WELCOME TO THE MARDI GRA EXPERIENCE.

Hardback, 1st edn. December 6, 1994. Wrapped in cheery festive paper, 6 parcels were delivered to branches of Barclays Bank across London. But the paper hid a deadly Christmas gift. Inside each box lurked a booby trapped shotgun cartridge. As the box was opened, a simple firing mechanism snapped down, detonating the cartridges in the faces of 2 Barclays workers. Attached to each parcel was what appeared to be a still from the hit film 'Reservoir Dogs', annotated with a cryptic message - 'Welcome to the Mardi Gra Experience'. Thus begun one of the greatest police manhunts of all time. The bomber's targets were branches of banks and supermarkets, which were systematically attacked with devices which increased in their sophistication and deadliness as the campaign progressed. Mardi Gra wanted money - £10,000 a day, for life. Under the code name 'Operation Heath', police mounted the biggest covert surveillance operation ever undertaken in Britain. An elaborate electronic cashpoint sting was created. The trap was set. The psychological profile of Mardi Gra told police they were looking for an obsessive man over 35. But they could never have guessed who would eventually walk into their trap. Illus. 237pp. 8vo. h/back. As new in dw.