aware of Fredrick Forsyth and some of his most famous books, including The Day of the Jackal, but I had never actually read any of his work.I decided to pick up The Veteran thinking if I don't like the first story, I won't bother reading the rest.It did not take very long for me to be drawn into Forsyth's web of suspense, intrigue and twisted view of justice.Needless to say, I ended up reading and enjoying every story in the collection.

Besides each tale being well crafted, engaging, and and entertaining, I enjoyed the unlikely and often unpredictable plot surprises thrown at the reader in the last few lines of each selection.I also appreciated the variety of the stories and unmistakable amount of research that Forsyth must have done to make each piece believable and accurate.

Reading this book has also made me eager and excited to read more of Forsyth's other offerings. If you enjoy stories with interesting characters, international flavor, and a sense of surprise at the end, this may be the book you've been looking for.

Samples from a master
These five stories, ranging from weak to strong, are nevertheless the unmistakable craft of a master storyteller. The words flow from the page as if spoken aloud in a quiet firelit room by someone accustomed to entertaining a rapt audience.

Forsyth, like a distinct cuisine, should be sampled, and this collection is the perfect opportunity to do so. Not all the stories will be appealing, but they are all masterful.

Dusted-off odd bits
The only relevant thing you really need to know about THE VETERAN, especially if you buy it, as I did, thinking it a single story, is that it's a compendium of five shorts. The fifth chapter, "Whispering Wind", is perhaps a novelette as it comprises roughly 40% of the 344-page volume.

Two of the stories were previously published, which suggests that Frederick Forsyth's publisher asked him to scour his odds bin for material to flesh out a profitable new release. Or perhaps the author just needed something to forestall the demands of his publisher made cranky by a delay in the contractual delivery of a feature-length novel. Or maybe Forsyth just needed an infusion of funds to refurbish his home's loo.

All five tales revolve around a veteran of some profession or another: "The Veteran" (British Para trooper), "The Art of the Matter" (bit-part actor), "The Miracle" (WWII Wehrmacht medical officer), "The Citizen" (British drug enforcement cop), "Whispering Wind" (19th century U.S. Seventh Cavalry scout).

All stories were above average in their ability to engage and retain my interest even so far as to attract my attention between snaps during yesterday's USC-Notre Dame football contest. (USC 38, Irish 3. Fight on!) All five had a plot twist, and the author's attention to detail gave added value. In particular for those with no prior knowledge of Custer's Last Stand in 1876 in the present state of Montana, Forsyth's summary of the U.S. Army's greatest defeat at the hands of the native tribes provides a very nice introductory overview.

The first four stories take place in more or less the present and, unlike the fifth and last, completely exclude any paranormality. This sudden change in direction may be slightly disconcerting, much like finding an otherworldly Sci-Fi plot rounding out a collection of sagebrush Western shoot-'em-ups.

THE VETERAN is the perfect accompaniment for that flight home for the holidays or the wait through the wash and spin cycles at the launderette.

The Veteran

The Veteran by Frederick Forsyth is by far my favorite author and I may be therefore biased. However, this is a collection of short stories which are captivating as well as extraordinary. The reader will be pleasantly pleased with each delivers. I highly recommend this book as well as all his books. T.Ware ... Read more

Product Description
When British and American intelligence discover an al Qaeda operation in the works, they enlist undercover imposter Colonel Mike Martin to pass himself off as Taliban commander Izmat Khan. But nothing prepares Martin for the dark and shifting world into which he is about to enter-or the terrible things he will find there. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (142)

A Good Airport Thriller and Not Much More
This is not Forsythe's best. In fact it may be his worst. But even then, it was a good read. I couldn't go to sleep. I simply had to finish it. Its almost like Forsythe wrote it hoping some Hollywood producer picks it up in the airport.

I agree with A. Ross that it is full of factual mistakes. And Cambodia does have a sea port in Kompong Som. That's just one factual error that didn't get past me. The Afghan impersonator was flat and devoid of humanizing characteristics. Similar to the Jackal in stoic character but Forsythe is the all-knowing narrator who can't get into the heart and emotion of a man on a suicide mission. As readers of the reality show generation, we need more bite and conflict from our heroes. Look at what they did with James Bond. Nice bit on Baluchistan. I don't get much coverage on the region. Made me look up everything about the place.

Its a good yarn and its very exciting. Makes good reading for an 18-hour lay-over. Definitely not worth building a book club on. I await the movie so I can be very disappointed about it.

Boring
After reading Cobra by the same author, I expected much more from The Afghan.I was very disappointed to find a book of almost non stop descriptive geography and no dialog or action.I can't emphasis enough how boring this book was (unless you are just looking for a geography lesson.)

It's missing something
When I was reading this book, it looked to me the same sort of history as "The Day of the Jackal" updated to current world wide events. Although the perspective of the story is now inverted, it didn't have any surprise at all. It's a nice story but not one of the most interesting that I've ever read, it seems that is missing something. If you like the international thrillers as I do,you may enjoy it in your spare time.

Another Masterpiece from Mr. Forsyth
In yet another wonderful book, Mr. Forsyth covers international terrorism at its best. In this book, British and American intelligence agencies receive a terrible message: an Al-Qaeda strike is imminent. But they have no clue when, where and who will cause the strike. There is no clear clue. Security authorities do not have sources of information inside Osama bin Laden's organization. It is impossible to infiltrate someone from the western hemisphere, unless...
Izmat Khan is an afghan and he is a high official from the Taliban. He has been held at Guantanamo prison for five years. Colonel Mike Martin is a veteran with 25 year experience at the most dangerous war places in the world. He is a British official, born and raised in Iraq. In a try to avoid the attack, the intelligence services will try what nobody ever thought about doing: they will try to make Mike Martin impersonate Izmat Khan.
If ou are picky, you will find minor flaws on how Mike is examined bythe Taliban guys to find out if he really is Izmat or if he is lying... but generally speaking, this is another masterpiece from the master of suspense. If you like to read in the edge of your seat, this is the book you cannot miss in your permanent library. It took me around 13 hours to read this book. I give it a 5 stars.

Well researched but flawed plot
In "The Afghan", Forsyth again shows he's done his research well. The plot has a retired soldier, Mike Martin, assuming the identity of an Afghan Guantanamo Bay inmate to go undercover in Al Qaeda to learn about a planned terrorist attack and try to stop it. As it happens, Martin and the Afghan met several years ago in Afghanistan. This subplot is described in a lengthy flashback that, while relevant to the plot, slows down the pace of the novel; not until halfway into the book does the main story really get started. Later in the book, there's an extremely implausible subplot that adds nothing to the story. Overall, "The Afghan" is a well researched novel that's doesn't quite live up to its possibilities. ... Read more

Product Description
From the bestselling author of The Day of the Jackal, internationalmaster of intrigue Frederick Forsyth, comes a thriller that brilliantlyblends fact with fiction for one of this summer's--or any season's--mostexplosive reads!

