This book is an ideal reference text on forensic psychiatry. It is not, in my opinion, a basic or introductory primer. The editors are very well-known, even among general psychiatrists such as the undersigned: John Gunn, Emeritus Professor of forensic psychiatry (Institute of Psychiatry), is a member of the Parole Board for England and Wales, whereas Pamela Taylor is Professor of forensic psychiatry in Cardiff. The editors have shared their editing duties in a rather interesting way, often editing one another’s chapters. Among the many authors there, a number are of special Irish interest: Frederick Browne (Belfast), Peter Buckley (UCD graduate, now in Georgia, USA, and an expert on schizophrenia), Enda Dooley (formerly consultant in Broadmoor and Director of Prison Health Care with the Irish Prison Service, he is now a Consultant Psychiatrist at the Tribunals Division of the Mental Health Commission), Harry Kennedy [Consultant and Executive Clinical Director based at the Central Mental Hospital (CMH) in Dundrum and Clinical Professor of forensic psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin], and Damian Mohan (consultant at CMH, previously at Broadmoor). Just in passing, it should be noted that the CMH is older than Broadmoor. Perhaps, the most interesting inclusion as an author is Jayne Zito, whose husband Jonathan was stabbed to death at an underground station. Jayne left her social work studies to canvas for an enquiry into the care of the patient who attacked Jonathan. Some other notable contributors are Sue Bailey (then President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists), Michael Kopelman (Professor of Neuropsychiatry at King’s College London, who, among other things, has had a major role in keeping Lishman’s Organic Psychiatry available to a new generation of psychiatrists), Per Lindqvist of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm (specialist in child and adolescent/forensic psychiatry), Paul Mullen (Monash University in Melbourne – needs no introduction, except to say that he has published much of what is worth knowing about stalking), and Jonathan Shepherd (a maxillofacial surgeon and criminologist).

Rather than describing the book in any detail, I will confine myself to a few comments. Forensic psychiatry, especially in Ireland, is populated by a relatively small number of specialists. It, therefore, falls, almost by default, to a non-forensic psychiatrist to pen these words. I will make no attempt to define forensic psychiatry because, as outlined at the start of the book, any definition would be simplistic. All areas of forensic concern, from juvenile delinquency to the management of sex offenders, are given extensive treatment by the authors. Chapters have helpful introductory passages. All the references are at the back of the text.

From a purely Irish point of view, the coverage (often exhaustive in its breadth) of legislation and service provision is, as the editors admit, strongly biased towards England and Wales. There are useful summaries of the situation in the other parts of these islands as well, but I felt that they could do no more than whet the appetite, given the space available. Surely, there are enough academically inclined Irish psychiatrists to produce at least an introductory text at home. The amount of detail is amazing, for example, I now know that there are two separate legislatures in the little Channel Islands! The state of Mental Health Law in Northern Ireland is in a sort of Limbo at present, as it plans a combined Mental Health/Capacity Act. We have our new Mental Health Act (part II going active in November 2006), but are still farting around with the capacity bill! I hope that it’s worth it when it sees the light of day.

So, how good is the book and who should have it? As a reference text it can be described as a classic if you work in England or Wales. If you live in Aberdeen, Douglas, Derry, or Limerick, it would still be an excellent reference work, but one would need access to all the local bumf as well. Every professional working in the forensic area should have a personal copy and psychiatrists in other specialties should at least know where they can go to consult it. Finally, and being fully cognisant of the huge effort involved, there should be more regular updates.