'Mind-blowing, gut-wrenching, shocking' - Chris Atkins 'Gripping . . . this is one not to miss' - Irish Times For two years, Donna McLean lived a life of bliss with her boyfriend, Carlo. But her great love story wasn't just built on lies - it was one. Because Carlo wasn't a bike-obsessed Italian locksmith at all; he was a British police officer, part of a unit that had worked undercover for years to infiltrate activist groups across the country. More than twenty of those officers deliberately targeted women and duped them into relationships, posing as socialists, environmental campaigners and union reps, before vanishing without a trace. Small Town Girl is Donna's shattering story of a life turned upside down overnight, and her reclamation of a truth that was shamelessly buried by those who should be protecting the most vulnerable in society.

"You live with someone for two years and then . . . they simply don't exist." Over 40 years, two British police units acted undercover to infiltrate activist groups. At least 20 of those officers deliberately targeted women and entered relationships with them. One of those women was me. This is my story. Men wrote the police files. They wrote the scripts and the headlines. Men wrote the court orders to make us anonymous and they will sit in judgement at the coming public inquiry. In a system that doesn't see women, you have to fight to be heard. When they take your identity, you have to find your voice. Learning the truth nearly destroyed me - but an accidental activist was born. A voice at the centre of the Spy Cops scandal. The great love story of Donna McLean's life wasn't just built on lies, it was one. With an inquiry underway, Small Town Girl is a reclamation of a truth that was ruthlessly buried. REVIEWS "McLean excels [...] in resolving a mystery bigger even than her fake lover's identity: who she is and how she can survive such a devastating shock. For this and more, this is one not to miss." - Irish Times 'It reads like a movie... absolutely astonishing' - Lorraine Kelly (on Lorraine) "Mind-blowing, gut-wrenching, shocking and beautifully written." - Chris Atkins "Utterly compelling from the first page." - Kerry Hudson "Donna McLean experienced the stuff of nightmares. But this profoundly compelling memoir reclaims the truth with eloquence and guts." - Wendy Erskine "Bold and brave, Donna McLean's courageous and vivid Small Town Girl is both a timely exposure of corruption and a searing story of emotional betrayal' - Catherine Taylor "Small Town Girl is a revelation, it is a brilliant and brave quest for truth, I found it deeply moving and brutally frank and honest." - Salena Godden "Donna suffered horrifically but it is a testament to her immense courage that she was able to take these deeply disturbing events and channel them into confronting the state and its diabolical abuses towards women." - Maxine Peake "This is a thoughtful and intimate account of the lived experience of state sanction betrayals. Donna and the other victims of the Spycops disgrace shine through with wit, kindness and resilience. This should be mandatory reading for all in the Met police, indeed everyone." - Siobhan McSweeney "'So unbelievably shocking it reads like a work of fiction... McLean is a natural storyteller, her book a fascinating glimpse into that strange world." - Belfast Telegraph

Author Donna McLean is just a normal lady who appeared to live a ?normal? life?and yet she carried a secret that filled her with despair. The stresses of her life, compounded by a series of emotionally disturbing events, tragedies, and traumas, translated into crippling anxiety, panic attacks, and agoraphobia. After twenty-four years of enduring the physical symptoms of anxiety and panic disorder, such as rapid heartbeat, blurred vision, jelly legs, the urgent need to find a toilet, and feelings of terror, she found refuge in the life of an agoraphobic.

Now she shares her personal account of a life lived in fear. More importantly, however, she describes a life ultimately reclaimed and healed. She recalls her long search for effective treatment, support, and a cure. This memoir began as a therapeutic journal and evolved into an inspirational real-life story designed to educate, empower, and inspire.

From a very dark and lonely place, Donna created a ray of light at the end of a very dark tunnel ? and so can you.