He has won international acclaim for his investigative reporting and non-fiction works on the Troubles, including his bestselling trilogy, The Shankill Butchers,[1] The Dirty War[2] and God and the Gun,[3] about the Northern Ireland conflict.

Under his forensic gaze, the cruelties and failings of all sides were exposed, whether they were Loyalist, Republican or British" Dillon valued his early years in journalism because of the challenges and unique experiences that later found expression in his non-fiction works.

In 1985, while working as a producer of the Behind the Headlines, he persuaded SDLP leader, John Hume, and Provisional Sinn Féin President, Gerry Adams, to debate their political positions live on the programme.

"A brilliant producer (for BBC Northern Ireland radio and TV), Dillon recruited talented outsiders and created iconoclastic programmes that brought people living in the most afflicted areas into furious dialogue on air with politicians, police chiefs, comedians and writers.

It examined the origins of The Troubles, focusing on the confusing nature and failure of much of British policymaking of the period, especially of the Tory government led by Prime Minister Edward Heath.

The documentary also contained some sensational revelations, including Heath’s secret declaration that it was legal for British soldiers to shoot protesters on the streets of Northern Ireland because they were "enemies of the Crown".

According to the Listener, "the great value of Martin Dillon's carefully researched and readable work is that it enters a world that few journalists have been inclined or able to penetrate".

[citation needed] The Dirty War,[25] 1990, is a detailed account of the undercover struggle in which all sides fought a no-rules battle, using spies, informants, assassins, disinformation and terrorist agents.

Killer in Clowntown[26] – Joe Doherty the IRA and the Special Relationship, 1992, is the tale of Joe Doherty, the convicted IRA gunman who captured American popular opinion by frustrating the British Government’s attempts to have him extradited from New York to Northern Ireland to serve a 30-year prison sentence for murdering a British Special Air Services Officer.

According to The Guardian, "Dillon's book demands the attention of anyone concerned about civil liberties in the United Kingdom…a catalogue of cynicism, lies, harassment, torture and murder that makes the Cold war duplicity a la Deighton and Le Carre seem positively endearing".

Drawing on conversations with Stone in prison, including correspondence with him, as well as on a network of contacts in the military and paramilitary world, Dillon provides a portrait of a charming, boastful, meticulous, sentimental and lethal killer.

According to Time Out: "Dillon brings his customary expertise to this latest expose of Government complicity in sectarian murder, and delves into the byzantine world of terrorist organization with impressive results".

Dillon applies his extensive knowledge on the subject to provide new evidence of the political and military mistakes, which he argues, made British cities the most vulnerable in Europe to terrorist attacks.

He explains why the British Government held secret talks with the IRA/ Sinn Féin amid the carnage of Warrington, and what was behind the IRA’s reluctance to denounce the Downing Street Declaration.

It is his contention that the various Government agencies combating the IRA failed to eradicate the terrorist thread, leading to intrigue among them and to MI5 being given the sole responsibility for coordinating the war against the Provisionals.

Drawing on Mayne's personal letters and family papers, SAS secret records (now declassified), his own war diaries and eyewitness accounts from many who served with him, Dillon presents a compelling and perceptive portrait of a very special warrior.

The authors unveil explosive revelations about Maxwell’s links to global organized crime, and his schemes to access White House, 10 Downing Street, and the Kremlin, in order to obtain knowledge of highly guarded secrets for Israel.

Drawing on private interviews with senior intelligence officers and other integral players, Dillon and Thomas examine the clues, contradictions and cover-up surrounding Maxwell's sudden and suspicious death.

Dillon, using his sources within East European intelligence agencies and the FBI, charts Maxwell's secret activities in Eastern Europe, especially his personal ties to KGB bosses during the Cold War.

In his 2017 memoir Crossing the Line-My Life on the Edge,[34] Dillon, according to the Irish Times "details a life that's involved many incredible moments: witnessing the horrors of the Troubles; encounters with major political figures and paramilitaries; rubbing shoulders with Irish literary greats; a successful broadcasting career, but one where he butted heads with BBC management; and having to leave Northern Ireland because of death threats.

Dillon’s book is replete with such colourful stories involving the politicians, terrorists, artists and writers he met while covering the conflict in Northern Ireland".

His books have accurately chartered the terror and the horror of recent Northern Irish history but always in a tone of compassion for the innocent victims caught up in conflict.

Works like his 'The Shankill Butchers' and 'The Dirty War' stand the test of time and will be essential reading for generations to come for those trying to make sense out of the madness that was 'The Troubles'" (Henry McDonald; author, journalist and Ireland correspondent for The Guardian.)

He went on to write and broadcast for news outlets in the U.S. and Canada, appearing on CNN, ABC, NPR and NBC as a guest and a global expert on terrorism and organized crime.

In 2014, they moved from New York City to San Francisco Bay area, California, where Dillon continues to work on his journalism, television and book projects.