THE VETERAN : five great journeys with forsyth. Review on Veteran,The - Frederick Forsyth

THE VETERAN :FREDERICK FORSYTH

The name Frederick Forsyth is instantly recognizable to anyone who goes for political thrillers.From a unbiased perspective if writing political thrillers is an art then Frederick Forsyth has created a collage of masterpieces. In “ THE VETERAN “ we move away from the deception ,betrayals that are found in the world of espionage agents to the everyday world of John and Jane Does and what greets us –the same deception ,double crossing and mainly revenge .The basic underlying theme of Forsyth”s game remains the same ,only the players & the prizes change .

Synopsis:

The story “THE VETERAN “ speaks how a smooth talking lawyer defends two guilty men , quashes the prosecution evidence and then dishes out his own version of justice without delay .

In “THE ART OF THE MATTER” we enter the smooth-talking ,slick world of a famous auction house and journey a roller-coaster involving the appraiser booted out by the senior executive who often works for his own rather than that of the auction house. Here the timing of the revenge is as sweet as it can get and the plotting is ingenious to the core.

“THE MIRACLE” as the name suggests recounts the miracle the 14 th GERMAN ARMY under the command of GENERAL LEMELSEN .The narrator of the story was also the witness to the miracle and he regales an American tourist with his story .At the end we story it was just a story to fleece the tourist.

The story of a drug bust is told in”THE CITIZEN” & the readers are kept guessing till the end about the identity of the drug peddler.

The last one “ WISHPERING WIND” can be described as a mystic story having the element of love ,tragedy ,devotion ,hatred and a large helping from native AMERICAN-INDIAN folklore and legends mixed with modern day activities.After four great narratives this one lets Forsyth down from the high pedestal mainly because after accepting four water –tight stories you can”t digest such a big dollop of fantasy.

The stories are unique in the sense the always vary from one place to another in their thematic and geographical range.The common element in all is that they are narrated with tremendous eye for details and a fast paced narrative that has become the hallmark of all Forsyth books.The stories take us in separate worlds but we are never at a loss to understand them such is the detailing of the author. The Veteran is a wonderful experience in crime, heroism, and the kind of mano-a-mano duels-and surprising twists of fate-that show Forsyth is equally adept in telling short stories as he is with dwelling in the shadowy world of double agents and political assassinations.

Any reader who enjoys twists in the tale endings, like that of the stories of O'Henry or the short stories of Jeffrey Archer, is sure to enjoy this excellent & riveting collection.