Killing Thatcher: The IRA, the Manhunt and the Long War on the Crown
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- Create Date：2023-04-03 00:51:49
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- Author：Rory Carroll
- ISBN：0008476659
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Summary
The gripping account of how the IRA came astonishingly close to killing Margaret Thatcher
Killing Thatcher is the gripping account of how the IRA came astonishingly close to killing Margaret Thatcher and to wiping out the British Cabinet – an extraordinary assassination attempt linked to the Northern Ireland Troubles and the most daring conspiracy against the Crown since the Gunpowder Plot。
In this fascinating and compelling book， veteran journalist Rory Carroll retraces the road to the infamous Brighton bombing in 1984 – an incident that shaped the political landscape in the UK for decades to come。 He begins with the infamous execution of Lord Mountbatten in 1979 – for which the IRA took full responsibility – before tracing the rise of Margaret Thatcher， her response to the ‘Troubles’ in Ireland and the chain of events that culminated in the hunger strikes of 1981 and the death of 10 republican prisoners， including Bobby Sands。 From that moment on Thatcher became an enemy of the IRA – and the organisation swore revenge。
Opening with a brilliantly-paced prologue that introduces bomber Patrick Magee in the build up to the incident， Carroll sets out to deftly explore the intrigue before and after the assassination attempt – with the story spanning three continents， from pubs and palaces， safe houses and interrogation rooms， hotels and barracks。 On one side， an elite IRA team aided by a renegade priest， US-raised funds and Libya’s Qaddafi and on the other， intelligence officers， police detectives， informers and bomb disposal officers。 An exciting narrative that blends true crime with political history， this is the first major book to investigate the Brighton attack。
Killing Thatcher is the gripping account of how the IRA came astonishingly close to killing Margaret Thatcher and to wiping out the British Cabinet – an extraordinary assassination attempt linked to the Northern Ireland Troubles and the most daring conspiracy against the Crown since the Gunpowder Plot。
In this fascinating and compelling book， veteran journalist Rory Carroll retraces the road to the infamous Brighton bombing in 1984 – an incident that shaped the political landscape in the UK for decades to come。 He begins with the infamous execution of Lord Mountbatten in 1979 – for which the IRA took full responsibility – before tracing the rise of Margaret Thatcher， her response to the ‘Troubles’ in Ireland and the chain of events that culminated in the hunger strikes of 1981 and the death of 10 republican prisoners， including Bobby Sands。 From that moment on Thatcher became an enemy of the IRA – and the organisation swore revenge。
Opening with a brilliantly-paced prologue that introduces bomber Patrick Magee in the build up to the incident， Carroll sets out to deftly explore the intrigue before and after the assassination attempt – with the story spanning three continents， from pubs and palaces， safe houses and interrogation rooms， hotels and barracks。 On one side， an elite IRA team aided by a renegade priest， US-raised funds and Libya’s Qaddafi and on the other， intelligence officers， police detectives， informers and bomb disposal officers。 An exciting narrative that blends true crime with political history， this is the first major book to investigate the Brighton attack。
Reviews
Pooja Peravali
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In 1984， the IRA killed five people and came dangerously close to assassinating then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher - and yet this disaster has gone mostly undiscussed in recent years。 In this book， Carroll brings together the long chain of events which led up to the bombing， and unravels the complicated investigation that followed。Having been to school in both the United States and India， I like to think that I have gained a wider perspective on world history than I would have otherwise， but In 1984， the IRA killed five people and came dangerously close to assassinating then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher - and yet this disaster has gone mostly undiscussed in recent years。 In this book， Carroll brings together the long chain of events which led up to the bombing， and unravels the complicated investigation that followed。Having been to school in both the United States and India， I like to think that I have gained a wider perspective on world history than I would have otherwise， but there are definitely gaping holes in my knowledge。 The Troubles are certainly a subject I have basically no knowledge about。 I was glad to find that this book， while focusing on one major incident， provides the context needed to get invested in the story。It's a complicated story that Carroll weaves， for while the book opens with the planting of a bomb in a hotel room by a single man， many events and people have a hand in getting Patrick Magee there。 We follow the story on both sides， both Irish and British， placing the two major figures， Magee and Thatcher， on the larger stages upon which events play out。 I appreciated that the author remained quite neutral on the central question that motivated the Troubles， fairly portraying the good and bad actions of both sides。 I also liked the wide variety of sources that Carroll was able to incorporate， giving the reader a peek into the many people who were involved in setting up the bombing as well as bringing Magee to justice。Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley。 This is my honest and voluntary review。 。。。more
