John Stonehouse, My Father: The True Story of the Runaway MP

by Julia Stonehouse

“Clear, dispassionate and selfless” Spectator
“Exhaustive in her research, tenacious in spotting errors, indignant in denouncing lies” Guardian
“A compelling account of an extraordinary political scandal, written from inside the Stonehouse family” Martin Bell
** The authoritative account of the infamous runaway British lawmaker, by his daughter **
On 20 November 1974, British Labour Party MP and Privy Counsellor John Stonehouse faked his death in Miami and, using a forged identity, entered Australia hoping to escape his old life and start anew. One month later his identity was uncovered and he was cautioned; the start of years of legal proceedings.
In a tale that involves spies from the communist Czechoslovak secret service, a three-way love affair and the Old Bailey, John's daughter examines previously unseen evidence, telling the dramatic true story for the first time, disputing allegations and upturning common misconceptions which are still in circulation.
The story was never far from the front pages of the press in the mid-70s, and yet so much of the truth is still unknown. A close look at the political dynamics of the time; paced like a thriller, it's time for the world to know the real John Stonehouse.
“No book before this has delved into this fascinating political scandal in so much detail and with empathy.” Reaction

384 pages, Paperback

Published May 5, 2022

Reviews

[Mandy]

This is such a great read, such a fascinating and compelling account of the disappearance of MP John Stonehouse and the subsequent messy investigations and prosecutions that I couldn't put it down – even if the narrative is at times repetitive and a tad confusing. His daughter Julia Stonehouse is determined to exonerate her father and delves into the evidence forensically and exhaustively. No stone left unturned. No document left unperused. No newspaper report left unexamined. My goodness, has she done her research. Her passion comes over loud and clear as does her condemnation of the press and the “fake news” and lies they disseminated. But is she correct in all her claims and assumptions? Some would disagree, including Stonehouse’s great nephew in his recent account. It’s all very complex and murky to be sure. And in spite of Julia’s efforts, John Stonehouse comes across as a particularly volatile and at times plainly unpleasant and selfish character, nervous breakdown notwithstanding. However, none of that detracts from the intrinsic interest of the book and I very much enjoyed it.

[minilafan]

There's an interesting story here, but it's buried in a repetitive and sometimes confusing narrative, as well as a dense amount of detail over seemingly trivial matters, and a lot of "needless to say, I had the last laugh" vibes. Stonehouse's attitude that her father never did, and could never, seemingly, do anything wrong, is also a bit weird and imo discredits the book slightly - he's clearly a shitty person, but it's all explained away time and time again with a "well, he was a bit mad".

[Stephen Dilley]

Julia Stonehouse tells the story of her father, the Labour MP John Stonehouse, who faked his own death in 1974 and was subsequently discovered in Australia and faced trial back in England. The purpose of this book is mainly to set the record straight and to debunk many of the rumours surrounding John Stonehouse. Julia Stonehouse argues that most existing accounts of her father's career and his disappearance are wildly inaccurate - in particular, claims that he was a Czech spy, and that his disappearance was motivated by insurance fraud. Instead, she argues that his actions must be understood as a 'psychiatric suicide', triggered by a mental breakdown as a result of the numerous pressures he was facing.

There is a risk that a book, in seeking to exonerate her father, Julia Stonehouse could come across as biased, but she avoids this largely by dint of the sheer weight of research she includes. This book is thus a highly authoritative account of her father's life: every claim she makes is supported by evidence which is meticulously documented, and her rebuttals of alternate narratives likewise feel entirely sound. She doesn't seek to whitewash her father's life and is honest about his mistakes, particularly his infidelity and the effect of this on his wife. She also offers a robust defence of her father's secretary and lover, Sheila Buckley, who was accused of conspiring with him; Julia Stonehouse might be expected to owe far less loyalty to her father's lover, so her support of Buckley adds to the overall credibility of this book.

It is also, for the most part, a very compelling read. Even if the picture of her father that Julia Stonehouse paints isn't as lurid as in the press, his disappearance and reappearance still make for a great story, I knew very little about John Stonehouse before I started reading, so I enjoyed following the story in detail for the first time, but readers more familiar with this story will still enjoy reading about it from an insider's perspective - particularly the extraordinary period between his discovery in Australia in December 1974 and his eventual extradition.

At times, in order to make her case as clearly and persuasively as possible, Julia Stonehouse darts around which made the narrative a little harder to follow. I didn't find this a major issue until the final four chapters when, having reached the end of her father's life, she then goes back to allegations that her father was a Czech spy in order to refute these in far more detail. I had already been convinced by her previous, briefer discussion of these charges so found these chapters much less interesting. I can see why she would want to put this level of detail on the record in order to correct previous accounts of her father's activities - particularly for the benefit of any future historians exploring this area - but these felt too granular for many readers as they were essentially going over old ground; I wonder whether they would have worked better as appendices than the final four chapters of the book?

The book was still an excellent read overall, with important things to say about politics, the press and mental illness which feel just as applicable now as in the 1970s.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Icon Books for sending me an uncorrected proof of this book to review.

[Florence🏳️‍🌈]

It would be easy to cry biases over this what with it being written by his daughter n all but what I read was a neat summery of facts backed by actual evidence found through exhaustive research. John Stonehouse does not come out of this book looking like a good man (in fact I’d call him a cunt) but he does come out of it looking human, unlike the many caricatures journalists and writers have made him out to be over the years in order to sell newspapers and books.

[Barry Douse]

Didn’t go beyond kindle sample. Defence or explanation of father’s behaviour by loyal daughter, as far as I read. Little insight into the events. No independence.

[Ellen]

A polemic against the fourth estate. Rather tedious.

[Roberta Westwood]

Interesting

I enjoyed this, even though I am not a Brit and had no knowledge of the story. What drew me to it was the disappearing act… I am always fascinated by those who choose to step out of their lives. It was quite the big story when it happened! Overall a good book, written by his daughter, with full access to files. The momentum went out of the book after he died, and she was reexamining his earlier life and all the rumours about him being a spy, but was still worth listening to the end.

I listened to the Audible audiobook.