Should be compulsory reading for all senior police officers.

As a retired Met Detective, I found myself easily absorbed back into The Job, and could readily identify with all aspects of this very well written true saga. The biggest crime is of course the bullying by an inadequate dysfunctional manager masquerading as a Sergeant. I think this has been very well written and exposes the institutional misogyny and laziness of senior officers too scared to do anything that might hinder their slippery path to retirement. This book should be compulsory reading for all senior officers so that all the ‘Warricks’ can be identified and dealt with, but I doubt they have the courage to do so.

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21 people found this helpful

an important story

such an interesting storyanf a much needed voice in the boys club mentality of the met. the met has lost a good detective to foul bullies and this needs to be made known far and wide that this culture still reigns.

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So true!

As a serving officer, I can totally relate, albeit not in the pressures of the MET. New officers are not being afforded the respect, care or time to learn the trade because of fundamental front line cuts! Direct entry sigma is disgraceful!

Outdated senior management teams who purely look at bodies in uniform rather than can they actually do the job.

Jess - your book is completely relatable to those of us of pull the uniform on every day. The sacrifice for our loved one and the price not only you but your family paid is clear to see. Thank you for this book. I wish you nothing but luck and success in whatever you do! You are a loss to policing!

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Wow! Great read

Although I had an idea this went on somehow hearing it said makes it real. All the best for the future.

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Wow! More than I was expecting, a sad but superb tale of resilience in the face of adversity.

A great story with a decent balance of personal life thrown in among the harsh realities of police life. As harrowing as some parts were, I was still compelled to listen further.
A super work.

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A case study of institutional bullying

You would hope that the bodies responsible for upholding the law and protecting the public would be exemplary in their operation, conduct and management. As with so many social and private institutions in recent years, this is far from the case.

As, no doubt, alongside many others, the author joined the Met with a desire to challenge injustice and protect the vulnerable. Unfortunately the internal misogynistic culture of the Met has other ideas. The author describes how the extreme pressures of an excessive workload, unrealistic expectations and lack of resources create a Kafka-esque world where even getting by is an achievement.

It's a well written and engagingly narrated audio-book which, in the end, leads to a depressing conclusion. Well done for trying, Jess.

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Incredible

I’m really into true crime and how things work in the police world. I was really impressed by the story telling and how open and honest this person was with their story. Talking about the job and the effects it has on you is hard and it’s really amazing to hear that somebody is opening up about this.
Highly recommend

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Enlightenment

The machine gun delivery rendered parts impossible to hear ot understand. A professional reader would have been better.

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outstanding book

really well written book covering difficult subjects while still managing to make it easy reading and entertaining. brings to light some major issues that need addressing. thank you jess mcdonald for the personal insight I got about an unhealthy relationship I was in at the time of reading

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I really wanted to like this…

I had hoped this audiobook would dive deeper into the metropolitan police force than it does, however it wavers between a factual morse-like chapter to a lovesick romance novel. The author has obviously been treated badly, however the regret around lost love comes up so often I thought I had bought the wrong title. Everything is very superficial, with little going into detail around case law and prosecution and procedures that I had hoped would be the main focus of the book. A shame because somewhere in here is a solid life-changing experience trying to get out.

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4 people found this helpful