The Fifth Horseman (a Yuletide read?)

I learned a few days ago, that French writer Dominique Lapierre died recently, at 91. He was, with Larry Collins, the author of The Fifth Horseman, a spy thriller which I received as a present for Christmas in 1988. My father thought it was the greatest thriller ever written, or something of the sort, and I remember enjoying the novel quite a lot, albeit I never revisited it in adult age. I guess I outgrew techno-thrillers. The Fifth Horseman is very much a product of its time, so it made a lot of buzz when published and the years after, because it was so topical with its time, then kind of faded away. Be that as it may, I remember it for being a pleasant read. And I it also struck me that it could be a pretty good novel to read during Christmastime, as the action is set in December. It starts on the 13th of December, if I'm not mistaken. Anyway, it came to my mind when I learned that Lapierre had died. And you, ever read the novel? What did you think of it? Tell me in the comments.