Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: The mission to rescue the hostages the world forgot

by Colin Freeman

The true story of a retired British army officer's private Somali-hostage rescue mission

During the peak of the Somali piracy crisis, three ships - from Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan - were hijacked and then abandoned to their fate by their employers, who lacked the money to pay ransoms. All would still be there, were it not for Colonel John Steed, a retired British military attaché, who launched his own private mission to free them.

At 65, Colonel Steed was hardly an ideal saviour. With no experience in hostage negotiations and no money behind him, he had to raise the ransom cash from scratch, running the operation from his spare room and ferrying million-dollar ransom payments around in the boot of his car.

Drawing on first-hand interviews, former chief foreign correspondent of The Sunday Telegraph, Colin Freeman, who has himself spent time held hostage by Somali pirates, takes readers on an inside track into the world of hostage negotiation and one man's heroic rescue mission.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Audiobook

243 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 4, 2021

Reviews

[Bettie]

Stranger than fiction: the brave United Kingdom retiree who rescued hostages from Somali Pirates

[Tobias · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a remarkable book, chronicling the extraordinary tale of the crew of three ships taken by Somali pirates and the efforts of a retired British Colonel to rescue them. It pulls no punches, and is a harrowing read at times, but it's worth pursuing to the end. What distinguishes this from other stories one has heard is that this focuses, explicitly, on the types of crews and ships we never hear about, i.e. non-white, non-western crews. There is a shocking disparity in their treatment, and the fact that their story is virtually unknown outside the covers of this book is egregious. Stylistically this book suffers slightly from jumping around a bit, but it all pans out well enough in the end. Definitely worth a read.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptionally well researched book on the cases of the hijacked crews of the MV Albedo, MV Prantalay 12 and MV Naham 3, left to languish for years in Somalia when their employers were unable to pay ransoms to pirates. Colin’s writing gives a voice to both the sailors, from poor countries who were often forgotten by the rest of the world, and the team who worked many months and years to secure their freedom and does so in a style of writing that is both informative and dignified. A wonderful read.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every once in a while, the Western media reported on the Somali piracy crisis - usually when those taken hostage involved Western ships and crews. This gripping book recounts the story of a small private effort to rescue the crews of three ships that didn't make the headlines -ships from Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan, ships whose owners wouldn't or couldn't pay the demanded ransom, and who were all but forgotten except by the families spending years desperate for their loved ones to be released. A remarkable story, very well told.

[Lee Madden · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book telling a rather strange tale of how 3 different groups of hostages were eventually released from captivity through the hard work of a small group of, sort of freelance , negotiators. It’s an easy read and lacks detail in places , but the insight to Somali culture, the workings of the UN and the ethical challenges of paying off pirates are interesting. It’s well worth a look but it felt like it lacked the depth of analysis of other greats of the genre which look at terrorism, crime and geo politics.

[Bec · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a very readable writing style which is good because the book quite jarringly jumps from one hijacked ship to another at year 2 in captivity then does the same again at year 3. The author says he does this to avoid repetition as one person's experience is much like another's, but I did find it a little confusing.
I've still given this book a generous 4 stars, it would be 3 & a half if possible, as the pacing is good & the story compelling.

[Gonzaga Escauriaza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Podría haberlo puesto 5 estrellas, porque se lee muy fácil y es bastante emocionante por lo sorprendente del final de las negociaciones en cada uno de los barcos.
Es increíble el sufrimiento de los rehenes y la poca compasión de los piratas y lo increíble de la existencia de hombres de negocios de Somalia que financian estos raptos, lo que hace difícil que los piratas rebajen la bolsa de los rescates.
Muy recomendable

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant account of the side of hostage negotiations we never hear about: when the hostages are poor or from poor countries. The story of these hostages was harrowing at times but written in a style that was difficult to pull away from (I zipped through it in a couple of days).

Well worth a read.

[Rachel Groves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Educational. It's a bit grim in places but it's important context to understand what pirate's hostages had to endure. Another international scandal especially in the context of having read Matthew Campbell's Dead in The Water and the kind of money that is sloshing about in shipping and insurance.

[Peter Scoot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating

Who looks after seafarers when their employers don’t? This is a sobering reminder that people from the third world are all too easier exploited.

This is a really well written and researched tale. Well worth the read.

[Hugo Prince · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting & thought provoking

Interesting account of a world shrouded in secrecy and the horror of being abandoned by corporate & government alike. No problem recommending this book

[Amber Keegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating read on the behind the scenes of pirate negotations. Difficult to read in places (due to human suffering, not poor writing quality!), but above all else, an amazing set of human stories on the strength to endure.

[Tom Dixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it post my 5 week Kenya trip. Hard to believe these stories are real and I’m shocked by the lack of press throughout.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good book with a very well researched story.

[lianne dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful read

Couldn’t put this book down - brilliant read well done to all involved-the things these poor sailors went through, i hope the owners have to answer for their crimes!

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by Perhentian.en

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wowza, I had no idea~!