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Type of bind: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780312983420
ISBN number: 0312983425
Label: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 368
Printing Date: February 17, 2003
Publishing house: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Sale Popularity Level: 73944
Studio: St. Martin's Paperbacks
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Product Description:
On a grimy sidewalk in a defeated neighborhood, an old man is beaten to death. When a cop investigates, he finds two killers and a startling legacy of honor ... In a prestigious London art gallery an impoverished actor is swindled out of a fortune-until an eccentric appraiser hatches a delicious scheme for revenge... On an airplane high over war-torn Afghanistan, a passenger sends a note to the plane's captain, warning of suspicious behavior. But no one can guess who is really conspiring aboard the 747, or why... From the war-torn Italy to the Little Big Horn, from soldiers of fortune to victims of fate,The Veteran is a riveting experience in crime, heroism, and the kind of mano-a-mano duels-and surprising twists of fate-that are the hallmark of Frederick Forsyth at his very best.
Amazon.com Review:
Penzler Pick, September 2001: Frederick Forsyth is known as the bestselling author of classic thrillers such as The Day of the Jackal and The Odessa File, among others. He is far less known as one of our premier short story writers (even though he won an Edgar for 'There Are No Snakes in Ireland'), so it is a pleasure to have a new book from this superb storyteller.
'The Veteran' tells the story of an incident in one of the seedier parts of London. A Ugandan shopkeeper witnesses the mugging of a middle-aged man by two thugs. The shopkeeper has a perfect view of the crime so, when the man dies of his injuries, it would appear that the two thugs, now up on a murder charge, will be convicted. But justice does not always come easily, and it comes in many guises.
'The Art of the Matter' recounts an ingenious and deliciously satisfying art scam. The twists and turns are breathlessly entertaining and just when you think it's over, there's one more way for the bad guys to get their comeuppance. 'The Miracle' tells the story of an American couple in Siena on their way to a festival. They are stopped when a stranger tells them the story of the courtyard in which they stand. Some very wonderful things happened right there during the Second World War. Will the couple get to the festival? Will they care?
'The Citizen' is a heart-stopping suspense story set on board a flight from Bangkok to London. We get to know the flight crew and some of the passengers very well, and they are not all who they might appear to be. And 'Whispering Wind,' the longest story in the book, is a very ambitious piece about the Battle of Little Big Horn and what came later for several of the participants.
Each of the stories in this volume is Forsyth in top form. The writing exceeds expectations, the stories are never less than compelling, and the suspense in each of them is nonstop. --Otto Penzler
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Rated by buyers -
The only relevant thing you really need to know about THE VETERAN, especially if you buy it, as I did, thinking it a single story, is that it's a compendium of five shorts. The fifth chapter, "Whispering Wind", is perhaps a novelette as it comprises roughly 40% of the 344-page volume.
Two of the stories were previously published, which suggests that Frederick Forsyth's publisher asked him to scour his odds bin for material to flesh out a profitable new release. Or perhaps the author just needed something to forestall the demands of his publisher made cranky by a delay in the contractual delivery of a feature-length novel. Or maybe Forsyth just needed an infusion of funds to refurbish his home's loo.
All five tales revolve around a veteran of some profession or another: "The Veteran" (British Para trooper), "The Art of the Matter" (bit-part actor), "The Miracle" (WWII Wehrmacht medical officer), "The Citizen" (British drug enforcement cop), "Whispering Wind" (19th century U.S. Seventh Cavalry scout).
All stories were above average in their ability to engage and retain my interest even so far as to attract my attention between snaps during yesterday's USC-Notre Dame football contest. (USC 38, Irish 3. Fight on!) All five had a plot twist, and the author's attention to detail gave added value. In particular for those with no prior knowledge of Custer's Last Stand in 1876 in the present state of Montana, Forsyth's summary of the U.S. Army's greatest defeat at the hands of the native tribes provides a very nice introductory overview.
The very first four stories take place in more or less the present and, unlike the fifth and last, completely exclude any paranormality. This sudden change in direction may be slightly disconcerting, much like finding an otherworldly Sci-Fi plot rounding out a collection of sagebrush Western shoot-'em-ups.
THE VETERAN is the perfect accompaniment for that flight home for the holidays or the wait through the wash and spin cycles at the launderette.
Rated by buyers 
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The Veteran by Frederick Forsyth is by far my favorite author and I may be therefore biased. However, this is a collection of short stories which are captivating as well as extraordinary. The reader will be pleasantly pleased with each delivers. I highly recommend this book as well as all his books. T.Ware
Rated by buyers 
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Usually authors' careers follow predictable patterns of good patches and bad. One decade might bring greatness, another competence, another bare professionalism.
Frederick Forsyth seems to encompass his entire bell curve in a single book. As an avid Forsyth fan, I declare that "The Veteran" contains the best piece of fiction I've read from Forsyth since "Day Of The Jackal," and also the motliest.
To start with the best, "Heart Of The Matter" is even more of a gem for its sharp characterization and ample good humor, both not qualities I associate with Forsyth the cold chessmaster. Trumpington Gore is a down-on-his-luck actor who finds himself trumped out of a prize painting by a sleazy auctioneer. Lucky for him he's not the only victim, and a common-cause revenge plan is struck.
Add some cyber-sleuthing, in-depth detail about the rare-art auction world, and a forger whose taste for the Old Masters is matched only by a thirst for Bordeaux, and you have a light-but-thrilling caper comedy worthy of the Blake Edwards spider-in-gossamer treatment.
Nothing else is nearly as good as "Heart", a hard act for any author to follow. But "Whispering Wind", the novella in this collection, is just as different for Forsyth, and almost as bad as "Heart Of The Matter" is good. A sordid, revisionist take on Little Bighorn is unpleasant enough, but then the wooden hero goes on a time trip and seeks out his lost Cheyenne love on a tour bus. Forsyth doesn't have a clue what he wants to do from page to page, and it shows in a story that limps along from one coincidence to another. And it goes on and on and on...
Between those two poles, you get three stories featuring last-minute Forsyth twists, the best being "The Miracle". It has the sharpest ending after "Art" and presents Forsyth as an artist at his hard and soft best, telling a tale about violence and hope during the battle for Siena in World War II. Something else, too: Is the twist ending here an acknowledgment by Forsyth of the games people play when they ply his trade? Perhaps I'm reading too much into it.
"The Veteran" is a solid police procedural about the attempted prosecution of two yobbos guilty of a vicious beating. Not as clever as it portends, but Forsyth sets a compelling, gritty mood; making you feel some of the helplessness loved ones of crime victims must go through regularly.
"The Citizen" is the other bad one in this bunch. Not as bad as "Whispering Wind" because its not as long, but so confusing as Forsyth plays way too many games with the reader, giving you nothing to hold onto, even false narration, a dirty trick. I was disappointed.
But any book that has "Art Of The Matter" is worth recommending to Forsyth fans, and others too will enjoy it thoroughly. It's about as good a time as 70 pages can provide, and a perfect remedy for the summertime blues.
Rated by buyers -
Please read this book. I believe that you will go out and buy all Forsyth has written when you read this book.
Rated by buyers -
Forsyth is a master story teller and can spin a yarn cleverly which keeps you coming back for more. All five of these short stories are clever with the outcomes not necessarily predictable. In Whispering Wind Forsyth's knowledge of the Cheyenne and Souix tribes, and The Battle of the Little Big Horn impressive. His introduction of the "Everywhere Spirit" makes him a bit of a Mystic...br
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