Freedom Trap [Paperback]

Desmond Bagley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 28, 2008

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is one of Desmond Bagley's 108% action stories which tracks across a lot of territory (England, Ireland, Gibraltar) after Rearden, or the man called Rearden, who is hired by Mackintosh to lift some diamonds which will send him to jail where he can interest a circuit of escape artists called the Scarperers. In their hands he finds the confinement closer than the "nick," until he gets away and with Macintosh's daughter shuttles and shoots his way clear in an operation which has a much higher political ceiling. Breathe deeply and start counting - it's natty, peremptory stuff. (Kirkus Reviews) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Desmond Bagley was born in 1923, in Kendal, a rural town in England's scenic Lake District. He left school aged fourteen and worked for a number of years in the aircraft industry before embarking on an adventure - travelling to South Africa by road and supporting himself along the way by working in gold and asbestos mines. Bagley spent the Fifties in South Africa, working as a freelance journalist and critic, before moving to Italy with his wife, Margaret, and then to Guernsey. His first novel, The Golden Keel, was based on a true story overheard by Bagley in a bar in Johannesburg, about Mussolini's vast personal riches and the men who went looking for it. It was published in 1963 to great acclaim and followed by a further fifteen popular adventure ovels. Bgley's career spanned two decades and his influence can be seen in the work of several highly respected thriller writers. When he died, in 1983, his final novel, Juggernaut, was completed by his wife.

Product Details

• Paperback: 246 pages
• Publisher: House of Stratus (November 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1842320505
• ISBN-13: 978-1842320501
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,926,238 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ..., May 14, 2002

By 

Stillwaters "Stillwaters" (Mt. View, CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Freedom Trap (Hardcover)

I hadn't heard of Desmond Bagley when I came across this book. What had attracted me to this book was a comment by a critic that this book puts Bagley into Alistair Maclean's category. Personally I think this book far exceeds anything that Maclean ever wrote. An amazing plot that stays with you forever !

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent, September 3, 2009

By 

Shana Banana (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Freedom Trap (Paperback)

It is great that these books are back in print. Freedom Trap, Running Blind, Landslide and Snow Tiger are the best.

It would be nicer if they were available for Kindle. Hint, hint.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterful thriller for fans of Fleming, DeMille and Maclean, March 3, 2008

By 

Sean Taylor (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Freedom Trap (Paperback)

Wow, Desmond Bagley is good! This was my first novel by this author, but definitely not the last. "The Freedom Trap" is a taut, unpredictable, totally absorbing story about a top-secret operation to take down an organized crime ring and a Russian spy in one stroke. There are twists and turns, an international chase, intense action scenes and a larger conspiracy as the story unfolds. Bagley was definitely a master of the thriller genre in the British tradition of Ian Fleming and Alistair Maclean, with a very polished and vivid style of writing. His influence on popular writers like DeMille, Ludlum and Follett is clear--but where they might take four or five hundred pages to tell a story, Bagley does it in 250. This makes for a very lean, fast-paced novel, which I found impossible to put down. If you haven't tried this author, do yourself a favor and get some of his books. Absolutely top shelf!