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Lockerbie: A Father's Search for Justice
The destruction of Pan Am Flight 103 over the Scottish town of Lockerbie in December 1988 was the largest attack on Britain since World War Two. 259 passengers and 11 townsfolk of Lockerbie were murdered. Libyan Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was convicted of the crime. He maintained his innocence until his death in 2012.
Among the passengers was Flora, beloved daughter of Dr. Jim Swire. Jim accepted American claims that Libya was responsible, but during the Lockerbie Trial he began to distrust key witnesses and supposed firm evidence. Since then it has been revealed that the USA paid millions of dollars to two central identification witnesses, and the only forensic evidence central to the prosecution has been discredited.
The book takes us along Dr. Swire's journey as his initial grief and loss becomes a campaign to uncover the truth behind not only a personal tragedy but one of the modern world's most shocking events.
Among the passengers was Flora, beloved daughter of Dr. Jim Swire. Jim accepted American claims that Libya was responsible, but during the Lockerbie Trial he began to distrust key witnesses and supposed firm evidence. Since then it has been revealed that the USA paid millions of dollars to two central identification witnesses, and the only forensic evidence central to the prosecution has been discredited.
The book takes us along Dr. Swire's journey as his initial grief and loss becomes a campaign to uncover the truth behind not only a personal tragedy but one of the modern world's most shocking events.
325 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2021
99 people are currently reading
360 people want to read
About the author
Jim Swire
3 books4 followersHerbert Swire (b. 1936), known better as Jim Swire, is an English doctor best known for his involvement in the aftermath of the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, in which his daughter Flora was killed. Swire lobbied toward a solution for the difficulties in bringing suspects in the original bombing to trial, and later advocated the retrial and release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the originally convicted suspect in the case.
In 1990 Swire also carried a fake bomb onto an aircraft as a demonstration of lax security.
Jim Swire is the son of Colonel Roger Swire, an officer in the Royal Engineers, and his wife the Scottish folklorist Otta F. Swire, née Tarn.
In 1990 Swire also carried a fake bomb onto an aircraft as a demonstration of lax security.
Jim Swire is the son of Colonel Roger Swire, an officer in the Royal Engineers, and his wife the Scottish folklorist Otta F. Swire, née Tarn.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 2, 2022
It's hard to give this anything other than 5 stars given everything Jim Swire and other relatives of the Lockerbie tragedy have been through. Despite occasionally drifting into less believable aspects of conspiracy theory, there can be no doubt that there was, and remains, extensive reasonable doubt about the Lockerbie trial. The most moving thought now, 35 years on from the tragedy, is that Jim and others will likely never see the truth and justice they seek. It is in the power of governments in America and the UK to give them that solace, and it especially cruel that they refuse to do so. A must read for anyone who has followed, even only through news reports over the years, the story of Lockerbie, and for those who may be unaware of it, an eye-opener.
July 27, 2021
This is essential reading if you are interested in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie in 1988. Jim Swire is not only the father of one of the victims, he has also been a leader of the bereaved relatives and the most tenacious of seekers after the truth.
The narrative moves quickly from a description of a happy family life to the sudden, intrusive horror of the terrorist outrage. Inconsolable grief emanates from the book's pages. Jim Swire, a polite, articulate and dignified doctor, finds himself naturally emerging as the spokesman of the British victims' families. He takes us on an extraordinary journey he couldn't have previously imagined - into nervous meetings with the powerful in Britain and America and even a tent in the Libyan desert with Gaddafi. He freely admits he was frequently shaking like a leaf.
This book is also the story of Jim Swire's gradual disillusionment with authority. Every step of the way as his scepticism grows and some remarkable piece of new evidence comes to light (the new forensic analysis of circuit timer fragment PT/35(b) is compelling and conclusive, in my view) or he draws some logical conclusion that casts doubt on Megrahi's guilty verdict, the politicians, rather than sharing his hope that the truth is about to be revealed at last, redouble their delaying tactics, obfuscation and duplicity. It was not possible for this reader not to get a sense of the justice system being deliberately manipulated to produce a politically expedient result: That Libya - and not the obvious culprits, Iran - should be blamed for the Lockerbie Bombing.
