Above the Ground

A True Story of the Troubles in Northern Ireland

The first true story of an innocent man who escaped prison after being falsely convicted of an Irish Republican Army murder during the Troubles in Northern Ireland.  

Review of ‘Above The Ground’ from the Los Angeles Daily Journal (March 21, 2024).
Read About This Incredible Story
WildBlue Press

Above The Ground will be available for purchase beginning on August 8, 2023 via WildBlue Press, a publisher of award-winning titles whose authors include New York Times bestselling authors and Pulitzer Prize winners, and on Amazon.

Kevin Barry Artt is an innocent man. His story is a tale of survival and redemption.

In 1983, a British court wrongfully convicts a 23-year-old Irishman, Kevin Barry Artt, of murdering Albert Miles, a British prison official, on behalf of the outlawed Irish Republican Army.  The court sentences Kevin to a life term in Britain’s notorious Maze prison.

Seven weeks later, Kevin escapes the Maze.  Overnight he becomes Britain’s most wanted fugitive in the world.  Kevin makes it to California, where he lives quietly underground.

In 1992, the FBI captures and jails him.  For the next eight years in the federal courts in California, Kevin fights the British government’s furious attempt to extradite him back to Northern Ireland.  Aided by renowned U.S. trial lawyer Jim Brosnahan, Kevin beats extradition in 2000.  But the cloud of his 1983 murder conviction still lurks overhead.

Twenty years later, on May 6, 2020, the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal vindicates Kevin at last, quashing his murder conviction based on detectives’ false testimony at his trial.

View the Full Non-Fiction Proposal

Marketability

Successful and recently-published comparable works have proven audiences’ fascination with tales of innocent persons falsely convicted, whether the tales be fiction or non-fiction.  

Best-Selling Non-Fiction Books

Book Title Main Topic
Say Nothing Unsolved Troubles-Era Murder
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Movies & Television

Movie/Show Main Topic Box Office
Just Mercy Injustice $50M
In the Name of the Father Wrongful Conviction $65M
Conviction Courtroom Drama $11M

About Dan Lawton

Before taking a sixteen-month sabbatical to write “Above the Ground,” Dan Lawton practiced law in the California and federal courts for thirty years, specializing in appellate work and intellectual property litigation. Today he is shareholder at Klinedinst PC, a California-based law firm headquartered in San Diego.

Read Dan's Full Bio

Accolades

Best-selling authors, historians, correspondents and editors alike are praising Dan’s recounting of the trials and redemption of Kevin Barry Artt.

An enthralling work of history told with intelligence and urgency.

Lawton chronicles the plight of Kevin Barry Artt, falsely convicted of murdering a prison official for the IRA, in this nonfiction work.

Read the full review here.
Kirkus Reviews
The British judicial system was systemically partisan and incapable of justice. Less about the rule of law and more about the rule of law enforcement, British Diplock judges, without the constraints of a jury, routinely consigned men and women to prison on the word of dishonest RUC officers, some of whom were renowned torturers. Convinced that there was one innocent but convicted man he could do something about, Dan Lawton with searing intent set about kicking in the door of the rotten façade. The story of Kevin Barry Artt from his arrest, through his prison escape, to his eventual acquittal almost 40 years after his conviction, is one that helps explain the concept that state violence leads to street violence. Absorbing, Lawton pulls you into the heart of his narrative much like Artt was pulled into the bowels of the prison system.
— Anthony McIntyre, Ph.D.
— Anthony McIntyre, Ph.D.Irish writer and historian
'Above the Ground,' published in 2023, is a terrific non-fiction book that educated me about this agonizing chapter in history and how it affected the life of a young man named Kevin Barry Artt. The book is gripping, well-researched, authentic and powerful. On a scale of 1 to 10, it is a 10+.

