Jim Dalton is a prison warder and has pretty much seen it all in his time. We are taken through the daily routines and the type of things that can and do happen. Ross did this job and I admire him very much for putting this on paper and for being a prison warden, not an easy job for anyone from the sounds of things. Very much the unsung heroes. Although fiction there is much based on fact and the authenticity of the daily routines. I found this fascinating and very interesting. I’ve been in a prison - for professional reasons I hasten to add (!!) and this puts the whole thing in perspective which I feel would work for anyone. There's the gritty realness of the twilight alternative world that is jail. Jim normally works on the men's side which is where things kick off more regularly than the womens but as a relative is in there he is transferred to the women’s side for a while. He has his own problems at home. His wife doesnt work- she looks after the two children and money is tight. Jim works and in a way resents her being able to stay at home all day, whilst his wife feels that she is in a prison of her own and wants to split. Meanwhile Jim is learning how different things are in the female side of the prison- the psychology is a completely different ball game.
A very interesting read which I loved and one to make you take a step back, take a breath and perhaps ponder. A tale of human emotions and how things may turn very quickly by your own hand. Of losing control and trying to put the world to rights in more than one way. A brilliant, well constructed very different read. Loved it.
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I was quite intrigued by this book as I am from the area and the author has got Peterborough and suburbs correct, also I know a few prison officers so have a good idea as to what goes on inside. Dalton the character in the books has fallen foul of one of the cons that females try to get away with if they can, all sorts of things prisoners get up to and officers have to always try to be one step ahead. Some of the females are regulars but some are there because of failures of society and how they have been bought up and not cared for properly usually from a young age so officers can see how and why they flaunt their bodies if they can get away with it usually not but a nice try. On the male side the mind boggles at what they try to come up with and of course getting something that can be uses as collateral and drugs do somehow get into these institutions. A good read different to what I usually read informative worth checking out.

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!

I have been a fan of Ross’s work for a while now. When I pick up one of his books, I know I am in for one hell of a read. Anybody who knows me, knows that I absolutely love anything to do with true crime and I have a bizarre fascination with prisons. So I think you may well appreciate why the synopsis of ‘Prisoner’ screamed ‘read me’ at me. I couldn’t wait to start reading and so I dived straight in. Oh boy, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Prisoner’ but more about that in a bit.
I was drawn into ‘Prisoner’ from the very start and I just couldn’t put the book down at all. My Kindle wasn’t exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. I couldn’t bear to miss a single second of the story. I simply had to know how the story panned out. The pages turned increasingly quickly as my desperation to find out what happened steadily grew and grew. All too quickly I reached the end of the story and I could finally ‘escape’ the prison. I found ‘Prisoner’ to be a gripping read, which kept me guessing and which kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.
‘Prisoner’ is superbly written but then I think that to be true of all of Ross’s boos that I have had the pleasure of reading and reviewing. Ross certainly knows how to grab your attention and draw you into one hell of a story. The fact that Ross is a former prison officer himself, makes the story seem even more authentic that it might have done. I found this book to quite educational in the sense that I learnt a lot about prisons and procedures. For me, this story hit the ground running and maintained a fairly fast pace throughout. Reading ‘Prisoner’ felt like being on a scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with several twists and turns along the way.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Prisoner’ even if it did scare the doo doo out of me at times. I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. I still have the fascination with prisons and after reading ‘Prisoner’ that fascination has only grown. I will certainly be reading more of Ross’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

Though the story was fictional, I felt like this was a really good hybrid between fiction and non-fiction as the descriptions of prison life, prison officer duties and so on, were so detailed, it felt very authentic. Therefore, I felt I learnt a lot from thsi book. I definitely feel like the level of detail was appropriate and something that gave the book a different, more realistic feel.

I liked the way he presented the characters he encountered within the prison system, and I liked the way that he slowly showed a sympathetic stance towards them, as he learns more about their struggles and difficulties, both in and outside of prison. However, he also learns some hard lessons to not underestimate women!

