This was an original and interesting story.
Drawing from his own experiences as a Prison Officer, the author has drawn a very believable account of Jim's experiences at HMP Peterborough. A bit of a slow burn to start, but soon you are drawn in and don't want to put it down.

I have read quite a few of this authors crime thriller books, his latest release Prisoner is very different to what I have read in the past. Ross uses his working experience in the Prison Service as inspiration and it shows in the writing.

A blend of fact and fiction as the author writes a very compelling story around Prison Officer Jim Dalton. A man who has respect on the male side of the prison from both fellow officers and also inmates. He comes across as a fair person, but one who is struggling in his home life. The stress of the job is telling and his marriage is rocky.


A move from the male wing to the female wing for a short period gives him a reprieve as such. The stress is less and the work more manageable. There are however a different set of unspoken rules for working in the female wing, unfortunately, Jim is a little slow to heed the warnings and see the signs.

I loved the way the author created an understated thriller like this one. There is a good amount of intrigue and suspense and there is a tense vibe and atmosphere to it. The author has created some great characters and making them so believable. Having the experience of working in a prison has definitely added a wonderful balance to the story as he gives a more balanced outlook. Describing the ways in which the psychology of a male or female wing differs.

How the characters of Jim deals with the changes in his role gives a really good insight and shows how easy it is to get caught up in simple things and to fall prey to a lie. While it is obvious that this is an environment where lies and deceit are going to be part of the norm, the author takes a little bit further.

This is such a clever story and one that I adored. There are some very hard to read parts of the story, again adding credibility to an at times harrowing read. It shows the good and the bad as well as the grey areas. If you like prison-based stories then this is one for you. It is a story that sort includes many genres from the obvious crime to the thriller, suspense and also partly psychological. It is a book that I do think will appeal to a great variety of readers. Tense, gritty, absorbing and definitely recommended.

It also includes a very insightful author note as the end.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this interesting book

dalton and fats are two prison officers that are big in stature and big on anti corruption, they both like working together as if anything kicks off on their side of the prison those two can handle it, they are both big men that the prisoners respect as know they are going to be dealt with fairly

when daltons brother in law is put inside awaiting his trial, dalton gets moved over to the womens side of the prison and thats where the problems start

seen as a cushy number by most of the prison officer, its not long before dalton starts seeing the prisoners as actual victims rather than perps and lines get crossed......

i thoroughly enjoyed this book, from its first exciting chapter where dalton is dying from a stab wound right to the end where we find out what actually has led up to the attack and i have to say it kept me on the edge of my seat...and the contrast between the mens side and the womens side was very interesting to see...

cant wait to read more from this author

When I read the description of the book "A shocking thriller inspired by the true stories of a male prison officer in a women’s prison" I was totally intrigued to read something written from a prison officers perspective especially a male working in a female prison. I really enjoyed this booked and it is unlike anything I have read previously.

Jim Dalton is a very much respected and experienced officer who is transferred from the violent world of the mens prisoner into the female wing due to staffing issues. For him this is like nothing he has known before. He has gone from watching his back at every turn expecting trouble to kick off at any moment into a world where a lot of the female prisoners have been to a degree let down by the system and are just trying to survive. On top of this Jim has various issues going on at home, and his family life is very unsettled due to him being so good and dedicated to his job, his wife leaves and takes the children with her and Jim's judgement before clouded.

To say how sound and clear headed he was with the male prisoners it is amazing how, much his personality changed when dealing with the women and how much they managed to manipulate him to do there bidding, the female species is more deadly than the male in a lot of ways!

A must read for any fans of Ross Greenwood or the prison service in general.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Expected publication date 22nd April 2021.

I've long been a fan of Ross Greenwood's work. It's always a bit edgy and I always feel he has something to say. Prisoner is a hard hitting, fascinating 'fly on the wall' expose of life in prison for the prisoners and the staff. It has the air of authenticity that can only be present because of Greenwood's own experience as a prison guard. It is full of dilemmas, moral decisions, judgements, failures and frailty and it is this that makes it such a brilliant read.
At times I found myself almost yelling at the main character, prison guard, Jim Dalton as he wends his way down a morally ambiguous path.
The reek of testosterone that dominated the male prison, lending it a dangerous, edge of your seat sort of expectancy is markedly different from the women's side of the prison. Here, the mindset is different, but the possible outcomes are equally as devastating.
This is a tense, honest and sometimes uncomfortable read ... but it's one of those reads I'll be recommending to everyone who will listen for a long time to come.

I was excited to read this book, I don't know why but I have found I really enjoy prison books and found Prisoner to be fascinating, disturbing and uplifting in equal measure.

Main character, prison officer Jim Dalton, is a hugely believable character. He felt really quite real to me, which I guess is in part owing to the author's own experiences of working in a prison.

I can't imagine doing a job like that, I know I would be terrified! I also can't imagine being a prisoner, again I would simply be terrified. There have been so many films and books that detail how unsafe prisoners are and - although I hope the reality is different - I guess there must be an element of truth. 

