For Mrs Janice Kelly and her family, the death of her husband David in woods near their Oxfordshire home in July 2003 was a personal tragedy. For the wider worlds of government, intelligence and the media it triggered a political earthquake. David Kelly, a weapons inspector in Iraq, was at the centre of the allegations that 10 Downing Street, seeking to justify the imminent war in Iraq to an unconvinced public, had exaggerated the threat posed by Saddam Hussein.
Lord Hutton's inquiry into the circumstances of Kelly's death became the most compelling piece of political theatre of modern times, as witnesses from the highest reaches of government, the Civil Service, the intelligence services and the BBC gave their versions of events, exposing the inner workings of their hitherto secret worlds. And the conclusions of his Report, published in January 2004, took most pundits by surprise.
The Guardian's coverage of the Hutton inquiry was widely regarded as the best informed and most comprehensive of any newspaper, with its top reporters and analysts providing unrivalled reporting. In this specially commissioned book they give a comprehensive account of the inquiry, describing the evidence, analysing the ramifications and assessing the lasting effect it will have on the often stormy relationship between the government and the media.