We got a glimpse into Jim’s home life and I think that was really important to build a sense of his character and his dedication to the job. He goes on a journey where he learns so much about the people who end up in prison and I think this a really important story to tell.

Overall, this has been an intriguing and eye-opening book, that is different to anything I’ve read before, but I’d definitely recommend to fans of true crime and memoir.

Prisoner by Ross Greenwood a book that is quite different to his usual thrillers that I have read. This one is a clever blend of fact and fiction as Ross has used his personal experience of working within the prison system as well. The result is a compelling story that revolves around Jim Dalton a Prison Officer in H.M.P Peterborough. A well respected man who has worked many years on the male side of the prison. When a relative is placed on remand in his prison he is transferred to the female side to avoid any conflicts of interest or (as the prison see it) possible favouritism. The womens side is a mystery to him, with the unspoken rules that he doesn't have knowledge of place him in danger of falling foul of them.
So different than anything I have read previously this was a fascinating view of prison life, behind the bars and of working in it. Really gritty and it was so real. The levels of detail contributed to the real feeling, it could almost have been a non- fiction book it was that detailed. What else can you expect when the author has partly written from his own work experience.
We see Jim at times being naive as can be, he has trouble in his personal life and working the womens side doesn't improve it. I do feel at times he was just being a man. As the story progressed we do see his character move forward within the plot.
A story that was perfectly paced, any faster and I think I would have missed details. This would have impacted on my understanding of the situations and also the consequences of decisions made throughout.
This just shows that although all Prison Officers work in the same prison there are various differences between female and male sides and the downfalls of not working the right way for the individual side or prisoner.
I was intrigued all the way through. I enjoyed learning about all the intricacies of day to day life in prisons. This is all fascinating to me as I do have a friend who has worked at H.M.P Manchester (Strangeways to me) for decades now in different capacities and I know how hard he finds it at times too.
A fabulous, educational and immersive tale of prison life that shines a light on the work of the prison service and the dedicated men and women who work there.
Thank you to Rachel's Random Resources, Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the copy of the book.

The setting is HMP Peterborough and we first meet Jim Dalton on a typical day at work as a prison officer on the male block, a twelve hour shift dealing with 79 prisoners, some large and extremely violent, with just one raw recruit to help him. Not a job I would do for any money! On the way out he spies his brother in law on the rehab wing and is duty bound to report the existence of a family member, so Jim finds himself moved to female block for the time being. It's easier work, less stress and less chance of dying. However he soon receives some other warnings. The prisoners will still try to exploit him, only in different ways. What happens next is horribly predictable. How it ends is most definitely not.
The start is slowish. Apart from a brief fight, the first quarter of the book is spent introducing some of the guards he works with and some prisoners he meets, including three young women nicknamed Broken, Damage and Ruined which speaks volumes about the kind of histories that a lot of female prisoners have before they have even committed a crime. We also get glimpses of Jim's past and his crumbling home life. The overall story is mainly a slow burn too, but I really wanted to know what was about to happen next so it still kept me glued to the book and the author’s style makes for an easy read. I felt sorry for Jim, with two young kids and a wife who sounded a bit of a pain, doing a stressful job that means watching your back every second of the shift and which many people don’t last long in, one way or another.
It is an interesting insight into a world most of us would not want to inhabit on either side of the bars, and is a kind of day-in-the-life-of and a thriller story mixed together. It is quite different from the detective stories I am used to from this author, both in terns of content and pace. Instead it shows the author’s real life experience used as a basis for a shocking and sometimes heart-wrenching story that demonstrated a great understanding of both the problems in the prison system and the problems that exist within the prisoners themselves. The ending was eminently satisfying, particularly as all the characters' stories were very nicely tied up and explained, so the reader wasn’t left wondering what happened to any of them.

Games People Play by Owen Mullen is an excellent thriller. The writing is really great. This was a bit of a slow burn in the beginning, but the payoff is well worth it.

