On 26th May, 1986, the body of an undercover British agent was found by the side of a muddy lane, with a rope tied around its wrists and tape over each eye. Over a decade later, a man with inside knowledge decided to talk to the media about what happened that night. This started a search for the truth which revealed how a handful of British agents were able to infiltrate the Provisional IRA, at great personal cost.

The parallel worlds of the IRA and British intelligence are exposed through the lives of those inextricably bound up in both. Frank Hegarty was a good-natured man whose life was altered forever when he was approached by a British soldier, 'Jack', while out walking his dog one morning. After his recruitment by the British into the secret intelligence agency known as Force Research Unit, Frank infiltrated IRA circles and became close to Martin McGuinness, who came to trust him with the most covert operations. But soon Frank would have to make an impossible decision with devastating and deadly consequences. Decades later, a detective began to investigate the possibility that Frank was murdered by another undercover British agent, codenamed 'Stakeknife': that there had been two agents inside the IRA and one had been told to kill the other.

Bestselling author Henry Hemming blends meticulously researched history with a modern-day investigation into crimes that were hidden away long ago, highlighting the bravery of the men who were crucial in ending the Troubles in Northern Ireland, the bloodiest and longest-running conflict in recent British history, and the determination of one detective in his dogged search for the truth.

In a timely and urgent exploration of the ramifications of The Troubles, this ground-breaking and moving account of a single murder serves as a cautionary tale for the current issues of today.

about the author

Henry Hemming is the Sunday Times bestselling author of seven non-fiction books including M: Maxwell Knight, MI5’s Greatest Spymaster, the Dolman Travel Award- shortlisted Misadventure in the Middle East, and the New York Times bestseller The Ingenious Mr Pyke. He has writen for The Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, The Times, The Economist, FT Magazine, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post. He lives in London with his family.