Winner of the Book of the Year and Reader's Choice awards at the 2024 CrimeCon True Crime Awards. Highly-Commended at the 2024 CrimeCon True Crime awards for Outstanding Investigative Reporting.
Winner of the 2024
Capital Crime Fingerprint Award (True Crime)
Shortlisted for the 2024 Crime Writers Association ALCS
Gold Dagger for non-fiction.
Behind one of the greatest tragedies in UK policing history lies an incredible political scandal
‘An important book, especially now’ Lee Child
‘Espionage, betrayal, terrorism, corruption and murder. All the ingredients of a Le Carré novel, only it’s real’ Matthew Hall
'The best book I've ever read. Breathtakingly brilliant' Jackie Malton, former Detective, author of The Real Prime Suspect
‘A powerful and timely account’ John Sutherland
‘Very well written and deeply researched . . . an account of a relentless search for justice. It has pride of place in my library' John Grieve CBE QPM former DAC MPS and former National Coordinator for Counter-Terrorist Investigations
'Well-written, brilliantly researched, uplifting and yet, a truly shocking read. The story of one man's heroic fight against the odds and against the establishment. John Murray, you are indeed a hero' DCI Colin Sutton (ret'd) Senior Investigating Officer, the Millie Dowler enquiry
‘Leaves the reader in no doubt this is one of the most important books written about policing in the past 40 years’ The Police Federation Magazine
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.
Matt Johnson served for twenty-five years, first as a soldier then as an officer in the Metropolitan Police. Forced to retire as a result of PTSD, while undergoing treatment Matt was encouraged to write as part of his therapy. The result was his 2016 debut novel, Wicked Game, which was shortlisted for a Crime Writers’ Association Dagger Award. This was followed by Deadly Game and End Game. Matt’s fourth novel, Crow 27, was published in 2022. No Ordinary Day is his first non-fiction book.
Retired police officer John Murray worked closely with Yvonne Fletcher and held her as she lay dying. For 37 years he has campaigned and fought resolutely to bring her killer to justice.
