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Slade #2
The Freedom Trap by Desmond Bagley (4-Oct-1971) Hardcover
An agent of the British Government is sent on a new and deadly assignment - to snare The Scarperers (a notorious gang of criminals who organise gaol-breaking for long-term prisoners) and Slade, a notorious Russian double agent whom they have recently liberated. The trail leads him to Malta, where he comes face-to-face with these ruthless killers and must outwit them to save his own life.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1971
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About the author
Desmond Bagley
131 books165 followersDesmond Bagley was a British journalist and novelist principally known for a series of best-selling thrillers. Along with fellow British writers such as Hammond Innes and Alistair MacLean, Bagley established the basic conventions of the genre: a tough, resourceful, but essentially ordinary hero pitted against villains determined to sow destruction and chaos in order to advance their agenda.
Bagley was born at Kendal, Cumbria (then Westmorland), England, the son of John and Hannah Bagley. His family moved to the resort town of Blackpool in the summer of 1935, when Bagley was twelve. Leaving school not long after the relocation, Bagley worked as a printer's assistant and factory worker, and during World War II he worked in the aircraft industry. Bagley suffered from a speech impediment (stuttering) all of his life, which initially exempted him from military conscription.
He left England in 1947 for Africa and worked his way overland, crossing the Sahara Desert and briefly settling in Kampala, Uganda, where he contracted malaria. By 1951, he had settled in South Africa, working in the gold mining industry and asbestos industry in Durban, Natal, before becoming a freelance writer for local newspapers and magazines.
His first published short story appeared in the English magazine Argosy in 1957, and his first novel, The Golden Keel in 1962. In the interval, he was a film critic for Rand Daily Mail in Johannesburg from 1958–1962. Also during this period, he met local bookstore owner Joan Margaret Brown and they were married in 1960.
The success of The Golden Keel led Bagley to turn full time to novel writing by the mid-1960s. He published a total of sixteen thrillers, all craftsmanlike and nearly all best-sellers. Typical of British thriller writers of the era, he rarely used recurring characters whose adventures unfolded over multiple books. Max Stafford, the security consultant featured in Flyaway and Windfall, is a notable exception. Also typically, his work has received little attention from filmmakers, yielding only a few, unremarkable adaptations. Exceptions were The Freedom Trap (1971), released in 1973 as The Mackintosh Man by Warner Brothers, starring Paul Newman and Dominique Sanda; and Running Blind which was adapted for television by the BBC in 1979.
Bagley and his wife left South Africa for Italy in 1960, and then England in 1965. They settled in Totnes, Devon from 1965–1976, then lived in Guernsey in the Channel Islands from 1976-1983.
Bagley also published short stories. When not traveling to research the exotic backgrounds for his novels, Bagley spent his time sailing and motor-boating. He loved classical music and films, military history, and played war games.
Desmond Bagley died of complications resulting from a stroke at a hospital in Southampton. He was fifty-nine. His last two novels Night of Error and Juggernaut were published posthumously after completion by his wife. His works have been translated into over 20 languages.
Bagley was born at Kendal, Cumbria (then Westmorland), England, the son of John and Hannah Bagley. His family moved to the resort town of Blackpool in the summer of 1935, when Bagley was twelve. Leaving school not long after the relocation, Bagley worked as a printer's assistant and factory worker, and during World War II he worked in the aircraft industry. Bagley suffered from a speech impediment (stuttering) all of his life, which initially exempted him from military conscription.
He left England in 1947 for Africa and worked his way overland, crossing the Sahara Desert and briefly settling in Kampala, Uganda, where he contracted malaria. By 1951, he had settled in South Africa, working in the gold mining industry and asbestos industry in Durban, Natal, before becoming a freelance writer for local newspapers and magazines.
His first published short story appeared in the English magazine Argosy in 1957, and his first novel, The Golden Keel in 1962. In the interval, he was a film critic for Rand Daily Mail in Johannesburg from 1958–1962. Also during this period, he met local bookstore owner Joan Margaret Brown and they were married in 1960.
