#5 Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth

Probably one of the most famous political thrillers ever written, The Day of the Jackal was published in 1971 and focuses around a plot to assassinate Charles de Gualle.

The book is split into three chapters: Anatomy of a Plot, Anatomy of a Manhunt and Anatomy of a Kill. Anatomy is the right word as in each chapter Forsyth dissects every step of the dangerous waltz between the assassin and the authorities in astonishing detail. As the plot progresses the stakes become ever higher with both luck and misfortune befalling each and sending the waltz spinning into a new direction.

From the very first page you are hit first by the sheer scale of the book as it encompasses not only the movements of the assassin but the manoeuvrings of police departments in two countries, the French Government and a terrorist organisation in hiding. Secondly you are hit by Forsyth's meticulous plotting. Every single detail is in there, including (and this caused a stir at the time) exact instructions on how to obtain a false British passport. Yet all this detail doesn't really get in the way of the story. Oddly it adds to it, making it read like a news article.

Forsyth used to be a journalist and in many ways The Day of the Jackal reads like a news story. So many political thrillers are centred around a single character who, more often than not, has a troubled past which either hinders him (and it is always a him) or drives him on. Unusually The Day of the Jackal is impersonal. Forsyth rarely strays from the here and now and never explores the assassin's background or motivations. You don't even find out his name.

The inclusion of The Day of the Jackal on the list of the 1,000 best books may raise some literary eyebrows but that's missing the point. Yes, it's not literature but a book doesn't have to be worthy to be a bloody good read. And that's what The Day of the Jackal is; a cracking political thriller that won't delve deep into the soul but is a very enjoyable way to spend a few hours.

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Other similar works include The Walking Dead by Gerald Seymour; The Eagle Has Landed by Jack Higgins; Soldier No More by Anthony Price; The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum; The Flight of the Storks by Jean-Christophe Grange.