The terrorist Carlos the Jackal was so named when found to have been reading this book. No wonder; if ever there was a thriller which could inspire such a fantasist, this is it. It is dramatic, meticulously constructed, and magnetically readable. If you want escapism with brains, look no further.

'The Day of the Jackal' follows a brilliant assassin as he methodically works through his plan to kill Charles de Gaulle.

Thrillers are often treated as somehow 'below' great literature; and perhaps the linguistic dexterity and emotional breadth of this novel do not match that of the great writers. However, it matches any of them for intelligent plot construction, and has the advantage over many of those writers of being very exciting - the kind of book which, when you finish it at 6am, will have you cursing the need to get up for work in a couple of hours, and cursing yourself for not having more self-discipline.

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