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UNACO
Hostage Tower
The most ingenious criminal in the world came up with his most spectacular exploit.
He hires for his team
- a top weapons expert, who could steal and use the newest, most secret military equipment.
- the best cat burgular, who could scale any heights.
- a man whose extraordinary strength and ingenuity could conquer any obstacle.
Faced with this audacious crime of the century, the world's politicians could only trust to UNACO and its team.
He hires for his team
- a top weapons expert, who could steal and use the newest, most secret military equipment.
- the best cat burgular, who could scale any heights.
- a man whose extraordinary strength and ingenuity could conquer any obstacle.
Faced with this audacious crime of the century, the world's politicians could only trust to UNACO and its team.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
31 people are currently reading
313 people want to read
About the author
John Denis
24 books5 followersPen name for John Edwards (former editor of the BBC That's Life programme) and his collaborator Denis Frost.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
February 8, 2022
In the fall of 1995, I was taking comfort in books. My mother had passed away and I was dealing with the grief and sadness by reading. A LOT of reading.
I had, previously that year, discovered Tom Clancy's Op-Center series. At the time, only two books had been published and I was HOOKED.
And then, one night, while house sitting, I watched a movie - Death Train. (A: I wanted to see Pierce Bronson in an action role, since he was weeks away from being the new Bond and B: Patrick Stewart was in the movie). And a few few nights later - Night Watch.
I LOVED the films. And then I saw - "based on the screen play of Alastair MacLean, and books of Alastair MacNeill".
WHAT?!!?!? These are books!!!
I had a new challenge - find this series, so it can fill the void while I waited for the next Op-Center book to come out.
OVer the next few months, during trips to local books and bookstore during a Las Vegas trip, I found the series. And I shelved them. To be read....
32 years later, I am FINALLY getting around to reading the first book in the series.
Have to say, I am not disappointed - just sad I waited so long.
This is a solid adventure book - plenty of excitement and thrills, and a bit of international terrorism thrown in. (You know, when Terrorists weren't sterotyped by their race or ethnic backgrounds, but by their desired to terrorize and threaten). While a bit dated, it doesnt feel so (sometimes, you want to read a book where there are no Cell Phones, computers, internet or other Deus Ex Machina to save the day).
And set things up for the other books in the series.
I had, previously that year, discovered Tom Clancy's Op-Center series. At the time, only two books had been published and I was HOOKED.
And then, one night, while house sitting, I watched a movie - Death Train. (A: I wanted to see Pierce Bronson in an action role, since he was weeks away from being the new Bond and B: Patrick Stewart was in the movie). And a few few nights later - Night Watch.
I LOVED the films. And then I saw - "based on the screen play of Alastair MacLean, and books of Alastair MacNeill".
WHAT?!!?!? These are books!!!
I had a new challenge - find this series, so it can fill the void while I waited for the next Op-Center book to come out.
OVer the next few months, during trips to local books and bookstore during a Las Vegas trip, I found the series. And I shelved them. To be read....
32 years later, I am FINALLY getting around to reading the first book in the series.
Have to say, I am not disappointed - just sad I waited so long.
This is a solid adventure book - plenty of excitement and thrills, and a bit of international terrorism thrown in. (You know, when Terrorists weren't sterotyped by their race or ethnic backgrounds, but by their desired to terrorize and threaten). While a bit dated, it doesnt feel so (sometimes, you want to read a book where there are no Cell Phones, computers, internet or other Deus Ex Machina to save the day).
And set things up for the other books in the series.
November 19, 2014
Summary of this book:
"Mister Smith", a criminal mastermind, is planning the greatest act of crime in history - not for political or financial reasons, but simply for the thrill and glory of pulling off the perfect crime. Among his minions, he hires three of the world's most accomplished solo criminals: Mike Graham, an ex-CIA weapons expert gone rogue; C.W. Whitlock, nicknamed "the Black Spider-Man" for his ability to, with strength and adeptness, climbing anything; and Sabrina Carver, a thief as smart and adrift as she is beautiful.
As UNACO (the United Nations Anti-Crime Organization) desperately tries to figure out what Smith is up to, the clock is ticking...and Smith's three operatives each have plans of their own.
