Edgar Award Best Novel Winner
The Day of the Jackal
by Frederick Forsyth
Summary
A professional assassin known only as the Jackal is hired to kill French president Charles de Gaulle, and a dogged detective races to identify and stop him. Frederick Forsyth, a former journalist, builds the suspense through precise procedural detail about forged passports, custom rifles, and police legwork even though readers know the historical target survived. The book set a template for the documentary style thriller and remains one of the most admired assassination novels ever written.
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Historical Context & Significance
Frederick Forsyth's debut novel became an international bestseller and was adapted into a 1973 film directed by Fred Zinnemann.