Playland
Secrets of a forgotten scandal
by Anthony Daly
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Pub Date 1 Mar 2018 | Archive Date 31 Jul 2018
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Description
"Tony Daly's horrific story demands to be heard - his journey into the very heart of a corrupt and perverted Establishment is simply off the scale..."
– Paul Frift, Producer of the ITV drama ‘Victoria’
This
is the voice of one man from within a dark scandal that nestled in the heart of
London’s Soho in the 1970s.
Travelling
to the big city to escape The Troubles in his native Northern Ireland, Antony
Daly accepted a job in Foyles Bookshop and began a new life in England. However,
his naivety saw him quickly fall foul of predators, looking for young men to
blackmail and sexually exploit.
After
years of hiding the secret of his abuse at the hands of some of the most
influential men in the country, Antony’s trauma became harder to contain as he witnessed
revelations of historic abuse coming to light on TV and in newspapers. Then,
finally his lost voice ripped through the safe family life he had built over 40
years. With parallels to Joseph Conrad’s Heart
of Darkness, this is stylishly written and politically explosive. The
haunting true story of a young man’s descent into a hell designed to satisfy
the powerful. A world that destroyed the lives of everyone involved.
‘[This is my] journey into a world of drink and drugs, a world of gangsters, rent boys, businessmen, politicians, pimps and paedophiles. Because of what happened to me and the fact that I kept a diary at the time, I am in a unique position to tell the real story of Playland.’
– Anthony Daly
A Note From the Publisher
Due to the sensitivity of the subject matter, Anthony will be available for selected interviews only.
Advance Praise
"Tony Daly's horrific story demands to be heard - his journey into the very heart of a corrupt and perverted Establishment is simply off the scale..."
– Paul Frift, Producer of the ITV drama ‘Victoria’
‘…the most explosive book I’ve ever read in terms of its
political exposure of the hypocrisy and criminality of the last-but-one
generation of Tory leaders. Incredible.’
– Lloyd Evans, features writer and
journalist
Marketing Plan
- National book campaign at launch and post-launch support via Trinty Mirror's portfolio to reach 7.3m readers
- Review coverage in selected broadsheets and publications across the UK and Ireland
- National and regional radio features
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781907324802 |
| PRICE | £9.99 (GBP) |
Links
Featured Reviews
Reviewer 419443
If you liked Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness then this book is one to read. A memoir about abuse by some of the most powerful people.
Michelle B, Reviewer
This is a heartfelt, astonishing, eyeopening and sometimes graphic story of a 19 year old Derry teenager’s journey to London in the 1970’s where he got caught up in the dreadful world of male rape and coerced underage male prostitution.
By day Tony worked in Foyles Bookshop, by night he was passed around mainly high end clients (including cabinet ministers, lawyers and judges). Those who are dead have been named.
Why did he not walk away? He was threatened that he would be ‘fitted up’ for plotting with the IRA (at least two members of the Guildford four who were awaiting trial at the time had stayed in the same hostel as Tony and hysteria about the IRA was at its peak).
An excellent, although heart wrenching, read about life for those people forced to work in the sex industry and shows it is not just those from ‘poor, unsupportive families’ that can fall into this way of life.
Thank you to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewer 456990
Thank you @netgalley for the option to read this book as an arc. It was definitely interesting to read the story about his life and what happened. It just amazes me how there are such things happening in this world! I enjoyed the story and would recommend it to anyone looking to read this type of book.
Bethany Y, Reviewer
I found this book both fascinating and appalling. The grim description of the abuse that happened because of the Picadilly sex ring and the Troubles in Ireland was dreadful. I was shocked by it but the story was enthralling and kept me on the edge of my seat. The way that Daly wrote about the individuals he met brings them to life and it reminded me at times of The Very English Scandal, about the Jeremy Thorpe affair. I couldn't put this book down at all. It was enthralling and whilst it wasn't an enjoyable read, it was very interesting and informative.
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