Politicians, apart from Tam Dalyell, don't come out of this well. Margaret Thatcher's complete failure to discuss Lockerbie (the worst act of terrorism in UK history) in her autobiography is extremely odd and frankly suspicious. One is left wondering why so many politicians don't seem interested in justice and appear willing to allow Lockerbie to quietly disappear into the dustbin of history. Are they all venal, unprincipled careerists and poltroons? Why don't they feel the outrage that I feel after reading this book? Why are they not protesting this injustice at the top of their voices and demanding a full public enquiry into the whole Lockerbie affair?
Jim Swire's book is a unique document. His unique perspective is what will give this book its enduring fascination and value.
The narrative moves quickly from a description of a happy family life to the sudden, intrusive horror of the terrorist outrage. Inconsolable grief emanates from the book's pages. Jim Swire, a polite, articulate and dignified doctor, finds himself naturally emerging as the spokesman of the British victims' families. He takes us on an extraordinary journey he couldn't have previously imagined - into nervous meetings with the powerful in Britain and America and even a tent in the Libyan desert with Gaddafi. He freely admits he was frequently shaking like a leaf.
This book is also the story of Jim Swire's gradual disillusionment with authority. Every step of the way as his scepticism grows and some remarkable piece of new evidence comes to light (the new forensic analysis of circuit timer fragment PT/35(b) is compelling and conclusive, in my view) or he draws some logical conclusion that casts doubt on Megrahi's guilty verdict, the politicians, rather than sharing his hope that the truth is about to be revealed at last, redouble their delaying tactics, obfuscation and duplicity. It was not possible for this reader not to get a sense of the justice system being deliberately manipulated to produce a politically expedient result: That Libya - and not the obvious culprits, Iran - should be blamed for the Lockerbie Bombing.
Politicians, apart from Tam Dalyell, don't come out of this well. Margaret Thatcher's complete failure to discuss Lockerbie (the worst act of terrorism in UK history) in her autobiography is extremely odd and frankly suspicious. One is left wondering why so many politicians don't seem interested in justice and appear willing to allow Lockerbie to quietly disappear into the dustbin of history. Are they all venal, unprincipled careerists and poltroons? Why don't they feel the outrage that I feel after reading this book? Why are they not protesting this injustice at the top of their voices and demanding a full public enquiry into the whole Lockerbie affair?
Jim Swire's book is a unique document. His unique perspective is what will give this book its enduring fascination and value.
June 4, 2025
I was seven years old when the Lockerbie disaster struck. Being from Scotland myself, I knew about it but not the full story so when I saw this book I thought I might learn something. It makes for an interesting and scary read although I felt there was a lot of politics/history that went over my head. Ultimately, this is a story about a father who lost his beloved daughter. It makes for one heck of a story down to the people Jim Swire met along the way. It would appear there are still a lot of unanswered questions regarding this awful event, none of which will likely ever be answered. I found this hard to follow at some points during the trial, a lot of key people mentioned in the last third of the book got a bit confusing too. All in all, I felt a learned quite a lot about this event and my heart goes out to all those innocent people whose lives were taken.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
January 9, 2025
For the truth to endure the world needs people like Jim Swire
Let not the annoying, niggling, repetitious typos that frequently appear at the beginning of all too many sentences in this book, detract from the utterly fantastic read it is. The Official Secrets Act has became the windbreak that crooked officials, elected into office, hide behind. Very much like a guilty criminal opting to take a ‘no comment’ line or taking the 5th in response to searching questions, those officials illustrate the corruptness present in the high echelons of our society. Shame on them. What this book sadly shows too is that when relying on politicians you can be sure of absolutely nothing anymore. Extremely well written, thought provoking to the enth degree and an essential read for anyone who wants to know more about the Lockerbie tragedy. Recommended 5 stars…
Let not the annoying, niggling, repetitious typos that frequently appear at the beginning of all too many sentences in this book, detract from the utterly fantastic read it is. The Official Secrets Act has became the windbreak that crooked officials, elected into office, hide behind. Very much like a guilty criminal opting to take a ‘no comment’ line or taking the 5th in response to searching questions, those officials illustrate the corruptness present in the high echelons of our society. Shame on them. What this book sadly shows too is that when relying on politicians you can be sure of absolutely nothing anymore. Extremely well written, thought provoking to the enth degree and an essential read for anyone who wants to know more about the Lockerbie tragedy. Recommended 5 stars…
January 9, 2025
I feel strange rating this book so low, considering the very real and very tragic event that fuelled its author. There were parts of this that really gripped me: Thatcher not mentioning Lockerbie in her memoir, Swire's marzipan bomb, the emotional description of the events in the ice rink. The grief of the initial event and the immediate aftermath is really palpable.
