The Dogs of War

The world of the mercenary soldier, which has fascinated Frederick Forsyth since he reported the Biafra war, forms the background of his third novel. In the foreground a fast moving story investigates some little-known and sinister corners of other activities - mining, high finance, banking and the secret world of arms dealing.

Step by step, Forsyth takes us round Europe - from Paris to Ostend to Marseilles - where the mercenaries are recruited; from Berne to Brugge where the undercover financial déals are set up; from Germany to Italy, Spain and Yugoslavia where the arms are bought, and a ship commissioned to transport the men and their equipment. The excitement gains momentum with every page until the climax of a pitched battle for the African president's palace. Its outcome, ironically different from that planned by the plotters, gives an added dimension to this tense and gripping story.