The Book

My Policeman is a beautiful book - tender, truthful and deeply moving. I loved it.
Paul Burston, author ‘The Gay Divorcee’

My Policeman is the tender and tragic story of a secret gay love affair played out in 1950s Brighton. Tom, a dashing young policeman, has caught the eye of love-struck suitor Marion. But Tom has another powerful claim on his affections. Patrick, curator at Brighton Museum, is also besotted with Tom and opens up a world previously unknown to him. But in an age when those of ‘minority status’ were condemned by society and the law, Tom’s immediate safety lies with Marion and the smokescreen of marriage…

Awash with fear and suspicion, My Policeman brilliantly evokes a buttoned-up post-war Britain. It also perfectly captures a bygone gay Brighton – of covert rendezvous at The Argyle and Black Lion, of furtive nights and illicit liaisons at the infamous Spotted Dog; all a far cry from today’s ‘gay capital of Europe’, despite the town’s cosmopolitan airs.

With a host of events designed to get under the skin of the book, plus free copies of My Policeman book-crossed throughout the city, there’s plenty of ways to participate in City Reads. So what are you waiting for? Buy one, borrow one, find one and get city reading…