Product Description

Plan Aurora, hatched in a remote dacha in the forest outside Moscow, involves an act of murderous destruction designed to tumble Britain into revolution. A crack Soviet agent, placed under cover in a quiet English town, begins to assemble a jigsaw of devastation.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #27617 in Books
• Published on: 1996-04-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

From the Publisher
'A Triumph... As good as any Forsyth since The Jackal' The Times

Customer Reviews

Fourth Protocol ... and Fifth Success for Forsyth
I'm reading my Freddie Forsyth novels in sequence. This is his fifth thriller, and it maintains the even standard of excellence he established with his first and seminal work The Day of the Jackal.

Like Forsyth's other novels, The Fourth Protocol really seizes your attention, and like the other novels again, it does so gradually, like the slow crushing motion of a car compressor. The technique is the same. It is the detail that creates the clear images and the authenticity, and really you are inside what seems like a terrifying documentary. After this decade's developments in international terrorism one realises how far ahead of the game Forsyth is here with his portable nuclear plot.

What really works for him, as he delves into the inter-related layers of the secret services in both the UK and Russia, is how the reader is drawn to speculate about who is on our side and who is not. What are the key characters' motives and loyalties? The other technique, which is typically Forsyth, is the amazing number of minor variables that all have a seemingly telling impact on the possible outcome of the plot. The suspense ratchets up and it's beautifully resolved.

This novel lacks a little of the crunch and thud of one or two others, but the spell is woven just as well. You will the central character, Preston, to win. It may be the Fourth Protocol but it is Forsyth's Fifth Success. It falls short only in one regard, and that is the lack of sub-plots to add personal depth to the central characters. Again, this one is female-'lite'. It's a minor quibble for being so well entertained but women read thrillers too! Highly recommended!

Great book, well worth taking on a long journey
This is a very entertaining novel. Forsyth appears to know his stuff about the British, American and Soviet secret services and in lots of ways the book as a "Bravo Two Zero" kind of 'handbook' appeal as the author describes in detail the workings and procedures of these government departments. I challenge anybody after reading the description of the Watchers (the secret service surveillance unit) to wonder for at least two weeks afterwards if they're being followed and watched.

The plot is also great with a steady pace and a controlled increase in velocity to the conclusion. It's all decidedly plausible and even the Soviets come out of the story rather human, unlike many inferior spy stories. However, it can be a rather clunky story -- you suspect where the story is heading and then are proved right a few pages later. It's like catching an accidental glimpse of back stage goings-on whilst watching a play - the spell is momentarily broken.

What's to criticise? Well, Forsyth has a laughably chauvanistic and perhaps simplistic approach to gender. There are few women in the novel and they appear merely to support the description of a man. And any men in the novel fall into one of two categories: weak or strong. If you're weak you betray your country. If you're strong you fight silently and thanklessly to preserve its way of life. Simple as that. No inbetweens and no shades of grey. (In some ways this is a touchingly 'old fashioned' view of life, however, that can be quite appealing).

But it's a fun book and definitely worth reading. Don't expect too much from it and you won't fail to enjoy it.

masterfully written
This book is set in Britain, South Africa and Russia in the 1980s. Unlike other agent stories, which I had tried in the past, the necessary background information for this intelligent plot is given in a compact way. Thus the book appears to be well researched and it is kept both exciting and understandable. Several story lines are intertwined in a neat way which helps to keep the suspense.

I had come upon this book after reading The Day of the Jackal (also by Forsyth) which I had experienced as similarly well researched and exciting. Thus this was my second book by Forsyth and I look forward to try out some more in the future.