Behind the Mask is the story of a boy from a small Irish village who became an adventurer, a humanitarian and a doctor to the stars. Part travelogue, part thriller, part celebrity tell-all, you’ve never read anything quite like it. Patrick Treacy grew up in rural Northern Ireland during the Troubles. Determined to become a doctor, he raised the money for medical school by smuggling cars from Germany to Turkey. While working in a hospital in Dublin in 1987, disaster struck: a needle he had used to draw blood from a patient with HIV jabbed him in the leg. Overwhelmed from the influx of emotion this propelled, he escaped to New Zealand, where he began a peripatetic existence, working as a doctor around the world, including Baghdad and Australia.

On returning to Dublin, Treacy set up the Ailesbury Clinic, where he worked on the cutting-edge of the new field of cosmetic dermatology, championing treatments such as the use of Botox. Celebrities that approached his doorstep included the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson. Central to this memoir is Treacy’s personal journey: his efforts to escape the Troubles, cope with the fear that he might have contracted HIV (until he found out that he had not), gain closure for his lost love and defend Michael Jackson’s legacy.

Fiercely gripping and full of surprises, Behind the Mask is a whirlwind of adventure and a fascinating insight into the colourful life of Dr. Patrick Treacy.