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![Operation George: A Gripping True Crime Story of an Audacious Undercover Sting by [Mark Dickens, Stephen Bentley]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51nl3PNHneL._SY346_.jpg)
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This huge and complex operation is almost unbelievable, the bravery and courage, the risks, the challenges - it creates an epic tale that would rival any fictional thriller or detective novel. - NetGalley UK Review
‘Operation George’ ranks up with true crime classics such as 'Donnie Brasco' and 'The Infiltrator' in its pulse-pounding narrative of undercover operations with significant ramifications. – Readers’ Favorite 5-Star Review
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Meet the real Line of Duty ™ undercover team in this previously untold and gripping story of how a Northern Irish terrorist and murderer and one of his followers, were caught in an audacious and brilliantly executed undercover sting on the English mainland, codenamed, Operation George.
Following the horrific murder of Rosemary Nelson, the prominent human rights lawyer, Jim Fulton, a prominent LVF paramilitary, fled to the United States. He was deported with help from the FBI and in collusion with the British police, on his arrival at Heathrow, Fulton ‘walked through an open door,’ a Lewis Carrol-like euphemism for an invitation created by the crack undercover covert police team, only to disappear ‘down the rabbit hole’ on accepting the invitation.
The invitation turned undercover policing methods on its head. Normally, undercover officers infiltrate organised crime groups. In this case, the Operation George team of undercover officers was the organised crime group.
The ‘rabbit hole’ led to an alternative world: an environment created and controlled by the elite covert team and only inhabited by the undercover officers and their targets. The subterfuge encouraged the terrorist targets into believing Fulton was working for a Plymouth-based ‘criminal firm’ over a period spanning almost two years. In that time, over fifty thousand hours of conversations between the ‘firm’ members were secretly recorded and used to bring the killer and one of his followers to justice.
This unique story is told by former undercover officer Mark Dickens who was part of the elite team of Operation George undercover detectives. This deception is one of the most remarkable covert policing operations the world has ever known.
Together with pioneering Operation Julie undercover officer and bestselling author, Stephen Bentley, they have written a gripping account of a unique story reminiscent of the premise of ‘The Sting’ film, combining a true-crime page-turner with a fascinating insight into early 21st-century covert policing.
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateFebruary 25, 2022
- File size4969 KB
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From the Publisher

Operation George is Brilliant!
‘Operation George is brilliant! It’s a unique insight into the undercover world, the ingenious tactics, the outwardly serene UCOs and the fastidious adherence to rules and training are nothing like I’ve ever read before.
Devoting the majority of the second half of the book to the trial was inspired. It’s all very well for readers to have that amazing peek into the undercover world (and the way the team created a totally illusionary one for Fulton at huge potential risk to themselves given his background and connections) but to show how the evidence obtained stands or falls in court does the whole tactic justice.’ - Graham Bartlett, former UK senior police officer and co-author with internationally acclaimed author, Peter James, of a Sunday Times Top Ten non-fiction book, Death Comes Knocking – Policing Roy Grace’s Brighton.

Readers will find many aspects of this work to be compelling
“This true crime and narrative nonfiction story of undercover policing proves fascinating… The most interesting and original aspects of this book are its look into the inner workings of undercover policing during the aftermath of the Troubles… Readers will find many aspects of this work to be compelling.” – The BookLife Prize

