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Product Description
Product Description
In the early hours of 30 April 2003, twelve armed and uniformed officers accompanied by four plain-clothes detectives burst into Alan Barker's house. They stayed for hours, turning over rooms, seizing documents, impounding computers, files and anything else that interested them. The family were treated as terrorist suspects, the operation resembling so many others in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. But Alan Barker was and is no terrorist. In fact, he has spent his adult life fighting terrorism on the streets of his native province.
Barker belonged to the Special Branch, the RUC's elite unit dedicated to fighting the IRA, the INLA and loyalist terrorists. He gives a gripping insider's account of life on the frontline and demonstrates how the RUC used sophisticated listening devices and informants, including the notorious supergrass Raymond Gilmour, in their fight to gain the upper hand.
After nearly 30 years of loyal service, Barker retired angry and disillusioned about what he views as the government's capitulation to the terrorists. This is the book that Downing Street and the Northern Ireland Office don't want you to read. It is a story of courage under fire, guile, Le Carré-esque plots and treachery.
About the Author
Alan Barker was born in Belfast in 1955 and joined the Royal Ulster Constabulary in 1973. After three years as a uniform constable he transferred into Special Branch, where he remained for 26 years until his retirement in 2002. He now lives in the south of England, where he is self-employed.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I found Barker's account a decent read. It is interesting to view the insights and experiences involved in countering terrorism. The inherent difficulty, however, is that it tends to be lost in the popular and sensationalist narratives that project an image of the Provisional IRA as 'freedom fighters' and the RUC as the source off all nationalism's problems. Shadows does not complement this agenda. Bursting this illusion will no doubt take more effort than produced on this occasion, but the attempt is commendable. A bit more critical self-reflection would have helped, especially when considering accusations levelled against Special Branch. Nonetheless, it documents the futility and brutality of a republican terrorist campaign and the difficulty police officers faced in stopping it.
14 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
SHADOWS IS AN EXCELLENT READ FOR ANYONE WITH AN INTEREST IN NORTERN IRELANDS TROUBLED PAST. IT GRAPHICALLY ILLUSTRATES THE INCREDIBLE DANGERS FACED BY UNDERCOVER POLICE AND AGENTS DURING THE MOST VICIOUS AND RUTHLESS OF TERRORIST CAMPAIGNS. THE WRITER, HIMSELF AN EX RUC SPECIAL BRANCH OPERATIVE, GIVES A FASCINATING INSIGHT INTO THE MURKY WORLD OF INTELLIGENCE GATHERING AND DEPLOYMENTS ON THE STREETS OF LONDONDERRY. HE ACKNOWLEDGES HIS OWN PERSONAL DEBT OF GRATITUDE NOT JUST TO HIS COLLEAGUES, MANY OF WHOM PERISHED IN THE CAMPAIGN, BUT ALSO TO RAYMOND GILMOUR, A POLICE AGENT AT THE HEART OF DERRYS REPUBLICAN MOVEMENT. YOU WONT WANT TO PUT THIS ONE DOWN.
6 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I am sorry to have to state it so bluntly - but this is by far the worst book about the Troubles I've read. Whilst one appreciates that the author wishes to banish his ghosts as he says, his insights are far too limited to be of any interest to anybody but himself and maybe his immediate family. He simply has't got the scope and - I have to say it, the intelligence to overcome his tedious prejudices and preconceived ideas. The book is badly written, full of turgid banter about how much somebody drank and so on, and generally reads like the memories of a pub bore.
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