The success of The Golden Keel led Bagley to turn full time to novel writing by the mid-1960s. He published a total of sixteen thrillers, all craftsmanlike and nearly all best-sellers. Typical of British thriller writers of the era, he rarely used recurring characters whose adventures unfolded over multiple books. Max Stafford, the security consultant featured in Flyaway and Windfall, is a notable exception. Also typically, his work has received little attention from filmmakers, yielding only a few, unremarkable adaptations. Exceptions were The Freedom Trap (1971), released in 1973 as The Mackintosh Man by Warner Brothers, starring Paul Newman and Dominique Sanda; and Running Blind which was adapted for television by the BBC in 1979.
Bagley and his wife left South Africa for Italy in 1960, and then England in 1965. They settled in Totnes, Devon from 1965–1976, then lived in Guernsey in the Channel Islands from 1976-1983.
Bagley also published short stories. When not traveling to research the exotic backgrounds for his novels, Bagley spent his time sailing and motor-boating. He loved classical music and films, military history, and played war games.
Desmond Bagley died of complications resulting from a stroke at a hospital in Southampton. He was fifty-nine. His last two novels Night of Error and Juggernaut were published posthumously after completion by his wife. His works have been translated into over 20 languages.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
October 13, 2018
Spies and bad people, intelligence agents and a clever, skilled lady battling to secure important information that is of value to lots of parties is the basis for this early 1970s thriller.
The plot and story takes us from England, South Africa, Ireland and the Mediterranean with prisons, parliament, planes and boats all included. Diamonds and robbery start us off and the story develops where secrecy is key to success but identities of people and their situations, with hidden backgrounds or mistakes, just might create the kink or gap to expose plans and that will mean death or worse slow torture.
A little dated in places but it's a light, enjoyable read from the days of the Cold War and when the threat of Communism was omnipresent in the minds of politicians and the intelligence community.
The plot and story takes us from England, South Africa, Ireland and the Mediterranean with prisons, parliament, planes and boats all included. Diamonds and robbery start us off and the story develops where secrecy is key to success but identities of people and their situations, with hidden backgrounds or mistakes, just might create the kink or gap to expose plans and that will mean death or worse slow torture.
A little dated in places but it's a light, enjoyable read from the days of the Cold War and when the threat of Communism was omnipresent in the minds of politicians and the intelligence community.
June 8, 2025
Enjoyable story that was even more Alistair MacLean-y than Bagley's previous book, Running Blind, the first in his "Slade" duology — what is it with '70s bad guys and their yachts? By my age, I've run into my share of rich (not to mention bad) guys, and I don't think I know anyone who's ever even been on a yacht, much less owned one…but yet fictionally, here we are again.
The story starts off as a simple tale, then takes a hard left-turn halfway through that might have been a genuine surprise fifty years ago, but which was all-too-predictable today, since similar "surprises" have become fairly commonplace in between. I really enjoyed the Icelandic setting in the previous book, but this one was set mainly in a British prison, rural Ireland and finally the harbor of Valetta, which should have been fairly exotic but is portrayed basically as a port city anywhere, not even necessarily in the Mediterranean. Only really unique thing here was that the through-line between the two books is the villain, not the hero, although both stories are told from the good guy's first-person POV.
Filmed as "The Macintosh Man" in 1973 (just two years after publication), the movie stars a post-"The Sting" Paul Newman, James Mason and for some reason French actress Dominique Sanda as the VERY British "Mrs. Smith" — will definitely blow $4 and watch it sometime.
The story starts off as a simple tale, then takes a hard left-turn halfway through that might have been a genuine surprise fifty years ago, but which was all-too-predictable today, since similar "surprises" have become fairly commonplace in between. I really enjoyed the Icelandic setting in the previous book, but this one was set mainly in a British prison, rural Ireland and finally the harbor of Valetta, which should have been fairly exotic but is portrayed basically as a port city anywhere, not even necessarily in the Mediterranean. Only really unique thing here was that the through-line between the two books is the villain, not the hero, although both stories are told from the good guy's first-person POV.
