The Veteran [Mass Market Paperback]

Frederick Forsyth (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 17, 2003

On a grimy sidewalk in a defeated neighborhood, an old man is beaten to death. When a cop investigates, he finds two killers and a startling legacy of honor ... In a prestigious London art gallery an impoverished actor is swindled out of a fortune-until an eccentric appraiser hatches a delicious scheme for revenge... On an airplane high over war-torn Afghanistan, a passenger sends a note to the plane's captain, warning of suspicious behavior. But no one can guess who is really conspiring aboard the 747, or why... From the war-torn Italy to the Little Big Horn, from soldiers of fortune to victims of fate,The Veteran is a riveting experience in crime, heroism, and the kind of mano-a-mano duels-and surprising twists of fate-that are the hallmark of Frederick Forsyth at his very best.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Penzler Pick, September 2001: Frederick Forsyth is known as the bestselling author of classic thrillers such as The Day of the Jackal and The Odessa File, among others. He is far less known as one of our premier short story writers (even though he won an Edgar for "There Are No Snakes in Ireland"), so it is a pleasure to have a new book from this superb storyteller.

"The Veteran" tells the story of an incident in one of the seedier parts of London. A Ugandan shopkeeper witnesses the mugging of a middle-aged man by two thugs. The shopkeeper has a perfect view of the crime so, when the man dies of his injuries, it would appear that the two thugs, now up on a murder charge, will be convicted. But justice does not always come easily, and it comes in many guises.

"The Art of the Matter" recounts an ingenious and deliciously satisfying art scam. The twists and turns are breathlessly entertaining and just when you think it's over, there's one more way for the bad guys to get their comeuppance. "The Miracle" tells the story of an American couple in Siena on their way to a festival. They are stopped when a stranger tells them the story of the courtyard in which they stand. Some very wonderful things happened right there during the Second World War. Will the couple get to the festival? Will they care?

"The Citizen" is a heart-stopping suspense story set on board a flight from Bangkok to London. We get to know the flight crew and some of the passengers very well, and they are not all who they might appear to be. And "Whispering Wind," the longest story in the book, is a very ambitious piece about the Battle of Little Big Horn and what came later for several of the participants.

Each of the stories in this volume is Forsyth in top form. The writing exceeds expectations, the stories are never less than compelling, and the suspense in each of them is nonstop. --Otto Penzler --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

This collection of four short stories and a novella may disappoint readers expecting one of Forsyth's international thrillers but not anyone looking for a good read. What is surprising is the thematic and geographical range of these pieces, all narrated in a solid realist style with sharply observed detail and engrossing, sometimes surprising plots. Always suspenseful, the stories take us into disparate worlds. "The Veteran" features London thugs, the police, and the courts, whereas "The Art of the Matter," a highly entertaining tale of revenge, delves into the world of auction houses. "The Miracle," which takes us to an Italian hill town during World War II, is related as if by a medieval fabulist but with its own modern twist, while "The Citizen," perhaps the least successful story, portrays drug smuggling via an airline flight. Most startling of all is "Whispering Wind," Forsyth's tale of the Indian wars in 1876, in which we discover that a frontier scout survived the massacre at the Little Bighorn. The scout's love for a Cheyenne woman, a magical tale that spans two different historical periods, makes for compulsive reading. Recommended for all collections of popular fiction.
- Ronnie H. Terpening, Univ. of Arizona, Tucson
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 344 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (February 17, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312983425
• ISBN-13: 978-0312983420
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #694,175 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Frederick Forsyth is the author of fifteen novels and short-story collections. He lives in England.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Riveting Work of Fiction, July 29, 2002

By 

Newt Gingrich (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews
("THE")   

This review is from: The Veteran (Hardcover)

What do a young art dealer who was cheated by his boss, an unknown murdered man in a British public housing project, an American couple in Sienna at the Palio (a race going back to the 13th century), a family returning from vacation in Thailand, and the only man to survive Custer's last stand all have in common? When Frederick Forsyth writes about them, you will find yourself following every word and turning every page.

This is an absolutely remarkable collection of short stories running from the very realistic through the surprising to the supernatural. His portrait of a saint in Sienna is brilliant and compelling, and the outcome of the story is stunning and memorable. He provides a very satisfying explanation of who a murdered unknown person really is and how his identity affects the thugs who killed him. The life of the only scout to survive Custer's last stand is told so grippingly that I could not stop from finishing it.

Forsyth simply has the wonderful knack for writing fiction so it seems real, personal, and meaningful. His writing carries you into a world of possibilities and will stretch your own thinking and enrich your understanding of life's possibilities.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maybe the best book (of 500 !!) I've read this year, December 16, 2001

By 

Gerald M. Bull "Jerry Bull" (Fairview, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Veteran (Hardcover)

(...) The Veteran is a compilation of five novellas: 78-, 70-, 34-, 36-, and 140-pages in length, to be exact. They have several things in common -- gripping story telling, enough flesh and detail to get involved and hooked in, and a strong twist at the end to surprise and delight. Whether it's vigilante justice, the scammee scamming the scammer, or a delightfully evocative tale about native America, Forsyth may be at his very best as he spins these five yarns spanning gullible tourists to drug smuggling. As a voracious reader, it's rare anymore I turn the pages with such delight and entertainment. This one goes on my top shelf, the one with little company ! Get it -- read it -- enjoy!

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Forsyth's short works, March 15, 2003

By 

Douglas De Bono - Author of No Safe Harbor (Minnetonka, mn United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Veteran (Mass Market Paperback)

Frederick Forsyth never disappoints. This is a collestion of 5 short stories where characters are developed quickly, and you keep reading to find the tales' final twist.

The Veteran deals with the justice beyond a court of law and the honor of former comrades. It is worth the price of the entire book.

The Art of the Matter covers greed, swindlers and pay back in a very satisfying manner. In fact all of the stories deal with payback in some form.

The Miracle is a great story that justs sucks you into its magic just before the door comes crashing down.

The Citizen tells you exactly what is going to happen, but you don't see the truth until the final couple of lines.

However, Whispering Wind is the finest story. It is part ghost story and part morality tale.

Highly recommended.

Douglas De Bono
Author of ROGUE STATE