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.

About the Author

Frederick Forsyth is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of seventeen novels, including The Day of the Jackal and The Odessa File, as well as short story collections and a memoir. A former Air Force pilot, and one-time print and television reporter for the BBC, he has had four movies and two television miniseries made from his works. He is the winner of three Edgar Awards, and in 2012 he won the Diamond Dagger Award from the Crime Writers’ Association, a lifetime achievement award for sustained excellence. He lives in Hertfordshire, England.

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