Selena
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I remember watching the reporting of the bombing of the Grand Hotel in Brighton on the TV news when I was a child。 The famous clip of Norman Tebbit being extracted from the rubble was particularly memorable。 But I have to admit， I didn't know much detail about the history of Northern Ireland。 The extent of the violence， passion and pain tied up in that short nomenclature - The Troubles。 So initially， I was a little daunted by this book but a few pages in and my fears were quickly allayed。 It imm I remember watching the reporting of the bombing of the Grand Hotel in Brighton on the TV news when I was a child。 The famous clip of Norman Tebbit being extracted from the rubble was particularly memorable。 But I have to admit， I didn't know much detail about the history of Northern Ireland。 The extent of the violence， passion and pain tied up in that short nomenclature - The Troubles。 So initially， I was a little daunted by this book but a few pages in and my fears were quickly allayed。 It immediately reads as a gripping mix of thriller， true crime and political intrigue。The book opens with a scene in Brighton to match any thriller。 The arrival of Patrick Magee （aka The Chancer）， the main IRA operative for the Brighton plot。 Then the book recaps the events to leading to Brighton， starting with the assassination of Mountbatten， just after Thatcher comes to power。 The author is clear from the start that this isn't a complete history of The Troubles。 However， in a few highly readable （and impressive） pages， you enough background to appreciate the rest of the events in the book。 From 1169 to the start of The Troubles in the 70s， it's plain why every action on all sides was so loaded with emotion。 We see the emergence of key figures: Magee， of course， growing up during The Troubles， Gerry Adams， Margaret Thatcher。 The numerous attacks。 The hunger strikes by paramilitary prisoners， including Bobby Sands。 I didn't realise the global impact these had。 It all built the tension between Thatcher， the IRA and the security and law enforcement services。 Which leads to the Brighton plot。 The planning， implementation and subsequent manhunt is so absorbing in the detail。 There are an abundance of human stories too， getting to know those involved and the sacrifices made。It's incredible how close the IRA came to taking out Thatcher's government。 How much rested on the Brighton plot and its aftermath。 How history can turn on a knife edge。 And how it changed forever with a timer ticking down in Brighton， all the way to the present day。 I found the account balanced， well researched， moving and breath-taking。 The only things that I might have added would have been， perhaps， a map of the interior of the Grand Hotel at the time and maybe a small list of dramatis personae。 I had a proof copy so it's possible there may be additions in the final version。 But even without these， I found this a totally captivating read。I feel spoilt for choice with some of the marvellous non-fiction published over the past few years。 All The Living And The Dead， Madhouse At The End of The Earth， Empire of Pain to name but a few。 Non-fiction that paints stories and characters as rich and compelling as in any great fiction。 Killing Thatcher easily joins this list - outstanding。Many thanks to the publisher for the proof copy。 。。。more
Shereadbookblog
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This is the true account of the 1984 attempt on the life of Margaret Thatcher by the IRA。 A bomb was planted at the Grand Hotel in Brighton where she was attending a Conservative conference。 Thatcher was spared， but five people died and many were injured， some maimed for life。 In telling the story， Carroll goes into the history behind the Irish fight for freedom and significant events in this history including the assassination of Mountbatten as well as the hunger strike that resulted in the dea This is the true account of the 1984 attempt on the life of Margaret Thatcher by the IRA。 A bomb was planted at the Grand Hotel in Brighton where she was attending a Conservative conference。 Thatcher was spared， but five people died and many were injured， some maimed for life。 In telling the story， Carroll goes into the history behind the Irish fight for freedom and significant events in this history including the assassination of Mountbatten as well as the hunger strike that resulted in the deaths of some of the IRA prisoners。 He recounts the intricate investigation into the Brighton bomb and search for the perpetrators， as well as the background of the bomber and other members of the IRA。 Finally， he theorizes how Thatcher’s survival shaped modern politics。 This is a very detailed， yet thrilling account of events in history。 I found the story fascinating。 I also liked the historical perspective going back to the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 （“remember remember the fifth of November”）。I loved Patrick Radden Keefe’s Say Nothing; A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland and recommended it to many friends。 I think this book ranks up there with Keefe’s and will certainly recommend it。 Researching and writing this book was an ambitious project and Carroll provides a thorough retelling while maintaining reader interest throughout。 Don’t let the fact that this is nonfiction scare you…it reads like a novel。 Thanks to #netgalley and #GPPutnumssonsbooks #Penguin 。。。more
Dan
