"The remarkable story of the Philly Five will serve for many as a riveting companion piece to Patrick Radden Keefe’s Say Nothing. But that doesn’t do it justice. In Ali Watkins’s capable hands, it stands proudly alongside that modern classic as its own gateway into the Troubles. A powerful, gritty, emotional read."
—Julian Sancton, author of Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica's Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night
"In the 1970s, a small circle of Philadelphia residents fueled brutal street warfare 3,000 miles from the Liberty Bell. Unflinching and meticulously reported, The Next One Is for You is a gripping tale of the Troubles, told for the first time from this side of the Atlantic."
—Tom O'Neill, author of Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties
“The Next One Is for You is nonfiction at its best: the intense, clear-eyed, and brilliantly reported story that takes the reader on a very human journey. In revealing how a flood of weapons from Philadelphia suddenly transformed the urban battlefields of Northern Ireland, Ali Watkins also brings to life two parallel subcultures: the Irish nationalists who left for the United States and those who stayed behind. Powerful and compelling, this book is a must.”
—James Risen, author of The Last Honest Man: The CIA, the FBI, the Mafia, and the Kennedys—and One Senator’s Fight to Save Democracy
“Ali Watkins is an intrepid guide to the intersection between violence, identity, and power. Now, she proves herself to be a riveting storyteller, to boot. The Next One Is for You is a masterpiece of investigative and true-crime reporting: a white-knuckle ride through 1970s Philadelphia and Belfast, two cities that will now be foreverlinked in American memory.”
—Mark Leibovich, author of This Town and Thank You for Your Servitude
"An important, fascinating exploration of how American guns became central to the course of an Irish war."
—Toby Harnden, author of First Casualty: The Untold Story of the CIA Mission to Avenge 9/11 and Bandit Country: The IRA & South Armagh
“A harrowing epic of crime and betrayal, a surprising story of the Irish diaspora, a masterful work history: Ali Watkins's The Next One Is For You chronicles the overlooked chapter of America's role in the Troubles, and is the next must-read for those interested in one of the world's oldest sectarian struggles.”
—Dan Slater, author of The Incorruptibles: A True Story of Kingpins, Crime Busters, and the Birth of the American Underworld
“Written with the meticulousness of forensic investigation and the narrative intensity of a novel, The Next One Is for You is a definitive, sobering exploration of legacy, insurgency, and the Irish question. Ali Watkins masterfully unravels the covert history of how a small band of Irish Americans shaped the course of history.”
—Elaine Feeney, author of How to Build a Boat
"Ali Watkins is a phenomenal writer. In this meticulously researched book, she tells in gripping detail the story of the hidden Irish-American supporters who were bolstering the IRA's campaign. Watkins’ turns historical facts into absorbing details in a book that reads like a fast-paced thriller—I read this on the edge of my seat. I could not put it down. If you like Patrick Radden-Keeffe’s Say Nothing, you’ll love this."
—Edel Coffey, author of Breaking Point and In Her Place
“[A] robust, ominous epic of blue-collar Americans running guns to the Irish Republican Army… With exactitude and compassion … Watkins ably captures the quirky personalities and gritty working-class backdrop of the American side, but she alternates it with the chilling narrative of how one smuggled rifle armed a young woman in Belfast in 1973… [An] engrossing, original fusion of true crime and geopolitics.”
—Kirkus (starred review)
“Written in the style of a political thriller, [The Next One Is for You] contains a treasure trove of primary research… [Watkins] doesn’t try to moralise or romanticise. War, she argues, is never a simple tale of heroes and villains.”
—The Irish Independent
“[The Next One Is For You] reveals the understudied role of Philadelphia’s Irish immigrants during the conflict…. Watkins’ formidable skills as a crime journalist are on full display.… Through their stories, Watkins shows how a revolutionary period is experienced by the individuals at its forefront.”
—Booklist
“New York Times journalist Watkins debuts with a rigorous account of America’s connection to Northern Ireland’s Troubles. . .Watkins paints arresting portraits of the nationalist ideologues who led the charge, and suspensefully recounts the years of FBI and ATF wiretaps and undercover operations that finally led to their arrest. . .Utilizing evidence and trial transcripts from both sides of the Atlantic, Watkins convincingly argues that the IRA would never have become as violent as it did without aid from American immigrants. This shines a harsh new light on an often-covered history.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Riveting…The Next One Is for You will inevitably be compared with Patrick Radden Keefe’s nonfiction blockbuster about the Troubles, Say Nothing…C.J. Chivers’s globe-spanning history of the AK-47, The Gun, is another obvious antecedent….But its themes are arguably even more resonant in the current political moment.”
—The Washington Post