But I struggled to track and process the details of the trial and the evidence accumulated. It's a heavy read in places and the note-form style of writing made it also hard to follow along; I lost track of key figures involved in the trial, the campaign for a neutral country and the subsequent questioning of evidence.
Though I question some of the later theories Swire explores, it does highlight certain issues with the evidence and I am left with the feeling that the full truth of the events behind Lockerbie will never be fully known.
But I struggled to track and process the details of the trial and the evidence accumulated. It's a heavy read in places and the note-form style of writing made it also hard to follow along; I lost track of key figures involved in the trial, the campaign for a neutral country and the subsequent questioning of evidence.
Though I question some of the later theories Swire explores, it does highlight certain issues with the evidence and I am left with the feeling that the full truth of the events behind Lockerbie will never be fully known.
February 13, 2025
Jim Swire's Search for Justice
I saw the limited series on Peacock and found this book. I wanted to learn the backstory of the series. Lockerbie was the tragedy of a bombed aircraft that disintegrated over Lockerbie Scotland. The author's daughter was killed in the explosion and he began a quest for justice that was much longer and more twisted than he could imagine. A great deal of political drama between Scotland, Great Britain, the United States and Libya was involved. Much of it read like a spy novel. There was a lot more to the story than was published. A father's heartbreaking search for justice.
I saw the limited series on Peacock and found this book. I wanted to learn the backstory of the series. Lockerbie was the tragedy of a bombed aircraft that disintegrated over Lockerbie Scotland. The author's daughter was killed in the explosion and he began a quest for justice that was much longer and more twisted than he could imagine. A great deal of political drama between Scotland, Great Britain, the United States and Libya was involved. Much of it read like a spy novel. There was a lot more to the story than was published. A father's heartbreaking search for justice.
December 13, 2024
As much as you feel for the family of the author for the terrible tragedy they suffered, he is disliked by other victims families, he comes up with repeated conspiracies with little evidence to back them up and the book becomes a drag and I ended up speed reading it.
June 3, 2025
Lockerbie was one of the most shocking acts of terrorism towards the end of the last century. A PanAm flight left Heathrow and 38 minutes later an ied planted on board exploded. The plane crashed on and around the rural town of Lockerbie in the Scottish Borders. I saw the site soon after the tragedy and the devastation was appalling. Flora, one of the passengers was the bright articulate daughter of Jim Swire. He was a GP at the time and wanted to know what had happened and why. This book, written with Peter Biddulph, is his story and search for the truth. It’s shocking. And I mean truly shocking. It took 30 years to come to print, the main reason being new information and evidence about the events kept coming to light causing revision and rewrite. The reason? Successive Government cover up. Don’t believe we live in a democracy. Governments and secret service agencies ensure that we’re fed a diet if whatever pap, suits their agenda.
I have followed this story intermittently over the years but didn’t watch recent tv shows about the crash. I’ve admired Swire’s determination and perseverance trying to find justice for Flora and the rest of the casualties. His search has been hindered at every stage and he became a person of interest to the security services almost immediately. The Gadaffi story was poppycock. The German government gave detail of the device and plan two weeks before the event. No one acted on it. There’s been over 30 years of smoke and mirrors but at last, the truth will out. I listened to the audio version, very well narrated throughout. I can’t say it’s enjoyable because of the subject matter, but it’s an incredible story of one man’s determination never to give up. Don’t think he’ll be recognised with a gong any time soon for his efforts, but this book deserves a wide audience. Like many others, I’ll never trust government again.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a review copy.
