The RUC 1922-1997, by Chris Ryder (Mandarin, £7.99 in UK)

Chris Ryder subtitles his book "A force under fire", and the double meaning is fully justified. For long seen as a sectarian, essentially Protestant and unionist arm of the law, it has nevertheless suffered from the distrust and even hatred of both sides in the Northern Ireland conflict, while its continuing failure to win any broad support from the Catholic sector there plays into the hands of the IRA. This book has been revised and updated since it first appeared in 1989 and it covers an immense amount of ground, including Bloody Sunday in Derry, the Stalker controversy, and - most recently - the Drumcree affair. I cannot judge its degree of bias or lack of it; what is certain is that it contains a lot of hard fact and research. B.F.