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Electric Blue
Paul Verhoeven’s ex-cop dad, John, spent years embroiled in some of the seediest, scariest intrigue and escapades imaginable. One day John offered Paul the chance of a he’d spill his guts on tape. What unfolded in Loose Units was a goldmine of true-crime stories, showcasing John’s dramatic experience of policing in Sydney in the 1980s and brilliantly twisted sense of humour. But what happened next in John’s career was twice as weird. Electric Blue spans the final years of John’s stint in the New South Wales police force, when he took up an offer to move into the grimy, analytical world of forensics. Paul unpicks his father’s most terrible cases. There was the case of a rapist hiding in the walls of shower block, a body that was quite literally cooked, and the bizarre copycat suicides. But what’s it actually like to have a heroic ex-cop as a Dad? Paul and John delve into their unique father–son relationship and how they ended up so different to each other. They figure out how to deal with the choices they’ve made ... or wish they’d made. And Paul’s mum, Christine, reveals what it was like to be a pioneering female cop in the eighties when misogyny was rife in the force. Thrilling, fascinating and unexpectedly laugh-out-loud funny, Electric Blue is another high-octane adventure in policing, integrity and learning what family is really all about.
336 pages, Paperback
Published August 1, 2020
19 people are currently reading
297 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
October 14, 2021
A riotously entertaining memoir about growing up in a family with a father who worked in police forensics. Verhoeven tells his father’s stories with such vibrancy, bringing the gruesome and humorous aspects to life before our eyes. Underneath this collection of shocking vignettes from life on the force, Verhoeven is really telling the story of a father trying to understand a father who he feels so very different to. This thread offers a depth to a memoir which might otherwise have felt sensational or superficial. I highly recommend the audio, read by Verhoeven and his dad. It’s zesty AF. I loved this.
January 31, 2023
Paul Verhoevan realized his parents' career in the police force would make a great story. But the way Paul uses humor, bonding with his parents, vulnerability, storytelling and drama really makes this a fantastic read!
Paul, a storyteller first and foremost, injects himself and his thinking into the gruesome, dark and revealing nature of the Australian police force in Sydney's Northern Suburbs as told by his parents. The way he fleshes out the stories with nuance, atmostphere and dialogue is akin to Dr Frankenstein; the uncanny ability to bring things to life.
Paul is a dear friend and I'm so incredibly proud of what he's accomplished in this book.
Paul, a storyteller first and foremost, injects himself and his thinking into the gruesome, dark and revealing nature of the Australian police force in Sydney's Northern Suburbs as told by his parents. The way he fleshes out the stories with nuance, atmostphere and dialogue is akin to Dr Frankenstein; the uncanny ability to bring things to life.
Paul is a dear friend and I'm so incredibly proud of what he's accomplished in this book.
August 6, 2020
ELECTRIC BLUE by Paul F. Verhoeven
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Remember this, because its impact on this book is large. Just how large will become even more apparent in the last 100 pages.
The author suffers from A.D.H.D. and its effect upon the script stares back at you from the pages. The gist of the first 264 pages is a record of his father’s time in the police force, mainly in the forensic division. Anecdotes of some of the outstanding cases are what the pages are full of, along with references to A.D.H.D. and how it radically affected Paul’s youth and interaction with his father particularly.
At times, in every chapter, Paul digresses to conversations he’s having with his father and mother, herself a former police officer who gets a few mentions. However, I found each chapter compelling, some filled with horrific instances of forensic cases which is where dad ended up after becoming sated with general duties.
There’s also disturbing examples of police corruption. The higher up, the worse the corruption. I was upset reading about one senior policeman who was put in charge of a police station and could be seen in the late hours walking around in his pyjamas and dressing gown. The reason? He had dodgily secured the cleaning contract for the station and used the station staff to clean the premises, thus pocketing all the money without employing anyone; except, perhaps, a dodgy accountant.
There’s worse when a dead body involves unnamed detectives who try and cover up vital evidence.
Oh, and those last 100 pages. They’re a throwback to a book he was given in his youth where you decide the outcome after being given options at the end of about every second page. They refer to possible variations that might have occurred in the penultimate chapter and, you the reader can decide which thread you want to follow of the made-up scenarios. At the end of each couple of pages you can choose which way you think the story should go and jump to one of the relevant pages listed at the bottom. Thus you hop around all over the place. It works for some people but personally I could have done without it, though I really enjoyed the rest of the book.
An interesting and different read.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Remember this, because its impact on this book is large. Just how large will become even more apparent in the last 100 pages.
