The Buyer

The Buyer

The making and breaking of an undercover detective

Summary

An undercover detective is a buyer, and their commodity is intelligence. But what is the real price of justice?

'A compelling and powerful account from the darker side of policing and the terrifying impact it has on those who strive to keep us safe' Nazir Afzal

Liam Thomas was an officer in the Met for over a decade, many of those years spent deep at the heart of Britain's most dangerous criminal enterprises in the murky world of undercover surveillance. Before him, his father had also been a police officer, a pillar of their small community.

Fighting corruption was Liam's life. But the murky world of undercover work teaches him that justice is far from black and white - and a family secret reveals that corruption is closer to home than he had ever expected. The revelations push him to the edge of his sanity - and then he discovers that his bosses are investigating him...

A thrilling memoir of a life lived amongst a world of corruption, justice and loyalties, this book tells the real story of the police's line of duty.

Reviews

  • An extraordinary writer
    James O'Brien

About the author

Liam Thomas

Liam Thomas is a former undercover detective for the Metropolitan Police, where he worked for nearly two decades. In 2018 he was the subject of a documentary for Vice about his life as a detective. He is now an actor, playwright, and screenwriter; he recently produced and appeared in the award winning short film The Tide (which he also wrote), funded by the BFI, a story of place, unravelling identity and mental health within a community fighting for its very existence. He is currently developing a feature length screenplay.
Learn More

Sign up to the Penguin Newsletter

For the latest books, recommendations, author interviews and more