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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.

A Scottish prison set crime thriller debut from Claire Wilson but from the perspective of an Intelligence Analyst who is trying to uncover plots from within the prison whilst realising that there's no one around her who she can really trust.

I love a different take on a police procedural style thriller and following Kennedy Allardyce, our IA under threat, was a really intriguing premise and gave this book an edge over a number of others. Sadly for me it just didn't quite work. My main problem was the character of Kennedy. She made a number of decisions that just didn't read as logical or particularly smart but were needed in order to keep the story moving (returning to the prison after an attack at the start being one of them).

It is also a particularly brutal look at life inside a male prison and the attention to detail for the day to day routines and general life was interesting but as I was reading along I realised that it isn't something that I was enjoying reading about. When this was combined with our lead character's choices and her attitude towards others in the story (poor Jacob), I just found myself being more and more put off.

Genuinely a unique angle on a prison/police crime thriller and if you as a reader enjoy gritty prison settings and a bleaker, rougher procedural story then this will be ideal for you. Unfortunately the style, characters and ultimately the open ending (prepped for a sequel undoubtedly) didn't work for me but I feel that is mainly because of a realisation about my reading preferences rather than the quality of writing on offer.

2.25*

Thank you to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for a digital review copy of "Five By Five" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

Just because the most dangerous criminals in society are caught and locked up, doesn’t mean they stop committing crime. 
That’s where Kennedy Allardyce comes in – working in one of Scotland’s toughest prisons, monitoring not just the prisoners, but also the staff.

I enjoyed reading this book because it’s so different to the current mainstream novels. It has good, well defined characters and the story moves along well. I struggled with the prison language initially as it does seem to reflect the true prison conditions. It is very gritty in parts but again, that adds to the realism of the story.

I've been listening to Claire Wilson talk about her book Five by Five for a couple of years now and each time I have become more and more desperate to read it. So when I was a approved to read it on Netgalley I was ecstatic!

I was not disappointed! I raced through it in two days and it would have been quicker had work and life not got in the way.

Five by Five is an accomplished debut novel with a fresh and unique take on the murder mystery/amateur detective novel.

I can't wait to see where Wilson takes her characters next, because there absolutely NEEDS to be a follow up!

This book is based in a Scottish Prison & follows Kennedy who is an intelligence officer & Adrian who is a prisoner.

Kennedy is stabbed in a supermarket and she knows it’s linked to the prison so when she’s well enough to return to work she investigates why she is in danger.
Kennedy also falls for a prison officer called Molly so the story follows their story too.

I really enjoyed this book.
I couldn’t put it down, each chapter left me wanting more.
The ending has been left open for a sequel and I have so many questions left unanswered so I’m hoping one is in the pipeline!

I give this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to Netgalley & Penguin Random House for the ARC of this book.

Five by Five is written from the perspective of Kennedy Allardyce, an Intelligence Analyst within the Scottish Prison service. This was interesting read, especially as a Scottish person. I enjoyed reading it but the ending fell flat for me. I would have liked it wrapped up a little better, but I feel that a sequel may follow to further the storyline.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Intrigue in prison, prisoners against officer's, snuggling in drugs, gang loyalty and riots.
All part of the daily life behind bars. The intelligence unit staff are to unmask and stop incidents happening but when Kennedy is attacked in the local supermarket and given a chilling message can she unmask the mysterious Scout?
Enjoy the tangled web of deceits and betrayals on many levels.

This is a debut novel set in a Scottish prison that wasn’t a bad read but it did take a bit of getting into. I did quite like the idea of the book where the main character Kennedy Allardyce is an intelligence officer I thought that was something a bit different and gave the story a bit of an edge. For a debut author I found the book an ok read but sadly I was disappointed with the ending which felt a bit rushed but I am looking forward to reading more from the author in the future.
My thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This prison-set thriller is full of intrigue and many moving parts to keep track of. I really enjoyed Kennedy Allardyce and her unique perspective as someone policing the prison system. This was a solid debut from a new voice to keep an eye on.

Five by Five is based in a Scottish prison and follows Kennedy Allardyce in her role as an intelligence officer. Kennedy is stabbed in a supermarket and knows it's linked to the prison but has to figure out how whilst also falling for a prison officer called Molly. The premise of this book really intrigued me and I enjoyed the insight into the prison system and the colourful Scottish dialect. It didn't keep me as hooked as I would expect from this style of book and the ending was quite abrupt and didn't tie up all the loose ends so I'd be interested to see if this becomes a series.