Tracking the Jackal: The Search for Carlos, the World's Most Wanted Man

by David A. Yallop

The author describes his ten-year search for Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, also known as Carlos the Jackal, recounting how he followed Sanchez through the world of spies and intelligence officers and dealt with the likes of Qaddafi, Arafat, and Nidal

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Crime, Biography, Politics, True Crime, Ebooks

629 pages, Hardcover

First published March 27, 1993

About the author

David Anthony Yallop was an agnostic British author who writes chiefly about unsolved crimes.

Reviews

[Marie-anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

On Friday 27. June 1975 a young Venezuelan burst from a Paris apartment straight into the world's headlines. He left for dead four men. He had previously blithely lobbed a grenade into a crowded café, attempted to assassinate the President of the Zionist Federation of Great Britain, seized the French Embassey in Holland, and launched two rocket attacks on planes at Orly airport. He went on to kidnap the OPEC ministers in Vienna.
He is known for the world as Carlos. The press dubbed him the Jackal.
David Yallop (who was screenwriter for Monty Python) tracked Carlos down to a small village in the Bekaa Valley outside Beirut. Through two long nights he listens to part of Carlos story. Then, under tragic circumstances, the trail went dead.
For the next seven years, Yallop tried to rediscover Carlos, but what began as a manhunt became a journey to the Middle East of the 1970ties.
It is a fascinating and suspenseful book of an author, who personally wanted to get an idea of what was going on in the Middle East at that time.

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weird. Because I actually believed this book would be about CARLOS. Instead, this was two books in one. It was the story of the author's journey to find the truth behind the Carlos myth. But an equal number of pages went to a detailed review of Israel's (and other Western powers) atrocities against the Palestinians, in particular, the massacres at the Sabra and Chatila camps. Now I have several books about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on my to-read shelf. And if my intention was such... I would have read one of them. Instead I felt like I got duped.

The story of the author's search for Carlos, as well as hid unrelenting quest for the truth of who Carlos was/is and what acts of terrorism he was actually responsible for (the myth of Carlos has been blamed for nearly every terrorist attack for the last forty years). And although Carlos seems, at least at the beginning, to have embraced the Palestinians as his revolutionary cause of choice (it became clear later that he actually had no scruples at all), the required background could have been summed up in less than 10 pages. Not 300.

I actually enjoyed the account of Mr. Yallop's detailed findings about Carlos. It was fascinating. And if that was all the book included... I would have given it more like four stars. But as nothing in the subtitle, or cover flaps gave any indication that a large portion of the book was actually about a separate topic, I can't manage more than two.

[Jason Barci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely interesting non-fiction. Delves into the Middle Eastern conflict in the 70's and 80's. If you've ever read The Bourne Identity you would enjoy it.

[Jose · Rating 1 out of 5]

Despite some interesting information the book is a glorified self-serving book on a Communist Opportunist(aren't they all?)HypocriteTerrorist and the author's bias shows clearly. Could not expect anything from a ConspiracyTheorist author who wrote a biased book on the Church previously. I was hoping to learn insights just like when I saw(also own it now)A Movie The Assignment with Ben Kingsley. Instead it feels like the author is a groupie for the Spoiled Child of Marxists Illich. Book goes on a tangent basing itself on propaganda, apologetic and too sympathetic for my tastes.book is also wrong in many details as it is missing Fidel Castro not only being present as mentioned during El Bogotazo kicking off years of civil war in Colombia but his implicit instigation of it not merely passing by or taking in the scenery.Book also takes a revisionist approach to Soviet involvement with Carlos and the movements mentioned in the book,downplays and takes a swipe at other authors or experts,defending Soviet Imperialism, in short would be like if someone took the word of Bin Laden in recent times and just went with it.

[Stefan Mifsud · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling, well thought and profound research that takes us to the journey how over a span of a number of years/ decades the World's most wanted man ended a protege of underground guerillas even with indirect or direct links to some rogue states back then. Interesting interviews with people who dealt with Carlos or who had him under their 'payroll'. Also a lot of insight as to the causes that prompted Carlos continue the struggle on the views he strongly upheld; the why and how he chose to act!

[Mark Arnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps the best book I have ever read! This is a great history of Carlos and his crimes, but it is also one of the best accounts of the Palestinian issue that inspired him. I can only wish every reporter could be this thorough and thoughtful.

[Andrew Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A riveting story, about the hunt for the man responsible for so much terror.

[Gary Stephenson · Rating 3 out of 5]

found this quite a slow laborious read, worthwhile stick at it though

[Hassan Saleh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read book

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars. Amazing book. I read it three times.