From the behind-the-scenes decision-making of the Allies to the secret meetings of Saddam Hussein's war cabinet, from the brave American fliers running their dangerous missions over Iraq to the heroic young spy planted deep in the heart of Baghdad, Forsyth's incomparable storytelling skill keeps the suspense at a breakneck pace.Somewhere in Baghdad is the mysterious "Jericho," the traitor who is willing--for a price--to reveal what is going on in the high councils of the Iraqi dictator.But Saddam's ultimate weapon has been kept secret even from his most trusted advisers, and the nightmare scenario that haunts General Schwarzkopf and his colleagues is suddenly imminent, unless somehow, the spy can locate that weapon--The Fist of God--in time.

Peopled with vivid characters, brilliantly displaying Forsyth's incomparable, knowledge of intelligence operations and tradecraft, moving back and forth
between Washington and London, Baghdad and Kuwait, desert vastnesses and city bazaars, this breathtaking novel is an utterly convincing story of what may
actually have happened behind the headlines. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (80)

Two sharing a thriller
I bought this book, The Fist of God, ten years ago and brought it along on a sailing trip to the San Juan Islands (Washington state). I was immediately engrossed!Unfortunately, my husband didn't have a book along for the trip. On the second day he picked up FOG and started reading it while I was making dinner. For the next week we both shared the book for 1-hour at a time inbetween doing our sailing chores. The plot was so tight, the characters so real and well written that frequently we were fighting over whose turn it was to read THE BOOK. We finished the book after a week of staying up until midnight. Since that trip we bought another Fist of God (hardback)book as well so we never have to share reading it again. This is a book that belongs in the library of every lover of current world events, thrilling writing with a heart stopping plot.

It's more of a Magazine article then a book
When I get a book, I accept to read a story, not a collection of news paper articles.
So you start to read the plot, it seems OK. But then we get into a long background political description
regarding some middle east or USA military or what ever.
It could be OK for the 1st 50-100 pages, but it goes on and on through the all book.
Give me the story. I already know all the politics. I read news papers , so why do I have to re-read it in your book ?
You needed to fill up more pages ?
I just gave up on page 220.

One of the best novels I've ever read.
The Fist of God is an amazing novel. The Day of the Jackal is a classic, but I think this tops it. It is a most intriguing novel with a great plot.

Like many other Forsyth novels, this brings in factual history and mixes a fictional thriller into it.
If you don't know history well (particularly during the American-Iraq conflict in the 90s), do not fret. You may actually learn a bit and be treated to a great story. Forsyth does not just throw you into this story, he introduces everybody and everything.

The only downside of this novel is that it is not linear at all. Expect a lot of jumping around in locations and occasionally, times. You may question the introduction of some characters, but fear not, the story is wrapped up very very well, and no character goes left unmentioned.

Forsyth's style is very much apparent in The Fist of God. Mini-cliffhangers are aplenty, and you will not want to put this book down. There is a bit of military specifications, so if you are a military buff, you will enjoy the much researched information described in this novel, as well as the action.

insanely heavy
This is, without a shadow of a doubt, a suspense novel of the highest extreme.It's so suspenseful that you won't be able to put it down.I don't know how much of it is realistic and what's not- all I know is that I was totally attached to this book for several weeks and unable to put it down.A MUST read.

Spellbinding
As usual, Frederick Forsyth keeps you wondering what's going to happen next, and the end has a surprising twist.No one can write about espionage as well.Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
The Jackal. A tall, blond Englishman with  opaque, gray eyes. A killer at the top of his  profession. A man unknown to any secret service in the  world. An assassin with a contract to kill the  world's most heavily guarded man.

One  man with a rifle who can change the course of  history. One man whose mission is so secretive not  even his employers know his name. And as the  minutes count down to the final act of execution, it  seems that there is no power on earth that can stop  the Jackal. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (136)

Killer Book!
Just so you know, my review will not ruin it for you. The Day of the Jackal is a very fun book to read. The craftiest operations I couldn't ever imagine went into the Jackal's assassination mission. It's possible to even admire the Jackal so much tempting one to wish him success in his mission. The detective work was just as clever. Some things that were not adding up get resolved in the conclusion, saving the story from not making sense and keeping it realistic.

I read it every year...
I'm not an international spy/assassination-plot "blockbuster" reader.I love quirky books by quirky, literary authors.However, "Jackal" has drawn me back again and again, and I figure I must read it at least once a year year, and then find myself following up with the excellent film, to see if it depicts new things (I always find)in the re-reading.I'm almost finished with it again this year and I can't believe that I it feels like an entirely different, yet still fabulous, book!That tells it's a possiblemasterpiece, a work of art that never ceases to be fresh and thought-provoking. One learns so much about history, geography, guns, European automobiles, the art of disguise, how French security works at the top; Charles DeGaulle's personality;French and British rivalry/loyalty, the OAS, the Corsican underground, etc. etc.What separates it from other thrillers of its kind are 1.) the brilliant plot and 2.) the intricate, astutecharacter studies. Best of all are those of the fabulous Jackal himself, and the unprepossessing, dogged detective who never crumples under the exhausting pressure to catch a complete unknown. However, even the slightest characters are well-crafted, which is what sets this novel apart from others in its genre, which I find rather cliche'd and clumsy when it comes to assigning physical features, motives and psychological texture/depth. If you are reading it for the first time, don't expect to do much work for the next few days, and if you are a slow reader, rejoice! This book is best stretched over time, because once you've finished it, there's really no other quite as delicious. On the other hand, you can always read it again...and again.

Amazing thriller
This review shall be short and sweet, as most everything that needed to be said probably was.

I loved this book, it is definitely one of my top 3 books ever.
The Day of the Jackal basically pits an ingenious assassin, the Jackal, against an ingenious detective, Claude Lebel, in a race against time. The details within this plot (which is intriguing in itself) really make this novel shine, and I love how everything will finally connect at different parts of the story. You may find yourself scratching your head with the sudden introduction of some new characters (like I did), but reading on a few chapters, it will all reveal itself naturally like a good thriller should.

I'll conclude by quoting the inside jacket of my version of this book, which sums up my review:
"That everyone knows President de Gaulle ultimately died a natural death does not for an instant detract from the die-cut reality of this driving and remarkable novel of terror, suspense, human malevolence, and triumph. Let any skeptic begin and he will soon be hooked and then enthralled".

One of the best thrillers ever written
Frederick Forsythe's classic work is a gripping page-turner from beginning to end. The story is about an assassin hired to kill French President Charles de Gaulle, and his planning and painstaking attention detail that makes this thriller tower over others of this type. Forsythe's book takes the reader on a tour of several European capitals as the jackal prepares to cash in on the piggest payday of his career. Although the top security services in the world are on the alert hor him, the jackal eludes the net and positions himself for the big hit in Paris as the target day approaches. The unabridged audiobook is read by Richard Brown, who gives a superb narrative of the events and characters in this exciting novel.

A gripping and exciting thriller
"The Day of the Jackal" is one of the most famous political thrillers. The plot centers on an assassination attempt on the French president Charles De Gaul in the early 1960s by a group of right-wing extremists who were disillusioned by his "abdication" of Algeria. Their own plots invariably fail, so they decide to hire an outsider, a professional assassin for this enormously difficult task. The assassin, a British citizen, happens to be extremely good at what he does as well as extremely expensive. In order to ensure the highest level of secrecy even his contractors only know him by the codename "The Jackal." The Jackal is very professional and methodical in his approach, and seems to leave almost nothing to chance. The methods that he uses are described with an incredible attention to details, and according to some reports many of them had been used in various criminal endeavors. This provides the novel with a very high level of credibility that has rarely been matched before or since.

