The Real Prime Suspect

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What to expect

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.

'The story of a pioneer, a determined police officer who used her talent as a force for good. If it were not for women like Jackie, policing today would be very different.' -Colin Sutton, author of the Manhunt series

'A fascinating account of Jackie Malton's remarkable career as a police officer, and how she used that experience to bring a new kind of authenticity to Prime Suspect and many other TV crime dramas and documentaries.' -Neil McKay, TV writer and producer, Appropriate Adult

'Compelling, enlightening and totally gripping.' -Angela Marsons, author of the DI Kim Stone series

Critics Review

Jackie Malton lifts the lid on the jaw-dropping day-to-day realities that have faced women cops.
Val McDermid
Jackie Malton was one of the women who blazed a trail in the very macho world of policing. She was indeed the real Prime Suspect, viewed with suspicion because of her gender and her sexuality and, while it took its toll, she stood out, proud and independent. She gave policing a good name. A terrific read!
Baroness Helena Kennedy QC
Unputdownable. A uniquely personal journey through recent decades of policing. Searingly honest, shocking and funny.
Barbara Machin, creator and showrunner, Waking the Dead
The story of a pioneer, a determined police officer who used her talent as a force for good. If it were not for women like Jackie, policing today would be very different.
Colin Sutton, author of the Manhunt series
A fascinating account of Jackie Malton's remarkable career as a police officer, and how she used that experience to bring a new kind of authenticity to Prime Suspect and many other TV crime dramas and documentaries.
Neil McKay, TV writer and producer, Appropriate Adult
The Real Prime Suspect is a police memoir like no other. An intimate and eye-opening account of one woman's talent and tenacity in an institution that was once the bastion of white, heterosexual male privilege. Jackie Malton has my upmost respect, she is a ground-breaking detective and also the very best of us - this is a surprising, candid and unmissable read.
Kerry Daynes, bestselling author of 'What Lies Buried' and 'The Dark Side of the Mind'

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