The Day of the Jackal

By: Frederick Forsyth

Narrated by: David Rintoul

Length: 13 hrs and 2 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.

©2011 Frederick Forsyth (P)2011 Random House Audio Go

The Best Political Thriller of All Times

Would you consider the audio edition of The Day of the Jackal to be better than the print version?

I am seldom inclined to say that the audio rendition of a book is better than the book itself ... however I find this (new) audio version very enjoyable.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Claude Lebel, the French detective - he came to have a good feel of who he was after, and, somehow, became able

Which character – as performed by David Rintoul – was your favorite?

Superintendent Bryn Thomas of Scotland Yard's Special Branch.

Any additional comments?

In my opinion, this new (Random House) audio version offers a better narration by David Rintoul compared to the first (Blackstone Audio) version read by Richard Brown.
A must read, listen, and even view (Fred Zinnemann's film adaptation) for all mystery, espionage, and political thriller fans !

great thriller

narrator whispers a lot which makes it difficult to listen to without headphones, because you'll constantly have to adjust the volume.

Amazing thriller!

I loved the detail and the suspense of the story.
The best thriller I’ve ever read other than Ludlum. This is the most amazing story I’ve read.

Best thriller ever!

Well written, well paced, great characters, great story, great descriptions. In a class by itself. Do not miss! My only complaint is the subpar performance.

Great story... Narration can be a problem

The story is great, period. The problem of this audiobook is the narration. The voice goes up and down in volume and it's impossible to find the right balance if you are not listening to the book in a quiet space. You put the volume high and you can get deaf when the narrator decides to increase the voice. I like his voice but someone should have told him to try to speak in a more regular volume to avoid these problems.

Easily one of the best Audible I've heard

A gripping story with a really catchy narration that keeps you at the end of your seat. Strongly recommended !

No one writes like this anymore...

You sit and listen in awe at Frederick Forsythe thinking how can he know all these things. It's an amazing book, one I know I am not qualified to comment on.

Riveting story and gripping narration.

Story was absolutely riveting and the narration by David Rintoul makes you feel like you are seeing the events happen.

Jaw dropping

one of the best thrillers one has ever read. absolutely unputdownable. Frederick Forsythe is a rare breed

As good as, if not better, than the movie.

I love reading Frederick Forsythe and listening to one of his books was a real treat. It was well narrated and spell binding. It kept me on the edge right to the end.

The best Forsyth novel meets a great narrator

Finally! One of the books I hoped to see on Audible has appeared at last.

Frederick Forsyth writes tightly plotted thrillers based on real world events and people - some are better than others. This one is one of his earlier efforts and remains his best to date. What might be a formulaic sniper story is fleshed out with a history of modern France and her forays into North Africa, a cast of superb supporting characters and at the middle of it all the mysterious Jackal. In some hands the background might slow the book down but Forsyth is a master of the page-turner and through all of it the plot continues to move forwards.

This is helped by a superb narrator. His basic narration is carefully intoned, expressive but restrained, matching the tone of the novel impeccably. He handles the various characters well, without difficulty or caricature. I never had any trouble discerning who was talking, neither was I distracted by silly overblown accents that some narrators resort to when faced with a large cast. What really sets him apart from me is that although his voice is slightly posh English, he handles the French pronunciation and accents flawlessly, important in a book almost entirely set in France and populated with mainly French characters.

If you listen to one Frederick Forsyth book, make it this one

Absolutely brilliant.....

The amount of research from Frederick Forsyth is just amazing.
And the narration brings so much to the listening experience! Its a long time since I last read this book or listened to it it wont be so long till the next time.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book!!!

A genuine classic

What did you like most about The Day of the Jackal?

It's quality story telling from start to finish. I've listened to it at least 20 times...still keeps me engrossed.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The tall, blonde, Englishman

What about David Rintoul’s performance did you like?

Interesting voice, enjoyable, engaging

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

You root for the bad guy...

Any additional comments?

This book has really set me on the path for audio books. The Day of the Jackal is a masterpiece of story telling. It's multi layered and set in a world that did exist.

I listen when I commute to work and home again, it turns a journey into an adventure. Well worth a listen.

This would be on of my desert Island disks list.

A cracking good read is also a cracking listen!

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

Yes I would, it's quite possibly the best hit man story I've read or seen. It gives the right amount of detail, merging fact with fiction leaving you wondering if it ever really happened.

What did you like best about this story?

The attention to detail, building the characters into people that are alive in the listeners imagination. It's believable, and more than that, totally gripping.

What about David Rintoul’s performance did you like?

He gives the emphasis to the points that matter really well, his voice can be light or carry the menace that a character needs, and it's not a voice that sends you to sleep either!

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

One president, one killer, one bullet, one country.

Fantastic story and reader

For me the narrator is as important as the novel and this time both are superb. I expect to listen to my choices time and again and have done with this. At first I had my doubts as the narrator is more a simple "reader" than a "dramatist" but now think more talking book narrators should concentrate on good old fashioned reading aloud rather than try to keep track of ten different character accents and speech mannerisms and fail half way through.

Wonderful!

Listening to this book took me back about 30 years to when I read the book.this is an excellent performance and the narrative moves at a good pace - I stayed up till three in the morning to listen to the end.



If you like a good story, The Day of the Jackal will not disappoint.

Classic

Would you listen to The Day of the Jackal again? Why?

Film was very good, book is fantastic

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

the Story

What does David Rintoul bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

he was very good

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

No but I could have if I had the time

afternoon delight

read the book 25 years ago. saw the film with Edward Fox and Michael Lonsdale at least that many times over the years, which makes me a veteran consumer of the plot. listening to the audio version - the narration is commendable - along with some fine wine, during two consecutive summer afternoons, left me in the state of blissful contentment. on the other hand, it's an intoxicating story of a "lone hunter" who almost made it. now that is good entertainment!

The Day of the Jackal

This book may be old but it a great read and the adventure does not stop until the end.

Good yarn

Slightly old fashioned page turner but very well read and engaging. Of course, the ending is well known but the journey is timeless. An excellent listen whilst pounding the streets