The novel overall has aged remarkably well. Aside from a few quaint details that can bring a slight smile (hardly anyone today thinks of international phone calls or travel as very glamorous or sophisticated), most of the technical and organizational details would not be out of place even now. The narrative style can at first seem a bit scholarly and somewhat detached, but as the novel progresses it starts to feel more and more natural and appropriate for the era at which the action takes place as well as for the plot line itself. The novel takes you on a very exciting and gripping ride, and after not too long becomes impossible to put down. It is certainly one of the best crafted thrillers that I had ever read. ... Read more

Product Description
Russia faces famine. The Soviets are forced to  pin their hopes for survival on the U.S. But as  the KGB and the CIA watch in horror, the rescue of a  Ukrainian freedom fighter from the Black Sea  unleashes savagery that endangers peace--and plunges  leaders from Washington to Moscow into a web of  overwhelming intrigue, terror, and suspense. Only two  lovers can save the world from nuclear  destruction. Yet every way out means certain death. and the  countdown has already begun. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (31)

Not Free SF Reader
Cold war crop war.


A story involving Ukrainian anti-Soviet agitators, as well as a food crisis in the Soviet union.A crop disease leaves the Soviets with a serious shortage, and the US sees an opportunity to help out, while getting some things they want in return.

Politburo hardliners don't want to do this deal with the Western devil, advocating invading some European countries and taking it by force.

A plucky MI6 contact and a Russian woman he has a relationship with try to do something about it.

A compelling plot, idea, and formula
Freddie Forsyth has been around for years but I only read day of the Jackal, my first Forsyth, in 2005 during the Ashes. I'm a cricket man myself, but I could not put the book down. I've tried to read the thrillers in sequence since then, and this I rank alongside ' Jackal as his best at this point in the chronology. All four so far, however, are outstandingly good reads.

The plot here is multi-stranded, and its cracked open progressively like a complex and clever cypher. Each twist has knock-on consequences. There is a real sense of a timebomb ticking away with nobody knowing how long until detonation or how sensitive the explosive is.

Like other Forsyth novels (to this point certainly), it is male dominated and driven by ultra-dedicated professionals in a mysterious world unknown to most. The forensic detail adds compellability and one wonders if Forsyth was the chief founder of this documentary style.It certainly works for his writing: clipped, brisk, focused. Not a word wasted.

For all its hard-nosed focus on matters of real politique, busy activity about terrorism and espionage, and the well-drawn characters who populate the Cold War, the most compelling elements are nevertheless human ones, in short, two mini love stories. It is these the reader most cares about. The power of the personal to stir empathy is immense and Forsyth cleverly keeps these plot lines to the end to resolve. The novel transcends its time in this way.

Forsyth is very much an anatomist of power. The interweaving of the plotlines could not be more skilful and his advance plotting of the novel must in itself have been a military skill of some accomplishment. The details break down slowly like a disprin and take increasing effect. You genuinely marvel at how options are cut down for escaping from the enormity of the threat that Forsyth's central dilemma poses. This repeats the formula of his previous novels: tense and detailed build ups with a last minute denoument.

There are one or two blemishes on the paintwork. Those who know Forsyth a little will see his personal politics betrayed here, unfortunately, but this is not a cardinal sin. His failure to develop any female characters in the four novels I have read so far leaves a small question mark (but also, does he need to? I suspect so, maybe more so after this story which was written in 1979). One or two small details are not fully resolved at the close, such as Thor's wife, but this is fine as Forsyth knows the reader's imagination will bridge the gap. He does handle the final scene with apolomb and I shed a tear at this and one other scene. Big softy, me.

The pace of the novel is relentless; it's really hard to put down. The pretext of the novel is in itself both intruiging and terrifying. Truly Forsyth must be the master of this form of literary writing. Michael Crichton, in a different genre, appears to have adapted it successfully, but it is a very demanding approach. It asks a lot of the reader too. This one, like his others, repays the effort.

The Best of the Best
I have read his work for years.Bought this so my son had something else to read beside Star War books.This is his best!!

One awesome, yet slow at times, thriller
As someone else mentioned, this has a very tense suspense that is revealed at the last page...

The books starts off fine, goes on in a fast mood till about 200 pages, where it hits a bump. For another 50-100 pages its really slow with mind numbing details (like latitudes you never care about, places you never heard of and thought existed in Mars, and other really boring details). But once you are past about 250-300 pages, you really can't put the book down.

It tells stories happening simultaneously in America (White House), Britain (the SIS), Britain/Ukraine, and Russia. Forsyth brings his talent from "The Day of the Jackal" here to present an engaging story (except for the above mentioned shortcomings).

You will really learn too much about the political structures in Russia and America (by the middle of it, you will love America/Britain so much that you will confirm with the opinions that Russia has (before '91) one hellhole of a political structure); you will also meet people of the calibre of Lebel/Jackal (or Sherlock Holmes/Moriarty for people who haven't read Forsyth's) in "Day of the Jackal" here, but slightly more cliched. Overall, you just have to hold on in the middle and turn a few pages as he mentions the really boring details of various things (like ships, guns, countries etc) that you probably will never use or never even care about.

Other than that, this book turns out to be one of the best ever written. The last 150 pages really deserve two or more readings and the last couple of pages surpass the combined talents of many suspense/mystery writers...


Some of the political ideas expressed in the book you may not subscribe to, but definitely is good enough to know.

One hell of a book, be prepared to ignore your work, etc to be sucked into this book....

Detente Turns Deadly
After turning spy fiction upside down with his first three novels, Frederick Forsyth took a lengthy breather before returning with this, his first foray into geopolitics. While dated in some ways with its Iron Curtain setting and talk of Ukrainian liberation, "The Devil's Alternative" remains a clever, fast-paced return to form by the then-young master.

As a grain mishap threatens the U.S.S.R. with famine, a British operative is contacted by a former lover who has access to transcripts of secret Politburo meetings. While U.S. and British leaders deliberate over their volatile contents, a Ukrainian partisan brings the emerging crisis to a flashpoint by hijacking the world's largest tanker just off Amsterdam.

What's missing in "The Devil's Alternative" is a compelling central narrative. Not that what's here isn't compelling, but unlike the earlier Forsyth novels, there isn't one clear lead character to follow. Adam Munro, the British agent in Moscow, comes closest, but his is but one of three stories Forsyth the ringmaster puts in front of us, and Munro is not present in the two most dramatic parts, that being the hijacking of the Freya and the deliberations in the Politburo as the premier tries to fend off a power grab by zealots bent on starting World War III.

This might disorient some looking for a more straightforward thriller, but what's here is good, solid spycraft, nicely layered with Forsyth's attention to detail. The Politburo material is especially terrific, even if it consists largely of talking heads and shuffling papers. Forsyth finds that believable level of real human tension in every situation.

"The Devil's Alternative" is very much a product of its time, pre-Reagan and the "Evil Empire" speech. The focus of President Matthews, a thinly-veiled Jimmy Carter, and his mostly dovish cabinet is to keep the peace with the USSR, even if it means giving the Russians millions of tons of grain in return for hollow arms concessions. Forsyth, who is sometimes described as politically to the right of Attila the Hun, demonstrates a surprising friendliness to this realpolitik-lite approach, though he may just be making his points in more subtle ways.

