Four Shots in the Night

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What to expect

HOW THE DEATH OF A SPY IN THE IRA LED TO ONE OF THE BIGGEST MURDER INVESTIGATIONS IN BRITISH HISTORY

Historical Writers' Association Non-Fiction Crown Winner 2024

Top 10 Irish Non-Fiction bestseller, April 2024

'A truly page-turning, compulsive and also profoundly moving narrative.' - JAMES HOLLAND

'Gripping, urgent, superbly reported and brilliantly written' - DAN JONES

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. Years later, it was reported that this murder might have been carried out by another undercover British agent, known as 'Stakeknife'. In 2016, a detective began to investigate this case, and would soon find himself running the largest murder investigation in British history.

In a compulsive blend of investigative journalism and true crime thriller, Henry Hemming exposes the parallel worlds of the IRA and British intelligence through the lives of those inextricably bound up in both. He reveals the bravery of those 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 justice and the truth.

'Superb' - Irish Times

'Compelling' - The Times

'Gripping' - Observer

'Exciting, at times astonishing' - New York Times

'A gripping and pacey book that reads like a thriller. I found it shocking in a world where I didn't think I could be shocked any more. Henry Hemming wears his extensive research very lightly and manages to shape a great narrative from a complex and dark episode from our recent history. An important and skilfully crafted book.' - JOHN O'FARRELL

'The best book about the Troubles since Patrick Radden Keefe's Say Nothing . . . outstanding reporting and an unflinching focus on the facts at hand' - Wall Street Journal

Critics Review

One of the most compelling books I've read in a very long time. An absolutely extraordinary tale of secret intelligence, infiltration and murder, FOUR SHOTS is a brilliantly pieced-together psychological drama that is all the more gripping - and unsettling - for being real rather than fiction. The story is expertly woven together, exploring the characters and motivations of the four main characters into a truly page-turning, compulsive and also profoundly moving narrative. Superb.
James Holland
Gripping, urgent, superbly reported and brilliantly written. Henry Hemming unfolds a true story of violence, politics and spycraft that sits right at the edge of journalism and history.
Dan Jones
Both a sinewy spy thriller and a wider history of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, Four Shots in the Night is edge-of-seat stuff: beautifully crafted, shrewdly observed, frighteningly immersive and utterly compelling
Jessie Childs
A masterly achievement and a riveting read
Peter Taylor, author of 'Operation Chiffon'
Meticulously researched and brought to life with the finesse of a first-class storyteller, Four Shots in the Night is an absolutely gripping tale of murder, The Troubles, and the good and bad that lurks inside us all. I was in its thrall from the first page to the last.
Charlotte Philby, author of 'A Double Life'
A superb portrait of the Troubles . . . Gripping and revelatory
Saul David
If another book has been written that has zoomed in so closely on the relationship between handler and agent, I have yet to find it. A not-so-chance meeting on an isolated Road to Perdition ends in ultimate destruction for one of the parties. What began in silence morphs into staccato, as Four Shots in the Night enter the brain of a once lonesome dog walker. Henry Hemming with sublime clarity peels away an opaque film allowing the reader to stare through a humane window into the horrendous world of espionage.
Anthony McIntyre, author of 'Good Friday'
eye-catching
Irish Examiner
a compelling story
The Times
[a] gripping and consistently surprising true-life thriller
Observer
Exciting, at times astonishing
New York Times
The best book about the Troubles since Patrick Radden Keefe's Say Nothing . . . outstanding reporting and an unflinching focus on the facts at hand
Wall Street Journal
Remarkable insight into the Troubles' labyrinthine complexities.
Alex Burghart

User Reviews

Book 5.0
Narration 5.0
5.0
5.0
Utterly gripping, superbly written and narrated. I couldn't stop listening. One of the best books I've read/listened to about the Troubles.
Cassbergers 12/07/2025

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