Mad Dog: The Rise and Fall of Johnny Adair and 'C Company'

by David Lister, Hugh Jordan

The name Johnny "Mad Dog" Adair is synonymous with a killing spree by loyalist terrorists that took Northern Ireland to the brink of civil war. From humble beginnings as a rioter on Belfast's Shankill Road, Adair rose through the ranks of the outlawed Ulster Freedom Fighters to head its merciless killing machine, "C Company." Surrounded by a group of trusted friends, his reign of terror in the early 1990s claimed the lives of up to 40 Catholics, picked out at random as Adair's hitmen roamed Belfast. Mad Dog describes in graphic detail Adair's criminal empire and an egomaniac's bloody war against Catholics and anybody else who got in his way. Adair's friends and enemies talk for the first time about the murders he ordered, his sordid personal life, and his attempts to become Northern Ireland's supreme loyalist figurehead. Using sensational new material, the authors expose the mass murderers who did Adair's bidding and provide new insights into some of the biggest secrets of the Troubles.

Genres: Nonfiction, Crime

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Bethany · Rating 2 out of 5]

Part tribute to those who were killed, part biography, part political history, this book never finds its footing. It jumps back and forth chronologically and often recalls characters that we as readers don't remember and aren't in the list at the beginning. This book would have been more interesting had it done any character analysis of Adair. I suppose his love for Celine Dion is interesting, but tidbits like that add nothing to this history

[Mac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent but simple book about a mess of a man

[Kieran Delaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book often doesn't know if it's a biography, moral compass or historical text. Conflicting sources are often quoted side by side leaving you to make your own mind up and factor your own version of events whilst the story veers from Johnny to the wider political spectrum - via petty arguments and rumours of security forces corruption. In an attempt to explain the impact of Adairs decisions or the triggers that led to them, the story flitters back and forth in time which just leaves you confused and flicking back a few chapters to see if that guy with the gun was the same guy as in the last chapter or not.

The whole thing ends up as a bit of a mess - not to mention the fact that the two authors writing styles are clearly left separated and intertwined which is jarring.

It's a shame, because the story itself is an interesting one, and given a bit of polish and an editor the book would have been much more powerful.

[Martin Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bizarre individual, good book though and a real insight into the gangsterism of it all. You get the impression that it's more about egos, gangs and power than religion and politics. Hey, I could be wrong though.

[Leif Bodnarchuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

The people in this book are insane. I can't believe all this was going on when I lived in Belfast; I can barely remember any of it. Nutters.

[David Pauley]

Was justice lost?

This book although written in quite simplistic terms gives a good insight into the complex lives of Belfast's paramilitary factions from both sides of the divide. Reading between the lines there was more collusion between the security forces and the various players than most people would have thought. I believe that the government's of both Whitehall and the country of Ireland could have done more to prevent a lot of the needless violence and that there are a number of men walking the streets of Britain who should have been incarcerated for life.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genuinely a fantastic book, proper investigative journalism. I'd say I already knew a good lot about loyalism and paramilitaries but I learned a lot from this about how they really work, and about the peace process and the early 2000s feuds. Adair is a crazy character and was very important in that period, and I think through him this book essentially traces a really good history of the UDA, the peace process, and a bit of collusion, and is really pretty easy and compelling to read.

[SHANE · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subject matter is extremely interesting and absolutely outrageous - however I do feel that the book could have been laid out in a more explanatory, chronological and consistent format.

[Leroy Zumack · Rating 2 out of 5]

A sad story of the troubles and a troubled man. Too much violence too much killing. Not worth recommending

[Jory · Rating 4 out of 5]

"This may strike some viewers as harsh, but I believe that everyone involved with this story should die."

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intresting story about a loyalist resistance group. It's amazing that Johnny Adair and his group could be active for such a long time. Adair was a typical example of hiding in plain side, always boasting to the cops, but somehow the authorities couldnt detain him for his deeds.