Hachette Ireland lands memoir from former detective garda John Sweetman

Sweetman spent 25 years as a detective garda as a fingerprint expert and, later, as a forensic handwriting and document expert. Identity is a "fascinating insight into specialist forensic fields — that peeks behind the curtain of how crimes are solved — and a bravely told story of a misfit detective in a remarkable career". 

Sweetman commented: “I’m delighted that Hachette is publishing my memoir. I was lucky enough to have a 25-year career with the Garda Technical Bureau, despite being an unlikely guard. Forensics was where I found my forte and I wanted to write an honest insider’s account of the journey of a misfit detective, the inner workings of the force and the crimes – by turns fascinating, disturbing and routine – which my expertise in fingerprinting and handwriting helped to solve."

Considine added: “We’re proud to be publishing this garda memoir with a difference. John’s insider account of being a detective is told with all the intimate detail you’d expect from one whose stock-in-trade is forensics – and his portrayal of the crimes he helped to solve is gripping. But the narrative also offers a different perspective to more traditional garda representations, as John courageously shares an honest account of his mental health struggles within the force, and how his work saved him.”