The Filth: The Explosive Inside Story of Scotland Yard's Top Undercover Cop [Paperback]

Duncan MacLaughlin (Author), William Hall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 9, 2005

Duncan MacLaughlin, a senior detective and undercover agent in the Drug Squad and Regional Crime Squad—Britain's equivalent of the FBI—has broken ranks to reveal the stark truth behind the headlines. 40 years-old and a police officer all his life, he is one of the elite. SAS-trained for special missions, his expertise is in surveillance and undercover work that could have got him killed at any moment. The dangerous tightrope he walked included cases involving master criminal Kenneth Noye, kidnap victim Julie Dart, and the slaying of PC Keith Blakelock. He also penetrated international drug cartels and nailed the ruthless barons who control them.

Editorial Reviews

Review

For the first time ever, a senior detective and undercover agent in the Drug Squad and Regional Crime Squad has broken ranks to reveal the stark truth about life in the force. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

William Hall is a celebrated writer, broadcaster, film critic and show business journalist. His published works include biographies of celebrities such as James Dean, Norman Wisdom, Frankie Howard and the legendary stunt man and celebrity body guard Nosher Powell as well as Raising Caine, the critically acclaimed biography of Michael Caine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Mainstream Publishing (August 9, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1840186690
• ISBN-13: 978-1840186697
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.8 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,562,306 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for the Anglophiles, May 21, 2003

By 

Jenny (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Filth: The Explosive Inside Story of Scotland Yard's Top Undercover Cop (Hardcover)

"The Englishman is at his best the moment another man starts throwing a ball at him," wrote German novelist and poetess Vita Sackville-West in 1947. "He is then neither spiteful, nor vindictive, nor mean, nor querulous, nor desirous of taking unfair advantage; he is law-abiding, and respects the regulations which he or his ancestors have generally made; he assumes that his adversary will respect them likewise; and he would be profoundly shocked by any attempt to cheat." Believe me, such a statement does not apply to Scotland Yard detectives - well at least not to one!

Using The Filth as a guide-stick, I'd hazard a guess London detectives lack all of the 'oh so English' traits an American would expect from an Englishman, as described by Ms. Sackville-West.

When the British Airlines flight attendant showed me to my seat aboard the aircraft at London Heathrow, I confess, the unkempt casual appearance of my neighboring passenger ('The Filth' author Duncan MacLaughlin) slumped in the gray leather upholstery beside me made me think, "Is this really Concorde, or am I flying coach on a US carrier?" By the time we landed at NY, I was infatuated by the unassuming, shy, but charming ex-undercover cop, and unsuccessfully attempted to purchase 'The Filth' at JFK before catching my connecting flight home. I have since bought the book via Amazon (and Duncan, it remains unsigned!).

'The Filth' takes the reader on MacLaughlin's journey as a London detective, tackling serious crime in both the UK and further afield, touching briefly upon his adventures here in California and elsewhere in the US.

In short, it's an eye opener and if ever made into a movie, I demand the right to play the part of his American distraction.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting!!!, November 10, 2003

By 

Coleen M. Fussell (Dallas, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Filth: The Explosive Inside Story of Scotland Yard's Top Undercover Cop (Hardcover)

I have to admit, I am not persuaded by written word unless it targets my passion. Let's face it, we have seen and read plenty of "crime and drug drama" in our American cinematic and literary culture. How much do we really know about this subject abroad? What REALLY goes on in the European culture? Scotland Yard has always been a fascinating topic, since our knowledge of the crime/drug scene is determined by what we have seen and read in, and on the American screen. British crime drama has been Sherlock Holmes, Inspector Morse, (played by John Thaw) Inspector Dalgliesh, written by P.D. James (played by Roy Marsden), Agatha Christie, (played by several wonderful actresses including my favorite, Margaret Rutherford) However, when it comes to Mr. MacLaughlin's VERY REAL portrayal of Scotland Yard, I have to tell you, I was mesmerized and fascinated.

Duncan MacLaughlin gives an enduring portrayal of his introduction and desire for his vocation in this book. His father (bless his soul) gave his life for the cause, and little Duncan was drawn into this "life" early on.

As a police constable (PC) Duncan began this life. He was indoctrinated with his first of many cases, the first of several funny, but very dark situations he later writes about.

The first that came to my mind from the book was from the "First Body" chapter...can you imagine? A poor bloke just trying to take a "piss" on a live train rail, his life going up in flames, his own body flamed and ashed -- when young PC MacLaughlin and his superior got there, the poor bloke was a heap of cinders. Seems his natural bodily functions, which needed to urinate (on the live rails), burned him into the finest of ashes......hence his funeral.

That is only the beginning of the many stories, albeit TRUE stories of how this man went from Police Constable to a member of the "Filth." There are many fascinating encounters of how Mr. MacLaughlin became a higher rank official of the Filth, told with such riveting detail that you are glued to this book from beginning to end.

