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The Zero Trap
An airplane is hijacked in the Middle East. Its passengers awaken from a drugged sleep to find they've been left alone in a huge and totally isolated house somewhere in the Artic reaches of northern Scandinavia. There are no guards, yet they are trapped in the house by sub-zero temperatures and the impossibility of traversing the miles of uninhabited country around them. Soon they come to regard one another with suspicion and fear. Will they be found alive?.
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1979
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About the author
Paula Gosling
59 books16 followersPaula Gosling is a US born crime writer. She has lived in the UK since the 1960s. Gosling started her writing career as a copy-writer and published her first novel, A Running Duck, in 1974. This won the John Creasey Award for the best first novel of the year and she has also received both the Gold Dagger for Monkey Puzzle in 1985. She is a past Chairman of the Crime Writers' Association.
Her novel A Running Duck, written in 1974 (also published as Fair Game), has been adapted twice into films, once as a Sylvester Stallone vehicle - Cobra and the second time as a film with Cindy Crawford entitled Fair Game.
Her novel A Running Duck, written in 1974 (also published as Fair Game), has been adapted twice into films, once as a Sylvester Stallone vehicle - Cobra and the second time as a film with Cindy Crawford entitled Fair Game.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 24, 2018
The Zero Trap (1979) by Paula Gosling is what I'm going to dare to call a soft-boiled thriller. We are in the late 1970s onboard a U.S. army plane with nine passengers who are gassed in mid-flight from the Mideast and wake up to find themselves hostages somewhere in the frozen landscape of Finland. The hostages are a fairly motley group: a sexy nightclub singer, an astronomy professor, a policeman and the accused murderer he was to escort back to the States, an engineer with his wife and son, a military man, and our heroine, Laura--the daughter of a general with connections to the United Nations.
When the hostages wake up from their drug-induced sleep, they find a note propped on the mantelpiece explaining their situation:
DO NOT TRY TO ESCAPE BECAUSE YOU WILL DIE IF YOU DO. THERE IS NO WAY OUT.
YOU ARE BEING HELD PRISONERS FOR REASONS WHICH DO NOT CONCERN YOU.
WHEN OUR ENDS HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED, YOU WILL BE RELEASED.
THERE IS FOOD ENOUGH.
THERE IS FUEL ENOUGH.
YOU WILL BE COMFORTABLE.
ACCEPT AND YOU WILL LIVE.
WE ARE SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.
How very polite. But of course the group finds it difficult to just accept their plight and it is the mild-mannered Professor Skinner who begins thinking of ways to outwit their captors--from devising a means for sending coding messages in the photographs taken of them (to prove to the outside world the captives are alive and well) to cannibalizing materials from the house to make a snowsuit and "boots" to brave the cold [they've been left with few clothes and nothing that would withstand the freezing temperatures].
Meanwhile, General Ainslie (Laura's dad) is informed that his daughter's plane has gone missing and when he gets a list of the passengers, he and his staff try to figure out what the motive might be. He's very concerned that the hi-jacking has been aimed at him--because of his connections to a U.N. effort to build an Arctic model-city. That makes his daughter a target. But the target could also be Professor Skinner whose brother is Captain in the British navy and involved in the intrigues of the Cold War. Or possibly Sergeant Goade is more than just the Embassy supply sergeant he's listed as. Could the engineering job that took Tom Morgan to the Middle East have been more important than any one knew? But when a message aimed at Ainslie comes direct from the terrorists, he's sure his daughter is the primary hostage.
The demands are steep--$3 million in gold, various specified prisoners released, a command performance concert with very particular musicians and conductor, and....by the way, the cancellation of the U.N.'s pet project in the Arctic. The first three will be complicated--but do-able. Ainslie insists to his go-between contact that he doesn't have the influence the terrorists obviously think he has--nobody is going to cancel such a project because he asks them to. Captain Skinner arrives and the men plan how to find the hostages before time runs out. And when the photographs start coming in, Skinner is sure his brother is trying to tell them something in the pictures--but what?
It's a race against time on both sides--and it's complicated by the fact that somewhere in the midst of the hostages there is a secret agent on the run. Then the hostages begin die. Is the agent responsible? Or is there another motive for murder among the nine disparate people?
This is a lively thriller. Gosling's strength is in her characters--particularly Laura, Professor Skinner, and the Morgan's young son, Timothy. Skinner is really fleshed out with a back-story that explains much of his motivation for various actions and interactions which he has with some of the other men. The dual story lines (following the hostages and then following actions of General Ainsley's group) works really well here. I don't always enjoy stories with multiple viewpoints or that jump back and forth between scenes, but Gosling's presentation is smooth and interesting. She also gives the story a few definite twists, producing an exhilarating and surprising ending.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
When the hostages wake up from their drug-induced sleep, they find a note propped on the mantelpiece explaining their situation:
DO NOT TRY TO ESCAPE BECAUSE YOU WILL DIE IF YOU DO. THERE IS NO WAY OUT.
