Who Framed Colin Wallace?

by Paul Foot

Colin Wallace claims he was discharged from the British army for his refusal to take part in a dirty tricks campaign orchestrated by MI5 in Northern Ireland. He was later jailed for the murder of a friend, but has maintained his innocence. The question is how far was MI5 involved?

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ireland

Paperback

First published May 1, 1989

Reviews

[Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having spent many years reading dense textbooks at university, my ability to tolerate non-fiction books has vastly diminished. However there comes a book so thoroughly well researched and written that I become enthralled by the information it contains.
Paul Foot’s reporting is superb and his writing style captures you in a way similar to a fiction author. Taking you through various parts of Colin Wallace’s life by theme and related events, rather than specific time periods, weaving narrative that is somewhat unbelievable but is, for the majority confirmed true by the end of the book.
The criticisms of which I have two, both of which are probably to be laid at the feet of the publisher. Firstly the formatting of the large blocks of quoted text can be nigh on indistinguishable from the body of the text as the font size is barely 2 points smaller than the main text, if these section were indented slightly it may have emphasised the difference somewhat. Secondly the title is what would be called “click-bait”.
To read this book in 2022 with the Brexit vote, the crash in Jeremy Corbin’s popularity and the anti-semitism report into the Labour Party, parallels begin to appear.

[David McGrogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 stars. I was swept up in this tale, which is written in an utterly absorbing way and which successfully builds a meticulously researched and argued case that Wallace was framed. The account of his trial in itself is absolutely superb - indeed, it's difficult to imagine a better example of a detailed dissection of court-room argument in all of non-fiction. The book is marred slightly by the author's evident biases, which at times lead one to question whether he can have viewed the evidence dispassionately. But even if one does not agree with its conclusions, it's impossible to put down.

[Iain Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Colin Wallace, an army intelligence whizzkid, exposed a child abuse scandal in Ulster, moved to Arundel,befriended Jonathan Lewis, and was 'very close' to Mrs Lewis. Jonathan is murdered, the evidence is contadictory but Wallace is convicted. Did someone connected with his previous life frame him? Was Lewis, an antiques dealer, killed by someone he traded with? Wallace was later retried and freed, but Sussex Police are 'not looking for anyone else' in connection with this crime.

[Martin Sharp · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quite astonishing account of the case of Colin Wallace, former British Intelligence office working in disinformation. When he rebelled against plans to smear Labour politicians he was unceremoniously sacked. A short while later he was convicted of the manslaughter of a friend.
The late, great Paul Foot dissects the story in incredible detail and leaves the reader in no doubt that a sinister plot - and subsequent cover up - took place

[Fionnbharr Rodgers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book for anyone interested in the Troubles.

[Ben Bergonzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Immensely thorough and detailed portrayal of paranoid Cold War times.

[Lemongrass · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lawyers and solicitors are part of the legal system itself, just as much as judges are. If you strike at a lawyer for defending a terrorist, you strike at the law, and at the country. It is an awful crime against justice.