Prima Facie

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‘This is not life. This is law.’

Tessa Ensler is a brilliant barrister who's forged her career in criminal defence through sheer determination. Since her days at Cambridge, she’s carefully disguised her working class roots in a male-dominated world where who you know is just as important as what you know. Driven by her belief in the right to a fair trial and a taste for victory, there’s nothing Tessa loves more than the thrill of getting her clients acquitted.

It seems like Tessa has it made when she is approached for a new job and nominated for the most prestigious award in her field. But when a date with a charismatic colleague goes horribly wrong, Tessa finds that the rules she’s always played by might not protect her, forcing her to question everything she's ever believed in . . .

Prima Facie has already had a powerful impact outside the theatre, with copies of the original script included in training for new judges. If the novelisation gives it a greater reach, that can only be to the good; these are stories that need to be heard
Observer

About Suzie Miller

Suzie Miller is an international playwright, librettist and screenwriter with a background in law. Her 2019 play Prima Facie, starring Jodie Comer, won both Olivier and Tony Awards and has become a global phenomenon with a major movie adaptation. Her 2025 play, Inter Alia, starring Rosamund Pike, was nominated for two Olivier awards and won in the category of Best Actress. A film adaptation is under way. Miller lives in London and Sydney where she develops major theatre, film and television projects across the UK, USA and Australia.

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Details

Imprint: Penguin
Published: 01/05/2025
ISBN: 9781804945261
Length: 336 pages
Dimensions: 197mm x 23mm x 130mm
Weight: 240g
Price: £9.99

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Prima Facie

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Prima Facie has already had a powerful impact outside the theatre, with copies of the original script included in training for new judges. If the novelisation gives it a greater reach, that can only be to the good; these are stories that need to be heard

This nakedly powerful story of how even a successful articulate woman lawyer can herself become a victim of the system is still one worth telling and re-telling

An enthralling, biting story

An engaging, thought-provoking novel . . . Miller braids the legal technicalities and courtroom procedures with Tessa’s personal story authentically, with great control of tension and pace

Bold, fearless, heartbreakingly timeless. Written with skill, humour, despair and hope, Prima Facie is a deeply rewarding, absolute must read

Enthralling and sharp-witted . . . Highly recommended

Miller's star shines as brightly as a novelist as it does as a playwright. Prima Facie the novel gives us what novels do: the intimacy of interior life. A great read.

A fantastic read, page-turning and thought-provoking. The kind of story you can't stop thinking about, I loved it

Miller's novel is searing, vindicating and absolutely necessary both in the injustices it names and the emotions it evokes. I am grateful to her for writing it

Gripping . . . [with] blistering points about class, power, the patriarchy and the law shaped by generations of men

About Suzie Miller

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