YOU ARE BEING HELD PRISONERS FOR REASONS WHICH DO NOT CONCERN YOU.
WHEN OUR ENDS HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED, YOU WILL BE RELEASED.
THERE IS FOOD ENOUGH.
THERE IS FUEL ENOUGH.
YOU WILL BE COMFORTABLE.
ACCEPT AND YOU WILL LIVE.
WE ARE SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.
How very polite. But of course the group finds it difficult to just accept their plight and it is the mild-mannered Professor Skinner who begins thinking of ways to outwit their captors--from devising a means for sending coding messages in the photographs taken of them (to prove to the outside world the captives are alive and well) to cannibalizing materials from the house to make a snowsuit and "boots" to brave the cold [they've been left with few clothes and nothing that would withstand the freezing temperatures].
Meanwhile, General Ainslie (Laura's dad) is informed that his daughter's plane has gone missing and when he gets a list of the passengers, he and his staff try to figure out what the motive might be. He's very concerned that the hi-jacking has been aimed at him--because of his connections to a U.N. effort to build an Arctic model-city. That makes his daughter a target. But the target could also be Professor Skinner whose brother is Captain in the British navy and involved in the intrigues of the Cold War. Or possibly Sergeant Goade is more than just the Embassy supply sergeant he's listed as. Could the engineering job that took Tom Morgan to the Middle East have been more important than any one knew? But when a message aimed at Ainslie comes direct from the terrorists, he's sure his daughter is the primary hostage.
The demands are steep--$3 million in gold, various specified prisoners released, a command performance concert with very particular musicians and conductor, and....by the way, the cancellation of the U.N.'s pet project in the Arctic. The first three will be complicated--but do-able. Ainslie insists to his go-between contact that he doesn't have the influence the terrorists obviously think he has--nobody is going to cancel such a project because he asks them to. Captain Skinner arrives and the men plan how to find the hostages before time runs out. And when the photographs start coming in, Skinner is sure his brother is trying to tell them something in the pictures--but what?
It's a race against time on both sides--and it's complicated by the fact that somewhere in the midst of the hostages there is a secret agent on the run. Then the hostages begin die. Is the agent responsible? Or is there another motive for murder among the nine disparate people?
This is a lively thriller. Gosling's strength is in her characters--particularly Laura, Professor Skinner, and the Morgan's young son, Timothy. Skinner is really fleshed out with a back-story that explains much of his motivation for various actions and interactions which he has with some of the other men. The dual story lines (following the hostages and then following actions of General Ainsley's group) works really well here. I don't always enjoy stories with multiple viewpoints or that jump back and forth between scenes, but Gosling's presentation is smooth and interesting. She also gives the story a few definite twists, producing an exhilarating and surprising ending.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
February 21, 2011
An intriguing time-capsule of a book, like an 80s-era Bond. But with thicker glasses. Improbable, but fun!
November 19, 2015
A murder mystery buried inside a thriller about hostages held in a remote Finnish house. There was a surprise twist or two towards the end but the romance angle wasn't one of them :)
March 31, 2025
Re-reading another book from my collection. This one is from 1980, a mystery thriller that I felt holds up very well today.
A group of 9 assorted people are on a military transport plane headed to London. The group is very diverse, including Laura (a general's daughter), Skinner (his brother is a Captain in the military), a married couple with a son Timmy, a US Marshall with a prisoner, and a singer. Suddenly the group is gassed, and when they wake up, they find themselves hostages in an isolated house somewhere in the snow and ice. The story rotates between the hostages and Laura's father, who along with Skinner's brother and Laura's fiancé, is tasked with ransom demands. I love this type of mystery thriller - a locked room type mystery where a group are captive in one place, trapped by the snow and lack of supplies, and forced to figure out how to survive and rescue themselves. Added to this is figuring out why they are being held hostage, and there is an extra bonus - there is a murderer among them. This twisty turning thriller was an entertaining read, worth the effort of tracking a copy down if you can find it and are a fan of this type of story.
