Behind bars, the rules are different…

Prison Officer Jim Dalton is used to walking the landings on the male side of HMP Peterborough. It’s a dangerous place, fuelled by testosterone-driven violence, but he’s done the job for a long time. He understands the unwritten rules, and he has the prisoners’ respect. 

When a relative is sent to the jail, Dalton is transferred to the female side of the prison. His next shift is so easy, he can’t believe that the officers over there get paid the same wages. He sleeps well for the first time in years.

But when he is assigned to the young offenders’ wing, dealing with female prisoners no longer seems so simple.  As every day passes, and he gets to know the women better, he is slowly drawn in to new temptations, new traps and a new nightmare. One which could destroy everything.

Taking a break from his bestselling DI Barton series, Ross Greenwood returns with this shocking, page-turning and utterly compelling glimpse behind the bars of a women’s prison. From a man who walked the landings himself…

Purchase Link - https://amzn.to/3atxS2x

 My Review
Prisoner is a fascinating fictional novel inspired by real life events. It follows Officer Jim Dalton as he goes about his day-to-day job at a prison. He works the male side, dealing with aggressive criminals, dirty officers sneaking in contraband, and other such things. It's not a pretty picture. But when Officer Dalton's brother-in-law ends up in prison, Jim is moved to the women's prison for a few weeks so as not to have a conflict of interest. The women's side is much different from the men's side. It's more calm. More quiet. The women are much better behaved. Until one shocking event makes him realize it's just a different side of the same coin. And soon, Jim becomes the one thing he knows better than to be: a "dirty" officer bringing things to the prisoners. Eventually, things start spiraling out of control for Jim. Both at home and at work. What happens next? You'll have to read it and find out.
I found this book to be a fascinating behind the scenes look at what goes on in prisons. While it's not necessarily the same everywhere, I'm sure a lot of what happens is very similar. And even though this is fictional, it feels very real, almost like watching a documentary on TV. I enjoyed that aspect of the book.
I did find it a little slow at first, getting into it being a bit of a struggle. But once things were established and got going, I found myself immersed within the pages, curious to see just how bad things would get. I can't say I was disappointed.
If you're looking for a thriller with a real-life feel, definitely check out Prisoner.
4 stars! 

Author Bio:

Ross Greenwood is the author of six crime thrillers. Before becoming a full-time writer he was most recently a prison officer and so worked everyday with murderers, rapists and thieves for four years. He lives in Peterborough and his first title for Boldwood – the beginning of a series – The Snow Killer was published in November 2019.

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