Filmed as "The Macintosh Man" in 1973 (just two years after publication), the movie stars a post-"The Sting" Paul Newman, James Mason and for some reason French actress Dominique Sanda as the VERY British "Mrs. Smith" — will definitely blow $4 and watch it sometime.
July 2, 2016
I loved this 1971 book as a child in the 80s. I mislaid my much read copy years ago and then found a copy recently in a second hand book shop. What a treat! This story has survived re-reading remarkably well and (as has been pointed out by others) does so without all the modern gimmicks of mobile phone, sat nav, computers and much more besides. It's just a good old thriller with a plot, a decent amount of suspense and characters that are rounded-out just well enough to sustain the plot, but no more. I also liked the fact that the female character is so much more than just a cipher to the main protagonist...and is just as capable, if not more so.
The plot in brief: criminals are springing long term prisoners from jail; MI5 wants to do something about it; a bait is set, using the main protagonist...now read on.
What I most like about this book: in the days before computers and word processing, there was an incentive (I guess!) to limit how much you wrote, because editing / re-writing was such a chore. The curse of word processing is that you can just go on and on...and so many modern authors seem to be unable to control themselves. Nowadays, everyone is writing trilogies or more and the books all seem to be getting longer and with smaller font. This is very different from the authors of old who wrote series with common characters; instead, there are now far too many modern trilogy authors who just cannot write in one book what can be elaborated upon in three...or four...or five. This book takes you back to the days of authors who were able to write sparse prose, just enough of it to sustain a plot that fits in a single book. The Freedom Trap is 255 pages and all the better for it.
This book will also be a great bed-time story for my 10 year old.
Well done Desmond Bagley!
The plot in brief: criminals are springing long term prisoners from jail; MI5 wants to do something about it; a bait is set, using the main protagonist...now read on.
What I most like about this book: in the days before computers and word processing, there was an incentive (I guess!) to limit how much you wrote, because editing / re-writing was such a chore. The curse of word processing is that you can just go on and on...and so many modern authors seem to be unable to control themselves. Nowadays, everyone is writing trilogies or more and the books all seem to be getting longer and with smaller font. This is very different from the authors of old who wrote series with common characters; instead, there are now far too many modern trilogy authors who just cannot write in one book what can be elaborated upon in three...or four...or five. This book takes you back to the days of authors who were able to write sparse prose, just enough of it to sustain a plot that fits in a single book. The Freedom Trap is 255 pages and all the better for it.
This book will also be a great bed-time story for my 10 year old.
Well done Desmond Bagley!
July 23, 2018
Desmond Bagley was one of a great generation of post-war British thriller writers that included the likes of Hammond Innes, Gavin Lyall and Alistair MacLean. This very masculine genre features resourceful heroes ensnared in criminal plots or espionage intrigues, often in foreign climes, surviving by their wits and mastery of practical affairs.
This one takes us from a British prison to Ireland and thence to Gibraltar and Malta. Somewhat unusually for the genre, the hero is an espionage professional, and he is aided by a female sidekick, also trained in the black arts. The title wheeze has our hero committing a genuine crime in order to be planted in a prison where he will be contacted by a sinister gang that organizes escapes of well-to-do convicts in exchange for a cut of their plunder, all in aid of an effort to track down a spy high up in the British government... It doesn't have to be entirely plausible to be entertaining.
Serviceable prose, a tough, laconic hero and a comely love interest who can shoot a bad guy in the kneecap in dim light at ten yards; good light reading.
This one takes us from a British prison to Ireland and thence to Gibraltar and Malta. Somewhat unusually for the genre, the hero is an espionage professional, and he is aided by a female sidekick, also trained in the black arts. The title wheeze has our hero committing a genuine crime in order to be planted in a prison where he will be contacted by a sinister gang that organizes escapes of well-to-do convicts in exchange for a cut of their plunder, all in aid of an effort to track down a spy high up in the British government... It doesn't have to be entirely plausible to be entertaining.
Serviceable prose, a tough, laconic hero and a comely love interest who can shoot a bad guy in the kneecap in dim light at ten yards; good light reading.
