In 1980, he wrote about the assassination of the Egyptian president a full year before the real event took place.
His novels often functioned as "drop boxes" where intelligence agencies leaked information they couldn't officially release, allowing them to see their own secrets mirrored in fiction. 2. A Knack for Prophecy La - Gerard De Villiers
Perhaps the most enduring part of de Villiers' legacy is his "uncanny knack" for anticipating major global events before they happened. In 1980, he wrote about the assassination of
De Villiers’ "secret sauce" was his background as a foreign correspondent. Unlike other thriller writers who relied on imagination, he spent decades cultivating a global network of intelligence officers, arms dealers, and diplomats. A Knack for Prophecy Perhaps the most enduring
His 2012 novel Les Fous de Benghazi detailed the threat of Islamist groups in Libya and the role of the CIA six months before the raid that killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens.
He meticulously researched every book by traveling to conflict zones for 15 days, followed by a six-week writing sprint.