Forsyth's acerbic insight into the motivations of the central players is mercilessly acute: "In his time he had learned that, in principle, politicians have little enough objection to loss of life, provided that they personally cannot be seen publicly to have had anything to do with it."

This may also be the best book in demonstrating Forsyth's cleverness with storyline. Time and again, he sets the reader up for one action and then delivers another. Even when you expect a twist, Forsyth's way of delivering them is breathtaking. Bear down especially with the last chapter, as Forsyth turns over cards you didn't even know he was playing.

There are logic gaps, as other reviewers note, and the story drags a bit more than it should at the beginning. But those who keep reading will be amply rewarded. "The Devil's Alternative" is a good alternative to nearly any thriller published today. ... Read more

Product Description
Appearing before a panel of his peers, long-time field agent Sam McCready, known for an independent style that often drives him beyond the rules, must defend his unorthodox exploits or face termination. Reprint. NYT. K. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

First-rate stories of espionage
"The Deceiver" consists of four first-rate stories dealing with Cold War era espionage.While the characters (other than historical figures) and the incidents are presumably fictional, these stories have the usual Forsyth air of authenticity.

These stories are uniformly excellent. Forsyth artfully uses the format of an administrative hearing for a superlative British Cold War intelligence officer to tell the four separate stories that make up this collection.It works.These stories involve the old Soviet Union, the IRA, the Libyans, international criminals, and the Cubans.All well-told.

Highly recommended.

Probably the greatest two espionage novellas ever written.
The first two stories in this compilation of episodes from the colorful career of one Sam Mcready a.k.a "The Deceiver" are worth their weight in gold. The first one deals with a thrilling infiltration into East Germany with a variety of twists and turns. The second story details the defection of a senior KGB officer who creates a rift between the British MI6 and the CIA. The final two stories are more run-of-the-mill, but Forsyth fans will not be disappointed.

Secrets of a spy.
The Deceiver by Frederick Forsyth is a collection of four novellas all featuring Sam McCready, a veteran agent for the British Secret Intelligence Service.It's the waning days of the cold war and the SIS has made the decision to scale down its field operations.Consequently, McCready is targeted for early retirement.As a colleague argues before the powers-that-be to allow Sam to stay on as an active operative, four of his most interesting cases are reviewed one by one.

Pride and Extreme Prejudice takes place in 1981.Sam is handed the task of obtaining a top secret volume of classified military information from a high ranking Soviet army officer who is cooperating with the CIA.The turnover is to be made in East Germany.There's just one problem.The West German agent Sam has hired to make the pick up is a desperate man who will surely bring the mission to a disasterous end.A smartly told, suspenseful and satisfying tale of cold war intrigue.

The Price of the Bride also unfolds against the backdrop of the cold war.A colonel in the KGB defects to the CIA choosing to do so on British soil.As the compelling narative unfolds, doubts are raised as to the Russian's veracity.Sam McCready is there to skillfully ferret out the truth while the plot twists and turns almost to the breaking point.An intricate chess game of a story.

Novella number three is entitled A Casualty of War and takes place mostly on Cyprus.It revolves around a sinister collaboration between Libya's Colonel Qaddafi and the IRA.A series of terrorist attacks are to be carried out in England and McCready must act swiftly to prevent them from happening.The detailed descriptions of how terrorists and counterterrorists ply their respective trades are quite fascinating.

And lastly, A Little Bit of Sunshine has McCready visiting a tiny British colonial outpost in the Carribean.This novella differs from the other three in that it unfolds more as a whodunit with comic undertones than as a conventional spy story.

All in all, The Deceiver rates 4 stars.Fans of international thrillers will doubtlessly derive considerable enjoyment from reading it.

Gorby's Early Retirement Plan
Frederick Forsyth has penned a most unusual collection of spy tales here. In fact four episodes from the colorful career of Sam McCready, British spy master, are provided and well-crafted. The four tales cover about 10 years and every terrorist and criminal hub in the world, including Libya, Cuba, USSR, the IRA, and East Germany.

McCready has been deemed expendable, due to his unorthodox and outrageous tactics, in a post Cold War era by very high level political and civil service leaders.

The typical story line for a prehistoric cold war operative runs like this: Operate a high level Russian spy for many years in an uneasy collaboration with the CIA. Send an overweight, aged, hard drinking West German spy into East Germany to collect a package. With the help of retired smugglers, go yourself into East Germany to retrieve the package when the West German suffers a complete break-down. Of course this needs to be done without any official sanction from the British or West German, while the KGB is also on the trail of the Russian general. Clearly these tactics have no place in the post cold war 1990's, a time of seeming safety and tranquility at least until Iraq invades Kuwait in August 1990.

The fundamental premise here is that McCready has a legal right to a deparmental hearing as a sort of protest of his forced retirement. In the hearing the four spy tales are told. This is a very unusual construct and may not appeal to all. The tales are all good, but not good enough to stand alone as Forsyth novels, and are strangely unrelated, other than that they are four cases successfully solved by our hero. This is also a book for those like me, who love the technical minutae and operational details of the covert trade.

great Cold War espionage
Frederick Forsyth delivers thrilling tales of Cold War espionage in The Deceiver. The book is a collection of novellas that revolve around the career of one of British intelligence's most effective operatives. Unfortunately for that operative, he is being sent by the new administration into quiet retirement on the eve of the end of the Cold War. Using a committee review of that operative's career to link the individual episodes, Forsyth provides another entertaining character in thrilling spy tales. ... Read more

Product Description
Thesuicide of an elderly German Jew explodes intorevelation after revelation: of a Mafia-likeorganization called Odessa ...of a real-life fugitive known as the"Butcher of Riga"..of a young German journalisttumed obsessed avenger.......and, ultimately, of brilliant, ruthless plotto reestablish the worldwide power of SS massmurderers and to carry out Hitler's chilling"Final Solution." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (80)

Pleasantly surprised
This book sat on my shelf for about five years before I finally decided to read it. And I was definitely surprised at how well it was written. The story was strong with only moderate character development. It kept my interest, but in no way did it blow me away. But it did turn me on to Forsyth, so I'l be reading more of his material soon...

Amazing thriller
The Odessa File is an amazing novel. The story is great, the characters are strongly developed, and the finale, I think, is just as strong as the rest of the novel.
If you read The Day of the Jackal, you will find The Odessa File to be very similar in style, which is a great one with an intriguing plot, edge-of-your-seat action, and clever twists.

Another thing which I had previously noted in my review for The Afghan is also relevant with this novel; many parts of the story are based on facts, while many other parts are completely fictional. The line between fact and fiction in Forsyth's novels are blurred in such a way that the novel will have you start questioning history books.

I'd like to end on a 'Publisher's Note', which I found very interesting before beginning Chapter One of The Odessa File:
"As in the case of Mr. Forsyth's first novel, The Day of the Jackal, many characters in The Odessa File are real people. Some will be immediately recognized by the reader; others may puzzle the reader as to whether they
are true or fictional, and the publishers do not wish to elucidate further because it is in this ability to perplex the reader as to how much is true and how much false that much of the grip of the story lies."

