The Real Prime Suspect

Crime. Sexism. Corruption. The Real-Life Inspiration for Jane Tennison
A jaw-dropping, gritty memoir from Jackie Malton, former DCI and the inspiration for legendary TV detective Jane Tennison in Lynda La Plante's Prime Suspect.

HIGHLY COMMENDED FOR BOOK OF THE YEAR AT THE TRUE CRIME AWARDS 2023

'Jaw-dropping' -Val McDermid
'A police memoir like no other' -Kerry Daynes, bestselling author of The Dark Side of the Mind
'Honest, shocking and funny' - Barbara Machin, creator of Waking the Dead


When Jackie Malton joined the police force in 1970, male recruits were given a truncheon and female recruits were given a handbag. At every step, she fought sexism and homophobia on top of the rapists, murderers, and armed robbers she tackled in the streets. And when she was harassed by her own colleagues for reporting bent coppers, Jackie was thrown into a shame and isolation that she tried to dim with alcohol. At the height of her success, as she became one of only three female detective chief inspectors in the Met, and as a chance meeting with the writer Lynda La Plante catapulted her into the world of TV, Jackie was battling her own demons harder than ever before.

In this thrilling and revealing memoir, meet the real woman behind the iconic character Jane Tennison ­- every bit as tenacious, determined, and fearless, with an extraordinary story to tell.

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