Blue: A Memoir - Keeping the Peace and Falling to Pieces

Blue is a memoir by John Sutherland, a former police officer who experienced the extraordinary and the tragic in his life in blue. It offers a moving and personal insight into what it is to be a police officer in Britain today.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 19 April 2018
Publisher: Orion Publishing Co

This is a truly remarkable book, one that is both profound and deeply moving. It offers a wealth of insights into mental illness as well as policing, making it an essential read for anyone interested in these topics.

Alastair Stewart, a former Sunday Times top-five bestseller, has written a book that is nothing short of extraordinary. The book delves into the life of John Sutherland, who joined the Met in 1992 with the dream of becoming a police officer since his teens.

Sutherland's journey through the ranks of the Met is filled with exhilarating experiences, from saving lives and finding lost individuals to comforting the broken and helping to take dangerous people off the streets. However, behind every successful case, there were others that ended in desperate sadness, and in 2013, Sutherland suffered a major breakdown.

Blue is Sutherland's memoir of crime and calamity, of adventure and achievement, of friendship and failure, of serious illness and slow recovery. With searing honesty, the book offers an immensely moving and personal insight into what it is to be a police officer in Britain today.

Throughout the book, Sutherland shares his experiences with a raw and unflinching honesty that is both captivating and heartbreaking. He describes the challenges and dangers that police officers face on a daily basis, as well as the emotional toll that their work can take on them.

Sutherland also delves into the complexities of mental illness, offering a poignant and insightful perspective on the experiences of those who suffer from it. He shares his own struggles with depression and anxiety, and how he has learned to cope with them while still maintaining his commitment to his job.

One of the most striking aspects of Blue is its ability to humanize police officers, who are often portrayed in the media as cold and calculating. Sutherland's portrayal of his colleagues is warm and compassionate, showing the humanity and empathy that are inherent in their work.

The book also offers a valuable insight into the workings of the police force, from the hierarchical structure to the challenges of dealing with crime and disorder. Sutherland's descriptions of the investigations he has worked on are detailed and compelling, and his knowledge of the law and the legal system is impressive.

Overall, Blue is a must-read for anyone interested in policing, mental illness, or the human experience. It is a powerful and moving book that will leave a lasting impression on its readers.

Weight: 286g
Dimension: 198 x 128 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781474606066