Read the full review here.
Mark W. Hansen Los Angeles Daily Journal (March 21, 2024)
Dan Lawton’s book tells the whole story. And what a story — filled with riveting detail that reminds us that every single one of our lives can make a difference, and change happens in our fragile, broken world because that single person is willing to say, I am who I am.
— Alan Abrahamson
— Alan Abrahamson Best-selling author (No Limits: The Will to Succeed, with Michael Phelps, and Zero Regrets: Be Greater than Yesterday, with Apolo Ohno
It sounds like the fictional plot of a blockbuster thriller. . . . Yes, it’s the story of one man’s life, Kevin Barry Artt. But with his lawyer’s eye and passion to expose injustice, Lawton makes this a timeless and borderless tale . . . [A]n essential piece of reading for anyone who hopes to understand not only the Irish conflict, but how the rule of law can be subverted in any divided society.
— Michael Beattie
— Michael Beattie Former Head of News and Current Affairs at Ulster Television, producer of television documentaries ‘Unlocking the Maze’ (UTV 1983) and ‘Breakout’ (BBC 2008)
A startling, memorable forensic account of British rule in Ireland.
— Seamus Deane
— Seamus DeaneIrish historian; editor, The Field Day Anthology of Irish Writing; author, Reading in The Dark
A gripping tale of survival and redemption which combines elements of true crime, courtroom drama, and a daring prison escape. . . . ‘Above The Ground’ answers urgent and timeless questions: What price do nations pay when they abandon the rule of law in order to crush terrorism? Why do innocents falsely confess to crimes they don’t commit? Despite the best efforts of police and paramilitaries to ruin his life, how does a victim of those efforts not become embittered? . . . [O]ne of the best books ever written by an American about Northern Ireland and a must read for those interested in promoting peace.
— Nancy Soderberg
— Nancy SoderbergFormer deputy assistant to the President for national security affairs (1993-1997); author, The Superpower Myth: The Use and Misuse of American Might
This is an extraordinary book that works on multiple levels. It is first of all a vivid narrative of a victim caught up in forces beyond his control, meticulously researched and compellingly told. Beyond that, this account conveys the torments of the time of Troubles in Northern Ireland in almost visceral reality. . . .[I]if one were to read just one book on this traumatic passage in Irish history, this would be the recommended choice.
— Alan Dowty
— Alan DowtyAuthor & Historian
The story is as old as time - injustice, oppression and the fight -- in this case the flight -- for freedom. But there is a contemporary feel to this Troubles tragedy. What is terrorism? How does a government fight it? What are the limits? Who are the victims? With Dan Lawton’s steady hand this timeless story unfolds and enfolds with gripping prose deepened by painstaking detail and a panoramic view.
— Major Garrett
— Major Garrett Chief Washington Correspondent, CBS News; author, Mr. Trump’s Wild Ride
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Photos & Video

Browse through photos which chronicle this incredible true story.

- EEAPR2
Nationalist side of the Peace wall. 5-25-16
Close up of Albert Miles grave in Carnmoney Cemetery. 4-2-19
The Maze Prison Northern Ireland. Photographed on a press facility visit in 1997.
Former-terrorist Gerry Kelly, who was one of the 38 inmates involved in the 1983 IRA breakout from the Maze prison.
Aerial view of Maze Prison, Northern Ireland
James Brosnahan the lead attorney for John Walker Lindh, the 21-year-old Californian captured with Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, talks to the media outside the Albert Bryan US Courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia 17 June 2002. The judge denied a change of venue petitioned by Lindh's lawyers. PHOTO/Stephen Jaffe/AFP/Getty Images
A British soldier speaking with young boy. Usually children and soldiers are on opposite sides during street riots. Northern Ireland. Belfast. 1971.
Sad memorial to the dead hunger striker, Bobby Sands. Northern Ireland. Belfast. 1981.
Bobby Sands Hunger Strike poster, 1980s Belfast Northern Ireland. UK HOMER SYKES
Kevin Barry Artt, Maze Escapee. Pacemaker Press Intl. 25/9/83. 843/83/BW
A "peace wall" erected by the British authorities, separate Catholics (left) from Protestants. It runs on the back garden of a middle class housing estate. Northern Ireland. Belfast. 1997.
Nationalist side of the Peace wall. 5-25-16
Smash H Block vintage badge
Smash H Block vintage badge
Smyth mugshot.rec'd 4-12-19
A woman wounded by an IRA bomb explosion in the city centre, is given first aid. G.B. Northern Ireland. Belfast.
Justice Basil Kelly, former Attorney General for Northern Ireland in a February 1969 photo
British Army black soldier standing in front of Republican mural of Margaret Thatcher and the hunger strikes in West Belfast during The Troubles, Northern Ireland Conflict. Belfast, 1982 PY1MDE
The Troubles Wall painting mural Belfast Northern Ireland 1970s HOMER SYKES. Image shot 1975. Exact date unknown. A7N93B
IRA political wall painting, Belfast, Northern Ireland UK 1981. UK HOMER SYKES. Image shot 1981. Exact date unknown. AFRTD0
Hunger strikers photographs in a shop window 1980s Belfast Northern Ireland. HOMER SYKES
Photocopy of Christopher Black's Castlereagh mugshot. Nurse & Jones files. 11-14-81
Bloody Friday is the name given to the bombings by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) in Belfast on 21 July 1972. Twenty-two bombs exploded in the space of eighty minutes, killing nine people (including two British soldiers) and injuring 130. EPX6MP
BOBBY SANDS _ POSTER_ MAHONEY_CAIN CLEARANCE
A girl piper leads the funeral procession of IRA hunger protester Bobby Sands, MP from St Luke's Church on the Twinbrook Estate to Milltown cemetery, Belfast.
Three masked IRA men fire volleys of rifle shots over the coffin of hunger-striker Bobby Sands during a pause in the funeral procession en route to the Milltown cemetry, Belfast. Gerry Adams can be seen in background, wearing glasses and dufflecoat.
Bobby Sands poster
Brennan and Smyth mugshots rec'd 4-12-19
Riots in Belfast British Troops stand Guard in Falls Road Belfast Soldier standing with a gun looking at a burning building. B3P332
A dog barks at a soldier from The Queens Regiment while patrolling the streets of Belfast, Northern Ireland in April 1984. Nearly 2000 soldiers from the regiment, with over 200 from Sussex, were stationed in Ireland at the time. Image shot 1984. Exact date unknown. FD9K1D
Free Kevin Artt bumper sticker ca 1993
Castlepollard (2) 5-31-16
Castlepollard (3) 5-31-16
Castlepollard, swingset. 5-31-16
Hallway of Castlereagh
Barbara Caulfield, Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Affymetrix. No Credit. Received 4/2004.
Christopher Black Show Trial poster, edited. June 1985.
Court of Appeal Belfast R. v. Artt. 3-5-20
October 16, 1998 - San Francisco, California, United States of America: ( l to r) Terry Kirby (white shirt and jeans), Kevin Barry Artt (tie), and Pol Brennan (front right) were released from prison today. The three were among the 38 prisoners who escaped from the Maze Prison near Belfast in 1983 -- the largest breakout in Britain's history. The three settled in California and were apprehended by the FBI in the early 1990s. In the past year, the three were held at the federal prison in Pleasanton. They were freed on bail today in San Francisco after a federal judge cleared the way for their release. (Eric Luse / San Francisco Chronicle / Polaris)
General view of Crumlin Road Belfast. Pacemaker Press 1991
Dan and Kevin outside Golden Gate Ave. 1-10-96
Dermot Finucane, pictured at the time of his escapee in 1983 from the Maze Prison. Pacemaker Press, Belfast.
Dermot Finucane mugshot. From print of Maze escapees at large. 1992.
Free Kevin Artt poster, early 1990's.
Free Kevin Artt t-shirt, 1992.
Rinty Fryers Maze mugshot. Maze escapee. Press Association licensed. rec'd 6-3-19
Paul Hamlin, undated.
(L-R) George Harris, James Brosnahan and Tony West, attorneys for John Walker Lindh, the 21-year-old Californian captured with Taliban fighters in Afghanistan last year, walk from the Albert Bryan US Courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia 04 October 2002. Lindh received a 20 year sentence 04 October for collaborating with the hardline Muslim militia in Afghanistan. Photo/Stephen Jaffe/AFP/Getty Images
Aerial view of Maze Prison, Northern Ireland A3037X
Buildings and Landmarks - HM Prison Maze - Belfast, Northern Ireland G538K6
Buildings and Landmarks - HM Prison Maze - Belfast, Northern Ireland G80FEX
Buildings and Landmarks - HM Prison Maze - Belfast, Northern Ireland G80FF1
John, Maeve, Kevin. 1960's.
K.B. Artt, Castlereagh holding cell. Photo of watercolor. 1996.
K. B. Artt, 1968.
K. B. Artt, San Francisco ca. 1985
KBJA, likely 1960.
rec'd 6-3-19
KBJA San Diego, early '90s.
KBJA, JJB. ca. 1996.
Basil Kelly.
Mr. Justice Basil Kelly, the Attorney-General for Northern Ireland. RP0JNH
Portrait of Judge Basil Kelly. Pacemaker Press, Belfast.
Gerry Kelly. ca. early 1970s.
Gerry Kelly, Sinn Fein office. 3-29-19
H-Block escapee Kevin Artt in San Francisco. He is fighting extradition back to the North of Ireland after his 1983 escape from Long Kesh's H-Block. He is seen wearing his FBI installed security ankle bracelet. San Francisco. 09-22.96.
H-Block escapee Kevin Artt in his office San Francisco. He is fighting extradition back to the North of Ireland after his 1983 escape from Long Kesh's H-Block. He is seen wearing his FBI installed security ankle bracelet.
H-Block escapee Kevin Artt in San Francisco. He is fighting extradition back to the North of Ireland after his 1983 escape from Long Kesh's H-Block. He is seen wearing his FBI installed security ankle bracelet. San Francisco. 09-22.96.
Kevin outside Golden Gate Ave. 1-10-96
Maeve and Kevin (1960s)
Maze escapees at large. 1992.
File photo dated 26/09/83 of Brendan McFarlane, an IRA prisoner who was to be given a royal pardon for explosives charges, state files revealed. GMCM1H
Brendan McFarlane IRA-leden voor de rechter in Amsterdam; IRA-lid Mc Farlane *11 maart 1986
Brendan Mead Maze mugshot. Press Association licensed. rec'd 6-3-19
Collect photo of Deputy Prison Governor Albert Miles.
Florence and Albert Miles, undated.
Albert Miles, 11-26-79
Nicholson
NICOA courtroom. 4-1-19.
NICOA docket. 4-1-19.
NICOA Queen's Court no. 1. 3-6-20.

Unlocking the Maze-38 IRA Prisoners Break Out of the H-Blocks

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