In Northern Ireland, from the late 70s to the early 90s, the IRA killed over 40 alleged informers.

But the man who often found, tortured and sometimes killed these people on behalf of the IRA

was himself an informer, a secret British army agent with the codename Stakeknife.

Who gets to play God? And why me? Why my family? When lies are still being told to this day,

who do you believe? I wouldn't even know where to start and I'm with the IRA.

Steakknife. Listen first on BBC Sounds. BBC Sounds, music, Radio, Podcasts.

Hello, I'm joined today by singer-songwriter Tracy Thorn.

For 17 years, one half of the duo, everything but the girl.

More recently, she's released solo albums, singles, a movie soundtrack, and three books,

including just out this month The Memoir, Another Planet, A Teenager in Suburbia.

With Tracy is the author Maggio Farrell, whose seven novels include the hand that first held mine,

instructions for a heat wave, and this must be the place,

and whose latest book, like Tracy's a memoir, is called I Am, I Am, 17 brushes with death.

Tracy Thorne, would you start by telling us your choice of a good read?

I've chosen a book called My Judy Garland Life by Susie Boyt.

Tell us about it?

So it's a very unusual book, I think.

It's sort of a mixture of biography and autobiography.

And basically, Susie talks about episodes in her own life,

but also about her absolute hero worship of Judy Garland.

So, you know, one of the things about it that speaks to me is that it's about people's feelings about a singer and it's about fans and how they can feel about you. You know,

there's a really interesting tone to the book, I think, because she goes to Judy Garland

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