Occasionally a work of history comes along that elucidates across interests and disciplines. David Cesarani's "Major Farran's Hat" is surely such a book, offering insights into areas ranging from the birth of Israel, the decline of the British Empire, and the history of modern counter insurgency. Indeed, I often found myself regretting that Cesarani wrote this after the US war in Iraq, as it might have served as a warning to not repeat a number of the British mistakes, which the American army did, with little thought given to the consequences. 
 Cesarani writes well and does a fine job maintaining the drama inherent in the story of Major Farran's crime and the trial that followed. Perhaps the works only short coming is that it expects readers to come to the table with a fair background in the subject. Thus, someone unfamiliar with British politics post-WWII, not to mention the years leading up to the Israeli War of Independence, may at times become confused and will almost certainly miss some of the story's nuance. Nonetheless, this is a must read for anybody with a serious interest in the topic.