The Freedom Trap is a novel written by English author Desmond Bagley, and was first published in 1971 with a cover by Norman Weaver.

In London, he is hired by a man known only as Mackintosh, assisted by his secretary Mrs Smith, to steal a consignmeent of diamonds.

At his trial, his refusal to name his accomplice or even to admit his guilt leads to a sentence of 20 years in prison.

Wheelan plans to deliver Slade to the Chinese communist government, taking him to Albania in his private yacht.

Stannard also realises that Mackintosh deliberately revealed details of the operation to Wheeler to force his hand, resulting in the attempt to kill him.

After the event, Stannard is visited in hospital by a senior civil servant who tells him that Mackintosh has died, leaving behind full details of the operation.