The novel is widely regarded as one of the best "spy thrillers" ever written, widely praised for its convincing portrayal of France in 1962, and carefully thought-out plot.
While the OAS did exist as described in the novel, and did actually try to assassinate de Gaulle, no plot of the type described in the novel ever really happened. The book is a work of complete fiction.
The book was filmed in 1973, and a very loose adaptation was made in 1997 as The Jackal.