Rock tradition demands that solo careers formed from the ashes of great bands are doomed to mediocrity. For Sting, then, to have emerged from the smash achievements of The Police with hit singles, critically-acclaimed albums, sell-out tours, and a host of Grammys to his name, remains a remarkable artistic triumph.

A vastly talented musician, he’s one of the most commercially successful acts in the world. But, for many, Sting’s global status was won at the cost of his credibility. An accomplished jazz bassist and singer before dominating the charts with The Police in the late 1970s, he’s been accused of playing punk and reggae for convenience, and single-handedly breaking up a hugely successful band at the peak of its powers. His much-publicised work on behalf of Amnesty International and the Brazilian rainforests was touted and scorned in equal measure, while his lifestyle is widely perceived the stuff of rock cliché.

From his days as a Newcastle schoolteacher, through the riotous years fronting one of the biggest bands on the planet, to his career as actor, political activist and cerebral singer-songwriter, Christopher Sandford examines these charges and discovers many more. With new insights into the tensions that existed between Sting and the other members of The Police, his ecological campaigning, financial dealings, and numerous sexual entanglements, the author’s interviews with those closest to Sting raise many questions about the carefully-constructed public image the performer foists on the world.

Informative and entertaining, Sandford’s book represents a long-awaited look at a man who remains among the most loved and hated, admired and derided stars of our time.