''The Strange Death of David Kelly'' is a 2007 book by British politician Norman Baker.

Synopsis

Baker investigates the death of David Kelly. Kelly was a British scientist and authority on biological warfare, employed by the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

and formerly a United Nations weapons inspector in Iraq. He had an off-record discussion with a BBC journalist concerning a British government dossier about

Weapons of mass destruction in Iraq Iraq actively researched and later employed weapons of mass destruction (WMD) from 1962 to 1991, when it destroyed its chemical weapons stockpile and halted its biological and nuclear weapon programs as required by the United Nations Security Coun ...

, which was cited by the journalist. Kelly's name became subsequently known and he was aggressively questioned by a Parliamentary committee. He was found dead two days later, attributed to

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

. In the book, Baker disputes this version of events and suggests Kelly was murdered. Baker stated 'I am convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that this could not be suicide. The medical evidence does not support it and David Kelly's state of mind and personality suggests otherwise. It was not an accident so I am left with the conclusion that it is murder.'

Reception

In '' The Guardian'' Richard Norton-Taylor wrote 'there is no evidence supporting the many theories that Kelly was murdered and plenty of evidence supporting the conclusion that he was driven to suicide'; however he also wrote 'Baker may have done a service by reminding us of one of the nastiest episodes arising from the invasion of Iraq'. The book was also serialised in '' The Daily Mail''. Additionally, the book was reviewed by Nigel Jones in '' The Daily Telegraph''.

References

2007 non-fiction books Books about foreign relations of the United Kingdom Books about politics of the United Kingdom Books about conspiracy theories English-language books Iraq War books Non-fiction crime books {{UK-poli-book-stub