Peter Miller has a big scoop
We are told that the best stories come from people that write about what they know. Therefore, if this story seems insightful it may be because Frederic Forsyth worked for Reuters reporting from London and he wrote the story in hotels from Germany to Austria. He mixes the real, not so real and the plausible to make you think "what if."
I do not want to say much as the fun is being surprised during the reading. However compared to the movie the book is much more in-depth with more characters and details. Manny times you think Forsyth is going off on some tangent and not focusing on the main story; then with out warning the information makes sense later on. One example to look for is the quick encounter with military maneuvers where he describes the tank sergeant.
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It is the night of the John F. Kennedy assassination. Peter Miller, freelance reporter in the process of chasing ambulances is disappointed by the apparent suicide of a person of no consequence.
Turns out the dead man is holocaust survivor Salomon Tauber; he left behind a diary of his experiences. Miller reads this diary and seems particularly interested in some details. This inspires him to do a story on what happed to prominent people that where in the "National Socialist German Workers' Party". His quest puts him at odds with many people including an organization, O.D.E.S.S.A, (Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen), that was designed to help the SS escape justice. He also encounters independent agents out for their own agenda. Then there is the MOSSAD. Everyone accuses Miller of having his own secret agenda and not just out for a story. Can they be right?
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Be sure to also watch the movie with famous actors that actually fit the characters from the book. Naturally a lot of information had to cut out and some sequence changes to fit the media. We still get the full speech from Eduard Roschmann (Maximilian Schell)

The Odessa File Starring: Jon Voight, Maximilian Schell

The Odessa File review
The Odessa File was a great book.It caught my interest with the first chapter.It was an interesting story with good characters.Also, the more I learned about the SS and Nazi's during WW2 and what they continued to do after the war, the more I know we need to continue to write more books on the subject and remind people of what happened and not let it happen again. It was a good suspenseful novel.I will definitely read more books written by Frederick Forsyth.

This guy is good
No spoilers

I know I'm a few decades behind the curve in terms of getting on-board with Frederick Forsyth, but the fact that his novels are still being read and that he's still attracting new readers (like me) says it all about is ability to craft and tell a story. After reading The Day of the Jackal and now The Odessa File, I'm officially a fan. Seeing as how you can get plot summaries here, I'll skip that part. What I will say is that this book had me hooked from the beginning and I hated to have to put it down. If it weren't for work and sleep, this book would've been a two-day affair, if that. Instead of breaking down what I like about this novel into detail, let me just save time by saying I loved everything about it, and you should get this and other Forsyth material right away. ... Read more

Product Description
In a remote corner ofZangaro, a small republic in Africa, lies CrystalMountain. At certain times of the day the mountainemits a strange glow. Only Sir James Manson knowswhy. The mountain contains ten billion dollar'sworth of the world's most valuable mineral,platinum. "Not only exciting but trulysurprising"--Atlantic. Now the only question is, how to gethold of it. Sir James knows how. Invade thecountry with a band of savage, cold-bloodedmercenaries. Topple the government and set up a puppetdictatorship. Unleash the dogs of war. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (47)

great book
a great book for those familiar with equatorial guinea and all the turmoil the country has been through.But a great read as far as aesthetic entertainment goes as well.How to stage a coup in a small country...

WOW
Book is just like new and fast delivery. I will buy from the seller aging!!My Sisters Keeper

You can always count on Forsyth
No spoilers

While I can say that this is not my favorite Forsyth book so far, that does not at all mean that I didn't enjoy it and that you shouldn't read it. Even though "Jackal" is still the best by far, The Dogs of War is quite entertaining and held my attention throughout. When it comes to espionage/underworld activities/mystery/thriller novels, Forsyth is the king. My only detraction from this book has to do with the ending. While I was reading it, I kept wondering how he was going to wrap the story up, and once he did I wasn't all that satisfied. However, that's obviously my opinion and hopefully you'll have a different one. Either way, I recommend this book and all the previous Forsyth novels as well.

catches the reader's attention
I am not a fan of action novels and this was quite unusual for me, but I decided to give "Dogs of War" a try. I was surprised, because I actually liked it.

The novel begins with an end of one of the African independence wars in the 1950's, when the mercenaries are leaving for Paris. The troop led by devilishly intelligent Cat Shannon is dispersed with the promise of getting back together when the new job comes up.

Meanwhile, in London, financial shark, Sir James Manson, discovers, that the samples from the Crystal Mountain in the fictional central African republic of Zangaro, contain not only trace amounts of tin, but a significant amount of platinum. He immediately hatches up a cunning plan to circumvent the permits and licenses, a plan calculated to make him very rich very soon. The plan involves the military coup in Zangaro... And for this he needs Cat Shannon.

The whole book is taken by the preparation for the coup and it is true, that it reads like an instruction. Logistics is the key, and it was a bit mundane to read about the calculations, expenses and prices of weapons. The coup itself is at the end, but it is brilliantly executed and not free from surprises.

The novel is quite conventional, but it caught my interest, I liked the character of Shannon, I disliked Sir James, all as it was supposed to be. I am not sure if I will see the movie (although it definitely is the perfect plot for the movie) because I think Christopher Walken is spooky and I do not want to change the image of Cat Shannon I have in my head after reading this novel. Definitely, I am ready for the more famous books by Forsyth now.

Excessive padding
I agree with the other reviewers who have given this book a low rating. This is definitely not one of Forsyth's better books.There is a very good short story lurking here, but the book is padded out with excessive amounts of non-essential logistics and accounting (and the fairly trivial sums involved make it seem extraordinarily dated).Promising plot twists-the murderous rival mercenary Roux, the competing Russian interest in African minerals, the factions competing for power in his fictional country- are given short shrift.The author was clearly deeply affected by his experiences in Biafra, but the story emphasizes only the incompetence and corruption of sub-Saharan Africa, and only in the very brief denouement do we get any hint of the idealism that also exists in the continent.Perhaps if the author had developed these and other sub-themes to their full potential the book would have justified its length.As it is, it looks very much like something written to satisfy contractual obligations. ... Read more

Product Description
H. G. Wells, Edgar Allan Poe, Richard Bach, Roald Dahl, Len Deighton and seven other famous writers explore the novelty, the adventure, and the skill of flying, in entertaining stories ranging from the fantastic to the factual. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Big fan of Frederick Forsyth
One of my favorite mystery-espionage writers.This is a change of pace from those stories. I fly for business and pleasure and his flying stories take you back to simplier times and places.

The Best Collection of Flying Short Stories Available
This is the best collection of shortstories related to flying in the market. It is a fantastic collection of stories from authors such as Frederick Forsyth, Len Deighton, Edgar Allen Poe, Capt. W. E. James, etc.You should definitely read this book ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Forsyth's first, and best, novels
Frederick Forsyth elevated the standard for the intrigue/thriller with his first three novels.The Day of the Jackal and the Odessa File are two of the best of the genre, even today. ... Read more

Product Description
Deception, blackmail, murder, revenge – these are the themes of stories that move from London to the coast of Spain, from Mauritius to Dublin to Dordogne. Whether his subject is assassination by stealth, the cruel confidence trick or the cold shock of coincidence, Frederick Forsyth is never less than compulsive, the detail always authentic. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

Meticulous, able, satisfying
Forsyth's method is almost formulaic. These stories are carefully planned, then meticulously realised. You can see how he has an idea, researches and/or thinks it through, then spells it out precisely, neither skipping nor wasting words. There's no ebullience or flights of wit, surrealism or insight. The characters are all described dispassionately, at a distance, and are frightfully British - reserved, self-controlled, non-demonstrative. A strange way to describe a book that includes several murders, blackmail over illicit sex, and even big game fishing, but Forsyth, while professionally conveying detail, doesn't write in order to make our heart beat faster.

