The Negotiator by Frederick Forsyth

The Negotiator Reviews

• 
  Jose Puttanani

  Awesome is the word for this book. This is a book from a person with high IQ, likely to be over 120. Here are my reasons: (1)The story unfolds within a period of one year with a large number of charecters playing their role. Frederick Forsyth has shown an unparelleled skill in crafting their roles carefully and the timing for bringing them into the story. (2) His understanding of US, Europe and Middle East is so great that places and cultures fit very well into the story line. (3) The story is not just interaction between humans, but governments, particularly the police and secret services, and writing a story on such a not so known platform neeeds much more than superficial knowledge. Great Work.
• 
  Bob

  
  A 1998 Forsyth thriller has the US and Russia worried about the supply and cost of oil which is pushing $20 a barrel. The US President and Russia’s Gorbachev are about to sign a disarmament treaty that has Military hardliners on both sides angry at loss of funds and material. A US oil Barron who talks to God and gets personal responses has gathered a group of oil men and industrialists, all who stand to loose big money if the treaty goes through, in a plot to get the US President out of office.
  When the President’s son is kidnapped in England, the White House contacts a retired American who had great success in negotiating hostage releases. Going by the sole name of Quinn, this negotiator reluctantly agrees to help with the recovery, but only if is allowed to do it his way. This is reluctantly agreed to, but certain members of the US task force have doubts and suspicions which at times compromise Quinn’s efforts. This tale ranges from England to the US and Europe in non-stop action. Kept me up late last night to get it finished.
  
• 
  Deepak Eshwar

  Read it for Quinn the main protagonist. This novel is spine chilling with twists and turns, that will make you lose your way deep inside the novel. When you come out of it, you ll feel like the one who built the maze. Hats off to "the master story teller".
• 
  Benjamin Thomas

  I pulled this one from my book store because I was looking for a Cold War era thriller and have not yet read much from Mr Forsyth. I understand that he does an enormous amount of research for his books and that certainly showed here. This was a well-thought out novel and well-structured even though it suffers from amazingly bad publishing timing. It was written in the late 1980s and the traditional Cold War relationship between the US and USSR continues throughout the novel. Of course the author could no more see the incredible events of 1989 (the Wall coming down, the desolution of the Soviet Union, etc.) than the rest of us.
  
  I was a little worried as I read the first several chapters as the author spends a lot of time building the background for the story. We get a lot of back story on numerous characters, including high ranking politicians in both countries as well as businessmen, Senators, etc. but it was unclear just who the POV character would be. It isn't until around page 100 or so that we meet Quinn, the Negotiator himself and the novel settles down into a nice coherent plot. On the surface, the story centers around the kidnapping of the US president's only son but there is so much going on here that it is not at all predictable. Very enjoyable and now, of course, I want to read more from this author, especially his more famous works such as "Day of the Jackal".
• 
  Ryan Fernandes

  Whenever we talk about Fredrick Forsyth books, comparisons will always be drawn to The Afghan and the Day of the Jackal. This book is good but no where in the class of the above books. The first 1/3rd of the book where the plot is set up is extremely slow and hard to read. The middle part where the kidnapping takes place is brilliant in a way that only Forsyth can write. The ending is tame and more like a Bollywood movie. More than brilliant deductions, this book relies on luck and over the top Escape maneuvers by the protagonists. In some places it looks like the author is trying too hard to surprise the readers at the cost of the plot. Mind you, it's still not a bad read, just not as good as you expect it to be.
• 
  Ram

  Just finished reading "The Negotiator" by Frederick Forsyth, an international espionage thriller involving more than a dozen countries and a plot that keeps you riveted to the book. Brilliant.
• 
  Stuart

  Centred around a proposed conventional arms reduction treaty between the USA and USSR, with plots by head bangers on both sides to kill it, and manoeuvrings to grab control of Middle Eastern oil reserves. This is the main talking point for the first 100 pages, which can drag on and become quite slow, however after that the plot starts getting really interesting with the kidnapping of the Presidents only son...
  