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My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Penguin Group Putnam for an advanced copy of this book of history on the IRA， the English， Margaret Thatcher and the lose of life that came from these troubles。As a second-generation Irish American， Northern Ireland and the English problem were not things that came up in conversation。 I knew the songs of protest， "A Nation Once Again" and another one about shamrocks being forbid by law to grow on Irish grounds， but that was mostly music at weddings a My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Penguin Group Putnam for an advanced copy of this book of history on the IRA， the English， Margaret Thatcher and the lose of life that came from these troubles。As a second-generation Irish American， Northern Ireland and the English problem were not things that came up in conversation。 I knew the songs of protest， "A Nation Once Again" and another one about shamrocks being forbid by law to grow on Irish grounds， but that was mostly music at weddings and funerals played by what seemed like old people。 I do remember a news segment on 20/20 that has stayed with me to this day about Belfast that I saw at nine or ten， with the Specials playing "Ghost Town"， but not until I started reading history did I get a feeling for what was happening in Ireland and the North。 Rory Carroll in his book， There Will Be Fire: Margaret Thatcher， the IRA， and Two Minutes That Changed History， is about one specific incident and the investigation that followed， while telling the human story of those who fought on both side of "The Troubles" and makes them not caricatures， nor absolutists， but humans， just simple humans caught up in a chaos they had no control over。The book starts with a good description of the author growing up and living through the times that he writes about， and how the germ of the idea began with a story that just expanded。 From here Carroll goes into the forces on both sides， the political and the action， and we follow Margaret Thatcher the Iron Woman as she rises as the Conservative party's best hope， and soon to be enemy number 1 for the Irish Republican Army。 Readers are also introduced to a young man Patrick Magee， who was born in Northern Ireland， but grew up in England， before returning again and joining the IRA。 We meet future political leaders like Gerry Adams and future victims of the IRA， also， following certain people to the heights of power， and others from slums to prison and back again。 Until the book culminates in the bombing of the Grand Hotel， in Brighton， England， and the investigation and arrests that follow。 A mesmerizing ride that is able to tell so much history in a short， tight， and honestly page turning book。 This book reads in many ways like a procedural， but Carroll is very good at keeping the human factor front and present in the book。 This is a real gift， to walk a line down the middle discussing Irish and English relations， and yet being able to make both sides human， and willing to talk。 I really was in awe that I feel I know these characters， politicians， bombers， coppers and innocent victims， and knowing that this was a real story， with real people and real consequences and pain， just made the book more powerful。 The waste， in life， in money， in time and hate。 People would have been fishing， as one policeman wanted to， or found a new life in Denmark， as a bomber had thought he had。 And yet the siren song of violence， called them all back。 A fantastic piece of history。 Well told and well written。 One of the best books of history I have read in awhile， and I have been blessed with a lot of good reading。 One last thing that strikes me is how much chance influences our lives。 There is so many ways the book could be different， if one man stayed in Denmark， if one person stayed in a bathroom。 Carroll goes into that， and how different the world could and would be right now。 Highly recommended， especially for readers of Tim Pat Coogan or Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe。 。。。more
Patricia Romero
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The story of how the IRA almost killed Thatcher and her party’s top leaders。 In an attack linked to the Northern Ireland Troubles。I’m not sure I thought anyone could write an unbiased account of this but this author has done just that。The events take place in Brighton。 After decades of Irish citizens fighting for their freedom， the assassination of Lord Mountbatten， and Thatcher dismissing the hunger strike by prisoners led to ten deaths。 The air was thick with resentment and tensions ran high。T The story of how the IRA almost killed Thatcher and her party’s top leaders。 In an attack linked to the Northern Ireland Troubles。I’m not sure I thought anyone could write an unbiased account of this but this author has done just that。The events take place in Brighton。 After decades of Irish citizens fighting for their freedom， the assassination of Lord Mountbatten， and Thatcher dismissing the hunger strike by prisoners led to ten deaths。 The air was thick with resentment and tensions ran high。The Brighton plot， among all of the other drama going on， led to a dramatic showdown with a famous and infamous cast。This may be a nonfiction book but it reads much like a thriller！I have always wanted to know more about this event and now I do。 What an excellent piece of journalism。 Well-researched and well-written。NetGalley/April 4， 2023， Penguin Group Putnam 。。。more
Cindy Burnett （Thoughts from a Page）
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4。5 stars
Laura
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Received an ARC via NetGalley。 Whereas I found the historical backstory both necessary and interesting， it was a bit dry。 But you have to get through it to get to the good stuff。 I think this book really hits its stride as it details the immediate aftermath and the fallout。 That had my full attention。 I found the police investigation especially interesting。 With so little of the technology we have now， it’s pretty amazing how it all came together。
