The Outsider - by Frederick Forsyth (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

From the grand master of international suspense comes his most intriguing story ever--his own.

For more than forty years, Frederick Forsyth has been writing extraordinary real-world novels of intrigue, from The Day of the Jackal on. Whether writing about the murky world of arms dealers or the intricacies of worldwide drug cartels, every plot has been chillingly plausible because every detail has been minutely researched. But what most people don't know is that some of his greatest stories of intrigue have been in his own life.
He was the RAF's youngest pilot at the age of nineteen, barely escaped the wrath of an arms dealer in Hamburg, got strafed by a MiG during the Nigerian Civil War, landed during a bloody coup in Guinea-Bissau (and has himself been accused of helping fund a 1973 coup in Equatorial Guinea). The Stasi arrested him, the Israelis feted him, the IRA threatened him, and a certain attractive Czech secret police agent, well, her actions were a bit more . . . intimate. And that's just for starters.

Nominated for the Edgar Award for best critical/biographical work of 2015.

Review Quotes

PRAISE FOR THE OUTSIDER

"Forsyth's real life has been almost as thrilling as the stories he's created in his 15 novels. Forsyth details his many once-in-a-lifetime experiences [and] packs his stories with history both personal and global. A riveting and refreshing memoir." --Publishers Weekly

"A writer of thrillers whose life is one, too . . . The man has lived an amazing life. Call it stranger than fiction." --The Washington Post

"In the rich crop of conspiracy thrillers . . . Mr. Forsyth, author of the incomparable Day of the Jackal, was first among equals. [Now] he brings his considerable narrative gifts to bear on himself. . . . Spectacular." --The Wall Street Journal

"Acclaimed thriller writer Forsyth delivers a charming autobiography about his real-life adventures around the globe. His tales of derring-do are a pleasure to read, especially when coupled with his self-deprecating humor, but his most endearing quality is his ravenous curiosity, which pulled him from one exotic location to another. Forsyth has seen it all. After living such an exciting life, he has earned his bragging rights." --Kirkus Reviews

"Frederick Forsyth has never let us down in his spy thrillers. Their authenticity rings with truth and action for one very simple reason: Forsyth's own life was every bit as exciting and filled with danger as his characters'. . . . With self-deprecating humor, wit, and the charm of a born storyteller, Forsyth shares his adventures and misadventures with as much zest as his legendary thrillers." --Bookreporter.com

About the Author

Frederick Forsyth is the author of fifteen novels, from 1971's The Day of the Jackal to 2013's The Kill List, and two short story collections. A former pilot and print and television reporter for Reuters and the BBC, he won the Diamond Dagger Award from the Crime Writers' Association in 2012 for a career of sustained excellence. Forsyth lives in England.