John Sutherland joined the Metropolitan Police Service in 1992 – serving as an officer for more than 25 years, until his early retirement on medical grounds in 2018. 

Having started out as a uniformed PC, responding to emergencies on the streets of inner London, he rose through the ranks to become a highly respected senior officer. His last operational posting was as the Borough Commander for Southwark. He is an experienced Hostage and Crisis Negotiator, having been a member of both the national and international cadres.

Since leaving the Met, John has become an established author. His first book,’Blue: A Memoir’, was an instant Sunday Times bestseller and his second, ‘Crossing the Line’ was a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week. His first novel, ‘The Siege’, was published by Orion Fiction in June 2022 and shortlisted for the Specsavers Debut Crime Novel of the Year. Two sequels have since been published to significant critical acclaim: The Fallen in June 2023 and The Castle in April 2025.

When he isn’t writing his own books, John is a trusted source of specialist advice and guidance to a number of other authors, including Jeffrey Archer (8 novels) and Simon Mayo (3 novels).
He remains well connected throughout UK policing.