I couldn't help but feel incredibly disappointed by Jim at some points. For me this is only possible because he seemed so real and I therefore had an expectation of a standard of behaviour from him. Superb writing from Ross Greenwood made this possible.

In fact all of the characters, from Jim himself, to his wife, the other prison guards and also the prisoners themselves, all felt tangibly real... The vulnerability of a cross section of society was humbling and the ease of which some people found themselves in prison - mostly it seemed this was virtually predetermined by their childhood family circumstances. 

I also found it fascinating how different the two sides (male/female) of the prison were and I wonder how typical this is across all prisons. I wonder if having solely male/female staff on the relevant sides would make a difference. 

Overall I felt this was a hugely enjoyable book and also one that made me think. The sort of book that leaves you wondering what happens next for some of the key characters.

I was very interested in reading this book having worked in a prison. I enjoyed it ,
It truthfully portrayed the gritty daily routine that happens on the wings , and the humour that officers have between themselves and their captive audiences.
Life in prison is not pleasant so of course at times the story is not also ,drugs , fights and attacks are daily occurrences.
All in all a good read .

This book is a bit different. I'm actually not entirely sure what I expected it to be like, but I liked that it was not as predictable as it could have been. The characters felt so real and alive, and I can believe all of these people to be real, even though that they are creations of the author's mind.

I really felt for the main character and the struggles he went through in his life. His job at the prison is not an easy one, and I am sure it takes it's toll. The descriptions of differences between male and female prisoners are informative and thought provoking. It must be hard to stay fully neutral, and I find it impossible for anyone not to be moved by some of the background stories of the prisoners.

Prison guards are just humans, they have a life of their own, and a tough job to do. Respect to anyone who is up for the job! Even during the darkest parts of the book I found hope. In the end it was a fairly easy and quick read, even though it was quite gloomy and depressive at times. 3,5 stars

I had such a hard time reading this one! I thought it was very sleepy and very dragging. There wad way to much detail on the story and I kept losing interest.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

Having read the authors DI Barton series I was pleased to be approved for this book and had high hopes as I began reading. I wasn’t at all disappointed, I thought this book was a cracker of a read, it started off well and got better the further I read. I think the author has created a very likeable yet very flawed lead character in Jim Dalton and has realistically portrayed Jim’s work, personal and home life from his own experiences. When Jim moves to the female wing in the Prison his troubles really begin and here I found parts of the story were so very sad, moving, and poignant to read. I loved that the book moved from past to present so effortlessly and enjoyed reading the small snippets about Jim’s younger life, and his working relationships with his colleagues. Overall, this was a well written book which held my attention all the way through and one I would recommend.

OMG I actually don't know where to start with this book! It sooooo good.

So I am a massive fan of the author's DI Barton series.Since I heard that Ross was bringing a standalone prison book out I have been dying to get my hands on it. There I was thinking the Barton series was his best work to date…..my god this story has blown my mind!

I have to say I went into this without reading the blurb the cover and title had read me written all over it. I have a slight fascination about books, movies or TV shows that are based around prison life.

Ross uses his own experiences, working as a prisoner officer in this harrowing, captivating story.

The Prisoner is told from Jim Dalton’s POV that alternates between now and then. Following him on a rollercoaster ride with his job and the effects it has on his personal life. Jim is a character that has a heart but is broken by his home life. The more I read the more I felt sorry for him.

It starts off as a slow burner but once it got going I was totally mesmerised. Then the story takes a turn that I wasn't expecting and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to find out what was going to happen next.

This is a gripping and gritty read and totally different in comparison to the Barton series. There are some sensitive and emotional subject matters throughout the story when we learn about the prisoners past and how they ended up in prison. Which totally captivated me in a strange kind of way. Some readers might find it very disturbing. It is a very deep and emotional read and at times I forgot to breathe.

I love how Ross always adds humour into his writing which pulls you out of the spell you're under. The Prisoner is a well crafted and extremely well written read. Which Gangland fans will enjoy.

This book is an absolute winner and I cannot recommend it enough.