This type of book is good for:
Anyone who is very, very bored and seeking a quick, light and sickly entertaining read (sickly entertaining in the sense that one is laughing at the author, not with him). Or a writer in need of a morale boost by comparing his/her writing to the unfortunate embarrassment of John Denis's (i.e. me).
I especially liked:
Putting the book away.
I didn't like:
Where to start?
Plot: Predictable and with a few holes. Mercifully it moved quickly. Lacked any mystery and the only plot twist could be seen from a mile away. Everything went too easily for the "good guys".
Setting: Almost non-existent, except for an overdose on the names of places in France which I couldn't care less about (skimmed all the French stuff).
Characters: Shallow. I never got to know them well. Mike Graham was the most interesting because of his attitude and cynicism, but even that was kinda false. C.W.'s African American slang was overdone, and it irritated me that every time he was mentioned there was some allusion to him being "black", having "black skin" or being a "black man" (especially when Graham was distinguished as "the American"...just because he's white?! I'm confused...). Sabrina Carver's finest quality was her figure, and it didn't sit right with me that she was called by her first name instead of her surname, like the guys. Which brings me to my last point: the author's portrayal of women. He seems to have no clue about the mind of a woman, that they are actually human and intelligent - throughout the book they were portrayed as objects, never without a sexy or downright sexist reference, and every single one of them was in love with or attracted to one of the male characters. Also, whenever one of the male characters made a witty or sleazy remark, the female character couldn't think of any comeback and simply "blushed" or "sniffed" or "looked away". I mean...what the heck?! (While I was laughing at how pathetic the dude sounded and thinking of about ten things I could say, trying to pick and choose which one!) And on top of it all, the book was laced with crude sexual scenes and implications which were as off-putting as they were completely unnecessary.
Style: Poor. John Denis's writing was amateur and unpolished, and I noticed quite a few typos. The dialogue was clumpy and unnatural, stiff in some places and overly casual and others. Most of the time, it was the last thing I would expect to hear in the situation. And I only laughed, or kind of snorted/smirked, in one place (can't even remember what it was).
When I finished reading this book I wanted to:
Go read a real book.
This book made me feel:
Frustrated and mildly amused. And better, as a writer. It's a good thing to read a few bad books in your life to understand what not to do.
The author of this book:
Lacked wit, humour, conviction and the discipline to edit and improve his work.
I recommend this book because:
It's a quick read, and amused me in a condescending kind of way.
I don't recommend this book because:
...of pretty much everything.
Further Comments:
This book's plot, along with others in the UNACO collection, was roughly outlined by the famous author and master of action/adventure fiction, Alistair MacLean, before his death. Later, other writers were given permission to use the plots for their own books. This book in no way reflects Alistair MacLean's writing. I am a huge fan of MacLean and highly recommend his books, particularly H.M.S. Ulysses and Ice Station Zebra. I suspect MacLean's name was stamped on the front of this book not in tribute but to sell more copies.
"Mister Smith", a criminal mastermind, is planning the greatest act of crime in history - not for political or financial reasons, but simply for the thrill and glory of pulling off the perfect crime. Among his minions, he hires three of the world's most accomplished solo criminals: Mike Graham, an ex-CIA weapons expert gone rogue; C.W. Whitlock, nicknamed "the Black Spider-Man" for his ability to, with strength and adeptness, climbing anything; and Sabrina Carver, a thief as smart and adrift as she is beautiful.
As UNACO (the United Nations Anti-Crime Organization) desperately tries to figure out what Smith is up to, the clock is ticking...and Smith's three operatives each have plans of their own.
This type of book is good for:
Anyone who is very, very bored and seeking a quick, light and sickly entertaining read (sickly entertaining in the sense that one is laughing at the author, not with him). Or a writer in need of a morale boost by comparing his/her writing to the unfortunate embarrassment of John Denis's (i.e. me).
I especially liked:
Putting the book away.
I didn't like:
Where to start?
Plot: Predictable and with a few holes. Mercifully it moved quickly. Lacked any mystery and the only plot twist could be seen from a mile away. Everything went too easily for the "good guys".
Setting: Almost non-existent, except for an overdose on the names of places in France which I couldn't care less about (skimmed all the French stuff).
