The day of the jackal - Frederick Forsyth

One of the greatest thrillers of all time, The Day of the Jackal is a novel about a professional assassin who is contracted by the OAS, a French dissident paramilitary organization, to kill Charles de Gaulle, the President of France. Using his own specialised knowledge assembled from his journalistic work and encounters with mercenaries, Forsyth creates a spine-tingling suspenseful tale told in a convincing realistic documentary style. We follow the Jackal, the unnamed assassin, as he plans meticulously for his mission appearing always to be more than one step ahead of the authorities. This dangerous game of cat and mouse grows in intensity as the fascinating and surprising climax nears. On its first publication in 1971, this novel was an overnight success and has sold over ten million copies.

'The Day of the Jackal is a perfect example of the adventure story. It is very well written, entirely believable, with this intriguing, enigmatic character at its centre.' Robert Harris