I was really interested in reading this book, as I have worked over 21 years in Federal Prisons in the United States. It's intriguing to see the experiences through someone else's eyes. This book, in particular, had the ability to make me feel a range of emotions, ranging from disgust to sorrow. It's been a week now since I finished it, and I still am unsure of how to rate it. But I guess that's the mark of a good read, it makes you think.
The main character is a prison guard in a men's prison in the UK. At the time of the story, he had been there about five years, and was thought of as one of the veterans, and a good officer. He seemed to fit in well, had a certain rapport with the male inmates, and seemed to have his head on straight. As is the case with many prison workers, the job messed with his home life. I have seen this more times than I can count.
Unfortunately, he is transferred to the female prison for reasons out of his control. Once there, his life begins a horrible slide. Instead of maintaining his professionalism and doing what he knows is right, he "catches the feels". He starts to sympathize with the female inmates, to the point of doing really stupid things. I.E., bringing in contraband and having physical contact with the women. At this point, I was shouting at him in my own mind! Feelings of disappointment, knowing where he was headed before even he did, and then outright revulsion and disgust.
As a prison guard, the most important lesson you learn is to treat all inmates with the mantra, "Fair, Firm, and Consistent". This was my guiding principle throughout my career. If you treat EVERY INMATE with these principles, no one is favored, no one is abused, and the inmates grow to know what to expect from you in every situation. If you would never consider bringing in hand lotion for a male inmate, why on earth would you do it for a female inmate? If you would never let a male inmate hug you, why on earth would you let a female inmate do it? You know that, at that point, you have lost impartialness, and can expect to be set up to be blackmailed, or worse.
As I expected, the main character ends up in a sexual relationship with a female inmate. Stupid, stupid, stupid! He let his fellow coworkers down, let his family down, and let himself down. Honestly, at this point I wish he would have done the honorable thing and confessed. One lie leads to another, to another, and so on.
But he doesn't. And it gets worse. Much worse.
I don't want to spoil the ending for anyone, so I won't tell what happens.
BUT...I have had the misfortune of having worked with several "dirty" staff in my career. In a perfect world, I would have sympathy for them, but here in the real world, I look upon them as lower than the low. Their actions could have cost innocent people their lives. There is no excuse.
Not to spoil things, but I do wish the ending would have been different. He really should have reaped what he had sown.
This is an interesting and good read. It brought back a lot of memories, good and bad. It makes me thankful for what I accomplished, and for what I have. It would be a good book for people beginning a career in corrections to read. And hopefully learn from.

That was unlike anything I have read before, it was incredibly gritty, and very real feeling, and utterly fascinating.

I've read a few books that feature prison in them which is why this appealed to me, but this is the first time I've ever read in so much detail about the inner workings of a prison. In some respects this felt more like non fiction than fiction, such was the level of detail, most likely due to the author's own experiences in the role.

But yet it is fiction, and Jim Dalton is on some levels a complex character, on others I could sum up his actions as him being just a typical man!

At places I found the whole book rather a slow burner, which normally would bother me a bit, but I was very interested in every word in the book, and all the bits my brain was saying felt slow, was in fact vital background to make you understand the real action bits and the consequences of some of the decisions made that little bit more.

But equally there were sections that I found I was racing through, unable to blink even as I needed to know what would happen next.

For being a prison officer feels as though you are working in a completely different world and it was so intriguing to see the various differences between the male and female sides to the prison and how the officers work on both sides, with the nature of the roles.

It really was a compelling book to read, and I was shouting at Jim Dalton not to do certain things, while at the same time was hooked on learning the background to some of the prisoners and also just how the various officers interacted.

And Jim Dalton's personal life feels like a bit of a train wreck too, so was very happy to see some character development and growth over the course of the book.

I'm very glad I had the opportunity to read this eye-opening book.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Fancied something a little different than what I normally read, so decided to give this one a try.
The blurb, was perhaps just a little two revealing, while I couldn’t quite get into it right away, but decided to stay with it.
If I am honest, I found it more interesting than, let’s say enjoyable, as it could well have been a true story about prison life and due to the blurb, you always had an idea as to what was going to happen with the main character.
I can’t say that I have read worse books, as if I don’t get into a book within the first few pages then that’s it, so this one must have had something to ensure I stayed with it to the end.

This author is new to me. But im glad i had the chance to read this. I loved it.. L
Will be looking for more from this author. Great writing and a great story,

This was an interesting read about life in prison and I found parts of this story very informative but also very sad. .In regard to prison life there is a huge difference between the way that both male and female prisoners are housed and for the prisoner officers a marked difference in each environment that they deal with on a daily basis. My heart felt so much for the female characters we get to know throughout the book, they had me gunning for them that hopefully their futures may one day be brighter as they had suffered so much pain in their earlier lives..
I enjoyed following Jim and his family's journey and found myself quite caught up in their lives. This part of the story was also very emotional, it was easy to relate to both this couple's perspective on their lives and the hardships they were facing. I would like to thank Netgalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

Prisoner - Ross Greenwood

This is the first book I've read by Ross Greenwood, I was keen to read it, I like Prison stories and with a big buzz around his name for his previous books I had high expectations. I wasn't expecting a book like this but certainly wasn't disappointed.

It is very much an involved character story, Jim Dalton, Prison Officer, dad and husband.

To quote from the book:

"Behind those walls I'm Officer Dalton, a man worthy of respect. But out here I'm just Jim the dad and husband, with two young kids, a wobbly marriage, who's pushing forty with a lot to lose."

Both Jim's character and the life behind bars are very confidently and believably portrayed. I wasn't surprised to read in the author notes that the author has worked as a Prison Officer.

The Prison in the novel is HMP Peterborough, which houses male and female inmates. We spend time with Officer Dalton on the male wing, the female young offenders wing, and even the female lifers wing.

There is a real sensitivity to the writing, and the characters, whether Officers, inmates, family and friends have real depth and motivation.

At first I thought it was something of a slow burn, before happily joining Jim's journey, through the (occasional) highs and lows of an exhausting and tense work life, a family close to breaking up and the unpredictable and sometimes violent scenes within the prison. There is drama and tension, this is a rather unconventional book and one I thoroughly enjoyed.

Absorbing, emotionally involving and definitely recommended. This is a brave and highly original book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books.