However, he does write with an addictive slow burn. These stories aren't flashy, but they are satisfying and meaty. The twists are generally potent, and occasionally you have the added bonus of the little man surprisingly overcoming.

I first read this collection over twenty years ago, and it says something for the lasting impact of these stories that I could still clearly recall several of them:the irony of `No Comebacks' and `There are no snakes in Ireland'; the epic metamorphosis of `The Emperor'; and the delightful justice of `Privilege' have all stayed with me through the years.

It could be seen as dated, but I'd more see it as an able time piece: you can feel, for example, the 70s society so wonderfully pilloried by the Monty Python TV shows in these pages. Moreover the ideas for these stories (except, perhaps, `Sharp Practise', the weakest of the series: an (obvious) accomplice is hardly a shock twist) are consistently strong, and ably presented.

The Best Short Stories I've Read
Forsyth is a master of detail, encased in tight, fine prose. In this collection of short stories, his hallmark of fine fiction derived from real-life situations prevails in an assortment of unexpected, even surprising, tales mostly of ordinary people leading ordinary lives. Several command re-reading, especially "The Emperor", which women will hate and men will adore.

Don't Believe What You Hear."
In 'No Comebacks,' Mark found more than he bargained for when the Corsician assassin told him to strip.He had his public and 'professional' life, his private life, and his secret life -- none of which matched the London tycoon personna he projected.In his kind of fast lane wheeling and dealing, there are no comebacks, but he did not see this one coming.As in any kind of business, even radio, there are no comebacks from scandal.On air pranks and stunts are not acceptable at any time, and yet a group of incorrigibles got away with it free and clear.At least, they thought so, until a stranger entered their world with a mission of revenge.

In another story, there is a libel victim exacting sweet revenge.'A Careful Man' wasn't careful enough as he wandered around his meek neighborhood for his usual two-block walk.'There Are Some Days' and 'There Are No Snakes in Ireland' regardless to what you've heard are strange and different."You are not obliged to say anything, but anything you say will be taken down and may be used in evidence."He can write on many diverse subjects, even in French. Writing is magical. The empty page is where you start to put together the disparate parts of your life. Once you put it down on paper, you can figure out how all your plans can start to come together.Most writers are clearly aware of this unless they have the so-called writers' block.

Awesome
I loved the twist endings, some were funny, some insighrful, others a little boring, but the overall effect was good. Great writing style, and interesting enough plots for short stories and the irony of life.

Like Ten Shots From a Semi-Automatic
Very few writers are equally good at both novels and short stories.I will not leave you in suspense - Frederick Forsyth is a better novelist.That is not a problem, however, as his novels are strong enough that he can dip a bit below that level and still be quite good.NO COMEBACKS demonstrates this.

As one would expect from Forsyth, the stories in this collection often have either a violent or malicious undercurrent to them or explore the inner recesses of man's psyche.Many of the stories have a bit of a twist at the end, with some easy to see, others a bit harder, while still others appear to be apparent only to take a last minute swerve to somewhere else.My personal favorite is Money With Menace because it illustrates one of my favorite principles - you should not mess with someone even if he looks to be a sap because you never know when that other guy is tougher and nastier than you.The story Duty is out of place, which Forsyth acknowledges in a footnote.But as it is claimed to be true, I am glad it is included and the story did stay with me for a while after reading it.

Forsyth unfortunately tends to be far too technical with some of his descriptions.Usually this is easily overlooked but becomes irritating in the story The Emperor with its details of fishing equipment.I suppose, however, that one does not earn Forsyth's reputation without an eye for detail and one cannot blame a man for showing it.Get the book to read a story or two between larger and heavier books and you will not be disappointed. ... Read more

Product Description
From the master of the novel of international intrigue comes a riveting new book as timely and unsettling as tomorrow's headlines.

It is summer 1999 in Russia, a country on the threshold of anarchy.An interim president sits powerless in Moscow as his nation is wracked by famine and inflation, crime and corruption, and seething hordes of the unemployed roam the streets.

For the West, Russia is a basket case.But for Igor Komarov, one-time army sergeant who has risen to leadership of the right-wing UPF party, the chaos is made to order.As he waits in the wings for the presidential election of January 2000, his striking voice rings out over the airwaves offering the roiling masses hope at last--not only for law, order, and prosperity, but for restoring the lost greatness of their land.

Who is this man with the golden tongue who is so quickly becoming the promise of a Russia reborn?A document stolen from party headquarters and smuggled to Washington and London sends nightmare chills through those who remember the past, for this Black Manifesto is pure Mein Kampf in a country with frightening parallels to the Germany of the Weimar Republic.

Officially the West can do nothing, but in secret a group of elder statesmen sends the only person who can expose the truth about Komarov into the heart of the inferno.Jason Monk, ex-CIA and "the best damn agent-runner we ever had," had sworn he would never return to Moscow, but one name changes his mind.Colonel Anatoli Grishin, the KGB officer who tortured and murdered four of Monk's agents after they had been betrayed by Aldrich Ames, is now Komarov's head of security.

Monk has a dual mission: to stop Komarov, whatever it takes, and to prepare the way for an icon worthy of the Russian people.But he has a personal mission as well: to settle the final score with Grishin.To do this he must stay alive--and the forces allied against him are ruthless, the time frighteningly short....Amazon.com Review
Trapped in a snowbound cabin or on a long flight, there'snobody more reliable than Forsyth for guaranteed diversion. Hisnarrative engine is one of the best in the business; his charactersspring quickly to life; he blends research and imagination into highdrama. Icon is set in the Russia of 1999, where anultra-nationalist zealot you might recognize from Nightline isabout to become head of state. When his dangerous agenda leaks out, noWestern government wants to take action -- so a private task forceincluding ex-CIA agent Jason Monk is sent in to derail thedemagogue. It's all in the grand tradition of previous Forsythewinners, from The Day ofthe Jackal, The OdessaFile and The Dogs ofWar through The FourthProtocol and TheDeceiver. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (83)

Brillianly writtien and engrossing
This just might be my favorite novel of all time.It was completely engrossing, suspenseful and filled with intrigue.I found the interweaving of real life figures into this fictional work wonderful.

In Icon, Forsyth has created a world, very similar to ours, where the prevention of a world wide catastrophe is aided by a simple mistake. Someone left a document on a desk, the cleaning crew saw it, curiosity got the better of him and he read it.The words were shocking and horrifying, he did the only thing he could think of, he stole it and gave it to the British embassy.What follows is a cat and mouse game of intrigue where the person who wrote the document is attempting to destroy it while the other side is attempting to authenticate the document.Unwittingly, the acts to suppress the document only verify it as authentic.Officially no government can take action so it is up to the Lincoln group to decide a course of action filled with deception, betrayals, and one upsmanship.Along the way we see some good old fashioned cold war espionage, and the consequences of treasonous, and wretched men like Aldrich Ames.

