Three Weeks in July: 7/7, The Aftermath, and the Deadly Manhunt

By Adam Wishart and James Nally

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Three Weeks in July is an extraordinary and definitive account of the 7/7 London bombings, publishing to mark the twentieth anniversary of the event.

This book delivers the most comprehensive narrative of the 7 July 2005 attacks and the chaos, confusion and terror that followed. A true-crime investigation interwoven with high-stakes politics and history, it reveals untold accounts of the government and Metropolitan Police response, as well as their urgent efforts to prevent a second wave of attacks.

Drawing on insights from key figures such as Tony Blair, Peter Clarke (head of the Anti-Terrorist Branch) and Sir Ian Blair (Metropolitan Police commissioner), along with victims and first responders, it chronicles the frenzy of those first hours and the pivotal three weeks of investigation, forensics and political manoeuvring whose repercussions are still being felt today.

Adam Wishart and James Nally have produced an incredible account of those three horrendous weeks in July 2005. Anyone interested in modern British history, Islamic extremism or counter-terrorism should read this. I finished it around the twentieth anniversary of the events, a time when the UK was again reflecting on the attempted attacks of 21 July 2005 and the tragic shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes on 22 July 2005, an innocent man whose death remains one of the most devastating consequences of the fear and uncertainty that gripped the capital.

I was completely gripped by the Metropolitan Police’s investigation into the 7 July bombings. The combination of CCTV analysis, forensics, eyewitness testimony and family liaison that helped piece together what had happened was mind-blowing to read about. The book uses a wide range of interviewees as primary sources, many of whom also feature in the accompanying BBC TV series.

They form the emotional backbone of the story. From Julie Nicholson, who movingly describes the loss of her daughter Jenny at Edgware Road, to Dave Skiffins and Clive Holland from the recovery team at Russell Square, and Ken McAulay, who worked at the Aldgate site and was part of the stood-down forensic arrest team at Stockwell on 22 July. Each account is unforgettable and vital to preserving the memory of what the UK endured.

This is not an easy read, as one would expect from such subject matter, but it is an essential one. It is a deeply human and factual portrayal of the tragedy, written with great care and understanding for the victims, their families and survivors. It reads like a thriller in its pacing yet remains respectful and historically precise.

There are mistakes highlighted that compounded an already horrendous situation, and I was genuinely shocked by some of them. It is also very visceral in its descriptions of the aftermath, so it will not suit every reader, but it never sensationalises the events.

Questions surrounding the actions of the security services are addressed with clarity, though I remain astonished at how Cressida Dick continued to progress within the Met following this event.

Three Weeks in July is an exceptional and important account of one of the most tumultuous and tragic periods in recent British history, ensuring the victims and those caught in the aftermath, including Jean Charles de Menezes, are never forgotten.

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