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Day of the Jackal finished 4/5

Very exciting, taut ending, which is remarkable since as a reader, I know that de Gaulle was not assassinated.  Forsyth was a journalist before starting his career as a novelist, and it shows.  The who-what-where-why-how aspect of almost very scene is impressive.  He uses detail to build suspense and verisimilitude.  Terrific book.

Jackal's final disguise is as a one-legged war veteran.  His penultimate disguise is as a gay.  Both brilliant on Forsyth's part, because the lack of thorough checking of papers by police fits quite well with prejudices/biases.  No gay could be a killer; no one-legged vet would want to harm de Gaulle.

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