  This is my first from Frederick Forsyth and I was impressed by his reaserech and intelligence. The beginning is quite boring bouncing between Russia and the US with too many characters. Then it gets into its stride with Quinn the Negotiator, who is just about expert at everything and a multi-linguist to boot, getting involved. The hero is able to travel across the world and Europe with complete ease with plenty of fresh clothes, money and weapons, cutting a swathe through the bad guys. You need to suspend belief here but it is, in fact, quite an enjoyable romp. It’s a pretty long book though, and the list of characters was so long that by the time the last bad guy was revealed I’d forgotten who he was! Good entertainment though from a very talented writer.
   
  I would have given the book a 5* if it had been a third shorter, and some of the detail removed or lessened. Overall solid 4 star 👍😀
• 
  José Luis

  
  https://30dediferencia.com/2016/07/31...
  
  Leer un libro de Frederick Forsyth es enfrentarte a una lectura con acción, con muchísimo ritmo, con unos personajes algo estereotipados, sin demasiada profundidad, pero ¿buscamos eso o entretenimiento sin más?
  
  Una historia en la que se mezclan personajes reales (Margaret Thatcher o Mijail Gorbachov), supongo que con la idea de hacer más creíble la historia, con un presidente de Estados Unidos ficticio y que trata temas muy actuales en la época en la que fue escrito el libro, como por ejemplo la Perestroika. El mundo pasa por una situación complicada y los dos líderes mundiales, presidentes de las dos grandes potencias, apuestan por el desarme y por poner límites a los gastos militares entre otras razones porque no hay más dinero… Son la excusa perfecta para llevarnos a través de un thriller de ritmo trepidante, algo lento quizás al principio, con su punto culminante en la negociación para liberar al hijo de presidente de los Estados Unidos y es ahí donde comienza de verdad la historia, una caza sin cuartel y sin piedad de todos contra todos y donde te puedes encontrar con los amigos más insospechados. Una historia bastante entretenida y recomendable para los amantes de este género literario.
  
  Un pequeño detalle antes de terminar, la traducción de la historia me pareció bastante floja, curioso como llaman al avión del presidente de los Estados Unidos, el Air Force One… y además encontré bastantes erratas a lo largo del texto, algo totalmente incomprensible cuando hay una editorial de prestigio, como se supone, detrás.
  
  El libro, como decía al principio, está comprado en Amazon y voy a contar un pequeño detalle, otras tiendas y me refiero a Lektu por ejemplo cuando compras un libro digital si este sufre modificaciones por parte de la editorial te hacen llegar un correo avisándote de que puedes descargarte la nueva versión de forma totalmente gratuita como no podía ser menos. A veces los más grandes tienen mucho que aprender de los pequeños (sólo en tamaño).
  
  
• 
  Angela

  Frederick Forsyth novels were a familiar fixture in our household when I was growing up, as both my parents loved his work. He was amongst the first ‘adult’ reads that I was drawn to at the time. So, my love affair with his books began, and over the years I have read everything he’s written- keeping up with any new release/s.
  As my mother has been in and out of hospital quite a lot over the past year and a half, I am keeping her supplied with books to read, and buddy reading them with her, or reading them to her when she isn’t well enough to read for herself. We have gotten through quite a lot of books in this time and it has been wonderful to discuss each one with her as we read/finish. It has been a great bonding experience for us, and Mr. Forsyth is our current author of choice- and we have both really enjoyed revisiting all his books, again.
  Mr. Forsyth has a great knack for writing wonderfully suspenseful and exciting read, there is always great tension, action, drama, some danger, intrigue, and lots more to hold your attention. I can always count on him to deliver an intriguing read.
  
  
• 
  Scott Holstad

  The first fourth of this book is pretty boring, but then something big happens and things liven up so that it ends up being a first class thriller.
  
  In the book, the US President and Russia’s Gorbachev are about to sign a disarmament treaty that has conservative hard liners TICKED -- enough to do serious damage to derail this treaty and see it go away. And so the president's son is kidnapped over in England. The White House calls in the best hostage negotiator in the world, a retired commando named Quinn, who agrees to do it only if he can do it his way. They reluctantly agree and then start breaking their agreement almost from the beginning.
  