The author suffers from A.D.H.D. and its effect upon the script stares back at you from the pages. The gist of the first 264 pages is a record of his father’s time in the police force, mainly in the forensic division. Anecdotes of some of the outstanding cases are what the pages are full of, along with references to A.D.H.D. and how it radically affected Paul’s youth and interaction with his father particularly.
At times, in every chapter, Paul digresses to conversations he’s having with his father and mother, herself a former police officer who gets a few mentions. However, I found each chapter compelling, some filled with horrific instances of forensic cases which is where dad ended up after becoming sated with general duties.
There’s also disturbing examples of police corruption. The higher up, the worse the corruption. I was upset reading about one senior policeman who was put in charge of a police station and could be seen in the late hours walking around in his pyjamas and dressing gown. The reason? He had dodgily secured the cleaning contract for the station and used the station staff to clean the premises, thus pocketing all the money without employing anyone; except, perhaps, a dodgy accountant.
There’s worse when a dead body involves unnamed detectives who try and cover up vital evidence.
Oh, and those last 100 pages. They’re a throwback to a book he was given in his youth where you decide the outcome after being given options at the end of about every second page. They refer to possible variations that might have occurred in the penultimate chapter and, you the reader can decide which thread you want to follow of the made-up scenarios. At the end of each couple of pages you can choose which way you think the story should go and jump to one of the relevant pages listed at the bottom. Thus you hop around all over the place. It works for some people but personally I could have done without it, though I really enjoyed the rest of the book.
An interesting and different read.
December 4, 2020
Electric Blue by Paul Verhoeven defies simple description. This isn’t a straightforward biography, or true crime book, it’s a conversation between a son and his father, (and occasionally a son and his mother who was also once a police officer), about work and family, trauma and ADHD, and the past and present.
While Paul Verhoeven’s first book, Loose Units, focused on his father’s career as a NSW general duties police officer, Electric Blue addresses the time his father later spent with the Scientific Unit as a forensics officer. Prompted by Paul’s questions, John recounts his experiences, a mix of the ordinary, unusual, unpleasant and bizarre, under the supervision of an eccentric mentor. The cases are fascinating, told with occasionally disturbing detail, and a sardonic sense of humour.
Paul is often wide-eyed at John’s adventures, his father being so different to himself that he can barely conceive of the choices his dad makes. Paul has ADHD and as such is incapable of his dad’s ability to focus and act decisively, and struggles with the idea that John is not outwardly traumatised by his experiences. Though the two men are quite close emotionally, both Loose Units and Electric Blue stem, in part, from Paul’s desire to bridge the gap of understanding between them.
To that end Paul turns one of the cases his father relates into a ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ style story, to demonstrate how his own scattered thought process would work in the same situation, and includes it in Electric Blue, complete with a handful of illustrations. It’s an unexpected and unique addition to the book, though it won’t appeal to everyone.
I found Electric Blue to be a fascinating and entertaining, if unconventional, read. I’ve every intention of reading Loose Units too, and I’ve subscribed to the Loose Units podcast.
While Paul Verhoeven’s first book, Loose Units, focused on his father’s career as a NSW general duties police officer, Electric Blue addresses the time his father later spent with the Scientific Unit as a forensics officer. Prompted by Paul’s questions, John recounts his experiences, a mix of the ordinary, unusual, unpleasant and bizarre, under the supervision of an eccentric mentor. The cases are fascinating, told with occasionally disturbing detail, and a sardonic sense of humour.
Paul is often wide-eyed at John’s adventures, his father being so different to himself that he can barely conceive of the choices his dad makes. Paul has ADHD and as such is incapable of his dad’s ability to focus and act decisively, and struggles with the idea that John is not outwardly traumatised by his experiences. Though the two men are quite close emotionally, both Loose Units and Electric Blue stem, in part, from Paul’s desire to bridge the gap of understanding between them.
To that end Paul turns one of the cases his father relates into a ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ style story, to demonstrate how his own scattered thought process would work in the same situation, and includes it in Electric Blue, complete with a handful of illustrations. It’s an unexpected and unique addition to the book, though it won’t appeal to everyone.
I found Electric Blue to be a fascinating and entertaining, if unconventional, read. I’ve every intention of reading Loose Units too, and I’ve subscribed to the Loose Units podcast.
September 2, 2020
Praise for Electric Blue: “Thrilling! Hilarious!... there was a third thing but I forgot what it was”- Matt Lucas (fat Little Britain bloke). Don’t worry Matt, I know what the third thing is- gross, it’s gross... in a good way.
