The Author

‘I’m absolutely thrilled that My Policeman has been chosen for this year’s City Reads. I first fell in love with Brighton when I was sixteen and on a day trip. The edgy glamour of the seafront, the intriguing buzz of the cafes and the unique atmosphere of the town totally seduced me. Writing My Policeman was a joy because it allowed me to indulge my passion for the place I’ve called home for the last seventeen years. The prospect of having so many people in my home town reading my novel is enormously exciting, and I feel very honoured to be a part of this wonderful project.’ Bethan Roberts

Bethan Roberts was born in Oxford and grew up in nearby Abingdon. Her first novel The Pools was published in 2007 and won a Jerwood/Arvon Young Writers’ Award. Her second novel The Good Plain Cook, published in 2008, was serialized on BBC Radio 4’s Book at Bedtime and was chosen as one of Time Out’s books of the year. She also writes short stories (in 2006 she was awarded the Olive Cook short story prize by the Society of Authors) and has had a play broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Bethan has worked as a television documentary researcher, writer and assistant producer, and has taught Creative Writing at Chichester University and Goldsmiths College, London. She lives in Brighton with her family.