The Day of the Jackal

By: Frederick Forsyth

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

Length: 13 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

One of the most celebrated thrillers ever written, The Day of the Jackal is the electrifying story of an anonymous Englishman who in, the spring of 1963, was hired by Colonel Marc Rodin, operations chief of the O.A.S., to assassinate General de Gaulle.

France was infuriated by Charles de Gaulle's withdrawal from Algeria, and there were six known attempts to assassinate the general that failed. This novel dramatizes the seventh, mostly deadly attempt, involving a professional killer for hire who would be unknown to the French Police. His code name was Jackal, his price half a million dollars, and his demand total secrecy, even from his employers.

Step by painstaking step, we follow the Jackal in his meticulous planning, from the fashioning of a specially made rifle to the devising of his approach to the time and the place where the general is to meet the Jackal's bullet. The only obstacle in his path is a small, diffident, rumpled policeman, who happens to be considered by his boss the best detective in France: Deputy Commissaire Claude Lebel.

©1971 Frederick Forsyth (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A masterpiece tour de force of crisp, sharp, suspenseful writing." ( Wall Street Journal)
"Compelling, utterly enthralling....Some of the tensest thriller writing I can remember reading." ( Sunday Express, London)

Pure genius very slowly revealed

Even though I knew the outcome I was consistently intrigued; well..,not counting the early frustration
The first couple hours of this book I wanted to give it one star and give up. But thankfully I stuck with it. You will hear a WHOLE lotta detail and minutiae. It will be worth it in the long run.
Believe me, this is an incredibly smart mystery with the workman detective showing the worth of observation over besuricrivy

A top drawer performance

Not only a Chronicle, not just exemplary writing, but also a captivating performance... this was worth it!

A Nail Biter

I saw the movie many years ago and really enjoyed it, but the audio book was equally intense. Great story and excellent narration.

Slow start but very good book

I can't give this book 5 stars simply because it took me about 5 attempts to get through the first two chapters. It just wouldn't hook my interest. I have had the book for at least 6 months and I finally had the patience and time to focus to get to get to chapter 3. Midway through 3, I was hooked. It is a really good story and ultimately worth the credit. I loved understanding the thought process of the Jackal as I am sure there are people that smart, brutal and thorough out there. The beginning requires patience and attention. It's not mindless listening that you can do while distracted or you will miss key parts of the plot. Great read. Enjoy!

A winning thriller!

I was a little concerned with purchasing this title because I had seen the movie and knew what was going to happen. This genre doesnt always work with this amount of pre-knowledge. This classic thriller was so well written and performed that it didnt matter. It still kept me listening on the edge of my seat, always eager to get back to the story each time I had to break away. The cat and mouse between the Jackal and the Inspector is classic. Things have changed a bit since this was written so some things are a bit dated but that doesnt detract from the quality of this story.

Great story, very little dialogue

Awesome narrator for a great story. Nice pace of action. I loved the book!

As gripping as I remembered

I remember reading and enjoying all of Frederick Forsyth's books when I was a teenager. Unfortunately, that's not always the best recommendation. However, listening to "The Day of the Jackal" didn't disappoint – – it's as good as I thought it was going to be. It ages well. It's actually kind of interesting to see how difficult it was to put a little assassination together in the days before the Internet and cell phones. Anyway, this was an excellent listen, and now I'm moving on to another Forsyth book, "The Odessa File."

A Classic Suspense Novel

I thoroughly enjoyed this classic suspense novel. The action was well-paced and the characters were fully developed. I enjoyed every twist and turn in the plot and found the book to be great, even though I had seen the movie version. The reader kept me enthralled and did a wonderful job voicing the characters. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good suspense novel.

Excellent narrator

great story and good performance overall, but the narrator gets bonus points from me for his handling of Scottish accents.

far better than expected

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

the writing is perfect, as well as the narration

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Day of the Jackal?

the ever building tension was more memorable than any one moment

What about Simon Prebble’s performance did you like?

transporting

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

if time allowed

Any additional comments?

quite good and not a genre I would normally choose