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Rating: 
Summary: Hard hitting personal account of a very moving true story
Review: Excellent story with interesting personal accounts which have you feeling encaptivated in the life of 'Agent Carol'. The down to earth, almost conversational tone of the book also adds to the reality of it, which succeeds in encasing what it is like growing up in some areas of Northern Ireland. Definitely not biased towards the British - or the IRA as has been ludicrously suggested, as I am aware from living just outside Belfast. An eye-opening book definitely not to be missed.
Rating: 
Summary: McGartland leads an exciting double life
Review: I liked this one! It shows how McGartland, an intelligent soul, was plucked from his lifestyle by British Intelligence to became "Agent Carol", the government's best informant in Ulster for decades.
Rating:
Summary: McGartland leads an exciting double life
Review: I liked this one! It shows how McGartland, an intelligent soul, was plucked from his lifestyle by British Intelligence to became "Agent Carol", the government's best informant in Ulster for decades.
Rating: 
Summary: Vivid portrayal of Britain's reliance on IRA informers
Review: Martin McGartland takes us far from the comfort and warmth of our living room to the violent and poverty stricken world of the Catholic "ghetto" in Belfast, where kids grow up to expect not only a beating from their parents but also from British army foot patrols. McGartland, torn between his own people and his strong sense of right from wrong, writes in a simple yet entertaining manner and the story reaches its horrific climax without ever waning or losing the readers interest. Having been forced to flee Ireland and adopt a new identity, you can't help wondering what Martin McGartland is doing today, and what now motivates him having lived through such an ordeal.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating, but read it with a few grains of salt!
Review: Martin McGartland was a small-time criminal in Belfast's Catholic ghetto when he was approached by agents of the Royal Ulster Constabulary's 'Special Branch' (roughly equivalent to our FBI) and turned into a double agent inside the IRA. While the story is gripping I found it hard to be especially sympathetic to McGartland, who basically sells out the IRA because he doesn't care for their anti-crime efforts!McGartland's bland story of his recruitment as a double agent doesn't quite ring true for me; undoubtedly the R.U.C. had plenty of criminal evidence against him. As he is now in a British witness protection program we may assume a certain degree of self-interest in his demonization of his one-time 'comrades'! Nevertheless the gritty depiction of life in Catholic Belfast and McGartland's escapades as a double agent (especially his arrest by the IRA) make absorbing reading.
Rating:
Summary: Unless you've been there, you might not feel all the pains.
Review: Reading this in America, only my travels in Northern Ireland added the background complexities of "the troubles". McGartland fails to provide a window for an outsider to understand the root causes (current and historical) but that isn't his job in this book. He does provide incredible insights into the day to day complexities, the cross purposes, the loyalties real/broken/false/phony, the compromises, the illogic, the cheapening of life, the mindless results of vague and often misstated goals. After all my travels in those lovely but sometimes violent counties, I can only shake my head and cry "why?". After "why don't you nice folks leave?" I ask myself "would I leave my home here?", "why don't I leave my home because of the gang violence in Phoenix?" Why indeed. McCartland does transmit the horrors of living a double(triple?) life in his home. Could this have been written by someone who hadn't done these experiences? I doubt it.
Rating:
Summary: Outstandingly gripping.
Review: The moment I started to read this book I couldn't put it down. I read it in a day and even now months later I remember it like I read it yesterday. The images Martin McGarland created will stay with me for a very long time. This book is not only an education into the troubles in Ireland it is also a testament to the strength and courage of an amazing man. I would recommend this book to everyone and anyone.
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