My favourite author….read all his novels…….RIP Fred.
Frederick Forsyth (1938–2025)
Master of the Modern Thriller
Frederick Forsyth, the British author and former journalist renowned for revolutionizing the thriller genre with his meticulously researched and gripping novels, has passed away on June 9, 2025, at his home in Jordans, Buckinghamshire, at the age of 86, after a brief illness at the age of 86.
Forsyth’s writing career was launched with a thunderclap in 1971 with the publication of The Day of the Jackal, a taut political thriller about an attempted assassination of French President Charles de Gaulle. The novel became an international sensation and set a new benchmark for the genre — one that combined factual realism with high-stakes storytelling. It also established Forsyth as a trailblazer of the “faction” style: fiction rooted deeply in real-world geopolitics, espionage, and military affairs.
Born on August 25, 1938, in Ashford, Kent, Forsyth began his career as a journalist, working for Reuters and the BBC. His global assignments and firsthand exposure to international intrigue provided a fertile background for his transition into fiction writing.
Forsyth’s novels are known not only for their narrative intensity but for their exceptional attention to detail, derived from his deep research and often insider knowledge of the shadowy world of espionage.
His novels include:
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The Day of the Jackal (1971)
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The Odessa File (1972)
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The Dogs of War (1974)
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The Shepherd (1975, novella)
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The Devil’s Alternative (1979)
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No Comebacks (1982, short stories)
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The Fourth Protocol (1984)
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The Negotiator (1989)
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The Deceiver (1991, interconnected short stories)
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The Fist of God (1994)
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Icon (1996)
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The Phantom of Manhattan (1999)
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Avenger (2003)
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The Afghan (2006)
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The Cobra (2010)
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The Kill List (2013)
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The Fox (2018)
He also published an autobiography, The Outsider: My Life in Intrigue (2015), offering candid insight into his life, motivations, and the adventures behind his iconic novels.
In 2016, Forsyth announced his retirement from fiction writing, noting that he had spent enough time “looking over his shoulder” and had said what he wanted to say.
Frederick Forsyth leaves behind a legacy as one of the most influential thriller writers of the 20th and 21st centuries. His novels not only entertained millions worldwide but also educated readers on the complexities of global politics, intelligence operations, and human motivations under pressure. For fans around the world — including those for whom he was a favorite author — his stories remain timeless.
He is survived by his family and the enduring pages of his unforgettable books.
