An unarmed man dies in a stand-off with police officers on Boxing Day in a crowded Toronto shopping mall, and Wyn Rhys, Director of the Special Police Oversight Agency, is tasked with investigating it. Will this case be like almost every other case in the history of the fledgling agency, hobbled by an uncooperative and secretive police force, or will the shocking video of the incident, taken by a mysterious bystander, give SPOA the public support they need to bring the police to justice?
Blue Suicide is a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the politics and deal-brokering between the police and the oversight agency that investigates them when any civilian is killed, seriously injured, or harassed in the line of duty. It explores the impact on the lives of the families of the victims and how technology has empowered citizens and reversed the concept of the ‘surveillance society’. It is also the story of Wyn Rhys, a police officer turned investigator turned Director of SPOA and his personal demons, as he grapples with a troubled female survivor from one of his early investigations and a failing marriage.
Inspired by books that challenge ideas about justice in our society such as To Kill a Mockingbird and A Clockwork Orange and with a protagonist reminiscent of the men in the novels of Graham Greene, Blue Suicide is a taut, human drama about the victims of police negligence and the breakdown of trust between 21st century society and those tasked to serve and protect them. .
With the funds raised, I will produce and distribute my book to the masses through bookstores and online retailers like Amazon and Inkshares.