Avenger

While AVENGER is not of the superb quality of DAY OF THE JACKAL and perhaps a few of Frederick Forsyth's others novels, it is still an outstanding work of fiction that should be enjoyed immensely by readers who have the patience to follow the author's narrative methodology. But for reasons detailed later in this review, this book is not for everyone. There are several elements to the story, and the author integrates them gradually in a somewhat unusual fashion, so much of the first few sections of the book are descriptions of events which have occurred in the past and which form the basis for the two complicated and interwoven aspects of the plot.Attorney Calvin Dexter is a (superbly conditioned) triathelete who lives an apparently ordinary life in suburban N.J., a local boy raised by a working class father (who had been deserted by Cal's mother) and who returned from an Army tour of duty in Vietnam to earn a college degree and seemingly move on with his life. However, his experience as one of the members of the elite but unknown team of "tunnel rats" has combined with his own personal tragedy to form the basis of his alter ego - THE AVENGER of horrific crimes who can be hired to find and return the perpetrators of such crimes to face justice in a court of law. In a world of moral relativism and frequent lack of accountabilty, he still believes in the concepts of right and wrong, and of the possibility of justice and the necessity for punishment. In a parallel thread that forms the basis of Cal's next quest, an idealistic young volunteer,Ricky Colenso, disappears while working for an humanitarian aid organization in Serbia during the upheaval caused by the disintegration of Yugoslavia. Unfortunately for Zoran Zilic, the gangster responsible for Ricky's brutal murder while operating under the protection of Milosevic, Ricky's mother is the daughter of Steve Edmond, a Canadian billionaire and injured RAF ace during WWII. Edmond's vast resources and political connections enable him discover the existence (but not the identity) of THE AVENGER, and Edmond manages to contact Cal and interest him in attempting to uncover the truth concerning Rick's disappearance. As Cal verifies the facts of Ricky's murder and the perpetrator, he agrees (anonymously) to accept Edmond's request to capture Zilec and bring him to the United States to stand trial.Two factors complicate Cal's efforts. First, he has to locate Zilic, who became very rich as a dealer in contraband and drugs during the war and subsequentlty disappeared. Second, unknown to Cal, the CIA head of counterterrorism, Paul Devereaux, has recruited Zilic to aid in the CIA's efforts to locate and eliminate an Islamic terrorist named Usama Bin Laden (the story takes place in 2001 pre- September 11.) Thus, as Devereaux learns of the existence of THE AVENGER and his quest (but not his identity), the CIA utilizes all means at its disposal to locate and neutralize Cal in order to protect Zilic as one of its mo

With his latest work, Forsythe is back with a vengeance. This book is outstanding. The central character, Calvin Dexter, is a complicated man. On the surface, he is a successful small-town gentleman lawyer, who in his spare time trains as a tri-athlete. Below the surface, he has a history as a highly skilled Viet Nam veteran and, as the reader comes to find out, in the present day operates secretively as the Avenger - the righter of wrongs for people with no where else to go. As the story opens, the grandson of a very wealthy Canadian businessman is brutally murdered in Bosnia, setting the wheels in motion for a contract with the Avenger to bring those responsible to justice. Forsythe effectively intermingles past and present to lay the foundation for the storyline, introduce a host of characters, and to bring meaning and motivation to Dexter's character. Dexter has blue-collar roots and is an up-from-the-bootstraps success story. Highly intelligent, although not highly educated (his law degree notwithstanding), Dexter comes from the school of hard knocks - able to think strategically and tactically. He is a character with an abundance of courage, integrity and personal fortitude - all of which will be required as he goes up against seemingly impossible odds to fulfill. Forsythe is able to effectively weave cultural and political facts and actual events into the story to provide a realistic backdrop for the action - and there IS action. Avenger was very difficult to put down. The story moves forward with pace - full of suspense and plot twists that the reader has come to expect from Forsythe. For anyone interested in the action thriller genre, Avenger is a "must read."

Without question, this is one of Frederick Forsyth's best books, and that's saying something since he's written classics like The Day of the Jackal. In Avenger, he revisits a familiar theme of revenge, one he handles well in many of his novels and short stories. But Avenger is unique from many revenge novels because it is not merely revenge that "the avenger" is seeking; instead, it is justice. Forsyth provides a great character with the man who is "the avenger" - a character reminiscent of the Clark/Kelly figure in Tom Clancy's novels (featured in Without Remorse). This book weaves several threads into a larger story; this is well-done, and the individual episodes are good enough to stand alone. While there are several elements that you see in other novels and in the thriller genre in general, Forsyth shows his talent with his precision of words and quality of narrative. His writing flows in giving depth to his characters and action to his plot. Nothing that is necessary is left out, but neither is anything extraneous left in. Simply a pleasure to read besides being another remarkable Forsyth tale of action/suspense.

Fifty-one year old attorney Pete Dexter practices law on the Jersey-Pennsylvania line and runs triathlete events relatively successfully. People who know him picture a quiet unassuming friendly fellow, but Pete has a second job as the AVENGER, a renowned bounty hunter, that he keeps secret from his neighbors. Pete maintains a Manhattan apartment as his center of human hunting operations in which he answers ads in Vintage Airplane magazine asking for the AVENGER.Billionaire Canadian mining mogul Steve Edmond hires the Avenger to kill Serbian Zoran Zilic, Milosevich's sadistic henchman for murdering his grandson. Following the trail from Serbia to South America just like he did the Cong in the tunnels of Nam, the Avenger closes in on the kill. However, the CIA does not wink this time, as they fear the consequences of this particular murder. To avoid global chaos Agent Kevin McBride must stop the Avenger anyway he can.THE AVENGER is a typical Forsyth tale in which the action-packed plot uses real world events as a backdrop to a non-stop thriller that deeply focuses on a specific incident. The story line moves rather quickly forward as Pete begins his latest quest of vengeance for his client. Pete is an extraordinary individual who feels his soul is clean though he is obviously a paid killer. Kevin commiserates with Pete, but also knows orders and fears the outcome of a successful output by the Avenger. A strong tale though no DAY OF THE JACKAL, fans of the author and anyone who appreciates a taut international thriller will enjoy THE AVENGER.Harriet Klausner