🚨 🚨 🚨
Paul’s Dad and Mum were cops. You may already know this from the Loose Units podcast and book. Or like me, you may be coming in cold, anyway, they were cops. This second instalment follows Paul’s dad through a stint in forensics. It also covers off on some of Paul’s mums’ stories- she was one of NSW’s first female officers! What a lineage! Paul is not a cop- he’s all personality and a little useless. That’s ok though, they love him anyway.
👮♂️👮♂️👮♂️
So, gross katie? Yes! This book is gross, the stories Paul’s dad tells from his time in forensics are dry-retch inducing. But is it enjoyable? Absolutely! It’s fascinating and funny, and the relationship between Paul and his mum and dad is heartwarming. It’s not glorifying the goriness either, and when I think on it, a different storyteller may have glorified it, but here, Paul and his parents bring such humanness and care to the stories that the deaths, in story-form are well respected.
📚📚📚
Kidssss it’s story time, Dad’s going to tell us about:
🚨The time he worked out how to get fingerprints from a boiled corpse
🚨When he mistook Chinese food for brains
🚨Why he worried about police dogs eating jizzy tissues
🚨How to cremate a corpse
Bedtime stories at the Verhoeven house was wild!
📖 📖 📖
So katie you’re saying the book is: gross, fascinating, hilarious, heartwarming, respectful and thrilling? Yes I am, Put that on the front of the book please Mr. Verhoeven.
🚨 🚨 🚨
Paul’s Dad and Mum were cops. You may already know this from the Loose Units podcast and book. Or like me, you may be coming in cold, anyway, they were cops. This second instalment follows Paul’s dad through a stint in forensics. It also covers off on some of Paul’s mums’ stories- she was one of NSW’s first female officers! What a lineage! Paul is not a cop- he’s all personality and a little useless. That’s ok though, they love him anyway.
👮♂️👮♂️👮♂️
So, gross katie? Yes! This book is gross, the stories Paul’s dad tells from his time in forensics are dry-retch inducing. But is it enjoyable? Absolutely! It’s fascinating and funny, and the relationship between Paul and his mum and dad is heartwarming. It’s not glorifying the goriness either, and when I think on it, a different storyteller may have glorified it, but here, Paul and his parents bring such humanness and care to the stories that the deaths, in story-form are well respected.
📚📚📚
Kidssss it’s story time, Dad’s going to tell us about:
🚨The time he worked out how to get fingerprints from a boiled corpse
🚨When he mistook Chinese food for brains
🚨Why he worried about police dogs eating jizzy tissues
🚨How to cremate a corpse
Bedtime stories at the Verhoeven house was wild!
📖 📖 📖
So katie you’re saying the book is: gross, fascinating, hilarious, heartwarming, respectful and thrilling? Yes I am, Put that on the front of the book please Mr. Verhoeven.
April 26, 2021
Touching, and a little horrifying at the same time. Touching in that the son (the author) is talking to his dad about his career in the police force and about growing up with ADHD, each trying to understand the point of view of the other. Horrifying in the things that the authors dad saw and dealt with. Completely overwhelming, the horror humans inflict on themselves, and others. I appreciate the work cops do, but this reinforced my thoughts. Paul does go on a bit with his dad about 'what if this happened' I wasn't sure why he didn't let this go - perhaps he was leading up to the short story at the end where you can choose or re-choose options. I enjoyed the asides during the stories.
September 22, 2021
This was a fascinating read. The ending wasn’t my cup of tea. I clearly have a different form of ADHD to Paul! I’ll definitely read Loose Units, and listen to the podcast.
September 15, 2020
An excellent follow up to Loose Units and a wonderfully personal story about Paul, his parents, and their incredible careers. Being a huge fan of the podcast, it's easy to see how well he captures his parent's voice and his own while the humor sprinkled throughout is very well done. I was particularly amused and a bit surprised (though perhaps I shouldn't have been) by the very interesting place the book goes right towards the end.
While several of these stories won't necessarily be new if you listen to the podcast (and you should), there are still extra details and entirely new stories to look forward to reading. I also think, having already heard some of the stories, they are still worth revisiting and are a big part of the overall story Paul is telling. If you don't listen, then read this first and then head over to the podcast to hear more. It's well worth it.
While several of these stories won't necessarily be new if you listen to the podcast (and you should), there are still extra details and entirely new stories to look forward to reading. I also think, having already heard some of the stories, they are still worth revisiting and are a big part of the overall story Paul is telling. If you don't listen, then read this first and then head over to the podcast to hear more. It's well worth it.
