his earnings to the surviving family members of his fallen comrades, and also sends a manuscript (presumably describing the events) to a journalist in London. He walks into the African bush, whistling a favourite tune ("Spanish Harlem"), to end his life on his own terms with "a gun in his hand, blood in his mouth, and a bullet in his chest". Characters Carlo Alfred Thomas "Cat" Shannon: an Anglo-Irish former Royal Marine turned mercenary "Tiny" Marc Vlaminck: Huge Belgian mercenary and bazooka expert, bartender Kurt Semmler: German ex–Hitler Youth turned mercenary, smuggler Janni Dupree: Afrikaner mercenary and mortar expert Jean-Baptiste Langarotti: Corsican-born former French paratrooper turned mercenary, expert knife-fighter and member of the Unione Corse Sir James Manson: Owner and Chairman of Manson Consolidated Simon Endean: Manson's chief of security and the man who hires Shannon; poses as "Walter Harris" Martin Thorpe: Manson's financial expert Jean Kimba: Zangaro's President turned dictator Antoine Bobi: Exiled Zangaran army colonel, recruited by Manson and Endean to be a puppet leader Charles Roux: French ex-Legionnaire, failed mercenary and now small-time crime boss in Paris; self-proclaimed leader of all French mercenaries, passionately hates Shannon Raymond Thomard: Former mercenary hired by Roux to kill Shannon Henri Alain: One of Roux's contacts Dr Okoye: African academic and representative of "The General" Julie Manson: Daughter of Sir James Manson, fashion model and Shannon's lover "The General": Unnamed popular leader of an African republic that was conquered by the Central Federal Government, lives in exile Research While researching the story of The Dogs of War, Frederick Forsyth pretended to be preparing a coup d'état against Equatorial Guinea on behalf of the Igbo people whom he passionately supports; he was told it would cost 240,000 US dollars. Five years after the 1973 attempted coup d'état, Forsyth's research was subject of a feature story in The Times, which posited he had commissioned the operation in earnest; many people believed he was planning a real coup d'état in Equatorial Guinea. Later, Forsyth said that arms dealers were the most frightening people he had ever met; the mercenaries Mike Hoare, Bob Denard, "Black Jack" Schramme and Rolf Steiner are all mentioned in the novel. According to UK National Archives documents released in 2005, in early 1973, several people in Gibraltar were planning a coup d'état against Equatorial Guinea, in the manner described in The Dogs of War. Spain arrested several mercenaries in the