Preview
  • Jackal

  • The Complete Story of the Legendary Terrorist, Carlos the Jackal
  • By: John Follain
  • Narrated by: Paul Christy
  • Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (170 ratings)

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Jackal

By: John Follain
Narrated by: Paul Christy
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Publisher's summary

On an August night in 1994, French counterespionage officers seized the world's most wanted terrorist from a villa in the Sudan. After more than two decades on the run, Carlos "the Jackal" had finally been caged. For years he had murdered and bombed his way to notoriety, evading capture thanks to powerful backers and the blunders of Western secret services. Jackal is the definitive biography of this self-proclaimed "professional revolutionary", ladies man, and cold-blooded killer. Setting his story against the larger political picture of the time, it exposes how the Soviet bloc and certain Arab regimes sponsored terrorist actions for their own ends during the cold war. A cautionary tale of governments that fostered the image of an invincible criminal mastermind - who was in reality a pawn in the chilling cold war chess game between East and West - Jackal also provides fascinating insight into the making and mind of the world's most wanted terrorist.

©1998, 2011 John Follain (P)2014 Audible Inc.
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What listeners say about Jackal

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Its' like James Bond (but for the bad guys)

Just an incredible story about one of the most famous terrorist of all time. The background helps you understand how he slipped through the cracks for so long.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A little dry

It's a little dry and the story, while comprehensive. doesn't really weave together in a cohesive easy to follow manner. I feel like I should have been taking notes.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Interesting Character Once So Feared

This is a well written and researched book about Carlos the Jackal. As a child, news coverage painted him as an evil terrorist. This book affirms that, but also shows the complex and sometimes absurd character that he was.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Very good, but lacking details

As it is, it’s a pretty good book. It seems to focus more on France’s intelligence gathering, tracking, capture, and trial of Carlos, and neglects to cover most of his non-France operations with more than a passing mention.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

must know world events

Hard to get into uless you know something about international terroism. there was a lot of moving parts

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Lots of datapoints

13-hours of blah blah blah; more chronology than story, like the author wrote chapter-and-verse about an index card found with information. Summary: there are people who don't deserve to breathe the same air as their human neighbors, nor have 13-hours of ANYTHING dedicated to them. His 15-minutes of fame should have been 3.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Well worth a listen

Successfully exposes the truth behind an unremarkable criminal and not the myth he wanted

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Time, in no particular order

Drone narration of a work, where the author appears to have neglected to build a time line. back and forth, and back and forth. the only reason I finished it was boredom and traffic. Amazing story to be told, completely missed opportunity.

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1 person found this helpful