Above the Ground, Dan Lawton
Above the Ground, Dan Lawton
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

Above the Ground
A True Story of The Troubles in Northern Ireland

Author: Dan Lawton

Narrator: John Keating

Unabridged: 13 hr 47 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 06/25/2024


Synopsis

In 1978, the bloody conflict in Northern Ireland, known as The Troubles, had reached a boiling point. Hundreds of members of the Irish Republican Army, determined to drive the hated British out of the province—killing soldiers and police, detonating bombs, while arming themselves with firearms and explosives—had been arrested and incarcerated in the notorious British prison known as the Maze. On Sunday, November 26, 1978, two IRA gunmen kicked in the front door at 8 Evelyn Gardens in Belfast—the home of Maze prison official Albert Miles. They executed Miles in front of his horrified family and vanished into the night.

In 1983, at the end of the longest and most-publicized trial in the country's history, twenty-four-year-old Catholic taxicab driver Kevin Barry Artt was convicted and sentenced to life for Miles's murder. On his way to the Maze, in manacles and still professing his innocence, Artt prayed for an opportunity to escape. Six weeks later, his prayers were answered—he made a daring and dramatic escape from the Maze, fleeing to California and going underground. For decades, the British government, aided by the US Department of State and FBI, relentlessly sought him while he managed to stay just steps ahead of his pursuers.

Contains mature themes.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Mark Hansen on February 12, 2024

During the decades of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s—while the “the Troubles” in Northern Ireland were happening—I was either an ignorant teenager or a young breadwinner with my nose to the grindstone trying to support my family. As a result, I never learned much about the conflict going on across the A......more

Goodreads review by Kathleen Riggs on August 26, 2023

Above The Ground is A True Story of The Troubles in Northern Ireland in one of the darkest periods in Northern Ireland’s history. I still remember this time well and seeing the escape on the news here in New Zealand. On Sunday, November 26, 1978, two IRA shooters kicked the front door in at 8 Evelyn......more

Goodreads review by Saoirse on December 13, 2024

"Above the Ground" by Dan Lawton is a gripping and deeply revealing exploration of true crime, uncovering the harsh realities of a corrupt justice system and the far-reaching consequences of wrongful conviction. The narrative centres on Kevin Barry Artt, falsely accused of murdering a senior prison......more

Goodreads review by Amys on June 11, 2024

Dan Lawton writes an amazing and disturbing true story about Irish conflict Dan Lawton writes about the bloody conflict in Northern Ireland. In 1978 the Irish Republican Army was determined to rid the British out of their territory. Between guns, bombs and other explosives, many of the army were arr......more

Goodreads review by Austin on January 04, 2024

This work is one of the most comprehensively researched report I have ever read. I have always been interested in The Troubles because it seemed to never end and became more violent daily. This book reports what happened to a young, innocent Irishman falsely accused of murder by the RUC, named Kevin......more