Victoria
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Thank you Penguin/Putnam and Netgalley for providing this nonfiction ARC。 An excellent， thoroughly researched retelling of an IRA bombing in the UK at the height of The Troubles。 The autho did an excellent job of providing background context to many of the issues， but without taking away from the goal of telling a history of one particular event。 Highly recommended for history buffs and anyone interested in the history of Ireland。
Taylor Walworth
，
A compelling， impeccably researched， and superbly written account of the 1984 Brighton bombing and attempted assassination of Margaret Thatcher by the IRA。Books about the Troubles always read as highly ambitious to me， because of how extensive and complicated a political conflict it proved to be; indeed， I must admit that there were several moments when I first started reading this where I worried if Rory Carroll was casting his critical-authorial net too far and wide， worried if the book would A compelling， impeccably researched， and superbly written account of the 1984 Brighton bombing and attempted assassination of Margaret Thatcher by the IRA。Books about the Troubles always read as highly ambitious to me， because of how extensive and complicated a political conflict it proved to be; indeed， I must admit that there were several moments when I first started reading this where I worried if Rory Carroll was casting his critical-authorial net too far and wide， worried if the book would be overwhelmed by the full-scale， unrelenting intensity of the subject。 Boy， was I wrong！ The connections and links that Carroll draws between seemingly unrelated events paints an incredibly well-rounded， multi-faceted， and， yes， overwhelming （but in the best way！） picture of this decades-long 'war'—its gains and its costs， its deadly effects on ordinary people， and the price of political power。So， add Carroll's name to that hypothetical list of nonfiction writers who are able to encase significant， highly-charged historical events in a palatable， easy-to-read， novel-like narrative structure， that will appeal to both academic and amateur historians alike。Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book。 。。。more
Nick Dean
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There were moments where I had to remind myself that this book was non-fiction， that it really happened。 Such is Rory Carroll's mastery at conveying important， historical moments in a readable， approachable way。 I was particularly fascinated by the idea of how close we often come to living in different worlds， if an event were changed by minutes or inches。 This is a book that will appeal to both the professional historian， as well as other history "nerds" like myself。 Highly recommend it and gre There were moments where I had to remind myself that this book was non-fiction， that it really happened。 Such is Rory Carroll's mastery at conveying important， historical moments in a readable， approachable way。 I was particularly fascinated by the idea of how close we often come to living in different worlds， if an event were changed by minutes or inches。 This is a book that will appeal to both the professional historian， as well as other history "nerds" like myself。 Highly recommend it and great thanks is given to NetGalley and Penguin Group for this ARC！ 。。。more
megs_bookrack
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ARC received！！ Thank you， G。P。 Putnam's Sons！ I'm told if I enjoyed Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland， that I will enjoy this just as much。I'm definitely looking forward to finding out more about this important piece of history。 Super stoked！ ARC received！！ Thank you， G。P。 Putnam's Sons！ I'm told if I enjoyed Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland， that I will enjoy this just as much。I'm definitely looking forward to finding out more about this important piece of history。 Super stoked！ 。。。more
Thomas Lambe
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So many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this。 This was such a treat。 So well written。 Remaining neutral about a highly emotional event （the Brighton Bombing） must have been difficult but the author nailed it。 This was very hard to put down （but I had to go to work！）。 I knew much about this but learned so much more and the telling of the story was very entertaining。 Highly recommended。 This bombing was so close having achieved its goal that it is scary。
Steve Ramsey
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Depending on how you count， this is the first， second or third book-length non-fiction account of the Brighton Bombing。 The first， ‘Terror Attack Brighton’， was a short and somewhat academic look at certain aspects of the bombing， more focused on information and analysis than on storytelling。 The second， ‘Something Has Gone Wrong’ （written by me） was a kind of oral history， which was more narrative based， but restricted its scope to the aftermath of the bombing。 Neither of these authors gave a f Depending on how you count， this is the first， second or third book-length non-fiction account of the Brighton Bombing。 The first， ‘Terror Attack Brighton’， was a short and somewhat academic look at certain aspects of the bombing， more focused on information and analysis than on storytelling。 The second， ‘Something Has Gone Wrong’ （written by me） was a kind of oral history， which was more narrative based， but restricted its scope to the aftermath of the bombing。 