katsherms's review against another edition
4.0
Very well written and thoughtfully researched account
annikadm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
3.75
bgg616's review against another edition
4.0
Cobain, an English journalist, tells the story of the assassination of a Northern Irish member of the police, and by expanding on the entire context of the event in 1978, tells a captivating story. This is one of the best books I have read on Northern Ireland. By describing various neighborhoods and communities, he provides a landscape of the Troubles in Belfast and nearby. He details events that happened before and after this specific murder. The book also delves into the imprisoning of IRA members and other paramilitaries, and what happened when their political status was denied leading to the Blanket protests. He spends almost no time on Protestant paramilitary groups and perhaps this is because they are not part of this particular event. Instead the focus is on the Provisional IRA, and includes some of their most despicable actions such as the Le Mon Restaurant incendiary bomb attack. I felt that he was too light handed with Gerry Adams, when Patrick Raden Keefe's book [b:Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland|40163119|Say Nothing A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland|Patrick Radden Keefe|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1537315266l/40163119._SY75_.jpg|62303430] was more critical. But Keefe was telling the story of the disappearance of Jean Mc Conville, the Belfast mother of 10 children, and Adams was a central suspect in her murder.
Highly recommended reading for those interested in the history of the Troubles.
Highly recommended reading for those interested in the history of the Troubles.
kiwialexa's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
3.5
jmetcalfe16's review against another edition
4.0
A fascinating insight into the Northern Irish Troubles. More broad ranging in terms of background, context and the wider fight than I expected. Made excellent use of real life interviews and contemporaneous records, bringing the reader into the lived experiences of all the people involved.