August 24, 2020
Not what I was expecting at all. Not your average true crime book. Paul wears his influences on his sleeve and has crafted something quite unique. Also, genuine laugh out loud moments and some tears too. A "Top Shelf" read.
August 26, 2020
Absolutely loved everything about this book - after listening to the pod casts I found this book brings questions that I had completely answered. I adore the relationship that Paul has with his dad- I also enjoyed Paul explaining himself and who he is. I can’t recommend it enough, 5 stars
October 6, 2020
What a brilliant book. Had me near in tears in parts and laughing very much out loud in others, especially towards the end. An Aussie true crime must read.
March 2, 2021
Non-fiction is a genre that struggles to entertain me, but my faith has been restored after finishing Electric Blue. With Paul’s parents being ex-police officers of the New South Wales police force in the 1980’s, they sure do have some stories to tell. As the book jumps between current-day Paul and his dad during the interview for the book, Paul tells his dad’s story in a way that reads as fiction, and this is what I found so captivating. We delve deep not only into the world of law enforcement, but also the relationship between John and Paul as they try to understand each other - being so different, it’s hard for them to try and put themselves in each other’s shoes. The real-life recounts from Paul’s dad, John, are almost too gruesome and terrible to believe, yet they’re believable for his former line of work. I initially bought this book when I was applying for the Tasmanian Police Force. I wanted to read real stories from an officer, the good and the bad - and let me tell you, some of these stories will blow your mind.. I could talk about this for days, so please read it and message me about it so I can talk to someone about the ending!! A fantastic and captivating story that I think should be read by all, I highly recommend you get your hands on this one.
September 2, 2020
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Thank you Penguin Books Australia for this book in exchange for an honest review
So this is one of those books that I decided to research before I requested to review this book. I found out that the author, Paul has ADHD and used his experience and personal perspective of ADHD in Electric Blue. I do know a few people that have ADHD, so it is great to read a book that has that element to it!
This book not only covers ADHD and the impact on family life as well as balancing a job but it also has police corruption and how the higher you go on the police hierarchy the more corruption you will uncover.
I have to admit it was written differently to what I had thought or what is considered normal? At parts of this book you have options to pick from and I wasn’t an overwhelming big fan of this.
Overall it was an enjoyable read though not something that I personally would hype about.
Bookstagram
Website
Thank you Penguin Books Australia for this book in exchange for an honest review
So this is one of those books that I decided to research before I requested to review this book. I found out that the author, Paul has ADHD and used his experience and personal perspective of ADHD in Electric Blue. I do know a few people that have ADHD, so it is great to read a book that has that element to it!
This book not only covers ADHD and the impact on family life as well as balancing a job but it also has police corruption and how the higher you go on the police hierarchy the more corruption you will uncover.
I have to admit it was written differently to what I had thought or what is considered normal? At parts of this book you have options to pick from and I wasn’t an overwhelming big fan of this.
Overall it was an enjoyable read though not something that I personally would hype about.
January 23, 2021
Electric Blue - Paul F. Verhoeven
From the start Paul’s personality shines through. His writing feels very candid and you get a real sense of conversation. I literally felt like I was in the lounge of John and Christine’s family home with Paul. This is the most engaging style of writing I have ever experienced!
Paul speaks fondly of his time as a kid reading ‘chose your own adventure’ books.
There is one included in this book which was cool getting to experience this one for myself. Such an interactive and interesting way to read!
If you have an interest in crime, forensics and hearing quirky stories - this book is the one for you!
I can’t really say much without spoilers but I’m telling you now, this is a fantastic read!!
4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
From the start Paul’s personality shines through. His writing feels very candid and you get a real sense of conversation. I literally felt like I was in the lounge of John and Christine’s family home with Paul. This is the most engaging style of writing I have ever experienced!
Paul speaks fondly of his time as a kid reading ‘chose your own adventure’ books.
There is one included in this book which was cool getting to experience this one for myself. Such an interactive and interesting way to read!
If you have an interest in crime, forensics and hearing quirky stories - this book is the one for you!
I can’t really say much without spoilers but I’m telling you now, this is a fantastic read!!
4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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August 12, 2021Ugh, this book is painfully boring. The dude sat down and recorded one moanful conversation with his dad then “spiced up” the text with a lot of self indulgence, outdated dude-bro references and very VERY boring “quips”.
omg the author has ADHD? He’s only mentioned it 40 times in the last 3 pages.