January 4, 2015
One of Desmond Bagley's later works, The Freedom Trap is a pretty straightforward adventure story. Stannard is a shadowy secret agent recruited by Mackintosh, who is the head of something-or-other in British Intelligence - exactly what he does and what his role is and how he fits with the official part of MI6 is never made clear.
The plot centres on exposing an apparently highly secretive and omnipotent organisation that's responsible for a series of daring jail-breaks across the UK. Stannard's job is to penetrate and expose the organisation and put a stop to their subversive antics. It's an odd tail, which probably seemed fresh and original when it was first published, but has dated quite badly and its central implausability was difficult to ignore.
Still, you don't pick up a Bagley novel for high art and cerebral stimulation; it's a workmanlike, if somewhat clunky thriller and an undemandinng read.
© Koplowitz 2015
The plot centres on exposing an apparently highly secretive and omnipotent organisation that's responsible for a series of daring jail-breaks across the UK. Stannard's job is to penetrate and expose the organisation and put a stop to their subversive antics. It's an odd tail, which probably seemed fresh and original when it was first published, but has dated quite badly and its central implausability was difficult to ignore.
Still, you don't pick up a Bagley novel for high art and cerebral stimulation; it's a workmanlike, if somewhat clunky thriller and an undemandinng read.
© Koplowitz 2015
September 30, 2021
An unusual book for an unusual 2-book series about the spy, Slade. He's not the main character of the series. He's the antagonist in Running Blind and a supporting character this follow-up book. This gives the series an odd feel. More so in this book than Running Blind. This book has an odd structure because of the subterfuge that goes on which makes it an uneven read. Still entertaining but the overly complex execution holds the story back.
April 12, 2016
This was entertaining enough. It had a bit of a twist in it. For a good long while I thought I was reading a crime novel about a diamond heist in which the thief goes to prison. Then it turned into an international spy thriller.
April 10, 2020
A sort-of sequel to ‘Running Blind’ in that it re-introduces that novel’s antagonist, albeit now reduced to a pawn in a bigger game, ‘The Freedom Trap’ doesn’t boast its predecessor’s immediacy. In fact, Bagley takes quite a while setting out his stall. Almost half of the novel is an elaborate bluff, but once the pieces are put in place, the stakes established and the big action set-pieces kick in, it’s vintage Bagley right up to the explosive finale. It also features one of his few female characters who emerges as a hardcore bad-ass in her own right.
November 20, 2010
Another masterful adventure thriller from Desmond Bagley. I love the author's smooth writing style and expert plotting.
January 1, 2021
I feel bad because I had never heard of this author before but as an action/suspense writer , he is right thee at the top. Great twists in the plot kept it interesting right up to the end. A fun read.
January 13, 2023
Probably the worst of the Desmond Bagley books I got from my grandfather's stash yet.
Poorly plotted and badly dated.
The blatant sexism from one of his other books I read was back, in a most ugly way. The 'hero' plied the girl with alcohol to get what he wanted, then slept with her (commenting on how how the second time she was 'all woman' when she wasn't as wild as the first), before leaving as he knew she would regret it in the morning.
Non-consensual sex. Very heroic.
As for the story itself, the big 'twist' was so obviously plotted that I could guess it from the first chapter as there were too many things that didn't make sense and were clearly just there for convenience and to advance the twist Bagley wanted to put in later on into the story. So it meant there was no suspense whatsoever when there should have been.
The publishers should also be taken out because, when I read the back later, I realized they gave away parts of the story right up to the last quarter of the book. What were they thinking? There's teasing, and then there's spoiling the entire book.
On top of all of this, the main part of the story had to be explained at the end for it to all make sense. A pretty big no-no when it comes to writing. If your story can't stand up without needing to spoon-fed the reader the backstory that makes it all work, then it shouldn't be published.
So, yes, this one is definitely not a keeper and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone else either.
Poorly plotted and badly dated.
The blatant sexism from one of his other books I read was back, in a most ugly way. The 'hero' plied the girl with alcohol to get what he wanted, then slept with her (commenting on how how the second time she was 'all woman' when she wasn't as wild as the first), before leaving as he knew she would regret it in the morning.
Non-consensual sex. Very heroic.
As for the story itself, the big 'twist' was so obviously plotted that I could guess it from the first chapter as there were too many things that didn't make sense and were clearly just there for convenience and to advance the twist Bagley wanted to put in later on into the story. So it meant there was no suspense whatsoever when there should have been.
The publishers should also be taken out because, when I read the back later, I realized they gave away parts of the story right up to the last quarter of the book. What were they thinking? There's teasing, and then there's spoiling the entire book.
On top of all of this, the main part of the story had to be explained at the end for it to all make sense. A pretty big no-no when it comes to writing. If your story can't stand up without needing to spoon-fed the reader the backstory that makes it all work, then it shouldn't be published.
So, yes, this one is definitely not a keeper and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone else either.
June 6, 2025
Another re-read of a book from a book fair: I got this one in the early 80s.
I was born, and lived in till I came to NZ in 1969, in a house in Earlsfield, London that backed onto the railway. We were in the Wandle Valley and up the top of the East Hill was Wandsworth Prison. Many times an escaping prisoner used the railway cutting then embankment as part of his escape route. It could be quite exciting at times with the hue and cry in full song. So, I gained an interest in prison escapes and that is a large part of this tale.
My father had close contacts with the staff at Wandsworth Prison and when the Great Train Robbers made their break he brought home inside information on how they made their break, and it was not via the railway lines! Later the spy, Blake, also made it clean away in another escape that obviously involved a well organised gang. Following on from this the Government of the day called on a review of prison security by Earl Mountbatten. This enquiry is the inspiration, to a degree, for this book. The author would have wondered how such escapes could be run.
The main man is recruited by a mysterious contact to take part in a diamond robbery, He gets away with the swag and passes it on, only to be shopped and ending up as a high risk prisoner on a 20 year stretch. Can he get out? Ah, yes, that is what the story is about: escape.
This is a good read and has a twist or three to it: just don't read the blurb at the top of this page as it gives too much away.
I was born, and lived in till I came to NZ in 1969, in a house in Earlsfield, London that backed onto the railway. We were in the Wandle Valley and up the top of the East Hill was Wandsworth Prison. Many times an escaping prisoner used the railway cutting then embankment as part of his escape route. It could be quite exciting at times with the hue and cry in full song. So, I gained an interest in prison escapes and that is a large part of this tale.
My father had close contacts with the staff at Wandsworth Prison and when the Great Train Robbers made their break he brought home inside information on how they made their break, and it was not via the railway lines! Later the spy, Blake, also made it clean away in another escape that obviously involved a well organised gang. Following on from this the Government of the day called on a review of prison security by Earl Mountbatten. This enquiry is the inspiration, to a degree, for this book. The author would have wondered how such escapes could be run.
The main man is recruited by a mysterious contact to take part in a diamond robbery, He gets away with the swag and passes it on, only to be shopped and ending up as a high risk prisoner on a 20 year stretch. Can he get out? Ah, yes, that is what the story is about: escape.
This is a good read and has a twist or three to it: just don't read the blurb at the top of this page as it gives too much away.
March 6, 2022
Rearden, intelligence service, is locked away for stealing diamonds. He was set up by his boss Mackintosh. Inside, Owen connects to a gang that claims to be able to break him out. Together with a Russian spy, he is hauled out of prison. Unfortunately, the gang discovers that Rearden is actually named Owen Stannard and that he works for the government. He is locked in a mansion, but escapes from there and tries to connect to Mackintosh, who, instead of ratting on him, was involved in all of this as well. His secretary Alison Smith informs Owen that Mackintosh is almost dead after an attempt was made on his life. Together, they figure out that is was Mackintosh's goal after all, to take down an Albanian millionaire. When attempting to kill this Millionaire Wheeler, Owen is captured, but later freed by Alison. When the mission is a success, Mackintosh dies, unknowingly, and Owen and Alison enjoy holidays together where Owen wins her affections.
