Into the Night

Already purchased

Click to open directly in the xigxag app.

Standard price shown. Sign in for personalised pricing.

Send as a gift Get in the xigxag app

Added to cart

Continue shopping or head to checkout

View cart
How does xigxag pricing work?

Listen to a sample

What to expect

A former carer, primary school teacher and education researcher, Matt Lloyd-Rose became a volunteer police officer to try to understand the challenges facing young people in Brixton, the place he lived and taught. He got more than he bargained for. Each Friday evening, he put on the uniform and policed South London: racing through it on blue lights, patrolling its streets, entering a parallel version of a place he thought he knew.

Into the Night takes the listener on a journey to the heart of our society’s most complex and controversial institution, showing the best and worst of ordinary policing: from macho thrill-seeking and shocking misogyny to quiet moments of kindness and care. Its pages are filled with the homeless, the lonely, the sick and the angry, with teenage gang members, confused drunks, violent partners, runaway dogs and an illegal hot-dog vendor who won’t take no for an answer. Through a blend of immersive action and lyrical reflection, Lloyd-Rose grapples with some of the most profound and unresolved issues facing our society: How do we build strong, inclusive communities? How do we break cycles of damaging behaviour? How do we bring marginalized groups to the centre of our communal life? And what is the role of the police in all of this?

At its heart, Into the Night is an exploration of what it would mean to reframe policing as a caring, rather than enforcement, role. It is also a luminous portrait of South London, the epicentre of Britain’s struggle against racist policing, surfacing hidden histories of resistance and abuse. Provoking outrage and empathy in equal measure, this is an urgent audiobook for troubled times, exploring how we got here and where we might go next.

Critics Review

Inside the Met, it’s as bad as you think . . . fascinating . . . it’s the casual, ubiquitous misogyny that was witnessed by Lloyd-Rose that really chills the blood . . . elegantly written
The Times
What’s it really like to patrol the streets of south London as a special constable? Matt Lloyd-Rose’s deadpan account is a revelation
Radio Times
A compelling snapshot of modern policing
The Observer
Urgent . . . Lloyd-Rose’s writing is vivid and forensic
The Financial Times
Extraordinary . . . The account of what he experienced is lyrical, funny and often poignant
The Daily Telegraph
A work of breathtaking social imagination, radiating kindness and wisdom.
Jay Griffiths, author of Wild and Kith
A fascinating, and occasionally disturbing, look at a pivotal time in British policing. I used to live down the road from Brixton, where this book is set and it gave me new insight into the area and how we are policed.
Sally Hayden, author of My Fourth Time, We Drowned
An important and timely book written with empathy and real life experience about policing and the policed . . . Misogyny, racism and bandaids on gaping social wounds - all are catalogued with real care and complexity. If some of it is hard to read, imagine what it was to live.
Shami Chakrabarti
Acutely observed and tenderly written, this evocation of the kaleidoscopic human landscape of the city offers a vivid meditation on the nature of community and place of care in our society.
Polly Morland, author of A Fortunate Woman
A valuable, direct and honest account of a personal journey to the end of the Brixton night, as witness and participant, in the impossible complexity of urban policing. Told with the verve and immediacy of a novel. And enlivened by regular morning meditations in a street café.
Iain Sinclair
A textured, compassionate book about cities, loss, wounded souls. What kinds of care has our society outsourced to the police? What could they learn from the work of nurses or teachers? Matt Lloyd-Rose asks so many crucial, haunting questions . . .
Sukhdev Sandhu
[A] humane and astute account of everyday policing in south London.
The TLS

About xigxag

Experience the best audiobooks with xigxag, an innovative and user-friendly audiobook platform designed for seamless discovery, purchase, and enjoyment of your favorite titles. Our flexible pricing model offers bestselling audiobooks for less, providing affordable prices and the best audiobook deals without requiring a subscription. Perfect for gifting, xigxag also features convenient audiobook gift cards and in-app audiobook gifting options.

 

Beyond the listening experience, xigxag stands as an exciting alternative to big tech, embodying a strong commitment to sustainability and ethical practices. As the only B Corp certified UK audiobook service, we ensure a guilt-free listening experience from a leader in audiobook innovation.

 

Effortlessly search audiobooks, access honest audiobook reviews that evaluate both the content and narration, and easily discover hidden gems. Whether you prefer to download or stream top audiobook titles, xigxag provides the best possible listening experience anytime, anywhere, on the UK’s best independent audiobook app. Discover the future of audiobooks today.