The Real Prime Suspect

**

'Jaw-dropping.' -Val McDermid

'Pacy, witty... 4' - The Telegraph

'A terrific read!' -Baroness Helena Kennedy QC

'Unputdownable. Searingly honest, shocking and funny.' -Barbara Machin, creator and showrunner, Waking the Dead

'A police memoir like no other.' -Kerry Daynes, bestselling author of What Lies Buried and The Dark Side of the Mind

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

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'

Jackie Malton (Author)

Jackie Malton was a police officer for twenty-eight years. During her career she worked in the drugs squad, CID, the flying squad, fraud squad and as a hostage negotiator. Jackie acted as an adviser on Prime Suspect and has consulted on many popular police dramas including Cracker, The Bill and Life on Mars. She presented the documentary series, The Real Prime Suspect. Jackie regularly gives talks on policing and currently volunteers in a male prison supporting offenders recovering from addiction. Twitter: @thursley.

Helene Mulholland (Author)

Helene Mulholland has been a journalist for over twenty years and previously worked at the Guardian as a political reporter. Helene now works on a freelance basis. The Real Prime Suspect is her first book.

*** '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 Jackie Malton was a no-nonsense girl from Leicestershire who joined the police force in the 1970s when women were kept apart from the men. Feisty and determined, Jackie worked in CID and the famous flying squad before rising to become one of only three female detective chief inspectors in the Metropolitan Police. In The Real Prime Suspect , Malton describes the struggles she faced as a gay woman in the Metropolitan Police, where sexism and homophobia were rife.Jackie dealt with rapists, wife beaters, murderers, blackmailers and armed robbers but it was tackling the corruption in her own station that proved the most challenging. Ostracised and harassed by fellow officers furious that she reported the illegality of some colleagues, Malton used alcohol to curb her anxiety.A chance meeting with writer Lynda La Plante five years later changed the course of her life. Together they worked on shaping Jane Tennison, one of TV's most famous police characters, in the ground-breaking series Prime Suspect. Not long after, Malton recovered from alcoholism and now works as an AA volunteer in prison and as a TV consultant.Jackie has spent her life working in crime. Now she's ready to share her story. '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

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