The end of the story is such a cliché. He is portrayed as a tough guy who wins the heart of a young woman he is working with. Speaking of clichés, she is of course awesome as well and capable of flying planes. How likely does it get? Certainly one of the worst books I have ever read, characters flat, storyline boring, changes and surprises could be identified from a mile away. This is a book to never read again.
The end of the story is such a cliché. He is portrayed as a tough guy who wins the heart of a young woman he is working with. Speaking of clichés, she is of course awesome as well and capable of flying planes. How likely does it get? Certainly one of the worst books I have ever read, characters flat, storyline boring, changes and surprises could be identified from a mile away. This is a book to never read again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2025
“Freedom was the bait. The trap was everything else.”
The Freedom Trap is the second and final adventure featuring Slade—the reluctant spy from Running Blind—and this time, the stakes are nastier, murkier, and laced with political deceit. Loosely inspired by the real-life double agent George Blake, the novel explores the dark underbelly of Cold War prisoner escapes, disinformation, and double-crosses. It's Bagley in cynical mode, and Slade in deeper than ever.
Here, Slade is hired to help a convicted Soviet spy “escape” from prison—except nothing is what it seems, and everyone is playing their own game. The action is brisk, but it’s the paranoia that hits hardest. Who’s using whom? Who’s the bait, and who’s the quarry?
I bought The Freedom Trap at the tail-end of my 2008 Kolkata Book Fair Bagley sweep—after devouring Running Blind, I knew I had to find the sequel. I read it curled up by a flickering tube light, pages turning faster than I could sip tea. It felt darker, more grown-up, like Bagley was whispering, “You wanted a sequel? Careful what you wish for.”
The Freedom Trap is the second and final adventure featuring Slade—the reluctant spy from Running Blind—and this time, the stakes are nastier, murkier, and laced with political deceit. Loosely inspired by the real-life double agent George Blake, the novel explores the dark underbelly of Cold War prisoner escapes, disinformation, and double-crosses. It's Bagley in cynical mode, and Slade in deeper than ever.
Here, Slade is hired to help a convicted Soviet spy “escape” from prison—except nothing is what it seems, and everyone is playing their own game. The action is brisk, but it’s the paranoia that hits hardest. Who’s using whom? Who’s the bait, and who’s the quarry?
I bought The Freedom Trap at the tail-end of my 2008 Kolkata Book Fair Bagley sweep—after devouring Running Blind, I knew I had to find the sequel. I read it curled up by a flickering tube light, pages turning faster than I could sip tea. It felt darker, more grown-up, like Bagley was whispering, “You wanted a sequel? Careful what you wish for.”
January 17, 2025
I read a whole bunch of Desmond Bagley novels when I was a teenager, but haven't read/re-read any in the best part of (harrumph) years. I'd forgotten how good a writer he was.
This is a deceptive novel, which much of the early part written from an unreliable narrator. It isn't until you're about a third of the way through that you find out what's going on. Yet somehow, it works, despite a potential for jarring the reader out of the suspension of disbelief. There are a few slower patches in the book here and there (a major reason why this is a four but not five star review), but for much of its length you sit down to read a couple of pages and find you've read 30 or 40.
Bonus points for having a female "sidekick" who is more than just a simpering trophy - given the age of the book, it was good to see a heroine who could give as good as she got.
Overall, a fine reintroduction to the works of a master of the craft of espionage thriller writing. Why he's not as famous as the likes of Fleming and le Carre, I'll never know.
This is a deceptive novel, which much of the early part written from an unreliable narrator. It isn't until you're about a third of the way through that you find out what's going on. Yet somehow, it works, despite a potential for jarring the reader out of the suspension of disbelief. There are a few slower patches in the book here and there (a major reason why this is a four but not five star review), but for much of its length you sit down to read a couple of pages and find you've read 30 or 40.
Bonus points for having a female "sidekick" who is more than just a simpering trophy - given the age of the book, it was good to see a heroine who could give as good as she got.
Overall, a fine reintroduction to the works of a master of the craft of espionage thriller writing. Why he's not as famous as the likes of Fleming and le Carre, I'll never know.
