Prime Suspect

Prime Suspect, Book 1

By: Lynda La Plante

Narrated by: Rachel Atkins

Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

Nominated in Best Female Narrator at the Audie Awards 2020.

She must fight to prove herself...before it's too late.

DCI Jane Tennison came through the ranks the hard way, opposed and resented at every step by her male colleagues.

When a prostitute is found murdered in her bedsit, the Metropolitan police set to work finding the perpetrator of this brutal attack. DNA samples lead them straight to known criminal George Marlow. The police think they've found their man, but things are not quite what they seem....

Desperate to remove all doubt around her suspect, Tennison struggles to make the charges stick. And then a second body turns up.

With the team against her, DCI Jane Tennison is in a race against time to catch a dangerous criminal ­- and prove she's just as tough as any man.

Baseded on the award-winning TV series starring Helen Mirren, the complete and unabridged Prime Suspect trilogy is now available for the first time in audio.

©2019 Lynda La Plante (P)2019 Bonnier Books UK

Strong Women Rock

I watched the PBS mystery with Helen Mirren but didnt remember that much about the plot. I need to go back and watch it again. The whole time I listened, I could see Mirren's face. I love strong women characters, and Tennison is strong but also insecure enough, angry enough, to be thoroughly believable. She's a woman fighting her way through a man's world, taking scalps along the way. I did get tired of her live in boy friends self pity and egocentricity but alls well that ends well. I definitely have to listen to the rest of the books!

What a tense thriller

The story was incredible. However, the narrator is the best I’ve ever heard on Audible. I have listened to many Audible books. I hope the next two in the trilogy are read by the same person. Kudos to Audible for finding a narrator who not only reads the novel but makes it come to life. Thank you Audible!!

Prime Suspect

#njoyed this book, a bit slow in the beginning but enjoyed it. The narration was good.

Police procedural, yea, but so much more!

Tennison! She's not always likeable, but she's exactly what she needs to be to solve the most heinous of crimes. The writing is whip-cracking fast and on-point, and this narration is excellent. La Plante is at here peak here, if you love British mysteries that aren't cozy, set in an environment that is far from comfortable, then this book is for you.

If you think there’s politics in your workplace…

Other reviewers have already described this quite well. My contribution: Jane’s womanism in a manly job overshadows the procedural plot by a big margin. Double sources of tension, quite effective.

I know firsthand how far the gender preference pendulum has swung in 30 years. Diversity and “me-too” politics have put straight white males at the back of the promotion line and front of the convenient villain line. Don’t think this book inspires nostalgia but it was written in a distinctly different time.

struggled to continue

I guess I started with a later series and maybe this is why I have some issues with this female detective. Tennison is so selfish and self absorbed that it's sometimes I just wanted to close the app and remove the story from my library! Given the preview of "Prime Suspect #2" not sure if I'll get thru it... we'll see.. be prepared .

Highly Recommend

Having already been a fan of the 90s television series, I already knew it was a good story, but it was equally as entertaining listening on audiobook. Rachel Atkins’ narration is outstanding, one of the best I’ve ever heard. Her ability to transform instantly into the different characters, flawlessly mastering a variety of accents, made me feel like I was listening to a full cast of actors. She seemed to be channeling Helen Mirren perfectly as well, which was a treat. Can’t wait to enjoy the next audiobook in the series!

Lynda La Plante at her best

I loved this audio book. A gripping narrative that will keep you on the edge of your seat from the first sentence to the last. The narrator was also wonderful and complemented the content perfectly.

Love this series!

I really like the Jane Seymore series. All the books are excellent. I watched this series on BBC. I love the Jane Seymour character!

Excellent narrator brings the book to life

Rachel Atkins is more than a narrator. Her excellent performance made up for the sometimes slack plot. A little too much emphasis was given to DCI Tennison’s private life which distracted the reader’s attention to the story. Overall it was still an enjoyable book.