Characters: Shallow. I never got to know them well. Mike Graham was the most interesting because of his attitude and cynicism, but even that was kinda false. C.W.'s African American slang was overdone, and it irritated me that every time he was mentioned there was some allusion to him being "black", having "black skin" or being a "black man" (especially when Graham was distinguished as "the American"...just because he's white?! I'm confused...). Sabrina Carver's finest quality was her figure, and it didn't sit right with me that she was called by her first name instead of her surname, like the guys. Which brings me to my last point: the author's portrayal of women. He seems to have no clue about the mind of a woman, that they are actually human and intelligent - throughout the book they were portrayed as objects, never without a sexy or downright sexist reference, and every single one of them was in love with or attracted to one of the male characters. Also, whenever one of the male characters made a witty or sleazy remark, the female character couldn't think of any comeback and simply "blushed" or "sniffed" or "looked away". I mean...what the heck?! (While I was laughing at how pathetic the dude sounded and thinking of about ten things I could say, trying to pick and choose which one!) And on top of it all, the book was laced with crude sexual scenes and implications which were as off-putting as they were completely unnecessary.
Style: Poor. John Denis's writing was amateur and unpolished, and I noticed quite a few typos. The dialogue was clumpy and unnatural, stiff in some places and overly casual and others. Most of the time, it was the last thing I would expect to hear in the situation. And I only laughed, or kind of snorted/smirked, in one place (can't even remember what it was).
When I finished reading this book I wanted to:
Go read a real book.
This book made me feel:
Frustrated and mildly amused. And better, as a writer. It's a good thing to read a few bad books in your life to understand what not to do.
The author of this book:
Lacked wit, humour, conviction and the discipline to edit and improve his work.
I recommend this book because:
It's a quick read, and amused me in a condescending kind of way.
I don't recommend this book because:
...of pretty much everything.
Further Comments:
This book's plot, along with others in the UNACO collection, was roughly outlined by the famous author and master of action/adventure fiction, Alistair MacLean, before his death. Later, other writers were given permission to use the plots for their own books. This book in no way reflects Alistair MacLean's writing. I am a huge fan of MacLean and highly recommend his books, particularly H.M.S. Ulysses and Ice Station Zebra. I suspect MacLean's name was stamped on the front of this book not in tribute but to sell more copies.
July 15, 2021
It's been years since I've read "Death Train" but I remember it being much more grounded and realistic, while Hostage Tower is more like a Bond story - and by that I mean a film (and one of the wackier ones), not a book. Also, as I can't be sure about it, I had a feeling the information given here about the protagonists directly contradicts what's given in the sequel.
The prose isn't terrible, but clunky at times and the main villain is beyond ridiculous. I prefer "true" Alistair Maclean's novels and even the Death Train, while not his, was a better read.
The prose isn't terrible, but clunky at times and the main villain is beyond ridiculous. I prefer "true" Alistair Maclean's novels and even the Death Train, while not his, was a better read.
December 30, 2018
Toward the end of his career, Alistair MacLean wrote a series of treatments for an American production company: these outlined scenarios and characters around a fictional crime-fighting agency called UNACO. The first, ‘Hostage Tower’, was made as a TV movie and the novelisation undertaken by John Denis (i.e. the writing team of John Edwards and Denis Frost), who also novelised ‘Air Force One is Down’. Subsequent titles were ushered into print, first by Alistair MacNeill and then Hugh Miller, some of which were adapted for the DTV market in the early 90s. I approached ‘Hostage Tower’ as a sort of curio/coda to my year-long reappraisal of MacLean’s bibliography, and to be honest it’s pretty terrible. It’s obviously a rush job, which accounts for some of its deficiencies (there are a couple of glaring continuity errors), but I can’t decide whether it’s the ham-fisted attempt at mimicking MacLean’s style or the sheer perfunctoriness of the action scenes that truly deep-six it as a reading experience. Apparently, team John Denis wrote a couple of non-MacLean thrillers before disappearing from the bookshelves of the world. Are they any better? Just as bad? Even worse? I’m perversely (one might say masochistically) interested in finding out.
October 22, 2011
The most ingenious criminal in the world came up with his most spectacular exploit.
He hires for his team
- a top weapons expert, who could steal and use the newest, most secret military equipment.
- the best cat burgular, who could scale any heights.
- a man whose extraordinary strength and ingenuity could conquer any obstacle.
