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The Last Witness: One man's fight for the truth and the conspiracy to silence him

Hardback

Synopsis

*THE BOOK BEHIND THE BBC TV SERIES BURIED WITH A FOREWORD FROM MICHAEL SHEEN*
'A book that will wake the world up to forever chemicals' - CHRIS PACKHAM

REVIEWS FOR THE TV SHOW:
'superb exposé of toxic dumping' The Telegraph
'a subject that transcends the purview of a two-part BBC documentary' Independent
'vital look at a toxic waste scandal' Guardian

A dead witness.
A Hollywood star.
The conspiracy that leads to your blood...

In 1967, the young lawyer Douglas Gowan saw something so disturbing in a Welsh farmer's field that he vowed to pursue the truth. In the years that followed, he was derided in parliament and hounded into witness protection, even alleging there was an attempt on his life. What did he know?

The Last Witness is the eye-opening account of one of the world's first-ever whistleblowers on forever chemicals. It is a David v. Goliath battle involving an eccentric British gentleman and the American corporate giant Monsanto, spanning multi-million dollar court-cases, suitcases of cash and confrontations with organised crime.

Now, half-a-century later, a husband-and-wife duo have been given the witness's confidential evidence. It leads them to form an unlikely friendship with the film star Michael Sheen, who recorded the witness' deathbed tape. Soon the team find themselves going half mad with a question: could the chemicals be killing people today?

Now, since the release of a major podcast, new whistleblowers and victims have come forward to speak for the first time.The Last Witness wrestles with science, scandal and truth, in order to bring to light an unseen, but simmering disaster.

Details

03 September 2026
288 pages
9781785129315
Imprint: Young Picador

Reviews

'Brilliant. Dan and Lucy are my heroes. People are suffering and they never back off. A book that will wake the world up to forever chemicals.'Chris Packham, Chris Packham