Rare and compelling window into the murky world of undercover policing
“Just like Jim Carrey’s character in The Truman Show, Fulton’s environment had been controlled and his life manipulated,” co-authors Dickens (a pseudonym) and Bentley, both former undercover officers, write in this rare and at times compelling window into the murky world of undercover policing. – Kirkus Reviews
- 5.0 out of 5 stars More twists and turns than a Line of Duty script - Review
- 5.0 out of 5 stars An eye opening novel - Beyond The Books VINE VOICE
- 5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping stuff - Ginger Book Geek TOP 1000 REVIEWER
- 4.0 out of 5 stars Really good read. - Susan Wallace TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE VOICE
- 5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing True Crime Book – Tambok TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE VOICE
- 5.0 out of 5 stars The entire premise was fascinating and by the end, I was just blown away by the entire book... One of the best books I’ve read in 2022. – Jessica Belmont, Book Blogger
- 5.0 out of 5 stars “They associate, infiltrate, befriend their target, and covertly gather evidence for a future day of reckoning,” writes author Mark Dickens with Stephen Bentley with respect to undercover police officers. “The Troubles” cut a swathe of human misery through Northern Ireland for nearly four decades (the 1960s-1998). Despite the Good Friday agreement of 1998 that seemingly ended the conflict, certain factions of paramilitary groups were battling it out, Catholics vs Protestants. In 1999, the car bombing assassination of Rosemary Nelson sparked outrage across the international community. Leaders from a variety of countries demanded answers and justice. The local police zeroed in on the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) and began to conduct an undercover sting to take down various members. “Operation George” was born. The undercover officers would need to be stealthy and clever in attempting to glean information from their targets to get justice. “Operation George” is a true crime drama not for the faint of heart. The men and women who undertook their missions did so with aplomb and bravery, as the consequences of failure would be immediate and possibly fatal. The various men and women of the police force gathered around the two targeted individuals are identified by aliases. Still, the circumstances they faced over a two-year period were all too real. The authors, both experienced policemen themselves, convey the importance of the operation, the necessity of obtaining legitimate confessions, and always maintaining a cover. The policemen and women would need to play by the rules against those who don’t follow any. “Operation George” ranks up with true crime classics such as Donnie Brasco and The Infiltrator in its pulse-pounding narrative of undercover operations with significant ramifications. - Reviewed by Philip Zozzaro for Readers’ Favorite

Readers Favorite 5 Star Review - Reviewed by: Philip Zozzaro
... “Operation George” is a true crime drama not for the faint of heart. The men and women who undertook their missions did so with aplomb and bravery, as the consequences of failure would be immediate and possibly fatal. The various men and women of the police force gathered around the two targeted individuals are identified by aliases. Still, the circumstances they faced over a two-year period were all too real. The authors, both experienced policemen themselves, convey the importance of the operation, the necessity of obtaining legitimate confessions, and always maintaining a cover. The policemen and women would need to play by the rules against those who don’t follow any. “Operation George” ranks up with true crime classics such as Donnie Brasco and The Infiltrator in its pulse-pounding narrative of undercover operations with significant ramifications.
Editorial Reviews
Review
"This true crime and narrative nonfiction story of undercover policing proves fascinating... The most interesting and original aspects of this book are its look into the inner workings of undercover policing during the aftermath of the Troubles... Readers will find many aspects of this work to be compelling." - The BookLife Prize --This text refers to the paperback edition.
About the Author
Product details
- ASIN : B09LHGXNKC
- Publisher : Hendry Publishing Ltd (February 25, 2022)
- Publication date : February 25, 2022
- Language : English
- File size : 4969 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 315 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,720,358 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #716 in Biographies of Law Enforcement
- #2,520 in Law Enforcement Biographies
- #4,080 in Biographies of Murder & Mayhem
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors
Stephen Bentley is a former British police Detective Sergeant, pioneering Operation Julie undercover detective, and barrister. He now writes in the true crime and crime fiction genres and contributes occasionally to Huffington Post UK on undercover policing, and mental health issues.
He is possibly best known for his bestselling Operation Julie memoir and as co-author of Operation George: A Gripping True Crime Story of an Audacious Undercover Sting.
Stephen is a member of the UK's Society of Authors and the Crime Writers' Association. His website may be found at www.stephenbentley.info where you may subscribe to his newsletter.
Stephen also writes crime fiction in the Undercover Legends series as part of a writing team under the pen name of David Le Courageux.
You can listen to Stephen talking about his Operation Julie undercover days on the BBC Radio 4 Life Changing programme/podcast.
Mark Dickens is a pseudonym. From humble, and sometimes, difficult beginnings in life, Mark served for many years in a British police force with distinction. He was commended on many occasions for his outstanding detective work including many under-cover roles involving the infiltration of organised crime groups throughout the U.K. Mark was registered on the national under-cover officer index and also ran training courses for undercover officers. Following his retirement, he remains anonymous to pro-tect the safety of himself and his family.
Customer reviews
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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Operation George details the complex and sophisticated sting operation that finally brought to justice a ruthless Northern Irish terrorist. The author does a fantastic job of setting the stage, introducing the main characters, and walking through the ins and outs of what happened, what went right, and what (almost) went disastrously wrong. I found the whole operation to be fascinating and will definitely be looking for more from the author. Well done!
I did receive an ARC, but this is my honest review.
What I found incredibly compelling was the level of detail without info dumping. It gave a real life look at how undercover operations work.
The story itself is riveting. I had trouble putting this down. Even when it got heavy, I had to keep going because…it was just that good. One of the best books I’ve read in 2022.
Five stars. Hands down. For the true crime fans and the thriller fans, this will have you reading late into the night. Highly recommended.
Thank you to Zooloo’s Book Tours for the free review copy. All opinions are my own and unbiased.
we might remember bits and pieces of Gael spoken by elder family members, or have heard tales of a cousin or other ancestor who expressed rebellion with gun in hand, or offered aid or diversion for some of the boyos who were more hard core.
this book explores undercover operations and subsequent trials related to dealing with more organized militants and their activities
Unputdownable! if that's not a word I'm making it a word for this book description. A well written account of the plan to take down the bad guys. Once you start reading you can't stop. I found this read outstanding and I highly, highly recommend it!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Top reviews from other countries