  The first 100 pages or so of the book is a set up leading to this moment. The next, I don't know how many, numerous pages are of Quinn and the hostage taker negotiating and it's excruciating. Truly boring. But necessary to the plot and I understand that. So when, halfway through the book, the president's son is set free, I wondered what Forsyth was going to do to fill up the rest of the pages. Only to see this kid get blown sky high just as he's wandering back to the good guys. Wow! Did not see that coming. Suspicion falls on Quinn, of all people, and he takes off to Europe with Sam, his female FBI lover, to chase after the hostage takers, all of whom are being taken out before he reaches them. But how? And by whom? Something's not right and he has to get to the bottom of it. It turns into a real page turner and I've got to say, I was not disappointed. I tend to love Forsyth books, even with all of the detail. So, recommended.
• 
  Stefan

  The first two chapters of The Negotiator were very slow and uninteresting and I feared that this would be a tedious read. Fortunately, the pace began to pick up and I became immersed in the story. The plot contains several sub-plots (all of which are satisfactorily wrapped up in the conclusion), a number of interesting characters (notably the protagonist, Quinn), a number of neat settings (Vermont, Washington D.C., Corsica, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Russia, Texas, and others, all of which are described in vivid detail), and dialogue which was superbly crafted. This novel is far above most books in the thriller genre because of its intelligent and gripping narrative.
• 
  Randy Pradhana

  Saya mulai menyukai pengarang ini, segala detail yang terkait dengan hubungan, intrik, maupun konspirasi internasional, teknik negosiasi, teknik spionase dijelaskan oleh Forsyth di buku ini.
  
  Beberapa orang menganggap novel-novel yang dibuatnya merupakan "investigative journalism in fictional guise", mengambil hal-hal yang nyata terjadi, pernah terjadi, atau bisa saja terjadi yang diblurkan dengan cerita fiksi dan gabungan antara karakter nyata dan fiksi.
  
  Sebuah novel yang sangat informatif dari mantan agen MI6 ini, tapi saya rasa novel ini bukanlah novel terbaiknya.
• 
  Alfonso D'agostino

  Ok, ok, ho passato la settimana in compagnia di due romanzi di narrativa leggera perché avevo voglia di niente, anzi leggerissima.
  
  
  Nel caso del primo, Il negoziatore di Frederic Forsyth, vale la pena di proseguire la citazione musicale con "parole senza mistero": a differenze di altri lavori di Forsyth, che ho apprezzato molto e che hanno anche accompagnato una certa parte della mia storia di lettore, Il negoziatore pare ricalcare un po' tutti i cliché del genere senza quella capacità di sorprendere che è stata per qualche decennio un suo marchio distintivo (per intendersi, Il giorno dello sciacallo è un gran romanzo, Dossier Odessa si fa ricordare e Il pugno di Dio ha persino anticipato un po' i tempi). Ricordavo di aver recensito maluccio La Volpe per le stesse identiche motivazioni: anche ne Il negoziatore tutto è un po' scontato, dagli atteggiamenti del protagonista allo svilupparsi della trama, e in una spy story non può esserci nulla di peggio.
  
  
  Ma terminato Il negoziatore ho messo le zampe su La coppia della porta accanto di Shari Lapena, un thrillerone che più thrillerone non si può e che trae avvio dall'incubo peggiore che ogni coppia di genitori potrebbe vivere: Anne e Marco Conti vengono invitati dai vicini di casa Cynthia e Graham ma durante la cena la loro neonata, pur controllata ogni trenta minuti, svanisce nel nulla.
  
