Blue: A Memoir

John Sutherland Press Reviews

'A gripping book . . . moving and really powerful . . . I highly recommend it' - Jumoke Fashola, BBC London

'It is rare for an officer to reveal such deep, personal experiences about the effect policing has had on his life as does John Sutherland. His memoir will expand people's understanding of what it means to be a police officer in Britain today, revealing the truth about the toll that a career in policing can have on those tasked with the responsibility of tackling crime. This is a brave and compelling account of policing from a very senior officer in the most renowned police force in the world' - Colin Taylor, author of  Life of a Scilly Sergeant 'Brave and very honest Bear Grylls

'A superb book by a superb police officer' - Charles Cumming

'John Sutherland lays out the human cost of working as a police officer in simple, devastating terms' - Jack Sommers

'A fascinating, powerful and beautifully written insight into the life of a police officer' - Dan Walker, journalist and broadcaster

'Admirably honest and movingly human . . . Sutherland asks us to look behind the faceless blue and see the individual people - human and humane . . . the everyday heroes and heroines who police our streets' - P.F. King, The Spectator

'Courageous and moving' Tom Harper, Sunday Times

 'Blue is a remarkable, revealing and inspiring insight into the worlds of the police and the policed. The stories told are by turns heart-warming and saddening, moving and maddening - it is an account of the very best and the very worst of our society. It is a book which should be required reading for all who aspire to public office, in any sector and at every level' - John Nichol, bestselling author of
 'A remarkable, honest account of twenty years in policing Tornado Down' - Sophy Ridge, journalist and broadcaster

'The effect of this honesty is to leave us both more appreciative of police officers and more concerned for their well-being, as well as encouraged that such a compassionate man was promoted so vertiginously. He describes police work as fulfilling, humbling, inspiring, daunting, shattering, rewarding and soul-stirring which is also a fair description of his book' - Josh Raymond, Times Literary Supplement

 'An honest look at the vulnerability that comes with bravery' - the I

'This is a remarkable book: a diary which became a magnum opus on belief and success, on depression and despair. It is well written and intellectually demanding, profound and deeply moving. In places, it is funny; everywhere, it is thoughtful. It has as much to tell us about mental illness as it does about policing. And there is much love in it: for friends, for family, for life' - Alastair Stewart

'I read Blue more or less in one sitting. I thought it was wonderful - very powerful, deeply moving and utterly honest' - Henry Marsh, bestselling author of Do No Harm and Admissions 

'A stark account of a talented police officer's breakdown . . . This is a startlingly honest book and the final two chapters are heartbreaking' - Richard Morrison, The Times