I won't go into detail about the "Carpet Sweeper" or being trained in determining what the "Pothole" ensued.....(oh, excuse me while I take a moment to BREATHE deeply...oh, all right..I am better now (I think!)...I will be able to read on now.

All in all, Mr. MacLaughlin's book is a fascinating detail of Scotland Yard's beginning to end of how the department works and how you become a member of the "Filth."

Well done!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars He LIVED the tales that keep us glued to page and screen, May 28, 2003

By 

Melodie Ellefson, former reporter/news anchor (Midwestern USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Filth: The Explosive Inside Story of Scotland Yard's Top Undercover Cop (Hardcover)

But those are fictional retellings -- And from page one it's very clear that this is not fiction.

It is a rare person who can understand the unfolding of their own life with clarity and objectivity, even in hindsight. Rarer still is someone who can relate the saga to others in a way that sweeps them up into the tale and makes them feel they've been part of it. Duncan MacLaughlin has both those gifts.

By devoting the first 50 pages of The Filth to his childhood, the author enables us to grow with him in conviction and understanding. That background, together with a style of storytelling that blends irrepressible wit, complete lack of self aggrandizement, step-by-step build up, and gritty detail, makes it seem perfectly natural to have progressed from childhood camping trips to camouflaged hide outs nearly under the feet of Sunday picnickers.

The second fifty pages take us through the author's early days as a 'bobby on the beat' and the rigorous training program that makes London's police force into a world renowned entity. In those pages we discover that everything we suspect about our local police force is probably true...And that truth can provide more humor than fiction. However we're also acquainted with the facts of police life and work that make us all grateful to have them right where they are: Standing between the criminal element and the rest of us; Handling the problems we'd rather not have to see; and -- eternally -- There when we need them most.

The final 3/5ths of the book is dedicated to MacLaughlin's work with Scotland Yard's Criminal Investigative Division, "The Filth" of the title. From the numerous moments when his life was on the line, to details of training programs even many of the 'best of the best' couldn't stay the course for, to the deep camaraderie that goes hand in glove with living in those situations, once again we are privileged with a true glimpse inside a world most of us can only guess at.

Beyond the heart-stopping drama and unprecedented inside information, the thing that impressed me most about The Filth was Detective MacLaughlin's feeling for the people involved in each facet of his work: The human tragedy of the victims and their families; The understanding for how the backgrounds of those who became his sources led them to the positions in which he found them; The unfailing commitment to protecting those sources; and, overall, The dedication to keeping the world as safe as possible for the rest of us. He makes no bones about the fact that corners are cut and that neither he, nor the force, were squeaky clean. However The Filth also makes it clear that there are some corners that will never be cut.

The author's adherence to his own code of honor and priorities with regard to the people he values were dramatically underscored in an on-air publicity appearance for The Filth on the BBC last year. MacLaughlin's answer when asked the best thing about having had a book published, reflects the inimitable style that grounds this saga. The author responded, "Quite honestly, it's allowed me to be in contact via a third party with the guy responsible for my father's death. I was able to put him on notice that his days are numbered; That I intended killing the person who shot my father and what's more, that I'm smart and would never be caught."

The elder MacLaughlin, a Royal Marine Commando and medical doctor, was shot in Northern Ireland during one of the first major skirmishes of that conflict. One of the most poignant passages in The Filth relates a conversation in which MacLaughlin and his father discuss what happened the day a sniper targeted the author's father over and over as he drove an ambulance through the embattled streets in an effort to save wounded civilians. He saw the gunman firing at him, but his inability to positively identify the weapon that had been used (and unwillingness to lie about the fact when asked) allowed the man charged with the sniper attack to walk free -- and to spit at his victim's feet as he passed.

In the quoted exchange, MacLaughlin Sr asks his son what he would have done in similar circumstances. As true to his own code when being put on the spot by his lifelong hero as he was throughout his career, the author responded that he'd have said whatever was necessary to ensure the guilty party went to prison. That answer led his father to question the state of his son's conscience...A question he might well reiterate if he'd been alive to hear the BBC interview. But after reading The Filth, one thing is abundantly clear: Duncan MacLaughlin will deal with life on his own terms, according to his own deeply held ethics.

As several other reviewers have noted, the ending makes it clear that another book will be forthcoming. The next one is sure to be an even more suspense-packed read focusing wholly on his days with the elite squads, as well as the internal politics and grudges only briefly mentioned here, that led MacLaughlin to leave the force.

I wrote to the author before submitting this review and was delighted to find that we have a third book to look forward to as well. It seems that, true to the international sleuth image we've been introduced to here, the former detective has dedicated the past year to cracking one of the world's great unsolved mysteries. It will be no surprise to his readers that the case of the missing earl was no match for his skills. There's now at least one person in the world who knows exactly what happened to Britain's infamous Lord Lucan after he disappeared the night his wife was attacked and his children's nanny murdered a quarter century ago.

The rest of us will have to wait for the book.