I really enjoy Charlie. He is a relatable and endearing character that made this novel interesting to read through. It was interesting to watch how he works through the roadblock he hits. He also has quite a bit of baggage in his past and he needs to work through. His character arc made this story intriguing.

The execution of this novel is really well down. I think this thriller was excellent with great characters. Don’t miss this one.

*I received a free copy of this book from Rachel’s Random Resources to review honestly on the blog tour. All opinions are my own and unbiased.*

I was captivated by this story!

At the beginning I was very focused on the introduction of many characters (as you would expect in a book about prison) and some of the British terms that were used. But once I made it past those two things, I did not want to put this book down!

The characters were so realistic. Once the story shifts to the female ward, there is great insight and empathy in the stories of the girls. It’s just heartbreaking.

The events that transpire made me crazy mad! And without trying to leave any spoilers, my one gripe about this book is the person who did the most offensive action, basically gets off scot-free. I didn’t like that part, at all! I could think of a couple of different endings I would have liked better for that particular character. But the story was interesting and quickly moved along, no slow spots. I highly recommend this great read! I don’t think I’ve ever read anything quite like it.

Jim Dalton has been a prison officer for years. He is respected by both inmates & co-workers. Although the underlying threat of violence is always there, it is something he is familiar with & has got used to. His wife is unhappy with the long hours he works, even though they need the money. Their young son has his problems & often Jim is the only one who can comfort him. His wife decides to go & stay with her parents in Spain. When a relative is put in his wing he is temporarily moved to the women's section. At first he can't believe how easy everything seems. For the first time for years he is not completely wrung out when he comes home. However dealing with the young women in the Young Offenders section is a world away from what he is used to & he begins to wonder if he wasn't better in the men's side.

I really enjoyed this book. Ross Greenwood takes the reader into a world that few people know much about (or would want to!) His descriptions of both parts of the prison are hard hitting. The way the environment impacts on the staff makes you realise what a dreadfully difficult it must be. Jim Dalton comes across as a really nice man- even if at times you just want to shake some sense into him!

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher & the TBC Reviewers group for letting me read & review this book. It's one I won't forget in a hurry.

Prison Officer Jim Dalton is married, has young children and kind of hates his life. Nothing ever changes, the wife continues nagging and she doesn't seem to understand exactly what his job entails.

Every day he faces some of the most violent criminals, but he's understood to be a stand-up guy and the prisoners' for the most part give him a lot of respect.

When Dalton's brother in law winds up in the same prison, Dalton is transferred to the young offenders female side of the prison. A whole new set of rules, he finds finds new temptations, new traps ... and a new nightmare.

As the author once spent 4 years as prison officer, I expected a certain amount of credibility .. and I was not disappointed. This novel was inspired by the true stories of a male prison officer in a women's prison.

This is an action-packed thriller, a real page turner filled with gritty violence and rising tensions. It focuses, not only on the prison officers, but of the criminals who are housed there. There is a level of suspense, of not knowing what to expect next, especially as the job creeps not so silently into his private life... leading to an unexpected conclusion.

Many thanks to the author / Boldwood Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

A brilliant read On the surface the story of a prison officer. The story of prisoners and those in charge of them. But who are the real prisoners. Are we all prisoners to a greater or lesser degree. The book explores the many facets and meanings around the word prisoner.

The Prisoner is a change of direction for Ross Greenwood from his deservedly popular D.I. Barton series and draws from his personal experience as a prison officer.

Jim Dalton is a respected officer in HMP Peterborough where he's spent years dealing with often dangerous individuals and volatile situations on the male side of the prison. After a relative is put on remand he's temporarily transferred to the women's side to avoid a conflict of interest or any kind of favouritism as per prison rules.
Dalton discovers that far from the easy life he's expecting there are hazards and pitfalls of a different nature with feisty female inmates under his charge,not least for a man with marital problems.

As well as a great story the book is an inside look into prison life,not least the kind of women who mostly find themselves in custody,who are very often society's victims. Dalton is guilty of preconceptions that are often overturned when he finds the whole story behind their incarceration which is a good lesson for the reader as well. Not only is life in prison for the prisoners detailed but that of those who work in them as well with the pressures and traumas of a badly paid and thankless job. that I suspect will be an eye-opener for many. Through his characters Ross Greenwood gives a great insight into our penal system and those on both sides of it with empathy and compassion.

While I love the D.I. Barton books this is a step up for Ross Greenwood and should appeal to a wider audience,while there is violence and crime it's not yet another police procedural. The book is about people as much as events and there are some wonderful,not so wonderful but all highly believable characters.
The first couple of chapters caught me out a bit as it's a change of style for Ross Greenwood with domestic drudgery and the monotony of a dead marriage playing a large part of the story,it's slower and more literary than the Barton novels, but it pretty soon hooked me.
A bit of a slow burn but a realistic depiction of a flawed man in an institution full of flawed people and situations that hardly show him a good light. The prison is almost a character in it's own right, a touch of Gormenghast there. Great stuff.

I have read many accounts of prison officers and prisoners through books and a lot of them seemed far fetched and tended to big themselves up, but this one I really enjoyed, it was believable and compelling.
Some of it was actual and some fiction but each blended in well.

Jim Dalton is a fair and respected officer in a prison in Peterborough. After being on the men's side for a long time which at times was violent and full of testosterone. His brother in law is admitted awaiting trial. It is not acceptable for a prison officer to work in the same wing as a family member so he is transferred to the young offender's women side which is much more feminine but still with danger. Outside, his marriage to Abi has hit the rocks but inside he is professional and likeable.

We learn daily routines inside prison life and characters that would make us cross the streets if we met them outside. There is danger around every corner on both male and female sides and Jim comes across many, some he doesn't realise are happening until it's too late.

I felt the writer knew exactly what he was talking about which made it interestingly believable and an education on some of the goings-on inside prison walls

The book had me on the edge of my seat at times with the violence and deviousness of some of the prisoners.
It was a well-written book which I really enjoyed and kept me wanting to read to see what the next chapter held.
Thank you, NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this excellent book.

I found the character of Jim very easily led by the females in his life - working in the male side of the prison, he was fine - but the woman's side is where things started to unravel. I got really annoyed with his wife and how she acted with him - she seemed to moan that they didn't have enough money - whilst not working herself- whilst also moaning that he was working all the time to make money! I found her quite irritating, if I am being perfectly honest. I preferred reading about the times he was at work than when he was at home.

His friendships with his fellow prison officers were lovely to see and I loved that he became good friends with some of his neighbours too. I also loved seeing how he interacted with the prisoners and how the men's and the women's prisons differ. Some of the female prisoners were really intriguing and I loved finding out more about them, especially Tara.

I had never read anything by this author before and I can't wait to read more from him if they are all as good as this one.

Great read and was a eye opener to prison life on both sides the prison officers and the inmates . A well written and thought provoking read.

DNF at 25% the writing style was not for me and there was too much detail for the casual reader of procedures etc,had this been a memoir I think I would have felt different,nothing terrible about it just wasn’t for me

As a big fan of this author I was excited to read this, it didn't disappoint. Was very different to his previous books, this was an interesting and absorbing read, which felt very real, he's used his previous job to draw attention to side of prison I hope never to see. An emotional fantastic page turner.

This was very warped and we'll written. I normally am a huge fan of the warped style but this fell a bit short for me.

Don't get me wrong the writing was great as was the story but I found myself less interested in the characters than I normally am.

I wonder if it was just the setting it was in that had me off. I so believe it was a good book just really not for me

A brilliant, authentic book about a rarely discussed environment. Having worked briefly in a prison I can confirm the accuracy of every aspect of this book.
A well written, absorbing and thought provoking read