Liked how the killer Phoenix could utilize so many character disguises and not forget how to do each one. Enjoyed that you knew what he was going to do but yet amazed at the way he accomplished it. Somewhat confusing with all the different government agencies people names but they are used later in the story. ( )

Phoenix is a novel about an anonymous master assassin before such things became cliché. Written 1979 and taking place two years earlier, Mu’ammar Qaddafi’s Libya [spelled as it is in the novel] decides the time is right to eliminate an incoming cabinet member of the Israeli government. Libya cast a net for professional killers that cannot be linked to their nation and in due course meet the man known only by his codename, the title of the book. But the search does not go unnoticed by Israel. Ari Cohen is tasked with confirming the seriousness of the plot, identifying the actual target, and locating an assassin with no known history. We follow each as they pursue their mission until their paths intersect at the conclusion.

Stripped of the details, if the basic plot reminds you of The Day of the Jackal, you would not be wrong. The publisher gladly admits as much, the cover proudly proclaiming, “The best espionage thriller since . . .” Clearly Aricha and Landau were writing their version and, while acknowledging Frederick Forsyth as the master of the form, I prefer Phoenix. Granted, I read Phoenix first and that’s always a factor. But I’ve reread Phoenix and never have Jackal, and I think perhaps the reason is that the characters presented here are less like chess pieces being moved around a board, as was sometimes the case with early Forsyth. But, in all honesty, I can recommend both. ( )

Phoenix is de codenaam voor een huurmoordenaar die in 1977 in opdracht van Libië de Israëlische minister van buitenlandse zaken Mosje Dayan moest vermoorden. De perfect opgezette misdaad mislukt op het nippertje na zeer intensief speurwerk van vooral de Israëlische geheime dienst, die alleen moet afgaan op vage geruchten. Degelijke spionageroman á la Ludlum (iets minder). Het is fantasie tegen een authentieke achtergrond. Goed geschreven en opgebouwd verhaal. De spanning is goed gedoseerd, de karakters zijn aannemelijk; redelijke vertaling, duidelijke letter: aanwinst voor een groot publiek.