I highly recommend this to anyone who was a fan of the soviet based clancy novels, or anyone who enjoyed the fictionalized account of the cold war.

Thanks

T

Great Book
"Icon" was another great book by Frederick Forsyth.Couldn't put it down.His usual attention to detail makes it all even more believable.If you like espionage books, you'll love this one.

Not really good enough
The Day of the Jackal remains Forsyth's best and Icon his worst. Apart from the appalling number of typos in my hard back copy the writing seemed tired and amateurish. The introduction of the bizarre Council of Lincoln almost had me discarding the book. The idea that a meeting could be arranged between Lord Carrington, Margaret Thatcher, Elliot Richardson, George Bush, Henry Kissinger even in a spy thriller felt a schoolboy creation to me. Aside from the odious product likely to issue from such an awful group, even in fiction.

Overall Forsyth has made Le Carre's worst look brilliant with this effort (sic).

Good, but difficult to remember names
I only read this 1/2 hour at a time so it was difficult to remember names, particular since they were Greek.The story was very good.

Not Free SF Reader
Ultra-right Russian problem.


US and British intelligence uncover details about what the likely future head of Russia is going to get up to if he gains power, and it isn't pretty, and perhaps a little bit prophetic.

Not being to do anything about it through official channels, a group of influential westerners, including an ex-intelligence chief seen in a previous book try and work out what they can do about it, before it is too late - as this man is brutally removing all their sources at hand.

They hit upon the man they think is right for the job, and convince him to get to work.

Certainly not one of his best. ... Read more

Product Description
Frederick Forsyth,master of the international thriller, retums withan electrifying story of a man of immense power anda conspiracy to crush the President of the UnitedStates. Only one man--Forsyth's mostunforgettable hero yet--can prevent the plan from succeeding.His name is Quinn. He is theNegotiator.President Cormack isbent on a signing a sweeping U.S.-Sovietdisarmament treaty, and the master conspirator isdetermined to stop him. The kidnapping of a young man on acountry road in Oxfordshire is but the firstbrutal step in the explosive plot engineer thepresident's destruction. EnterQuinn.Quinn plays thekidnappers like a master musician. . . until, in a shockingtumabout, he discovers that ransom was not theirobjection after all--and that he has been luredinto a cunningly woven web. Now he must draw uponhis deepest strengths--to save not only the victimbut the entire freeworld. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (26)

One of Freddy Forsyth's Best
Unlike some reviewers, I found The Negotiator to be one of my best fictional reads, and certainly my favorite Freddy Forsyth book, right up there with Day of the Jackal and Devil's Alternative. Without giving away the story, the president's only son is kidnapped in the UK while studying abroad, and so the president turns over leadership of the country to his able VP so he can attend to his stricken wife. The kidnapping occurs at critical time of Soviet negotiations around arms reduction

After all the blame that can made is made, it is time to focus on recovery of the President's son. On the recommendations of the CIA, the VP chooses an outsider to help negotiate the release of the president's son:he summons "Quinn" from retirement in Spain. Quinn has a record of effectiveness, but rebelliousness that antagonizes every branch of government on both sides of the pond. Before accepting this request, Quinn has only one condition:he works for the President and the family, not the US government. The VP reluctantly agrees.

And so the deception and duplicitous behaviour begins on both sides of the Atlantic...all anticipated by Quinn

There are a few amazing coincidences, but I did not find they took away from the story.

This is a terrific thriller with many twists and turns, and nothing is as it seems including the kidnappers and their motivation, and mysterious people behind this heinous crime

I am puzzled why this story was never made into a movie thriller. It is a great read

Not Free SF Reader
Superpower power supply synchronicity scheme.


High-ranking American and Russian military leaders come to a roughly the same decision, at around the same time, with oil supplies dwindling, they would prefer to control the Middle East supply themselves.

This involves cover operations to get rid of the current Saudis, for example, and set up their own controlled puppet rulers.

In the midst of this, the American president's son is kidnapped, and he wantsthe world's best, but retired negotiator to handle the case.

This leads the negotiator to a world travelling investigation to find out what is actually going on.


3.5 out of 5

Ready for the big screen
Ready for the big screen following Bourne, 24 and others where you have a anti-establishment loaner fighting against the bad guys.

If you enjoy International espionage, you will enjoy this.Get out your google map as you travel all across Europe.

Overall, a good book to enjoy over a holiday weekend.

Excellent read
I have read almost all of Forsyth's books and this ranks as one of my favorites.It was fast paced, interesting, and full of surprises.You will not be disappointed!

mediocre for Forsyth, which means it's worth a look
This is not one of Forsyth's better books in my opinion, but it's still an enjoyable read overall.While Quinn, "the negotiator," is an interesting and entertaining character to follow, I don't think he lives up to the claim of "Forsyth's best yet."The plots and subplots here are really nothing very unique, but the book is good because of the way Forsyth tells it and puts it together.There are some nice surprises, especially in the last third of the book, and the conclusion, while perhaps quick, is quite satisfactory.The inclusion of Margaret Thatcher and Mikhail Gorbachev in their respective real-life political roles is handled well but is by no means a primary focus of the book.The Negotiator is good, but if you're pressed for time and can only choose one Forsyth novel, you'd be better served to choose one of the others. ... Read more

Product Description
This extrapolation from reality into terror explores how a carefree young German freelance journalist came to send an anonymous packet to the Ministry of Justice revealing the identities of former members of Hitler's dreaded SS. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Peter Miller has a big scoop
We are told that the best stories come from people that write about what they know. Therefore, if this story seems insightful it may be because Frederic Forsyth worked for Reuters reporting from London and he wrote the story in hotels from Germany to Austria. He mixes the real, not so real and the plausible to make you think "what if."
I do not want to say much as the fun is being surprised during the reading. However compared to the movie the book is much more in-depth with more characters and details. Manny times you think Forsyth is going off on some tangent and not focusing on the main story; then with out warning the information makes sense later on. One example to look for is the quick encounter with military maneuvers where he describes the tank sergeant.
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It is the night of the John F. Kennedy assassination. Peter Miller, freelance reporter in the process of chasing ambulances is disappointed by the apparent suicide of a person of no consequence.
Turns out the dead man is holocaust survivor Salomon Tauber; he left behind a diary of his experiences. Miller reads this diary and seems particularly interested in some details. This inspires him to do a story on what happed to prominent people that where in the "National Socialist German Workers' Party". His quest puts him at odds with many people including an organization, O.D.E.S.S.A, (Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen), that was designed to help the SS escape justice. He also encounters independent agents out for their own agenda. Then there is the MOSSAD. Everyone accuses Miller of having his own secret agenda and not just out for a story. Can they be right?
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Be sure to also watch the movie with famous actors that actually fit the characters from the book. Naturally a lot of information had to cut out and some sequence changes to fit the media. We still get the full speech from Eduard Roschmann (Maximilian Schell)

The Odessa File Starring: Jon Voight, Maximilian Schell

... Read more

Product Description
Suspense master Frederick Forsyth, author of Dogs of War, The Day of the Jackal and The Odessa File, brings another ingeniously-crafted thriller to the screen. A major movie from Lorimar starring Michael Caine and Pierce Bronsan. National opening: August 28th. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (31)

Outstanding Spy Thriller
The leader of the Soviet Union is approaching retirement and badly wants to strike a major blow against NATO and the west before he hands over power to the next man.This desire ultimately gives birth to a horrific plot to destabilize Great Britain and push it out of the western alliance.John Preston, a British intelligence agent, races against the clock to stop the plan.He not only has to content with top Soviet agents, but is constantly undermined by a boss who sees only political maneuvering and ignores all signs of the imminent danger.

