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| The Strange Death of David Kelly | 
 enlarge | Author: Norman Baker
Publisher: Methuen Publishing Ltd
Category: Book
List Price: £9.99
Buy New: £5.82
You Save: £4.17 (42%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  13 reviews
Sales Rank: 13493
Media: Paperback
Pages: 400
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.6 x 1.3
ISBN: 1842752170
EAN: 9781842752173
ASIN: 1842752170
Publication Date: October 8, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: BRAND NEW and IN STOCK - dispatched within 48 hours from the UK
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| Customer Reviews:
 Well researched and essential reading, but with an illogical conclusion February 29, 2008
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
Norman Baker has thoroughly investigated Kelly's death and lays out all the evidence from ambulance crew members and other witnesses, friends and colleagues of David Kelly that suggests his death may well not have been suicide.
He also highlights the fact that Kelly, a world class expert on biological weapons, despite being a supporter of war on Iraq, had severely embarrased the Bush administration and Blair government by dismissing their '45 minute' claim and the supposed Iraqi 'bio-weapons trailers' which Kelly and all other weapons experts concluded were nothing of the kind.
Whats more Kelly had briefed journalists from the BBC and the Observer on both these issues.
Despite all this Baker chooses to conclude that Iraqi agents murdered Kelly and that the British government conducted a cover-up in case this would make the public angry at them. This is more than a bit ludicrous since if Saddam's people had killed Kelly it would have supported rather than undermined Blair and Bush's position - and since it was Blair and Bush, not Saddam, who had lost face due to Kelly's revelations.
The obvious conclusion is that Kelly was murdered by British and/or American intelligence on behalf of their governments - the people who actually had a motive to end Kelly's annoyingly honest and accurate assessments of Iraq's lack of any major WMD capabilities. This also helped to scare other experts in the field into silence such as one of Kelly's German colleagues quoted by Baker as saying she would be in trouble if she commented on his death and didnt want to end up like Kelly.
If Baker is too scared to come to this conclusion i wouldnt blame him - and all the evidence of the reality is there in his book in full. If he really believes it then his theory is unlikely to say the least.
 Interesting and fascinating perspectives on this tragic death February 19, 2008
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
The Strange Death of David Kelly provides the reader with fascinating and thought provoking perspectives on the death of this internally acclaimed scientist who was thrust under the microscopic analysis of the international media and rabidly revengeful politicians because of his concerns regarding the so-called Sexed Up Dossiers.
Whilst I was hoping the book would be an interesting read and put different frames of reference on this sudden death, I had some doubt as to its political neutrality given its author being an MP; however, despite there being what I considered to be some efforts to score political points, the book was actually well written and on the whole was not used for political gain.
The author has clearly spent a great deal of time researching this subject despite, according to his writings, some efforts by 'unknown forces' to thwart its development. All credit to Norman Baker for his persistence.
The book introduced material which stimulated thought and individual consideration as to what exactly happened in relation to David Kelly's death. It took the reader on an international journey to various possibilities and potential links to his premature demise; whilst I did not always agree with the author's views and interpretations, it made very interesting reading which, I shall admit, became somewhat addictive.
It may very well be that David Kelly did indeed commit suicide; but on the basis of information published, the book did raise a number of eye brow raising questions that, to me, remain unanswered. New information may come to light as time progresses - if so, I think Normal Baker would be well placed to build upon this book to either raise new questions, or come to a more specific conclusion as to what actually happened.
Overall, a good read and highly provoking; recommended.
A political "Whodunnit" February 4, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
Was Dr David Kelly murdered? Do Messrs Blair & Campbell sleep well at night? Indeed, this was a very strange death and in many ways an even stranger aftermath.
I found this a very strange book. Almost as strange as the whole case. Partly political, historical and investigative, the book seeks to cover most aspects of the events without really pursuing a single path. As a result, one gets the feeling that potential avenues of thought are not given sufficient rigour to warrant dismissal as a possible explanation of events. Some parts of the book are repetitive, others dismiss at the first hurdle and the reader is constantly left with the taste of the book being written in a race with the publishers. That is a pity, when the book deals with what is potentially the most explosive political story to come out in British parliamentary history.
Naturally, a book of this type builds on conjecture, which is often very difficult to balance with reality. Here Baker does a sterling job, of not leaping to far-fetched conclusions or completely wild speculations. All considerations seem reasonably argued for inclusion in the book.
The book gives an excellent insight into the workings of the Blair government around the time of Kelly's death as well as the subsequent workings of the Hutton inquiry. The more I read about both issues, the more questions seem to arise. Why did the UK go to war? Why was the Hutton inquiry set up in the way it was? Why did witnesses not have to testify under oath (which meant that they couldn't commit perjury - which some did)? Unfortunately the book did nothing to answer those questions - actually it does provide one, perhaps rather far-fetched answer - which means that if Norman Baker is as puzzled as I am, it will take a long time before anybody reveals the real truth.
Lastly, this is the kind of book that one would expect to be written by a journalist and not a Member of Parliament, which begs the question: where has the press been in all of this? If the facts are just 1/10 of what is presented in this book, the biggest prize in the world history journalism awaits.
As in Agatha Christie's "Mouse Trap", it would be "telling" if I let on that I believed Dr Kelly was murdered (and if so by whom). Read the book, it is definitely enjoyable and reminiscent of a fast episode of the TV soap "Spooks", but unlike the "Mouse Trap" we may not have seen the final act in this sorry and tragic saga.
The book gives an excellent insight into the workings of the Blair government around the time of Kelly's death as well as the subsequent workings of the Hutton inquiry. The more I read about both issues, the more questions seem to arise. Why did the UK go to war? Why was the Hutton inquiry set up in the way it was? Why did witnesses not have to testify under oath (which meant that they couldn't commit perjury - which some did)? Unfortunately the book did nothing to answer those questions - actually it does provide one, perhaps rather far-fetched answer - which means that if Norman Baker is as puzzled as I am, it will take a long time before anybody reveals the real truth.
Lastly, this is the kind of book that one would expect to be written by a journalist and not a Member of Parliament, which begs the question: where has the press been in all of this? If the facts are just 1/10 of what is presented in this book, the biggest prize in the world history journalism awaits.
As in Agatha Christie's "Mouse Trap", it would be "telling" if I let on that I believed Dr Kelly was murdered (and if so by whom). Read the book, it is definitely enjoyable and reminiscent of a fast episode of the TV soap "Spooks", but unlike the "Mouse Trap" we may not have seen the final act in this sorry and tragic saga.
An axis of evil permeated No.10 Downing Street ............... January 24, 2008
10 out of 13 found this review helpful
of that we can be certain.This is a most brilliant book by Norman Baker who has the courage to name names and clearly point you in the right direction while NOT forcing HIS opinions on you. When David Kelly appeared on the scene, a man who was someone few in the Labour camp would recognise because he was honest, straight-forward and was world-reknown at his profession no-one in that Magic Circle of Blairs was ever going to let him stand in their way of invading Iraq alongside Bush. Exactly who this "axis" consisted of at any given time is another question with so many players willing to participate? Campbell was the Devil incarnate and if one was to trace his record back to childhood I am absolutely positive you would find he has always been a bully and a coward.Scarlett like so many others was only too willing to be at Blairs beck and call,totally incompetent at one job he was promoted into MI6.Hoon,arrogant and aloof to the end he saw the death of Kelly as little more than an "inconvenience".Blair took the UK to war, an unjustified war, having ensured the "evidence" and "facts" were in place to show what he wanted them to show to the British public and having ensured that Campbell had briefed the Labour Press "correctly" beforehand so they would be on board.The final insult to David Kelly was the whitewash given to the Government in the Hutton report by the so-called eminent judge put there for that very purpose.
A prime facie case. January 23, 2008
27 out of 27 found this review helpful
This book by Norman Baker is absolutely first-class. From the outset I had the gravest suspicions about the whole matter, and perhaps naively, I believed that the Hutton Enquiry would reveal all. Never was I more mistaken. For an eminent Judge to have produced such a conclusion as contained in his Report- absolutely beggars belief. If I had not heard it - I would never have believed it possible for such an incredibly narrow-minded view, with so many questions left unanswered - nor even examined.
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this whole matter should be properly investigated, and an Inquest held, where witnesses would give evidence on oath and open to cross-examination. As it has been left, the whole scandalous affair is a complete travesty, - and I speak with thirty years experience on the Bench.
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