Neither of these authors gave a full narrative account of the whole story; I don’t think either of us were attempting to。 It would have been a big undertaking， an imposing task to take on， for various reasons。 These include:1） the number of facets of the story， and the range of people involved in these facets。 These include the IRA， politicians， police， hotel staff， ambulance and fire personnel， journalists， conference delegates， bystanders， various people caught up in the Troubles…。 many thousands of people one could hope to interview。2） The difficulty of tracing some of those involved （ex-police detectives and surveillance operatives， for example）， and…3） The difficulty of getting some of those involved to talk， even if you do manage to trace them （ex-IRA operatives are generally not media-friendly）。Perhaps this explains why almost four decades went by before someone took on this project and brought it to completion。 Though who knows how many people have tried and failed？ I’d imagine that many must have been tempted。 It’s such a big story， so juicy and multifaceted， so full of human drama and political/historical significance。 The human drama is particularly emphasised in Carroll’s account， which focuses on a few key people， and tells their story in a novelistic style （without losing sight of the wider picture）。Writing this on November 5th， it’s interesting to consider that while the Gunpowder Plot has become an iconic moment in British history， its modern-day equivalent， the Brighton Bomb， hasn’t claimed the same place in the national psyche。 Why not？ You might find this puzzling - and perhaps more so after reading this highly readable， informative and original book。 。。。more
Brendan Dowd
，
If you want to truly test yourself as an author， an excellent prompt is， "Try to write a book about the Troubles without taking a side。" Rory Carroll's There Will Be Fire is proof that it can be done and done very well at that。 The book follows the story of the Brighton bombing in England in 1984。 The bombing was executed by the Irish Republican Army （IRA） in their campaign to unite all of Ireland and very nearly killed Margaret Thatcher。 Most of the book follows the bomber and then the police a If you want to truly test yourself as an author， an excellent prompt is， "Try to write a book about the Troubles without taking a side。" Rory Carroll's There Will Be Fire is proof that it can be done and done very well at that。 The book follows the story of the Brighton bombing in England in 1984。 The bombing was executed by the Irish Republican Army （IRA） in their campaign to unite all of Ireland and very nearly killed Margaret Thatcher。 Most of the book follows the bomber and then the police attempts to identify and arrest him。 This is the very short version of an extremely long story。The Troubles of Northern Ireland are a quagmire of politics， grudges， and justice （or lack thereof）。 Carroll makes it clear his book will not tackle everything about the IRA and the Troubles。 He also states he is not biased。 While I think I can decipher precisely what he thinks if we were sharing a few drinks， it does not in any way hinder the narrative of the book。 Carroll explains the finer points someone needs to know but sticks to the story of the bomber and the subsequent pursuit。 It is one of the few times where saying a piece of history， "reads like a novel，" is 100% earned。 。。。more
Jennifer
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I received this as an eGalley from NetGalley。I knew the larger arcs of the Troubles but somehow didn't know about this？！ Incredibly well researched and reported book about the Brighton Hotel bombing。 Also provided lots of fodder for Thatcher-hate！ I received this as an eGalley from NetGalley。I knew the larger arcs of the Troubles but somehow didn't know about this？！ Incredibly well researched and reported book about the Brighton Hotel bombing。 Also provided lots of fodder for Thatcher-hate！ 。。。more
tpg0
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As an AI language model， I cannot provide a personal opinion on the book。 However， I can offer some information about it。 'Killing Thatcher: The IRA， the Manhunt and the Long War on the Crown' is a non-fiction book written by Richard English。 It describes the IRA's assassination attempt on British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1984， as well as the broader struggles between the British government and the IRA during the Troubles in Northern Ireland。 The book covers Thatcher's response to the attack， the subsequent manhunt for the IRA members responsible， and the ongoing conflict between the two sides。 Overall， the book provides an in-depth look at a significant event during a turbulent period in British history， and explores the larger issues at play in the conflict between the British government and the IRA。
tpg1
，
As an AI language model， I don't have opinions but I can tell you that 'Killing Thatcher: The IRA， the Manhunt and the Long War on the Crown' is a non-fiction book written by Richard Sanders， which details the actions of the Irish Republican Army （IRA） in their attempt to assassinate Margaret Thatcher during her tenure as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom。 The book also explores the wider historical context of the Troubles in Northern Ireland and the government's response to the threats posed by the IRA。 It includes interviews with individuals involved on both sides of the conflict， as well as previously undisclosed documents and information about the events leading up to the attempted assassination。
tpg2
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