But his biggest dilemma is not whether to put jam or cream on his scone first, but how to become a trusted member of a ruthless gang of organised criminals.
No stranger to living on the wrong side of the law, he is delighted when his ambitions pay off and he is taken on as the gang’s driver. Even better, before long he is an integral part of their shady operation and keen to boast to his new buddies about his past exploits as a paramilitary in Northern Ireland.
What Jimmy doesn’t realise is that he IS the operation, and the more he talks, the more he is digging a hole for himself from which he won’t be able to climb out.
For the bunch of hard-drinking, tough talking miscreants that surround him are all undercover police officers – and their aim is to get him to reveal on hidden tape as much about his murderous past as they can without raising his suspicions.
As a script for a new series of the brilliant TV show Line of Duty this probably would have been rejected as too far-fetched. But the thing that makes Operation George so compelling is that every word is true.
Authors Stephen Bentley and Mark Dickens are both former undercover police officers who wrap you up in the thrill of the chase and the problems encountered in such a massive sting.
While Jimmy worked for ‘the firm’, over 50,000 hours of conversations were recorded and at the end of it all he finds himself back in a Northern Ireland court room having to face justice for his vile and heartless crimes, many of which involved innocent people.
With court transcripts and personal accounts provided by officers who must still wear a cloak of anonymity in fear of reprisals, this is a must for any true crime junkie. If you were engrossed by Bentley’s Undercover, the story of the biggest UK drug bust of the 70s, then this should be right up your street.

This book is so right up my street, i love nothing better than getting right Into the nitty gritty of exactly what happened, the where, the when and who said what and to who. The victims and families getting justice for crimes perpetrated against them. The men and women who help to bring that justice, the fact of not only putting themselves in danger but the real possibility of putting their families in danger is real here. Such a nasty time in northern Ireland and I can remember growing up hearing all about it in the news and how scary it all seemed to me as a child, never mind actually being there and living it. 👍to all the people that helped to try and make things better.

A lot has been written about what motivates any individual to become involved in violent paramilitarism in Northern Ireland and the reasons are many and varied. Like most of them Fulton was a product of his background and upbringing in our divided communities. He clearly revelled in his and his brother's noteriety and he was motivated for the most part by ignorant sectarian hatred. He was also a braggart and this was ultimately his downfall. Northern Ireland is a safer place for the lengthy term that he has served and will continue to serve in prison and for that I would like to offer my grateful thanks to everyone involved in Operation George.

The bravery and skill of the undercover officers to bring down such a dangerous group of individuals was evident throughout, whilst the honesty of how things played out and how they dealt with the pressure of being everyday people just doing a job was eye opening.
I have no doubt that the families of those UCOs will be incredibly proud to read this first hand account, no doubt in many cases understanding for the first time where their loved ones were and what they were doing for the periods of time they were away from home.
I would recommend this book to anybody who loves true crime, and wants to get a real account of what it’s like before, during and after an operation.
It’s a 10/10 from me.

I always thought an under cover operation involved one or two police officers infiltrating a criminal group.
Operation George completely turns the concept on it's head and involved so many operatives.
It feels like a group of actors doing an improv show, except that it lasts a couple of years not a couple of hours.
On top of that, there are dire consequences for messing up your lines, or being caught off guard and out of character, in the face of terrorists renowned for their violent and impulsive actions.
Highly recommended !