I am so pleased to say, today I am part of the book tour for Operation George by Stephen Bentley on behalf of ZooLoo’s Book Tours. Thanks to Zoe and Stephen Bentley for the copy of the book so I could bring my thoughts today.
Meet the real Line of Duty ™ undercover team in this previously untold and gripping story of how a Northern Irish terrorist and murderer and one of his followers, were caught in an audacious and brilliantly executed undercover sting on the English mainland, codenamed, Operation George.
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.
The publisher wishes to make clear by using the Line of Duty™, there is no implied association with the Line of Duty series nor World Productions Ltd and the trademark is attributed to World Productions Ltd.
‘Operation George is brilliant! It’s a unique insight into the undercover world, the ingenious tactics, the outwardly serene UCOs and the fastidious adherence to rules and training are nothing like I’ve ever read before.
Operation George is a book that I wanted to read immediately, as soon as I saw what it was about I needed to read it. A true crime story that’s about an undercover operation to nail an Irish terrorist and murderer.
This is a book that really opens people’s eyes about the undercover officers work and just how much danger they put themselves in to get their man. I was obsessed with this book from the start. The intricate details that go into setting up a job are mind boggling.
Stephen Bentley and Mark Dickens are both ex-undercover officers and they took me on rollercoaster ride full of the ups and downs of the massive operation that was set up to catch William James Fulton. A man that is lured from America,where he fled after the murder of a prominent human rights lawyer. He arrives back in England and begins working for a ‘criminal gang’ in Plymouth. He doesn’t realise he is working with undercover police officers. They worked together for two years and as they got closer to him, he started bragging as only terrorists and criminals do. The officers recorded thousands of hours of conversations and they got him to court.
Wow! Well, I was definitely immersed. I felt like I was undercover with them. It’s really interesting to get to grips with how hard the undercover ops are. It’s easy to forget that everything depends on real life people and there is always something to take into account as the Sting goes on.
The final part of the book is the court case where Jimmy (as he is known) is tried for his crimes. With the thousands of hours of recordings, transcripts of the court and also the officers personal experiences made this court case such an indepth and truly authentic read.
The officers involved in this Sting have to cloak their identities,even in the present day shows how dangerous their jobs are. This is a terrorist and the levity of the situation is so clear to the reader. I have no ounce of sympathy towards Jimmy, he is a hateful, murderer and he deserved everything he had coming to him.
A book that engrossed me as I love true crime and when it’s about a terrorist getting his comeuppance, that’s even better. Our undercover officers can’t be given the full recognition they deserve, but,they lay their lives on the line more often than not and noone ever realises. A true crime story that no one would believe if it wasn’t in black and white in front of you!
Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Operation-George-Gripping-Audacious-Undercover-ebook/dp/B09LHGXNKC
Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/Operation-George-Gripping-Audacious-Undercover-ebook/dp/B09LHGXNKC
Author Bio
Stephen Bentley is a former UK police Detective Sergeant, pioneering undercover cop, and barrister. He is now a freelance writer and an occasional contributor to Huffington Post UK on undercover policing and mental health issues.
Stephen also writes crime fiction in a fast-paced plot-driven style including the Steve Regan Undercover Cop Thriller and the Detective Matt Deal Thriller series.
Follow him at
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/stephenbentley47
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/janebadrock/
sharonbeyondthebooks.uk 
Thank you for taking part in the tour and sharing your review x
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