‘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 women’s side is a mystery to him, with the unspoken rules that he doesn’t know 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 women’s 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.
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