Synopsis
In 2006 at Belfast Crown Court, William James Fulton, a principal in the outlawed Loyalist Volunteer Force, was jailed for life and sentenced to a minimum of 28 years after the longest trial in Northern Ireland’s legal history.
Fulton was an early suspect in the Rosemary Nelson killing. Following the murder of the prominent human rights lawyer, he fled to the United States and, with help from the FBI in collusion with the British police, he was deported. On his arrival at Heathrow, Fulton ‘walked through an open door,’ a Lewis Carrol-like euphemism for an invitation created by the covert team, only to disappear ‘down the rabbit hole’ on accepting the invitation.
That ‘rabbit hole’ led to an alternative world: an environment created and controlled by the elite covert team and only inhabited by the undercover officers and their targets. The subterfuge encouraged the terrorist targets into believing Fulton was working for a Plymouth-based ‘criminal firm’ over a period spanning almost two years. In that time, over fifty thousand hours of conversations between the ‘firm’ members were secretly recorded and used to bring the killer to justice.
This unique story is told by former undercover officer Mark Dickens who was part of an elite team of undercover detectives who took part in ‘Operation George,’ one of the most remarkable covert policing operations the world has ever known. You won’t know him under that name nor the many aliases he adopted as an undercover police officer infiltrating organised crime gangs.
Together in ‘Operation George,’ with pioneering Operation Julie undercover officer and bestselling author, Stephen Bentley, they have written a gripping account of a unique story reminiscent of the premise of ‘The Sting’ film, and the ‘Bloodlands’ setting, combining a true-crime page-turner with a fascinating insight into early 21st-century covert policing.
My Review
Anybody who knows me well, knows that not only am I a book geek but I am also a history and true crime nerd. So you can probably imagine why I was so drawn to this book. ‘Operation George’ is slightly different to the books that I normally read as it is a non fiction title and I usually read fiction. They do say that a change is as good as a rest and so without further ado, I grabbed a cup of tea, grabbed my Kindle and settled down for an interesting afternoon of reading. Having just finished reading ‘Operation George’, all I can say is ‘wow’. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Operation George’ but more about that in a bit.
As soon as I started reading, I instinctively knew that I was going to become addicted to reading the book and that I would find it thoroughly interesting. I started reading and I just couldn’t stop. I was immediately drawn into the story and I had to keep reminding myself that it wasn’t a fictional story or a Hollywood movie but the events detailed in the book actually happened! I had only intended to read a couple of chapters to make a start on the book but I became that wrapped up in the events and the different characters that I was still sat there reading over an hour and several chapters later. My Kindle wasn’t exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. I couldn’t bear to miss a single second of the ‘operation’. I couldn’t turn the pages of the book quickly enough as I worked my way through. All too quickly I reached the end of ‘Operation George’. I found it to be a gripping, tense and dramatic read, which kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.
‘Operation George’ is superbly written. The author certainly knows how to grab the reader’s attention and then take them on one hell of an unpredictable and scary rollercoaster ride with more twists and turns to it than you would find on a ‘Snakes & Ladders’ board. For me, the story hit the ground running and maintained a hell of a fast pace throughout. The fact that this book details events as they actually happened somehow makes the story even scarier. I am a huge supporter of the police in general and especially of those brave police officers who take on undercover missions to infiltrate certain groups and/ or ensnare certain offenders. It’s a job that I certainly couldn’t do as I am not brave enough. ‘Operation George’ gave me a whole new appreciation of the police, the work they do and the dangerous situations in which they put themselves.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Operation George’ and I would recommend it to other readers. I hope to read a lot more from this author in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.
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