LoveReading Says
LoveReading Says
A challenging and compelling read as the stolen life and promise of justice haunts the pages of this book. While on duty, Yvonne Fletcher was murdered as a demonstration took place outside the Libyan People’s Bureau in London. No Ordinary Day doesn’t just focus on what happened on the 17 April 1984, but also the events leading up to the murder, the subsequent policing investigation, the political background surrounding the incident, and the tireless hunt for justice and civil court case that took place in 2021. It also highlights the love felt for Yvonne, both Matt Johnson and John Murray were friends as well as colleagues with her and it shows. Author Matt Johnson has previously written novels, this is first work of non-fiction. There is a lot of information to take in, so set yourself aside some quality reading time. It is worth remembering to take a deep breath on occasion, even step away from the pages, as I found a whole host of emotions flooding through me as events were revealed. This book is intricately detailed and exacting, you can feel the years of detailed research and work that has gone into the pages. I was both appalled and yet unsurprised as I read about the political shenanigans that took place, and how policing has been affected in the longterm. My heart and head were affected, this slice of history, this life, should not be forgotten. Provocative and gripping No Ordinary Day is such an important read it comes as highly recommended by our team and has been included as a LoveReading Star Book and Liz Pick of the Month.
Liz Robinson
Find This Book In
| Primary Genre |
History
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About
No Ordinary Day Synopsis
On 17 April 1984, as demonstrators gathered outside the Libyan embassy in London, two gunmen lay in wait inside. At 10.18 a.m. automatic gunfire rained down on the protestors and WPC Yvonne Fletcher fell, mortally wounded.
As his friend lay dying, PC John Murray made her a promise that he would not rest until those responsible had been brought to justice. Thirty-seven years would pass before he was able to fulfil that undertaking.
While researching this moving account of one man’s dogged pursuit of justice for a murdered colleague, Matt Johnson uncovered secret-service deals and government duplicity, all part of a plan to force an end to the National Union of Mineworkers’ strike. He discovered the real reason Yvonne’s killers were allowed to go free and how events that day led to thirty years of growing political control of policing, resulting in the disarray increasingly evident today.
This compelling account pulls seemingly unconnected threads into a coherent – and shocking – whole. It provides startling insights into how decisions taken by our politicians and the actions of our intelligence agencies, supposedly in our best interests, may be anything but.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781802471441 |
| Publication date: |
8th June 2023 |
| Author: |
Matt Johnson |
| Publisher: |
Ad Lib Publishers Ltd |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
400 pages |
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History
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Press Reviews
Matt Johnson Press Reviews
'An important book, especially now - both an intensely personal story, and a sober analysis of a political scandal'
-- Lee Child 'Espionage, betrayal, terrorism, corruption and murder. All the ingredients of a Le Carre novel, only it's real'
-- Matthew Hall 'A powerful and timely account of one of the darkest chapters in British policing history' -- John Sutherland
Author
About Matt Johnson
Matt Johnson served as a soldier and Metropolitan Police officer for 25 years. Blown off his feet at the London Baltic Exchange bombing in 1993, and one of the first police officers on the scene of the 1982 Regent’s Park bombing, Matt was also at the Libyan People’s Bureau shooting in 1984 where he escorted his mortally wounded friend and colleague, Yvonne Fletcher, to hospital. Hidden wounds took their toll. In 1999, Matt was discharged from the police with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. While undergoing treatment, he was encouraged by his counsellor to write about his career and his experience of murders, shootings and terrorism. One evening, Matt sat at his computer and started to weave these notes into a work of fiction that he described as having a tremendously cathartic effect on his own condition. His bestselling thriller, Wicked Game, which was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey Dagger, was the result. Deadly Game once again draws on Matt’s experiences and drips with the same raw authenticity of its predecessor.
Author photo © Biophilic Photography
Click here to read a Q&A with the author about his new book, Deadly Game.
More About Matt Johnson