A group of 9 assorted people are on a military transport plane headed to London. The group is very diverse, including Laura (a general's daughter), Skinner (his brother is a Captain in the military), a married couple with a son Timmy, a US Marshall with a prisoner, and a singer. Suddenly the group is gassed, and when they wake up, they find themselves hostages in an isolated house somewhere in the snow and ice. The story rotates between the hostages and Laura's father, who along with Skinner's brother and Laura's fiancé, is tasked with ransom demands. I love this type of mystery thriller - a locked room type mystery where a group are captive in one place, trapped by the snow and lack of supplies, and forced to figure out how to survive and rescue themselves. Added to this is figuring out why they are being held hostage, and there is an extra bonus - there is a murderer among them. This twisty turning thriller was an entertaining read, worth the effort of tracking a copy down if you can find it and are a fan of this type of story.
November 17, 2020
Ein Krimi, der mit einer Entführung beginnt und dann fast ein Kammerstück menschlicher Spannungen zwischen den Entführten darstellt. Gemixt mit dem Aufkommen von zarten Gefühlen zwischen zwei Protantagonisten, Entführten wie Geiselnehmer, die nicht das sind was man erwartet und gedacht hat und schon ist ein hervorragender Krimi entstanden, den man in eins durchlesen kann.
Die Charaktere sind gut dargestellt und dennoch enststehen überraschende Einklicke bis zum Schluss. Ein in sich abgerundete Erzählung, die mir persönlich sehr gut gefallen hat.
Die Charaktere sind gut dargestellt und dennoch enststehen überraschende Einklicke bis zum Schluss. Ein in sich abgerundete Erzählung, die mir persönlich sehr gut gefallen hat.
January 19, 2026
Pretty interesting little thriller novel. Among Us meets the Bunker Diaries meets, uh, The Thing, because, uh, it's cold. On that- a big part of the plot as it was laid out when they first get kidnapped is that they can't set one foot outside lest they'd get hypothermia and die in seconds- towards the end of the story they're nipping outside for things willy-nilly. Obviously the snow is still presented as a danger the whole way around but the extent of its harm bends very flexibly to narrative convenience.
The sexual overtones were strange. The parts of the story involving Ainslie and the gang back at military command weren't very interesting. The reindeer were fun!
The sexual overtones were strange. The parts of the story involving Ainslie and the gang back at military command weren't very interesting. The reindeer were fun!
May 4, 2017
Hvad bogreolen gemte!
Mine reoler er ved at drukne i bøger - ja de vælter nærmest ud og ligger i stakke og bunker. Klemt ind i skabe og hvor jeg nu ellers kan finde en plads. Og der bliver jo ved med at komme nye bøger som burde indlemmes i samlingen! Men nok er nok. Jeg er nu besluttet på IKKE at købe nyt. I stedet låner jeg mig glad og gerne frem eller køber som e-bog der uden videre kan gemmes i min mobiltelefons hylder. Men tilbage til de fyldte hylder: siden jeg har gemt de mange bøger, må det jo være fordi de "taler" til mig. Og fortjener gensyn/genlæsning med passende mellemrum. Gidsler i polarnatten er en god gammel favorit. Den har jeg genlæst flere gange med stor fornøjelse. Det er ren råhygge at læse den og jeg kan kun give 5+ stjerner. Er i øvrigt vild med flere af Paula Goslings romaner - mon ikke der står hyggelæsning på programmet igen i den nærmeste fremtid?
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August 30, 2018I registered this book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14694380
Pretty absorbing thriller.
A military plane is transporting a small number of passengers when it is hijacked. The small crew is found, drugged, but there is no sign of the passengers.
They have been taken to a remote area in Scandinavia, in a luxury house set out alone in the snow. It is so bitterly cold that there is no way for the prisoners to escape; they would die within an hour without protection. Their shoes have been taken. There is plenty of food in the house, and water, and warm bedrooms and living areas. It is a comfortable place to be held.
Meanwhile, the father of one of the kidnapped, a high-ranking military officer, has been contacted with demands. He is given an odd list of demands, some of which are easy and others not so much.
In both places people are trying to figure out who is the kidnapper and what the point is. We get to follow the trials and tragedies to the bitter end. Bitter cold end.
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14694380
Pretty absorbing thriller.
A military plane is transporting a small number of passengers when it is hijacked. The small crew is found, drugged, but there is no sign of the passengers.
They have been taken to a remote area in Scandinavia, in a luxury house set out alone in the snow. It is so bitterly cold that there is no way for the prisoners to escape; they would die within an hour without protection. Their shoes have been taken. There is plenty of food in the house, and water, and warm bedrooms and living areas. It is a comfortable place to be held.
Meanwhile, the father of one of the kidnapped, a high-ranking military officer, has been contacted with demands. He is given an odd list of demands, some of which are easy and others not so much.
In both places people are trying to figure out who is the kidnapper and what the point is. We get to follow the trials and tragedies to the bitter end. Bitter cold end.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews