This is an amazing story based on true facts of the single minded passion that grips certain people to achieve great things against all the odds and against everyone’s expectations. Now , I’m the first to admit to being obsessive about achieving my stated aims and ambitions , nothing will stop me , even if it is to my own detriment . But John Bartlett takes this to another level completely . It just so happens that John was a racing driver and so was I , but don’t be put off if you have no interest in motor racing , because this is an object lesson in tenacity and perseverance . Because of my knowledge and experiences in racing I can vouch for the authenticity of most subjects he has covered . If you think motor racing is glamorous , read this book and you may change your mind ! Yes it is dangerous , expensive , time consuming , soul destroying and futile , but once you’ve tried it , there’s no going back , it’s always in your blood ! It’s the same with this book , it’s incredibly well written and gripping , and once you’ve started reading it , you have to keep going , it’s impossible to put down !
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I didn’t go looking for this book it found me and I wasn’t disappointed. I happened to see a review of it when I googled some information about another racing driver . I was intrigued to read the author lived literally just down the road from me , and he was also an ex-racing driver, same as me.
Reading this book was a bit like when you are a kid watching a horror movie behind the settee cushions because it’s so scary. You want to watch but at times it’s too much . This book is so scary because it makes you think ‘ how awful , I’m so glad that didn’t happen to me’. The really unsettling thing is that it could have happened to any of us . Events conspired against the author and his life and his family’s life spiralled into a living nightmare from which there seemed no escape. That they all came through it is a testimony to their closeness as a family and determination to survive.
It is very well written , and I especially liked the way the accounts of real motor races were spliced into short sections in between the courtroom dramas. The contrast between the two scenarios was like watching an artist blending the foreground seamlessly with the background . John is a very skilful author , you will not be disappointed , on the contrary you won’t be able to put it down.
It is compulsive reading.
Although sometimes frustrating, when some of the background info seems to be withheld, this is a really interesting and believable story which challenges our assumptions about how the police and justice system work. While it may not be great literature, it is well worth being widely read.
“Could not put this down, does the British justice system still work…..or is it an antiquated old boys network filled with pompous asses?”
So, twenty four years ago to the day, at around 5.30am on 8th February 1993, under cover of darkness with blue lights flashing wildly, a squad of Metropolitan Police officers forced their way into …
