The story is based around Kennedy Allardyce, who works as an intelligence analyst in a prison in Scotland. As well as keeping her eye on the prisoners, she’s also keeping an eye on the staff. There are rumours of a corrupt and very dangerous guard working in the prison, but it appears that they might have already realised that Kennedy is on to then. Add to this Kennedy starting to fall for a woman who may not be all she seems. A very good debut novel from this author, and I look forward to reading more of her books. Thank you to NetGalley, Michael Joseph, and Penguin Random House for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

When a novel is billed as being anything like Line of Duty I'm in, and Five by Five piqued my interest even further because it's set in a Scottish prison. Kennedy Allardyce works at HMP Forth Valley as an Intelligence Analyst. This means she monitors not only the prisoners for dodgy activities, but also the prison officers. Unfortunately, in the course of her work she has made a dangerous enemy of someone nicknamed Scout and she's also falling for the beautiful but inscrutable officer Molly. Kennedy doesn't know who she can trust. I found Five by Five to be thoroughly gripping throughout. It was refreshing to read a crime thriller based in a prison and from the view of somebody whose role it is to try and prevent corruption - Kennedy may be fighting a losing battle there but she does her best. I thought the tug-of-war between her feelings for Molly and her growing distrust of her came across really well. Some of the prison scenes genuinely chilled me to the bone. They felt authentic, as did all of prison life, both for those incarcerated and those working there. The plot is incredibly tense and fast-paced and I flew through the whole book. I did feel a bit let down by the ending though. I'm hoping there's a sequel on the way but even so, I do think the finale was too abrupt and open-ended, and I found it confusing as I don't know if I'd missed something or if it just wasn't there. Other than that, I thought this was a fantastic debut and I'll definitely read another book by Claire Wilson (sequel or not).

I've always been intrigued by the criminal justice system and what life is like behind bars. I think it was my early viewing of programmes like Behind These Walls, Prisoner /cell Block H, and Bad Girls that piqued my interest. I knew these TV shows were made up, but were they an honest reality of what happened inside those walls? I don't think so. So when I saw this book was about an Intelligence Analyst, I had to request a copy. Kennedy Allardyce's job as an Intelligence Analyst does not just monitor the inmates in a Scottish Prison, she also monitors the staff, looking for any corrupt officers. The suspense builds throughout. The characters are strong and well-developed. But has Kennedy picked the right woman to fall in love with? We get an insight into what can happen inside the walls of any prison in the country. This is an uncorrected proof copy of the story so yes, there are some mistakes, but hopefully, they will be sorted out in the finished edition. This is the first book of a new series, so the ending is a bit of a cliffhanger. A great debut novel by the author, and I hope to read more from this series soon. Published 29th August I would like to thank #NetGalley #PenguinMichaelJoseph and the author #ClaireWilson for my ARC of #FiveByFive in exchange for an honest review.

This is a cracking & feisty debut. Intelligence Officer Kennedy Allardyce works in a male prison & has just returned to work following a brutal attack (whilst shopping not at work). Immediately, she is tasked with watching someone in the prison who is making inmate life difficult & for her too. Told in alternating chapters from Kennedy & a prisoner’s POV, there are no holds barred & some of the descriptions of prison life are brutal. The Prison Intelligence Service is laid bare in its workings, as is Kennedy’s life - warts & all. A cliffhanger ending & I can’t wait to see what happens next.

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.