Faced with this audacious crime of the century, the world's politicians could only trust to UNACO and its team. This is a fast paced book ,I really enjoyed this book.
Read
July 22, 2020I always enjoy an Alistair MacLean - they're small, gritty books packed with adventure. A quick, easy read.
September 26, 2020
An entertaining thriller.
August 1, 2024
Niezwykle przewidywalna, pełna klisz i nieco przestarzała, ale o jejku, jak to się dobrze czytało. Wciąga od pierwszych stron, a fabuła jest na tyle dobrze poprowadzona, że potrafi utrzymać uwagę aż do finału. Idealna na letnie, leniwe popołudnie.
May 7, 2021
Deecent enough thriller written in the '70s for a movie, and itsprobbaly fair to say it remains in the '70's.
Haven't seen the film, and plan to check it out to see if its as corny as the book!
Haven't seen the film, and plan to check it out to see if its as corny as the book!
April 2, 2023
Senti dor ao ler isto.
Só.
E não foi uma dor boa.
Só.
E não foi uma dor boa.
January 1, 2024
Based on notes left by Alistair Maclean, Hostage Tower presents the far-fetched scenario of the Eiffel tower being ransomed by terrorists
February 2, 2024
Great story very enjoyable
August 9, 2024
Epilogue wasn't really necessary
October 22, 2011
Introducing UNACO - the United Nations Anti Crime Organisation - an elite team of agents who battle the world's deadliest criminals. When the mission looks impossible, the world calls upon UNACO. The most ingenious criminal in the world has come up with his most spectacular exploit, to kidanp the mother of the president of the United States and hold her and the Eiffel Tower to ransom. He hires for his team: / a top weapons expert, who can steal and use the newest, most secret military equipment / the best cat burglar, who can scale any heights / a man whose extraordinary strength and ingenuity will conquer any obstacle. Faced with this audacious crime of the century, the world's top politicians can only turn to UNACO and its team. This was a slow book in the starting but it got good half way through not as fast paced as I would like but it was good
October 21, 2015
Another good read.
The only thing letting this book down is the fact that it hasn't aged well - it was originally written in 1980 and featured what for then was probably cutting-edge technology and gadgets, which now seems woefully out of date - how things have moved on in 35 years!
That aside, this is a very enjoyable espionage romp with a master criminal recruiting a team of helpers to assist him in hijacking the Eiffel Tower and holding the US president's mother to ransom on it. Unbeknownst to him, 3 of the people he has recruited are secretly working for UNACO which is plotting his downfall.
I believe these series of books were from ideas originated by Alistair Maclean (and some were made into films) and then written by other authors.
Overall, enjoyable and thrilling if you can set aside the time period in which it was written and take yourself back to those days.
The only thing letting this book down is the fact that it hasn't aged well - it was originally written in 1980 and featured what for then was probably cutting-edge technology and gadgets, which now seems woefully out of date - how things have moved on in 35 years!
That aside, this is a very enjoyable espionage romp with a master criminal recruiting a team of helpers to assist him in hijacking the Eiffel Tower and holding the US president's mother to ransom on it. Unbeknownst to him, 3 of the people he has recruited are secretly working for UNACO which is plotting his downfall.
I believe these series of books were from ideas originated by Alistair Maclean (and some were made into films) and then written by other authors.
Overall, enjoyable and thrilling if you can set aside the time period in which it was written and take yourself back to those days.
August 27, 2014
Classica trama alla Alistair MacLean, sempre piacevole (questa volta non troppo, però). Siamo ben lontani dai romanzi meglio riusciti di questo autore da action movie. L'UNACO è francamente molto poco credibile, come poco credibile è la presa in ostaggio della torre Eiffel. I protagonisti in salsa 007 fanno sorridere senza lasciare un ricordo indelebile nella mente di colui che legge. Letto d'un fiato in una andata e ritorno tra Milano e San Pietroburgo rende merito per quello che è: un romanzetto d'azione buono per far trascorrere sei ore di volo.
June 2, 2012
A classic MacLean plot written with a new freshness and energy by John Denis.
May 30, 2014
Well, it did fit in my pocket from AMAB to KAF.
May 3, 2016
read SOMETIME in 2004
general-fiction
February 12, 2019FIC
DEN
DEN
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews