Five By Five was a really good read, this is a debut by this author and as they were a prison officer previously this definitely shows in this book with the knowledge and descriptions of events that happen.
Kennedy works at a high security prison as a Intelligence Analyst, she listens into phone calls and intercepts mail trying to stop drugs etc coming into the prison, she isn’t popular and knows this as she sometimes has to reveal evidence against prison officers. She manages to stop a drugs run coming in but is later attacked by the prisoners family member in a supermarket. She returns to work with one thing on her mind, to find her attacker and that means she can trust no one including Molly whom she’s not sure if she’s genuine or not. Alongside Kennedys story we have Adrian Maddox, a prisoner trying to be top dog and what he does to try and get and stay there.
This was a well paced read and although brutal at times it didn’t deter me from reading on, the prison officers are shown as real as I think they are and was a relatable read from start to finish. A really good debut.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for this ARC I received in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book. I liked that it was a prison setting. It was a good thriller with plenty going on. I feel that the pace picked up with every chapter. I enjoyed the dual timelines and found it easy to get in to and follow. There was plenty of suspense and it feels like it was left for a second book?

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advanced copy of this book.

What a fantastic debut, this was such an exciting read.

I loved how we got to see the prisons from both sides, the interactions between the prisoners seemed realistic and so violent! Even I was shocked at one of the fights 😳.

The staff of the prison were at times more unsavoury than the prisons, which no doubt is a regular occurrence in real life.

Kennedy was a brilliant character, endearing, vulnerable and brave, I enjoyed learning about her job and following her as she tries to find out who was responsible.

Molly was who I expected, after that ending, a sequel is a must need to find out what happens next!

've been looking forward to reading this ever since I first heard about it and it didnt disappoint. The story of Kennedy, who works in a high security prison as an Intelligence Analyst, listening into prisoners' phone calls and CCTV to catch any untoward behaviours or plans. Kennedy is good at her job, spotting clues and body language that might give indications of what is going on. She is aware that she's not always popular with other prison staff as she has to report on corrupt prison officers as well as the prisoners. She's happy that she's largely anonymous though, and prisoners' family and friends dont know who she is.

When she helps to thwart a drugs delivery to the prison however, it turns out that she's more known than she thought. She is violently attacked in a supermarket by one of the prisoner's family members. Returning to work, Kennedy doesnt know who to trust or who may be involved in arranging the attack on her. The heightened suspicions mean that she can't trust anyone including her ex-girlfriend and flatmate Ellie. When she meets gorgeous prison officer Molly at a night out, Kennedy doesn't know what to do - its clear there's a spark there but she is so wary of being hurt again.

Alongside Kennedy's storyline we also have Adrian Maddox, wannabe top dog - he is aiming to take out the other contenders and run the show but just needs one more delivery in order to cement his position. He'll stop at nothing to get where he wants to be but knows that one false step could cost him everything.

The scenes inside the prison were hard to read at times, so violent and instant, there's no room for hesitation. The Prison Service doesn't come off lightly at all- officers are shown as overworked, worn down, underpaid and trying to cope with all that life throws at them. The author has worked in the Prison Service and has taken her personal knowledge and experience and woven it into something vicious and mesmerising.

Kennedy Allardyce is an Intelligence Officer working at men's prison HMP Forth Valley in Scotland, due to the nature of her role she stays under the radar as much as she can. After an attack in a supermarket she returns to work determined to find her attacker and is certain that she is working in the midst of a corrupt officer. She begins to get close to new guard Molly Rana and their relationship blossoms, but information that becomes known to Kennedy gives her cause for concern, can Molly be trusted or is she the officer that Kennedy is seeking out?

Five by Five is the debut novel of Claire Wilson and told from the perspectives of Kennedy and prisoner Adrian Maddox, it's a gritty crime thriller highlighting the every day events that occur within prison walls, including drugs, assault and the odd murder of two with the author's descriptions being rather graphic at times, so this is definitely not one for the faint hearted readers out there. This is an intriguing read, with a very realistic setting that really stretches the imagination and, judging by the rather abrupt ending, I would say that a sequel is on the horizon to clear up the loose ends.

I'd like to thank Michael Joseph, Random House UK and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

After being attacked whilst out shopping, Intelligence Officer Kennedy Allardyce is determined to get to the bottom of who has attacked her.

Knowing this stems from her job, she goes back to work sooner than she really should to find out why she was attacked, and which one of the prison guards is the mysterious ‘Scout’.

This is a great debut that packs a punch. An interesting story involving violent criminals, and also dodgy prison officers.

In a game of cat and mouse, Kennedy needs to find out who is after her, before they kill her this time.

A gritty and intense story that kept me on the edge of my seat.

My thanks to Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This would be a great book for someone who has experience of working in a prison or potentially someone from the LGBTQ community.

I’ve had this book on my list for a long time and was excited to read it. I’m not really sure I would call this a thriller as I didn’t get any suspense from it. I’d say it was more of a gritty drama.

As said previously, this book really wasn’t for me. However the prison and LGBTQ themes might appeal more to others who have experience of this.

The book definitely needs a sequel as we were left hanging right at the end. It would be a good way to round-up all the themes from this book.

Thank you to the Publisher for sending me this ARC!

Kennedy works in the Intelligence Unit at a Scottish male prison. As she investigates corruption and contraband being distributed, she comes across her most dangerous case yet. Not knowing who the main perpetrators are, she is at risk. When new Prison Guard, Molly starts, Kennedy finds herself falling for her but what if this is who she is hunting for?

I really liked the premise of this one as it sounded intriguing and original. This was certainly a fresh, gritty and brutal thriller, focusing on what goes on in prison. I found the character of Kennedy slightly frustrating, however she was well written and her personality came across easily. I enjoyed that the main character was different from the usual trope of police officer, etc.

I liked the way the author told the story and really enjoyed the setting, however I did find phrases repetitive, e.g. licking my lips. I think this is definitely a worthwhile read and I would have rounded it up to 4 stars, however I am rounding it down to 3 stars due to the very abrupt ending and unanswered questions. I would like to read a second book in this series to hopefully get more understanding and closure. 3.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Prisons, by definition, are full of acknowledged criminals. But there are also staff, some of whom can be manipulated, coerced, corrupted; not many but always likely to be a few. Prisons are also hives of violence and rife with drugs, contraband smuggled in by all possible routes. Monitoring of everyone is necessary and expected, but “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes” has always been a concern. Kennedy Allardyce is the main Information Analyst at HMP Forth Valley, observing CCTV, looking at profiles of inmates and staff, listening to legal phone calls and scanning for illegal mobile phones. She is isolated in her special room because she will also be a potential target for prisoners and, to some extent, for staff. Now she has become an actual target of a crime gang, and her position is compromised because she has fallen for Molly, one of the custodians, but Molly increasingly looks like a suspect.
The author has worked within the prison system and the whole ambience of that, inside and outside, is clearly and viscerally exposed in the background in which this story unfolds. The writing is a bit raw, partly because this is the author’s debut, but mainly because it is hard-core (some might call it ‘nitty-gritty’ but it’s really the gritty -even grotty – aspects that predominate. It’s a difficult read for that reason. The characters are all well drawn, but Kennedy is a bit more erratic than one might believe, but she had returned to work after being stabbed so I think it’s excusable. The ending is scrappy but I think it might be setting up for a sequel. Difficult to categorise overall, but I think 4 stars is fair.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Five by Five by Claire Wilson is a gripping debut prison thriller packed with actions from the start to the end!
This one is yummy! So yummy! I got into the story straight away the only thing that took me a while was to register that Kennedy was SHE! I assumed straight away it was a guy!
Told from two points of view and just in present, so was really easy to follow. There are some brutal parts as we could expect as activity happens in the prison and it shows how madly corrupt world we are living in!

An Intelligence officer Kennedy works in the Scottish Prison Service at HMP Forth Valley. She loves her job and she is hands-on with her duties until she crosses the path to someone who would like to see her dead!

What I loved was - that the author provided the reader with Scottish Prison Terminology! I printed it out and kept it next to me! Learned some new things!

Thank you, NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for this copy!

I liked the prison setting of this book, it was different and quite true to what I know about prison life.
There was quite a lot of suspense with a cliffhanger at the end.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advance copy to read.

I was excited to read this story being set inside a prison in Scotland. As an ex detention officer for the police I was intrigued to read it.

Sadly, I didn't enjoy this. The first 50% was a real challenge to read. I didn't particularly care for any of the characters. I thought Kennedy made lots of silly decision.

The last 50% was a lot faster paced but the ending was over in seconds and left on a cliff hanger. I didn't enjoy it enough to want to read on to the next book in the series.

I imagine there are some people who would love this but it just wasn't for me.

Debut novel from this author and it certainly packs a punch

We find ourselves in a male prison where Intelligence Officer Kennedy Allardyce is returning to work after a brutal attack whilst shopping….and almost immediately is onto ‘Scout’, someone within the prison who is making things difficult and starts to make things very difficult for Kennedy

The story is then told alternately by Kennedy and by a prisoner re what is escalating inside the prison and also for Kennedy outside in her very tricky personal life

It is a detailed look into the role of the Prison Intelligence Service and what they do and also the daily lives of those involved and the prisoners they are trying to catch out

Prison life is not sanitised in the book and the writing is uncompromising in its realism

I did enjoy the book, I liked Kennedy, fault’s and all including her vulnerability which she knew yet struggled with

My only small point is the ending, as it was left on a cliffhanger but will definitely read the next one for sure as want to know what happens next 😎

A good debut

This gripping thriller grabbed my attention from the start and held it all the way through. I wasn’t sure I’d like this book, as some parts are more grisly than the usual cosy mysteries I read, but the violence is not gratuitous. Kennedy is an interesting main character and I thought the relationships were realistic. The book really describes prison life well, with a stomach clenching nervous atmosphere throughout. I definitely recommend this book.

Unfortunately I did not read the synopsis or other reviews properly and found the book far to violent for me so didn't finish it. I have therefore given a neutral rating of 3 stars.

I chose this book as it sounded such a different story, in this aspect it did not fail as it was very different to my normal reading. I found the aspects of prison life interesting but at the same time horrifying to think that these could all be true and not just written as gritty bits to make up a story. I did not particularly like the writing style nor the characters as they were on the whole so unbelievable that I could not relate to them. I found that Kennedy from the Intelligence section did so many stupid things that belied her prison role. The book did start of with a bang but I felt that it became too involved in her sexuality rather than seeking Scout. The ending was incomplete and I can only presume that the plan is for this to have a follow up book or books to complete what this book started as it ended up in the air.

I liked the premise of this book with the different angle of an intelligence analyst providing the main character, and it certainly hit the ground running straight into an intelligence briefing and assault. However, in the end, it was a bit too violent and gritty for me without providing many new insights.
However, I'm sure there will be many other readers who will enjoy it more and the prospect of a new series to enjoy.
Thank you to netgalley and Michael Joseph for an advance copy of this book.
2.5 rounded up to 3.

I found the setting of a male prison an interesting setting as I know very little about this world. It is a brutal, dog eat dog world, where the prison officers can be just as bad as the criminals they are guarding. The tension is very high as Kennedy, an intelligence officer within the prison, gathers information about prisoners which puts her in immediate danger.

This was a violent read, in action and the way the characters interact with each other. The mystery kept me guessing until the end. Not my usual read but I felt challenged in reading it.

I was intrigued by the premise of this novel and was quickly immersed into the plot. It’s billed as a gripping debut thriller set in a unique location and it certainly lives up to that. It’s well written, fast paced and an ending which suggests a second novel which I would definitely read. Thank you to NetGalley, Michael Joseph Penguin Random House and the author for the chance to review.

Wow!! This book was unputdownable and a real page turner!! Kennedy Allerdyce is an Intelligence Annalist in the Intelligence Management Unit, based at HMP Forth Valley. Kennedy is not only monitoring the prisoners but the staff within the prison. Kennedy stumbles onto a person that can cause havoc within the prison itself. That person's name is Scout - only no one knows who that person is! We are taken on a journey of discovery and how things work in this prison. All the sub plots are sewn together with a dramatic ending! It is a well written book with lots of nail biting moments and I read this book in less than a day. I highly recommend this book.