Resumo de The Day Of The Jackal

The Day of the Jackal is a thriller novel by Frederick Forsyth, first published in 1971, about a professional assassin who is contracted by the OAS, a French terrorist group of the early 1960s, to kill Charles de Gaulle.
The novel is widely regarded as one of the best "spy thrillers" ever written, widely praised for its convincing portrayal of France in 1963, and its carefully thought-out plot. It is also notable for remarkably effective suspense considering the Jackal's target is a real historical figure who was not assassinated. The book was filmed in 1973 by Fred Zinnemann starring Edward Fox in the title role. Like the novel, the film was praised for its depiction of 1963 France.
In the first part, Anatomy of a Plot, the reasons and motive for the assassination are described. The Jackal has his first and only meeting with three OAS leaders and discusses the price of the kill. The rest of the part describes how the Jackal gathers information on Charles de Gaulle while in England, and describes the weapon he is planning to use. Little information is given what he is going to do, however. The Jackal also sets up his false identities and disguises by forging and stealing documents.
The second part, Anatomy of a Manhunt, shows how French intelligence finds out about the plan and gives Claude Lebel, a French detective, the assignment to prevent the assassination while the ministers are discussing whether or not to inform de Gaulle (who is notoriously careless of his personal safety) about the plan.
Pressured by his superiors, Lebel does everything he can to find out who the Jackal is. He gets in touch with all his foreign contacts to ask if they have any records on such a man. Finally he gets the name of a suspect, Charles Harold Calthrop, from the British.
The French police get close to the Jackal a few times but he manages to evade capture. The Jackal's informant, provided by the OAS, leaks information from the French government to the Jackal, allowing him to keep one step ahead of the police.
In the last part, Anatomy of a Kill, Lebel realises that there is one day drawing near on which de Gaulle will make a scheduled public appearance: Liberation Day, on the 25th of August, commemorating the liberation of Paris during World War II. Despite police safeguards, the Jackal manages to make his way into Paris.

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