READER: do you enjoy true crime? The history of Sydney? Cop point of view? Funny books? A good story? Then stay the hell away from this one. It’s disjointed, unfunny and dripping with self importance from an author you’ve never heard of. I’ve literally never given zero stars, it feels too good for this book.
omg the author has ADHD? He’s only mentioned it 40 times in the last 3 pages.
READER: do you enjoy true crime? The history of Sydney? Cop point of view? Funny books? A good story? Then stay the hell away from this one. It’s disjointed, unfunny and dripping with self importance from an author you’ve never heard of. I’ve literally never given zero stars, it feels too good for this book.
March 21, 2024
Really enjoyed the book with use of humour to tell some really horrifying stories. Son Paul starts writing a book of his mum and dad’s escapades in their work places cop,forensic investigators,funeral parlour picking locks etc . Alan is hoping doing this that he will understand his family more !! Paul himself has ADHD and his parents have kept trying to understand him and the way he is There is a lot of humour albeit things that are not that funny I really loved at the end when you were able to pick the next pages you’d go to and being able to manage your own story by what page you picked
The spoiler for me was all the swearing was it really necessary
The spoiler for me was all the swearing was it really necessary
July 23, 2022
Fantastic follow up to Loose Units
I read Loose Units as knew I had to finish the story. As a fellow ADHD buddy and a cop inbound these stories both mindblowing in regards to the differences in policing now vs then... And still some similarities remain. Great storytelling. I read this in one sitting. The podcast is fantastic is great too. Do yourself a favour and but this if you like a good story and true crime
I read Loose Units as knew I had to finish the story. As a fellow ADHD buddy and a cop inbound these stories both mindblowing in regards to the differences in policing now vs then... And still some similarities remain. Great storytelling. I read this in one sitting. The podcast is fantastic is great too. Do yourself a favour and but this if you like a good story and true crime
October 3, 2020
Part crime novel, part a treatise on the complex relationship between fathers and their sons, Electric Blue continues to explore the story started in Loose Units. This book was amazing - a thrilling adventure into the world of police forensics while exploring the deepening relationship between the author and his father as they explore the question of why the appear to be so different.
October 4, 2020
I really enjoyed this book, but then I'm biased, because I read and enjoyed the first book Loose Units and have since become a fan of the podcast of the same name, and feel as if I know Paul and his Dad John very well. Even so, I'm not a fan of Choose Your Own Story, so didn't do that bit at the end, which meant there was quite a bit of the book that I didn't read.
June 15, 2021
This was a really interesting book! It's a conversation between the author and his father who is an ex-cop. The author, who has ADHD, tries to understand how the father made his decisions, while the father is trying to understand how the son interprets his actions. It's done really well and there are some great and horrific stories in there!
June 20, 2021
Absolutely brilliant! John and Paul’s chemistry as a close father and son speaks volumes in this book. It Was bought to my attention through a suggestion email……then got me onto the podcast! The stories shared are entertaining, varied and heartfelt. Also told with good respect for all involved. A must read if you love good old Aussie humour mixed with real life cop stories!
July 16, 2022
Having listened to a majority of the loose units podcasts while reading this book I was able to enjoy the book in my head with the sound of John and Pauls voice narrating. Informative, creative, funny and just overall enjoyable. True crime presented in such a unique way. LOVE IT. Want more books !!!
February 3, 2021
What an incredible book, I have been craving something to fill the hole since finishing this book.
Nothing has been as fast paced and laugh out loud funny.
It is also a beautiful conversation between father and son.
I am hoping for another book.
Nothing has been as fast paced and laugh out loud funny.
It is also a beautiful conversation between father and son.
I am hoping for another book.
April 20, 2021
This was great and such honest stories. Some laughable, some sad but all poignant. I loved the Choose your own story and went back a few times to get a new outcome. It took me straight back to my primary school days where I had a bit of a love affair with those books!
Thanks Paul for a great read
Thanks Paul for a great read
August 27, 2020
Amazing! Just as good as book 1, if not better! The fun little twist at the end was awesome. #hardseltzer
September 1, 2020
A phenomenal follow-up to a brilliant first book. More, please.
September 5, 2020
Exceptional 😁 loved this book Paul has such a unique way of writing that keeps you interested, I'm easily destracted but couldn't put this down, love it 💜
January 10, 2021
A refreshing, innovative style of biographical writing including an unexpected 'write your own adventure'.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 19, 2021
This was a fun, comedic read. There are some really dark stories here but the authors take keeps in engaging and not terrifying.
January 9, 2023
Absolute cracker of a book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews