Floodgate [Paperback]

Alistair MacLean (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1984

Amsterdam Airport has Disappeared

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Fontana; First Thus edition (1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0006171109
• ISBN-13: 978-0006169116
• ASIN: 0006169112
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,153,471 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Formulaic MacLean by a tired author., July 23, 2000

By 

Elsie Wilson (Aberystwyth, Cymru) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Floodgate (Hardcover)

Formulaic MacLean story. Starts with Amsterdam airoport flooded, as a way of getting the readers' attention, moves to further floods (dikes blasted) in the Netherlands and threats of even more, as a way of drawing attention to the terrorists' demands. The hero is a typical MacLean hero, just a little too good, fluent in languages, explosives, criminal behaiviour, organisation, self-confidence, yet still not the top man in his organisation (the Amsterdam police force); a natural gentleman, concerned for and afraid of his sister. The ladies in the novel are simply the most beautiful available or imaginable; and perfect ladies. The government figures are, except for one, dolts and incapable of understanding a simple statement. The terrorists are, in this case, fighting for a worthy ulitmate cause, though their methods are to be despised and themselves destroyed. Just happens, though, that the leader is a son of an English earl and, in his own way, to be pitied also. It is as though MacLean got tired of writing, towards the end of his career, the original, inventive, and clever plots such as "H.M.S. Ulysses" and "The Guns of Navarone" and instead took the most successful portions of some of his other tales and fit them into a basic plot outline. Sad to say about MacLean, whom i loved at one stage in my life, reading everything i could find of his, but this is nowhere near his peak ability.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A favorite, December 12, 2002

By 

Faye (Manila, Philippines) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Floodgate (Mass Market Paperback)

My brother and I first discovered this book lying around the house years ago, and to this day we still pick it up every now and then, read it from cover to cover, and enjoy it immensely. The plot is interesting, the writing is witty, and the characters are engaging, especially Lieutenant Peter van Effen, with his many talents and his decrepit car, and his rather fuzzy-minded boss, the Chief of Police de Graaf. As another reviewer mentioned, the book ends on a calmer note than one would expect, but it doesn't disappoint. And my brother and I still put it down thoroughly satisfied every time.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of MacLean's best works, December 30, 2000

By 

"fourstringmagic" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Floodgate (Audio Cassette)

Another great detective novel by the master! Probably one of his best works. The suspense in the book picks up from the first page and does not leave until the very end. The action is mostly fast-paced, but slows down in some places. The book's end is unexpected in a manner that the reader of a suspense novel expects a shart teist of plot at the end, but it never comes and the book ends on a rather calm note. The main hero is, as usual, a very heroic character, occupied by a beautiful woman who is full of love for him, a love that becomes mutual at the end... Over all the book is a typical MacLean story.