Publisher Description

A real life spy thriller from the definitive writer on Northerm Ireland's tumultuous past and the author of The Shankill Butchers. A non-fiction political thriller, perfect for fans of true spy books including Agent Zigzag.___________'This excellent book demands the attention of anyone concerned about civil liberties in the United Kingdom' Guardian1969 was a year of rising tension, violence and change for the people of Northern Ireland. Rioting in Derry's Bogside led to the deployment of British troops and a shortlived, uneasy truce. The British army soon found itself engaged in an undercover war against the Provisional IRA, which was to last for more than twenty years.In this enthralling and controversial book, Martin Dillon, author of the bestselling The Shankill Butchers, examines the roles played by the Provisional IRA, the State forces, the Irish Government and the British Army during this troubled period. He unravels the mystery of war in which informers, agents and double agents operate, revealing disturbing facts about the way in which the terrorists and the Intelligence Agencies target, undermine and penetrate each other's ranks.The Dirty War is investigative reporting at its very best, containing startling disclosures and throwing new light on previously inexplicable events.

Author Biography

Martin Dillon is a native of Belfast although educated in England. He lived in France for a time and returned to Northern Ireland to work as a journalist with the Irish News before joining the Belfast Telegraph. He also worked as a freelance journalist for several national newspapers and American periodicals. In 1973 he wrote Political Murder in Northern Ireland which is regarded as the definitive study of political assassination in Northern Ireland. His second book, Rogue Warrior of the SAS, is a biography of the Second World War hero, Lt. Col. Robert Blair Mayne, and is published by Arrow. The Shankill Butchers which was a bestseller in both Ireland and Britain was the first in his trilogy of books about Northern and Southern Ireland.Martin Dillon has written plays for BBC radio and television and has been Editor in Northern Ireland of many of the BBC's programmes in the area of current affairs. He now works for the BBC History Unit in London.

Review

This excellent book demands the attention of anyone concerned about civil liberties in the United Kingdom * Guardian *
Grippingly written with the pace of a thriller * Financial Times *
Makes Cold War duplicity a la Deighton and Le Carre seem positively endearing * Guardian *

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'Makes Cold War duplicity a la Deighton and Le Carre seem positively endearing' Guardian

Kirkus US Review

An amazingly detailed and profoundly disturbing examination of the "dirty" covert war between Northern Ireland's paramilitary groups and British security forces. Investigative journalist Dillon focuses on the chaotic years of 1969-90 to describe how British security forces attempted to infiltrate and destroy the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). The two sides fought a deadly, no-rules war with spies, informers, assassination, misinformation, and wholesale coverup. While the IRA tried to destabilize Northern Ireland by bombing, compiling weapons, and murdering British troops, British security forces established their own "unofficial" hit squads to identify and murder IRA operatives. Dillon brilliantly illuminates the deadly, murky underworld of spies and informers, meticulously describing how British intelligence would arrest "vulnerable" IRA members and "turn" them with threats of imprisonment, blackmail, torture, and monetary rewards. Dillon also reveals how the IRA systematically searched out and eliminated informers within their midst - usually with a bullet to the head. Dillon fully understands the devastating political and cultural implications of Northern Ireland's "dirty" war. He repeatedly points out that governmental counterterrorism, waged in secrecy and thus lacking accountability, "raises serious issues for a democracy." He cites the brutal murders of Andrew Murray and Michael Naan, two suspected IRA members killed by British soldiers. Although dozens within the British army knew about the murders, the crime was systematically covered up for eight years. Dillon's account of the Murray/Naan murders makes for shocking and fascinating reading. The "dirty" war in Northern Ireland has created a diseased culture of silence, betrayal, and selective memory. Though a decade old (it was a bestseller when first published in Ireland), Dillon's book is investigative journalism at its relevant best. He's put himself in harm's way to get at the dark truth, gaining access to both British intelligence sources and the IRA. A seminal, if dated, study of Northern Ireland's nightmarish legacy of official and unofficial violence. (Kirkus Reviews)

Review Text

This excellent book demands the attention of anyone concerned about civil liberties in the United Kingdom

Review Quote

This excellent book demands the attention of anyone concerned about civil liberties in the United Kingdom

Promotional "Headline"

A real life spy thriller from the definitive writer on Northerm Ireland's tumultuous past and the author of The Shankill Butchers . A non-fiction political thriller, perfect for fans of true spy books including Agent Zigzag.

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