Jane Tennison is back! Well, she’s back in a reverse back-to-the-future sort of way… Lynda La Plante has written a prequel to her Prime Suspect TV series, and in it DCI Tennison is merely WPC Tennison, fresh out of college, and learning about being a copper the hard way – in a dingy East London police station.

We are told that there is a TV series planned, but one thing is certain – Dame Helen Mirren (to whom this new book is dedicated) will not be playing the young Jane Tennison. As great an actress as she is, that would defy even her powers!

The book comes in at a hefty 582 pages, and is set to be marketed through a campaign involving serialisation in national newspapers, a PR tour involving signings and festivals, and the book and author will be a major presence on broadcast and digital media.

We have our sticky paws on the advance copy which you can see above, and we will be bringing our full review to you in a little while. It will be fascinating to see if Jane Tennison’s early days as a copper are as mesmerising as her later career. The book is out on 24 September, and the Amazon prices are £9.99 for Kindle, and £10 for the hardback. If you want it as an iBook, that will be £9.99, too.

Prime Suspect is on our list of the 20 best crime shows of all time. You can order your copy of Tennison here.