Frederick Forsyth has a strong reputation as an author and many of his strengths are readily apparent in The Fourth Protocol.First, the plot is meticulously laid out and unfolds like clockwork as the novel progresses.The pace is steady and builds nicely right up to the climax.Next, the characters are well developed, probably to a greater than in Forsyth's previous novels (and, no I did not consider that a weakness in his earlier work).Not only is John Preston, the hero, well realized but the supporting cast and villains also come across as very three dimensional.I certainly won't go so far as to say I was rooting for the Soviets, but I did care what happened to many of those characters.

This was the third novel by Frederick Forsyth that I've read.As much as I enjoyed the first two, I had thought this would be my last try because I wasn't as interested in the time and settings of his later novels.But having read The Fourth Protocol, I realize that I simply don't want to stop enjoying this author's work.After all, I never knew that I would be interested in France circa the reign of Charles De Gaulle before reading The Day of the Jackal, and I found that book to be fascinating.Overall, this is an easy novel to recommend to anyone looking for an excellent spy thriller.

masterfully written
This book is set in Britain, South Africa and Russia in the 1980s. Unlike other agent stories, which I had tried in the past, the necessary background information for this intelligent plot is given in a compact way. Thus the book appears to be well researched and it is kept both exciting and understandable. Several story lines are intertwined in a neat way which helps to keep the suspense.

I had come upon this book after reading The Day of the Jackal (also by Forsyth) which I had experienced as similarly well researched and exciting. Thus this was my second book by Forsyth and I look forward to try out some more in the future.

Fourth Protocol, Fifth Success
I'm reading my Freddie Forsyth novels in sequence. This is his fifth thriller, and it maintains the even standard of excellence he established with his first and seminal work The Day of the Jackal.

Like Forsyth's other novels, The Fourth Protocol really seizes your attention, and like the other novels again, it does so gradually, like the slow crushing motion of a car compressor. The technique is the same. It is the detail that creates the clear images and the authenticity, and really you are inside what seems like a terrifying documentary. After this decade's developments in international terrorism one realises how far ahead of the game Forsyth is here with his portable nuclear plot.

What really works for him, as he delves into the inter-related layers of the secret services in both the UK and Russia, is how the reader is drawn to speculate about who is on our side and who is not. What are the key characters' motives and loyalties? The other technique, which is typically Forsyth, is the amazing number of minor variables that all have a seemingly telling impact on the possible outcome of the plot. The suspense ratchets up and it's beautifully resolved.

This novel lacks a little of the crunch and thud of one or two others, but the spell is woven just as well. You will the central character, Preston, to win. It may be the Fourth Protocol but it is Forsyth's Fifth Success. It falls short only in one regard, and that is the lack of sub-plots to add personal depth to the central characters. Again, this one is female-'lite'. It's a minor quibble for being so well entertained but women read thrillers too! Highly recommended!

Not Free SF Reader
A spy thriller set in the Philby, Burgess and Maclean era of MI5.

Here, a thief happens to discover secret documents outlining a plot to get a very hard left pro-Soviet government elected in the United Kingdom.

With Philby involved, not just by your usual democracy, either, of course, so, fun and games for an MI5 agent who has been involved in investigating this far left sort of thing.

The title of the novel refers to a nuclear treaty.

Nuclear Terrorism
I read this one for thrills in the summer of 1985 when I was in chemsitry grad school. I found alot of things clever in that book. The part about the former Soviets smuggling in an atomic bomb piece by piece into a British port and then letting a man with a MS in Physics put it together and blow up an American air base in England to get the US nuclear weapons out of Europe was also nifty. The national news now speculates that terrorists would simply load an atom bomb onto a shipping container, put it on an ocean liner and blow it up in a major port like New York.
Back then I was also into shortwave radio and had read an article in POPULAR COMMUNICATIONS about Cuban pirate numbers stations and the possible use of what they called a "one time pad" to decipher the coded number messsages really intrigued me. I had even logged a few pirates like that myself.I could hear some strange generator motor sound in the background! I even figured out how to count from one to nine in Spanish for awhile! But in thie book, Forsythe explained that the Soviets had sent compressed recorded messages in little chirp sounds coming from Radio Moscow on the top of the hour, The agent suppsedly recorded the message on a special tape recorder that played back the message at a much slower rate that the spy could understand. I had even wrote info for a resume back then on the back of some legal pad paper with those five number groups on them that my ex-wife had taken to a resume service for me; and she claimed she had met some older man in a fancy business suit in the lobby of the resume service when she came to pick it up! Was she messing with my head or was this for real?
I know from Shotwave that the EC had wanted a nuclear free Europe as well.They did not like those Cruise and Pershing II missiles there, either. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

An examination of the Nigerian Civil War.
This is a rather dated book about the Nigerian Civil War.The book was written during the war, so there is no detail on the end of the war.There have been few books about this disastrous war where over a million people died in combat or by starvation.

Forsyth does a good job of damning the then Nigerian military government and the British Labor government.In this Civil War, food became a valid weapon as the Nigerian government starved out and caused the deaths of millions of innocent civilians.The rest of the world turned away because of British propaganda about the evils of the Biafrian government.In addition, the massacres of captured Ibo civilians and soldiers is a damning indictment of genocide against the Nigerian government(composed of Northern Nigerian Muslim tribesmen) fronted by Colonel Gowon.

Forsyth shows in stark contrast the two governments and their leaders.Gowon is pictured as a front man for the Northern tribes sultans.Ojukwu is shown as a leader of the Ibo tribesman, seeking a democratic council with the other minority tribes in the governing of Biafra.Ojukwu is shown as civilized, using democratic principles where Gowon condones mass murder for the sake of putting down the rebel movement.Gowon is interested only in Biafra for the oil it contains, and not the people.

Forsyth writes in a slanted way.One realizes he is for the Biafrian government, and the book is structured toward proving the Nigerian government is evil and the Biafrians are good.This book could have been more objective and this is why I rated it a three star.In addition, an outcome of the Civil War would also be great for latter editions.

Best of Biafran history books
Forsyth does an excellent job in this book.He understands that it is necessary to examine closely the social, political, and tribal underpinnings in the conglomeration known as Nigeria, in order to fullyunderstand the Biafran secession in context.Without being polemical hesystematically examines these areas and offers compelling reasons for thewar, instead of automatically resorting to specious Marxist or otherdogmatic reasoning.The Nigerian Civil War was an important and tragicevent, and Forsyth does a thorough and careful job of explaining it to us. ... Read more