The Day of the Jackal

The Day of the Jackal is a book. Frederick Forsyth wrote it in 1971. It became a bestseller. It is about a plot to kill French head of state Charles De Galle in the summer of 1963.
Story.
As a result of the French Goverment decision to grant Independence to Algeria, a group of former French officers decide to take over the government. They decide to kill Charles De Galle.
They hire an international assassin called "the Jackal" to kill de Galle. By accident, the French Secret Service learns of the plot. The French Secret Service searches for the criminal with help from British MI6. They try to stop the killer and the killer tries not to be caught.
The Jackal almost kills Charles de Galle.
Characters.
The Jackal is in his early 30s and has blond hair and cold gray eyes. He speaks the French language very well. He hides his identity using fake passports. He learned to kill people as a mercenary in the Congo. He only takes very expensive "jobs." 
Adaptation.
In 1977 a British-French movie was made. It was close to the book.