A Kind of Prisoner by John Creasey.
As once loyal friends begin to turn on each other, Agent Craigie is desperate to find the super-spies responsible. Is there an enemy within their walls? Or was Ryall, the Department man they had captured, being forced to reveal his knowledge whilst held as “a kind of prisoner”?Time is running out for Agent Craigie if he wants to save what’s left of Department Z.
A good read. Good story. 4*.

John Creasey was a prolific writer of crime and mystery novels, many of which have made it to our TV screens.

In this outing, we enter the world of British espionage, more specifically Department Z, the elite detective agency. The plot is a simple one - Department Z is being sabotaged with a view to their final destruction. Under siege from enemies both within and without, and with one of their own "a kind of prisoner", can Department Z root out the source of the impending doom before it is too late.

This is my kind of book - I love the crime / mystery / thriller style from the 1930s to the 1970s, so for me, this was an enjoyable read. Creasey himself was rather an enigma, and I suggest tracking down "The King Of The Crime Writers: The Biography of John Creasey" by Nigel Cawthorne to get an idea of the man and his literary output.

Once again, Ipso Books reprints superior crime fiction in digital format. John Creasey had one of those extraordinary imaginations and produced story after story, none better than the Gideon of the Yard series, though the Inspector West books are close behind. It’s true that he used a formula, which included betrayal as well as the considerable violence from which no one is spared. Like many of the best crime writers, he wrote about society around him, so his books have become time capsules for London, for the Post Office, the post-war depression, for marriage and masculinity, and other social problems. All told, Creasey seems to have written 600 books, using over two dozen pseudonyms. Like the Gideon and West books, Department Z belongs with the police procedurals (28 novels written from 1933-57), and there is no shortage of gore. As usual, there’s an interesting woman—by the standards of the time. Creasey was also one of the founders of the Crime Writers Association in 1953.

Very good book with lots of mystery, confusion and complex storyline,

John Creasey’s Department Z novels may not be as famous as “The Toff” series, but he writes a raucous, fast-moving old-fashioned espionage novel full of twists and turns, plots and counterplots. This was an entertaining afternoon’s read!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Ipso Books for a review copy of A Kind of Prisoner, the 27th novel in the Department Z series.

Department Z is the ultimate defence of the realm department used to catch the toughest spies but they are at a loss this time. The Vandermin group, intent on stealing the latest defence secrets always seem to be one step ahead of them and have even captured on of their top men, Alec Ryall. Is Alec giving away their secrets? It would seem so when the group seem desperate for his wife Judy to join him.

I used to read a lot of John Creasey as a teenager so I jumped at the chance to revisit his work 40+ years later and I can say that the old magic is still there. A Kind of Prisoner is an exciting, engrossing roller coaster of a read with loads of action and some good twists. It is a product of its time so it maybe doesn't have the sophistication of a modern thriller but it is enthralling. The plotting is clever with some excellent, unexpected twists and the pacing is spot on with constant developments which keep the reader hooked.

The characterisation is fairly stereotypical but that's what you would expect from a novel written in the 50s. Jimmy Merrick, the protagonist, is a thoroughly decent chap with loyalty to Queen and country in his DNA. At first he comes over as a dedicated but not particularly outstanding agent but by the end he displays hidden depths, like a steely ruthlessness and nerve. The baddies, the elusive Vandermin and his cohorts, are suitably omniscient, unscrupulous and violent. You know what you are getting with both sides.

A Kind of Prisoner is a ripping yarn which held me glued to the pages from start to finish so I have no hesitation in recommending it as a great read.

John Creasey is a British writer who was exceedingly prolific, publishing nearly six hundred novels under numerous pseudonyms and in nearly a dozen different series. He is not as well known today as perhaps he should be. This particular novel comes at nearly the end of his 28 book Department Z espionage series, which began in 1933, nearly 2 decades before Ian Fleming's Bond series.

It is written in a stark manner without excess descriptions. It feels dark, dreary, and it is as if all the espionage and counter-espionage takes place in its own secret world away from the rest of society.

It is an enjoyable read, but it's starkness and lack of full character developments can lead to its dragging on at times. One wonders how different the first few books in this series were.