In 1985, as he prepared to release information that could have brought down the government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, solicitor and senior Scottish Nationalist politician Willie McRae was found in a remote highland glen. He had been under surveillance by officers of the Special Branch who had followed him from Glasgow. He had been shot in the head.
Suicide or state-sponsored murder? This fast-paced work of historical fiction explores a controversy which continues to dog the legacies of the Heath and Thatcher governments in the decades leading to the end of the last century.
April 1985 and a statement has been released by the Procurator Fiscal's office in the outskirts of Inverness, regarding the death of Mr William McRae, a solicitor from Glasgow. Death followed a motoring accident however during a post mortem a bullet was found lodged inside his head. Verdict - suicide. Willie McRae was a committed Scottish Nationalist, an academic and a solicitor. It is said that he was about to release information that could have brought down Mrs Thatcher's Government, namely that senior politicians were involved in a paedophile ring and information on a top secret report commissioned by Prime minister Edward Heath relating to oil under the North Sea. Did Willie kill himself, was he murdered or did he die as the result of an unfortunate accident ? This is a fascinating read which I would recommend.
A good dramatization of an unresolved Scottish mystery
The death in 1985 of Scottish Nationalist activist and lawyer Willie McRae has never been fully explained. This dramatized account of the controversies around his shooting sticks close to the known facts, and opens the theories about involvement of Special Branch and MI5. It makes for a good thriller, only slightly marred by some careless writing or editing. The reader should watch the SEC film in the case in YouTube after reading the book.
Good attempt to tell this event by constructing a fictional story around the key people involved in the nationalist movement. However the poor editing does take the shine away.