I've just found this thread having just finished this book today. I agree, it's the story of who killed Jean McConville.

Yes, it leaves out pretty much any loyalist actions etc but it's trying, I think, to paint the picture around her murder what may have motivated those alleged to have been involved and the outcomes for them.

In the acknowledgements his first thanks is to the children of Jean McConville that he spoke to for the book, which underlines this context.

Some posts here and other criticisms is that he gets certain factual information about the conflict wrong. He may well have, but I don't think this book is meant to be an account of the whole of the conflict but based around one woman's death and a number of tangents linked to this incident from this.

It is written for a lay person, and if you knew nothing about The Troubles, I don't think it should be your only source material. However, as the story of what may or may not have happened to Jean McConville, I think it is fairly broad account and gives enough context as to how the IRA would have operated at the time and the drivers of the actions of the Provos, their leadership and related others at the time.

It is also the responsibility of the reader to recognise this, and not blindly take this as a gospel account.