SYKES' TAKE ON - ARE THERE TWO VERSIONS OF THE SUMMERS/SWANN BOOK?

Having now finished reading the new book on the McCann mystery, I am at a bit bemused, to put it mildly, as the version I have just read bears little resemblance to the one being screamed about on Amazon etc.   I read it carefully and was impressed by the amount of research and information contained in its 328 pages.   The timelines re the various aspects of the case are neatly laid out, thus making this complex subject much clearer.  There are interviews with those involved in the ongoing investigation and references to the books, articles and TV interviews that span the seven plus years this has been going on.  There are pictures of the main protagonists.  It also includes sections on the kind of vitriolic hate and threats that has been levelled at the McCanns, the  police, UK government, the Pope etc by what seems to be a small but vociferous clique of persons who seem to feed on each others' hate,  and also appear to have a vicarious desire to outdo each other in pure venom.   There is an indepth look at the behaviour of Tony Bennett, his background as a failed and reprimanded solicitor and 'involvement' in the Barrymore case.   His ongoing vendetta against the McCanns and subsequent appearance in court for contempt and sentencing after the guilty verdict, his lying promise to leave the McCanns alone and continuing behavor on various forums is also dissected. Then we have the exposure of the various haters who spend day and night vilifying the McCanns online, who post up disgusting pictures, threats and 'research', with names.  I was glad to see they mentioned Joana Morais, a self proclaimed 'journalist' from Portugal, whose comments about people she has never met are nauseating.  She is extremely economical with the truth as are many of those who pontificate on the case and who seem to think they are more knowledgeable about forensic evidence and crime procedures than the police and other experts.  Pat Brown, 'criminal profiler' also gets mentioned with some good sarcastic comments regarding her grandstanding in Portugal and on US TV.   Finally, Bren Ryan, once a leading light in the McCann anticamp, is mentioned as her volte face to becoming a McCann supporter, caused quite a large stir in Haterland.   I can see why there are screams of rage in Haterland - not nice to have your identity revealed in a book, but then what goes around comes around.  If you can't take the heat, stay out of the kitchen.  Learn to be circumspect and save your hatred for other campaigns.   As a parent, I have never been able understand how anyone, without much knowledge of the subject, can actually threaten people they have never met, nor are likely to, with such venom.   Anyway, that said, back to the rest of the book.   I found it well-written and full of information.   It needed to be written, the false statements refuted and an up-to-date resume of the facts printed for all to see.