JOHN SUTHERLAND In Person With Paul

JOHN SUTHERLAND chats to Paul Burke about his new thriller THE FALLEN, 25 years a policeman, hostage and crisis negotiation, fact and fiction

THE FALLEN
ARE YOU READY TO SAVE A LIFE?
WHY HER?
Becca Palmer has just lost her job as assistant to Simon Jones MP - the highly-regarded Policing Minister, tipped as a future Prime Minister. But Becca claims that Simon was more than her boss, that she is in love with him.
WHY HERE?
When a heartbroken Becca leaves the Home Office, she heads to Westminster Bridge, intending to take her own life. Which is where hostage negotiator Alex Lewis meets her for the first time. It is his job to try to talk her back from the edge.
WHY NOW?
In the negotiation that follows, Becca suggests that she may know something about the Policing Minister that she shouldn't. Something that could prompt a serious fall from grace were it to come out.
But can Alex save Becca - and get to the bottom of an alleged conspiracy that goes deep inside the highest levels of government - before it's too late?

JOHN SUTHERLAND is a father of three who lives with his wife and children in south London. For more than twenty-five years he served as an officer in the Metropolitan Police, rising to the rank of Chief Superintendent before his retirement on medical grounds in 2018. John is a sought after public speaker and commentator on a broad range of issues, who regularly appears on TV and radio and writes for major newspapers. His first book, BLUE, written and published while he was still serving in the Met, was a Sunday Times bestseller. It tells the remarkable stories of his policing life and describes his long road to recovery following the serious nervous breakdown that ended his operational policing career.

Recommendations
Novels - Mick Herron Slow Horses
TV - Shrinking Apple+

Paul Burke writes for Crime Time, Crime Fiction Lover and the European Literature Network. He is also a CWA Historical Dagger Judge 2023.

Produced by Junkyard Dog

Crime Time

Crime Time FM is the official podcast of
Gwyl Crime Cymru Festival 2023 & 2025
CrimeFest 2023
CWA Daggers 2023 & 2024 & National Crime Reading Month
& Newcastle Noir 2023 and 2024
2024 Slaughterfest,