Alibi

Alibi is a gritty chronicle of crime detection in the 1980s that centres on a real-life unsolved double murder.

Following these tragic events in the lives of would-be international drug dealers, this masterful blend of fact and fiction captures the everyday mayhem of a free-wheeling ‘punishment’ outpost of London’s Metropolitan Police.

When Alan Jackaman was posted to Clapham — a dumping ground for wayward members of the CID — crimes were solved not by DNA and CCTV but by a rag-tag collection of detectives, many of whom preferred banter and a lunchtime pint to doing things by the book.

Within this chaotic, old-school environment, the Murder Squad was tasked with untangling the web of subterfuge and deception spun by the chief suspect. This book challenges the reader to look beneath the murky surface, consider the evidence, and say what really happened on that horrific summer night in South London four decades ago.

Foreword by Rae Price

Whose life was forever altered by the tragedy.

Review of Alibi

‘A fascinating insider’s account of a murder detective’s life in South London in the 1980s. Alan Jackaman couples his personal experience investigating a brutal double murder with his skills as a writer and storyteller to give us a well-paced whodunnit. Peppered with colourful tales of policing 40 years ago, Alibi is also the story of a son’s battle for justice and a police officer’s relentless work to try to achieve it.’— Tom Pettifor, Crime Editor, Daily Mirror

About the author

Alan Jackaman spent over 25 years as a police officer, including as a detective with London’s Metropolitan Police Murder Investigation Team and Murder Review Group. He is the author of Napper: Through a Glass Darkly (2019) about the serial killer Robert Napper, which was the basis for Channel 4’s drama documentary Deceit, and Who Really Killed Claire? (2023) about an alleged miscarriage of justice. Alan will be a guest speaker at Crimecon UK in April 2026 – see crimecon.co.uk/alan-jackaman