I have followed this story intermittently over the years but didn’t watch recent tv shows about the crash. I’ve admired Swire’s determination and perseverance trying to find justice for Flora and the rest of the casualties. His search has been hindered at every stage and he became a person of interest to the security services almost immediately. The Gadaffi story was poppycock. The German government gave detail of the device and plan two weeks before the event. No one acted on it. There’s been over 30 years of smoke and mirrors but at last, the truth will out. I listened to the audio version, very well narrated throughout. I can’t say it’s enjoyable because of the subject matter, but it’s an incredible story of one man’s determination never to give up. Don’t think he’ll be recognised with a gong any time soon for his efforts, but this book deserves a wide audience. Like many others, I’ll never trust government again.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a review copy.
March 10, 2025
It's hard to read this book without feeling a deep sense of unease about the Lockerbie bombing, the subsequent investigation and the apparent injustices and deceptions that arose from it. There is obviously a huge personal loss for Dr Swire, his family and the relatives of the other victims and for Dr Swire himself, the pursuit of the truth has become an obsession, which helps him deal with the tragedy.
However, that obsession has led to a polarization of almost everything in the narrative - if it supports the conspiracy theory, it's good and if it doesn't, it's bad. Even 9/11 seems to be an irritation as it moved the spotlight away from the Lockerbie investigation and I felt a little more empathy towards other events and opposing views would not have gone amiss.
As such, this is a cracking good read and describes a father's relentless journey following the murder of his daughter. I do not feel though that it is an objective overview of the Lockerbie bombing.
However, that obsession has led to a polarization of almost everything in the narrative - if it supports the conspiracy theory, it's good and if it doesn't, it's bad. Even 9/11 seems to be an irritation as it moved the spotlight away from the Lockerbie investigation and I felt a little more empathy towards other events and opposing views would not have gone amiss.
As such, this is a cracking good read and describes a father's relentless journey following the murder of his daughter. I do not feel though that it is an objective overview of the Lockerbie bombing.
January 28, 2025
The publisher and co-author have unfortunately let Jim Swire down here by letting such a poorly written account of what is an astonishing story. The book is only a 240 odd pages long but due to the style of writing and the fact it feels almost as if it is a bunch of bullet points mashed together make for one hell of a slog to read. The empathy that the reader feels leaves it hard to blame Jim Swire for this though. He isn't a writer. He is a doctor but more importantly a bereaved father searching for justice and that does come through and is what makes this book readable.
February 10, 2025
Jim Swire is a remarkable man to pursue the true about why his daughter was murdered. He did this for decades, despite it costing him vast amounts of money, his friends, and the fact that his marriage survived speaks of how incredible Jane is. It's a personal story, but it illustrates how we are fed an official version of historical events, when it suits the authorities. Jim Swire is a very brave man.
June 18, 2025
While so many offer prayers and thoughts after unspeakable tragedies, Jim Swire took action. I wish he would have the truth he and others so desperately sought. There are still unanswered questions about this flight and he believes governments have those answers. Sadly, that is most likely true.
A well written book. Pan Am 103 is a story most of us think we know, maybe we don’t. A definite read if you have an interest in this.
A well written book. Pan Am 103 is a story most of us think we know, maybe we don’t. A definite read if you have an interest in this.
January 22, 2025
I completely agree with Kat’s review on the 9th January 2025.
I feel bad for only giving this two stars but it was a real slog. There were very interesting parts eg the poor security at airports that really did not change until after 9/11.
There is so much here you do not know what to believe except this was an awful tragedy that should not have happened.
I feel bad for only giving this two stars but it was a real slog. There were very interesting parts eg the poor security at airports that really did not change until after 9/11.
There is so much here you do not know what to believe except this was an awful tragedy that should not have happened.
June 19, 2025
Sad and informative still full of anger and pain. I wasn’t born when Lockerbie happened so it was always just a tale told so to hear what happened and hear the family’s story, if just meant so much. Thank you NetGalley for letting me read and review.
July 3, 2025
As I wasn't in the UK at the time I only knew of Lockerbie as a background. This was fascinating and very in-depth analysis of a father's pain. The only thing I would have liked to understand more of was how his remaining family reacted - it was touched on but not explained.
February 16, 2025
Worth a read. how corrupt leaders can be.
November 15, 2025
A deep dive into a tragedy. You can feel the raw grief and emotion. I had no idea how deep some of the conspiracies run with this. Worth a read.
November 28, 2025
If you read just one book this year make it this one. What’s it about? One man’s tireless quest for truth and justice.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews