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.

Kennedy’s role in HMP Forth Valley, a high security male prison, is to collate and analyse information to prevent further crimes. When she finds herself attracted to another prison officer her job becomes more complicated as she believes there is a corrupt officer inside the prison.

Five By Five by Claire Wilson is a brutal look at life inside a male prison, for both the prisoners and the staff. Unfortunately, this wasn’t for me. I didn’t like the style and found that it jumped around a lot with difficult to follow conversations. There were far too many characters, and nicknames, to keep track of easily. I couldn’t connect with the lead character, Kennedy, as she dithered too much.

The ending seemed to just fizzle out, leaving threads dangling. The book does paint a bleak picture of what it is like to work in the prison service, so much so that it could put people off working for them.

This isn't my usual sort of book, but I was intrigued by the blurb and was pleasantly surprised by how good the story was. Having worked in the UK Prison Service, the entire vibe was spot on, and the accuracy of little details made everything much more real for me.

'Real' characters, an engaging scenario and written in a tense style that kept me gripped. Very impressed, thankyou!

A crime mystery set within a prison. I liked the premise of the novel but the narrative and language were difficult for me to enjoy.

Kennedy works for a Scottish prison and monitors prisoners and the staff for corruption.
It has all the in depth workings of a prison but I thought it was a bit long winded for me and I found Kennedy unlikeable and self-centred.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review.

I really enjoyed this gritty crime thriller. It was told from the perspective of Kennedy who works as an intelligence analyst within a prison, which sounds like an interesting job! I enjoyed trying to figure out who scout was alongside the characters in the book and found that I couldn’t stop reading.

This is an excellent debut novel from the author and I do hope there is a follow up. Set in a Scottish prison, it packs a punch with it's descriptions of the inmates and the prison. The tension just oozes out from the pages, there are plenty interesting characters and it is full of atmosphere. A very good thriller which I would recommend. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

This was a really impressive novel from a fellow Scot (not that I am biased) and I really enjoyed this. Definitely an author that I will keep an eye out for

The premise of this book was so good but for me it wasn’t a great read. I’m sorry but it wasn’t exciting, Kennedy was a wet flannel and the ending leaves a cliffhanger just as the story finally goes somewhere. I don’t care enough to read the next instalment.
Thank you NetGalley & Claire Wilson for an advanced copy.

This one I had high hopes for! I felt like there were too many characters introduced so I kept feeling confused along the way.

I was frustrated by the lack of answers at the end but it makes me want book 2!

"Five by Five" by Claire Wilson is a prison-themed literature set in Scotland. The story started off strong with its original and atmospheric plot, drawing me in. However, as I read further, the pace slowed down, and the second half began to feel repetitive and somewhat predictable.
The characters in the book were a bit challenging to connect with, and I struggled to empathize with them. Their decisions often appeared questionable and didn't always align with their established traits. Kennedy, the protagonist, was a bit hard to get behind - her motivations and actions seemed to be driven by her desire to climb the career ladder, rather than a sense of justice or compassion.
I did appreciate the unique setting of the prison, which added a layer of tension and unease to the story. The author's attention to detail in describing the daily life of the prisoners and guards was impressive. The romance between Kennedy and Molly added an interesting layer to the story, but I couldn't shake the feeling that it was forced or artificial.
The biggest disappointment for me was the ending. It felt like the story was building up to a thrilling conclusion, but instead, it ended on a cliffhanger, leaving me with more questions than answers. I'm not sure if this is intended to be a series starter or not, but as a standalone novel, I felt like I was left hanging.
Overall, "Five by Five" had some strong elements, but it didn't quite live up to my expectations. If you're a fan of prison-themed literature or crime thrillers, you might enjoy this book. However, if you're looking for a well-rounded story with complex characters and a satisfying conclusion, you might want to look elsewhere.

I really enjoyed this story, particularly as a fellow scot, I loved the banter throughout. This was a really original story and I found myself racing g through. Highly recommended for fans of police proceedings and prison thrillers.