The Dogs of War, by Frederick Forsyth

July 7, 2009 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: book review, Frederick Forsyth, Thriller 

A few days ago I happened upon this classic thriller by Frederich Forsyth, originially published in 1974. It is a great book, very exciting and suspenseful. The plot in The Dogs of War is centered on a tycoon that discovers a mountain of Frederick Forsyth: The Dogs of Warplatinum in the remote African republic of  Zangaro. This discovery causes Sir James Manson, a smooth and very ruthless tycoon, to hire an army of mercenaries to topple the government and replace its dictator with a puppet president. But the situation develops into a terrifying power game. And, of course, as Sunday Mirror wrote: “Enormous and convincing detail, and a shattering climax”.

In The Dogs of War, Forsyth clearly material of particular relevance at the time of writing. There were strong rumors at the time, and some evidence too, that with the right contacts and enough money, mercenaries specialized in coups d’etat could be hired to topple governments. Indeed, some rumors even implicated mr. Forsyth in such a plot! It is still not clear, I think, whether he was or not.

Regardless, The Dogs of War is a high quality thriller that still is very well worth reading. It is a book that shows why Frederich Forsyth made such a name for himself as a thriller writer. As you will see if you read the book, Forsyth was simply excellent when he was at his best. The Dogs of War is a must for any thriller-loving reader!

Links to Frederick Forsyth’s books at amazon US, amazon CAN, and amazon UK.

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The Avenger, by Frederick Forsyth

February 27, 2009 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: book review, Fiction, Frederick Forsyth, Thriller 

Calvin Dexter, the main character of this story, is a quiet lawyer Frederick Forsyth: The Avengerin a quiet little town in America. Or so it seems. However, Dexter was a “tunnel rat” in Vietnam, one of the toughest services there, and came back alive and highly decorated. A man very used to danger.

It turns out that Dexter doubles as the Avenger, a man who secretly sells services where he uses the set of skills acquired in Vietnam rather than at law school.

The main plot in The Avenger involves a Canadian billionaire that hires the Avenger to identify the killer of his grandson. The Avenger, however, eventually gets involved in this at a personal and emotional level, rather than simply professional. And when that happens, the straightforward mission gets infinitely more complicated.

The Avenger is a great and interesting read, with a very intriguing psychological mechanism at its core. It is not the best book Frederick Forsyth has ever written, but as all of Forsyth’s books, it is still very suspenseful and entertaining.

Links to Frederick Forsyth’s books at amazon US and at amazon UK.

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The Day of the Jackal, by Frederick Forsyth

November 7, 2008 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: book review, Frederick Forsyth, International bestseller, Thriller 

The Day of the Jackal is a novel about whose main character is the Frederick Forsyth: The Day of the JackalJackal, a highly feared and infamous terrorist at the time when this novel was written. The plot of the book is a (fictional) account of an attempt by this terrorist to assassinate president de Gaulle. By a twist of fate, the French authorities learn of this plot. Claude Lebel, their best detective, is assigned the task of finding The Jackal.

Day Of The Jackal is at times a brutal book, unsparing in its detailing of government-directed torture, of casual murder, of the mass of luckless shadow people with their missing limbs. There is little humor, and no James Bond-ish glamor. It’s a book that forever changed the genre, from Fleming-ish humorous spy tales to real-life, no frills tough thrillers. It was a book that firmly established Frederick Forsyth as one of the world’s biggest thriller writers.

The Day of the Jackal is very well written and very exciting classic in its genre. The intense style and suspense that sets Forsyth apart as a writer and master of the thriller genre is visible already here in this early book. Day of the Jackal is not just Frederick Forsyth’s best book; it’s the best book in it’s genre. An extremely worthwhile read! It is, quite simply, as good as it gets in thrillers!

And, yes, the movie with the same name is based on this book!

You can use this link to order the DVD The Day of the Jackal from amazon.com.

Links to books by Frederick Forsyth at amazon US, amazon CAN, and amazon UK.

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