  
  Come giudico buono un thriller? Beh, quando non riesco ad anticipare nulla di ciò che seguirà. Non è neppure banalmente la "sorpresa": è proprio il riconoscimento della capacità dell'autore di condurti verso la un vicolo cieco, di farti pensare a una colpevolezza che non c'è, disseminando di indizi e suggestioni il suo testo. Da questo punto di vista, La coppia della porta accanto è certamente riuscito, e gode di un finale che gli fa meritare una mezza stella in più.
• 
  Helen Ahern

  The presidents son is kidnapped and they need a negotiator. Quinn is the best but he’s retired to Spain. They manage to persuade him and so the negotiations begin. There’s a lot at stake here but who are the good guys and what’s really going on. This kept me riveted from beginning to end. Not once did I have to rewind. Great story and great narration.
• 
  Arnis

  
  https://poseidons99.wordpress.com/202...
• 
  Jim Puskas

  Quinn is much more than a negotiator: he's also a highly trained and experienced commando, typical of Forsyth's central characters. Of course, in a Forsyth novel things are never quite what they seem; we're never quite sure who can be trusted and who the traitors are. As usual, Forsyth introduces a large cast of characters, whose lives intersect in complex ways.
  One minor quibble: Forsyth's research, usually impeccable, is a bit suspect in his depiction of winter in the hill country of Vermont as extremely frigid, almost od arctic proportions; setting that episode in North Dakota would have made more sense. But in most respects this is a typical Forsyth adventure, complete with incompetent FBI agents, scoundrelly politicians, evil, sadistic villains and KGB operatives who can work both sides of the street when it suits their purposes.
  Not up to Forsyth's best such as The Devil's Alternative etc. but a very engaging read.
• 
  Warren

  Frequently wooden, occasionally terrible, prose; rather too much tell-not-show; an excess of cardboard characters; a big fat cliche involving a pretty FBI agent who wins the hero's heart; the road map of Europe described in excessive detail... this book is full of faults.
  
  BUT! It's a cracking story! The pace, slow at first, builds to a fabulous crescendo. Forsyth's dialogue is crisp and on point, the way people actually talk. The twists keep you turning the pages until way past your bedtime. The research and detail that sometimes bog the book down also give it heft and substance, and you feel as if you've learned something from reading it. I ended up enjoying it far more than I thought I would at the start.
• 
  Avradip Saha

  The set up was slow, dont know whether its the book or just me. The first 50+ pages took me at least 5-6 efforts to go through. Then after the kidnapping and introduction of the negotiator it was fascinating. Spend 2 sleepless nights, just couldn't put it down! But the third act and finish was kind of disappointing, too cheesy. The resolution lacked punch, almost lame, feels like a western. Overall I would recommend it only to a patient reader. Good, but not great as it promised to be.
• 
  Umang Chhawchharia

  The book was excellent, a typical Frederick Forsyth masterpiece.... It gave me new insights into the oil scenario of the world, the vanity and selfishness of American companies in and about kidnapping in high profile cases..... Also how the inner functions of the American and British bodies like the COBRA work..In all an awesome book, a fun read, and recommended to all ...keep reading :)
  
• 
  Kanna

  Superb.... awesome.... what else can I say.... What a suspence.... what a narration..... At the beginning it looks like a boring novel but after some 20 pages the momentum gains and after that, whenever I found some free time available, I read it.
• 
  Chetan

  Clear 5 for Frederick Forsyth... I like his books, the reason being he writes fiction.The way he moves you along with the story is wonderful.
• 
  Robbie

  Haven't read a bad Forsyth book yet. You'll love this one!
• 
  Carmen

  An excellent read!
• 
  Marija

  
• 
  Emad

  كتاب از جندين موضوع مختلف كه كمك كم در طي داستان همگرا ميشوند تشكيل شده است و همچون ساير آثار فردريك فورسايت، اوقات بسيار لذتبخشي را در طي مطالعه آن گذراندم.
  ترجمه ي كتاب هم خيلي روان و خوب بود.
  
• 
  Víctor Arturo Mercado Fernández

  Una novela llena de acción e intriga con giros bruscos y resultados inesperados que mantienen al lector al borde de la silla desde el principio. Lo usual del autor.
• 
  Juan Pineda

  Buen libro, los dos primeros capítulos son un poco pesados y aburridos, pero sin duda es una introducción necesaria para aportar la intriga hasta el final de la historia.