The Siege

The remarkable story of the greatest SAS hostage drama

Ben Macintyre

New York : Penguin Viking, 2024

Paperback   400pp      RRP: $36.99

 

Reviewer: Adrian Catt, March 2025

 

This ‘fly-on-the-wall’ work takes the reader inside the minds and actions of the Police, terrorists, hostages and Military involved in the tense and protracted, six-day siege of the Iranian Embassy, London, in 1980.

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The author paints the political scene, and the individuals involved in these dramatic events, unveiling their backgrounds, motivation, weaknesses, character, and surprisingly, their psychology and behaviours.

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This is a riveting portrayal, masterfully told, of enthralling ‘cat-and-mouse’ tactics, and planned strategy ‘gone-wrong’, which ended dramatically with gunfire, explosions, fire, mayhem, destruction, and death.

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The author recounts step-by-step, the plans and actions of the terrorists, police and media in addressing the siege; the resultant break-down of senior police officers, and the handover to, planning and actions of the mysterious and secretive Special Services Regiment (SAS).

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This is easy reading which comprehensively covers the lead-up, events, aftermath, and key players of the horrific events which took place in Kensington, London in 1980 that rocked the world. Highly recommended.

 

 

The RUSI – Vic Library is most grateful to the publisher for making this work available for review.