Thus , they are anti-heroes .
The mercenary protagonists , like the protagonist in the author 's earlier novel The Day of the Jackal ( 1971 ) , are professional killers -- ruthless , violent men , heroic only in the loosest sense of the word .
Protagonists are men .
The mercenary protagonists , like the protagonist in the author 's earlier novel The Day of the Jackal ( 1971 ) , are professional killers -- ruthless , violent men , heroic only in the loosest sense of the word .