October 26, 2022
I do like some mystery and intrigue, but the first few pages starting in this story got me wondering - okay what is this book about? Rearden a middle-time thief with quite a past called up to do a diamond heist in Britain! And then he gets caught and put into prison for twenty years! oh no, I am not looking at the last page although it is soo tempting! Anyway, the months roll by and Rearden gets chummy with another prisoner named Slade.. okay, where is this story going? Well talk about twists and turns only a crime thriller can be! The pages finally reveal the real identities of Mrs Smith, Mackintosh, Slade, Wheeler and the Scarperers! Wow, what an adventure ... sorry folks, I am not saying anything more, as it definitely would spoil the international intrigue !!!
July 28, 2024
A story of its time to be sure, but despite the implied sexism and jingoistic superiority of post empire Brits saving the free world I greatly enjoyed this book. As expected it falls into the groove of Innes, McLean and others of the time/genre and delivers on good old intrigue and action. For the first few chapters I thought I was reading the wrong book - perhaps placed in the wrong cover. It soon unravelled and the pace quickened to a suitably macho conclusion.
June 12, 2017
Ihan kiva jännäri taas. Todella nopeatahtista tarinankuljetusta, tulee ahmittua kirja vauhdilla. Tykkään aina välillä lukea näitä toimintaa pullollaan olevia vanhan liiton agenttikirjoja. Hauska yksityiskohta on se, että tämä liittyy osittain Bagleyn kirjaan Islannin peli, vaikkei jatko-osa olekaan.
January 26, 2025
A South African thief visits London to carry out a diamond theft set up by two accomplices but is caught after an anonymous call and sent to prison - several twists later he is enable to escape by a polished and efficient external organisation alongside a convicted Russian spy. Set in the 1960s the narrative is a bit dated but an exciting story.
July 29, 2018
A jewel-heist that goes wrong, ending up with a prison break and a chase across Europe. There's a super twist halfway through the book that makes you rethink the entire first half! Great action, tension and pacing.
May 22, 2020
This is a fun follow-up to Running Blind. It is not essential to read that book first but if possible it makes The Freedom Trap a richer read.
The movie based off of The Freedom Trap, The Macintosh Man, is weak tea compared to it. Stick with reading Bagley.
The movie based off of The Freedom Trap, The Macintosh Man, is weak tea compared to it. Stick with reading Bagley.
June 16, 2018
Secret identities and double-crosses abound. Very clever plotting. Desmond Bagley is new to me, but he's been around a while. I'll definitely look for more by him
January 27, 2019
It didn’t live up to the summary.
July 14, 2019
Went back to my teenage years with this read. Really enjoyed it. Pace and twists and crisply written .
June 27, 2022
Not as good as Slade # 1
July 15, 2022
4 pluss. Read in Norwegian. This thriler is as good as the best of Aliatair MacLean.
October 12, 2022
Ostatnimi czasy zauważyłam u siebie tendencję do sięgania po tytuły, w których zaczytywałam się całe wieki temu. Przeczytałam ich już kilka, jednak dziś mój odbiór tych dzieł jest całkiem inny niż kilkanaście lat temu. Tak właśnie było m.in. z Cusslerem w którym lata świetlne temu zaczytywałam się namiętnie a dziś...? To już (niestety) nie jest to. Desmonda Bagleya nie znałam i nigdy o nim nie słyszałam - poznałam go dzięki mojej bratniej duszy z LC 😊Miałam trochę obaw, że z Bagleyem też nie będzie mi po drodze, jednak zupełnie niepotrzebne ponieważ powieść czytało mi się całkiem dobrze i -o dziwo! - nawet mnie wciągnęło. Niewykluczone, że sięgnę jeszcze po inne tytuły autora...
January 14, 2023
A decent thriller, but the plot fells to me a bit too far-fetched.
August 11, 2023
Borrowed from my granddad, turns out I've read it before (unsurprisingly, considering the number of times I've ransacked his bookshelves) but I only recognised names and not the plot. Good fun
January 30, 2024
Excellent story. Obviously slightly dated as it was written 50 years ago, but a really great plot.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews