::AMAZON REVIEWS::

WOW
Book is just like new and fast delivery. I will buy from the seller aging!! My Sisters Keeper

You can always count on Forsyth
No spoilers

While I can say that this is not my favorite Forsyth book so far, that does not at all mean that I didn't enjoy it and that you shouldn't read it. Even though "Jackal" is still the best by far, The Dogs of War is quite entertaining and held my attention throughout. When it comes to espionage/underworld activities/mystery/thriller novels, Forsyth is the king. My only detraction from this book has to do with the ending. While I was reading it, I kept wondering how he was going to wrap the story up, and once he did I wasn't all that satisfied. However, that's obviously my opinion and hopefully you'll have a different one. Either way, I recommend this book and all the previous Forsyth novels as well.

catches the reader's attention
I am not a fan of action novels and this was quite unusual for me, but I decided to give "Dogs of War" a try. I was surprised, because I actually liked it.

The novel begins with an end of one of the African independence wars in the 1950's, when the mercenaries are leaving for Paris. The troop led by devilishly intelligent Cat Shannon is dispersed with the promise of getting back together when the new job comes up.

Meanwhile, in London, financial shark, Sir James Manson, discovers, that the samples from the Crystal Mountain in the fictional central African republic of Zangaro, contain not only trace amounts of tin, but a significant amount of platinum. He immediately hatches up a cunning plan to circumvent the permits and licenses, a plan calculated to make him very rich very soon. The plan involves the military coup in Zangaro... And for this he needs Cat Shannon.

The whole book is taken by the preparation for the coup and it is true, that it reads like an instruction. Logistics is the key, and it was a bit mundane to read about the calculations, expenses and prices of weapons. The coup itself is at the end, but it is brilliantly executed and not free from surprises.

The novel is quite conventional, but it caught my interest, I liked the character of Shannon, I disliked Sir James, all as it was supposed to be. I am not sure if I will see the movie (although it definitely is the perfect plot for the movie) because I think Christopher Walken is spooky and I do not want to change the image of Cat Shannon I have in my head after reading this novel. Definitely, I am ready for the more famous books by Forsyth now.

Excessive padding
I agree with the other reviewers who have given this book a low rating. This is definitely not one of Forsyth's better books. There is a very good short story lurking here, but the book is padded out with excessive amounts of non-essential logistics and accounting (and the fairly trivial sums involved make it seem extraordinarily dated). Promising plot twists - the murderous rival mercenary Roux, the competing Russian interest in African minerals, the factions competing for power in his fictional country - are given short shrift. The author was clearly deeply affected by his experiences in Biafra, but the story emphasizes only the incompetence and corruption of sub-Saharan Africa, and only in the very brief denouement do we get any hint of the idealism that also exists in the continent. Perhaps if the author had developed these and other sub-themes to their full potential the book would have justified its length. As it is, it looks very much like something written to satisfy contractual obligations.

Been (near) There, But Didn't Do That
Ironically, I read most of this book while in a West Africa country a couple months ago -- not far from where this supposedly took place in real life -- it kept me interested during flights and at the hotel. Truth is stranger than fiction but this fiction is pretty darn good.

The twist at the end was surprising and thought provoking. If you like history and intrigue, you'll probably like this book. In fact, I think I'm going to buy another copy for someone's Christmas gifts.