Books

The Jackal

Joby Warrick

The spectacular rise and dramatic fall of super-assassin Carlos the Jackal—one of history’s most infamous terrorist masterminds and the inspiration for numerous celebrated works of pop culture—told with new revelations from the Jackal himself, by the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Black Flags.

A black-bereted, gun-slinging avatar of one of the most turbulent eras in global politics, Carlos the Jackal burst onto the world stage in 1975 as the first true celebrity terrorist and the TV-ready face of a violent Palestinian resistance movement that was then just beginning to gain traction. In a bloody career that would ultimately span three decades, Carlos innovated a new kind of spectacular terrorism, one that embraced hijackings, hostage crises, airport bombings and international assassinations. And he personally masterminded one of the most shocking operations of the era: the kidnapping of an entire conference of world oil ministers for ransom in Vienna. The polar opposite of today’s most infamous terrorists, Carlos was a hard-drinking libertine and self-styled romantic who entranced dozens of beautiful women and murdered his victims with callous disregard, often with his own hand.

But Carlos was not all that he seemed to be.

Through newly declassified archives, secret witness accounts and a rare interview with the Jackal himself, acclaimed journalist Joby Warrick reveals a previously hidden side of the man born Ilich Ramírez Sánchez – an ideologically driven figure whose myth was as carefully constructed as his attacks were deadly.

As he did in his Pulitzer Prize-winning Black Flags, Warrick delivers a powerful and highly cinematic tale that explains and illuminates the root causes, and founding personalities, behind one of the great conflicts of our time.

Hardback

ISBN: 9781800757752

Published: August 27, 2026

Ebook

ISBN: 9781800757769

Published: August 27, 2026

Category:
Non-fiction

Reviews for The Jackal

‘Brims with authenticity even as it delivers the rollercoaster-like rush of a taut thriller.’ – David McCloskey, former CIA analyst and bestselling author

‘Astonishing. Joby Warrick has completely fleshed out this mysterious and lethal man, driven as much by vanity as any of the various causes he embraced’ – Mark Bowden, bestselling author of Black Hawk Down and Guests of the Ayatollah

‘Can’t-put-it-down thriller, absorbing psychological study, meticulous detective story, illuminating saga’ – David Maraniss author of When Pride Still Mattered and Path Lit by Lightning

‘Thoroughly immersive – a page turner with just the right amount of historical context. As someone who was on the periphery of hunting Carlos, I can assure readers that there’s nary a false note. For those who wonder why terrorism ultimately fails, this is a must read’ -Robert Baer, former CIA case officer and bestselling author of See No Evil and The Devil We Know

‘Spectacular. In The Jackal, Joby Warrick, one of the world’s most gifted journalists and vivid storytellers, immerses the reader in the dark web of international terrorism, shining a fascinating spotlight on one of its most infamous perpetrators…Warrick has written a book for the ages’ – Martha Raddatz, Emmy Award-winning anchor for ABC News and author of The Hero Next Door

‘A masterful portrait of a killer who ushered in the spectacle of modern terrorism. Get to know Carlos the Jackal in preparation for the emerging generation of new jackals, terrorists who are planning acts of devastating violence as you read this. There are lessons in the pages of The Jackal. Learn them before it’s too late’ – Jack Carr, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Fourth Option

‘Propulsive. The biography of a ‘criminal narcissist’ who made terrorism into a lethal art while also living the life of a louche playboy, gallivanting around the globe. A rattling good yarn and a sobering one’ – Peter Bergen, bestselling author of Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for bin Laden from 9/11 to Abbottabad

‘Extraordinary. In a globe-spanning quest, Warrick appears to have tracked down nearly everyone involved in the hunt for the notorious Carlos. Fans of spy-thrillers will be in absolute heaven knowing this is all true’ – Scott Anderson, bestselling author of Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly, and the Making of the Modern Middle East

‘Pulsating and thought-provoking, The Jackal is a meticulously reported page-turner from one of our finest chroniclers of terrorists and their pursuers’ – Steve Coll, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Ghost Wars, Directorate S, and The Achilles Trap

Author

Joby Warrick

Joby Warrick is a bestselling author, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and national security correspondent for The Washington Post, where he has served for almost three decades. He has written extensively on topics ranging from Middle East conflicts and terrorism to nuclear proliferation and climate change. Warrick is the author of three previous works of narrative nonfiction, including the 2016 Pulitzer Prize winner Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS. A native of North Carolina, he has two adult children and lives in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC.