*** Trigger Warning - child sexual abuse, domestic violence

We meet newly qualified Dr Rebecca Myers, 22 presenting for duty at one of Britain's most notorious prisons, HMP Graymore. This is her account of her time as a young professional working with some of the country's most vulnerable not to mention dangerous members of society,

I can't begin to imagine how daunting walking though those gates must have felt for a newly qualified young female Dr, walking into a male dominant workplace not to mention knowing that she would be working the sexual offender treatment program with serious offenders. Although to be fair I don't think it would have been much easier for a newly qualified male Dr.

Initially I found reading about these particular prisoners, (is that really the right work to use in this context?) and their crimes to be a bit of a hard read, I wasn't altogether sure that sex offenders should sit discussing their crimes in small groups of other sex offenders, I couldn't help thinking that some of them would be getting their rocks off at night in their cells reliving not only their own sick fantasies but also those of other offenders. I'm not naïve enough to think that this doesn't happen on the wing though.

It was interesting to read about Dr Myers own personal growth alongside the growth of some of the group of 6 offenders that she is working towards rehabilitation and a possible release from prison. I appreciated her honesty on both her own flaws and the flaws within the system, on the lack of funding or the lack of it in some cases.

It feels kind of wrong to say that I enjoyed this book but enjoy it I did, I read it in 2 sittings whilst unwell. Having worked within the NHS I find it interesting to learn about how people in different situations access services and being detained at Her Majesty's is certainly different.


Thanks to the author Dr Rebecca Myers, #Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, Nonfiction, HarperElement. All opinions are mine and mine alone.

A fascinating insight into the world of psychology and offending. A difficult read at times but very interesting and worthwhile.

Whilst this was at points hard to read because of the content and details about the offences that had been committed, I found it a really interesting insight into what goes into helping rehabilitate the offenders and prevent them from offending again. Also to hear the case studies and see how the guys mindsets were changing as the weeks go on was very interesting and shows that almost everyone is human deep down. It’s amazing that people try so hard to help these people to understand themselves and to be able to hopefully change in the future.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A very readable book which gives an insight into the work going on in British prisons to help sex offenders re-offending.

It's a hard read at times; Dr Myers doesn't avoid the dreadful crimes carried out by some of the prisoners with whom she works, but her references to these horrors is never gratuitous or overly detailed. To gain an understanding of the processes we must take on board the seriousness of the crimes and also get an inkling of the effect this knowledge has on the psychologists and prison staff at the sharp end.

Myers is clear and unflinching in her writing and the book led me to want to know more about psychology and treatment rather than the crimes committed. Inside Job probably isn't a book for the true crime fan, more likely those who want to know more about why people commit sex crimes and whether they can ever face up to themselves and the damage they have caused.

Informative and intelligent.

This book was a fresh take on real life storytelling and I enjoyed hearing the tales of prison life from the authors perspective.

Inside Job was a tough read. We follow the journey of Dr Myers from a psychology student fresh out of Uni, landing her job as a Trainee Psychologist at Graymoor Prison, housing the most notorious sex offenders and murderers in England. Dr Myers notes the misogynistic attitudes around her from her peers and the offenders - there is similarity in their mindsets where on one side an aggressor has allowed his thoughts to consume him and acted on the instinct, The female staff are few in numbers in the 90s and Dr Myers has her work cut out for her. Work, here, means, amongst the prejudices she can see, implementing a new treatment to stop sexual offenders from re-offending an attempt at rehabilitating prisoners willing to change.

I thought reading about the crimes themselves was going to be the most testing aspect of the book, but it got worse when you read the background on the prisoners themselves. I found it hard to humanise the prisoners which, for Dr Myers, was crucial if you want to protect the public from ever falling victim at the hands of these particular men. You need to humanise them for them to engage and realise where they went wrong. These criminals are isolated from society and communities so they need to be brought back in where they show a true intention to change, but even then the book still left a question mark on how I feel about them being reintroduced into society. Amidst the news that Zara Aleenas murderer was out on bail at the time of her attack, I found myself struggling to sympathise. A few backstories did make me choke up with emotion perhaps disgust and shock and I am not sure where I ended with this other than it was a well written account, and showing a different perspective to what is the norm. If you can stomach true crime then this is recommended. I have not read up on psychology but I found this interesting and gripping, especially the discussion on thought patterns, schemas, attachment styles and how humans are not too different to one another. What we think does not have to be who we are at the end of the day. Thank you @NetGalley and @HarperCollinsUK for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A brilliantly insightful, well written book. Describing some of the worst cases but still remaining objective, Excellent

This was a really tough read for me. There was a lot of graphic details. However, it wasn't a book I felt needed to be written. Ok maybe it did need written but just not like this. Just had something off about it

I really struggled to get into Inside Job by Dr Rebecca Myers, not sure what I expected but I found it quite boring. I wasn’t into reading about the author and the snippets she provided did not add to the story. Was unable to finish this book.

Inside job was a very interesting informative book. It covered many different difficult topics.
The author always dealt with the issues sensitively and professionally.
As I reader I came away with a better understanding and admiration for people in this line of work.

This is a very interesting book, based on fact and I suspect a little fiction. It certainly makes you think! My brother worked in the prison service for a while and they are definitely unsung heroes . I would recommend this book but its not for the faint hearted.

“If you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.” Nietzsche. This is a book about a newly qualified psychologist whose first job is in the men’s high security prison HMP Graymoor.
The main subject of the book is her initial work in a Sex Offenders Treatment Programme (SOTP) which were being rolled out in the 1990s. The idea of the programme is to try to stop reoffending by trying to understand why the crimes happened. She describes the criminals involved and the procedures they go through. This can be by identifying every detail leading up to, during and after the attacks, or by putting the attackers in the role of a victim. There is always the doubt about whether her newly-acquired knowledge and lack of experience is enough to make a difference. Will SOTP reach any of the participants or are they going through it to get a chance at parole.

The book is gripping to read since it concerns people who you would (hopefully) not come across in normal life, and there is a curiosity about why they do the acts they do. Some of that is revealed in the narrative, and with some of the prisoners it’s possible to follow how their life events shaped their characters, while with others you suspect that they only show what will help them. The author is fairly candid about her own story as well, and how her own background has led to mistakes in her life which gives her some insight into her group’s dynamics even as a reader might be facepalming about the choices she makes.

The book is written in a very straightforward fashion with few flourishes of description or plot. At the end she skips forward 20 years to the report that suggested the programme not only did not help but may have increased reoffending. This comes as a disappointment after reading the progress made by some of the group, but she can also identify where there were failings and holds out hope for better treatments in the future. It is a book that gives food for thought in many areas.


I had a copy of this book early through Netgalley

I am always fascinated by real life crime books. So to have the insight from the other side of the desk made for riveting reading. I devoured this candid account in two sittings. It's shocking and highly insightful. I would definitely recommend this to friends.

I found thsi book very interresting and gave me a different insight inoto difficult topics. The authur deals with the issues sensitively and professionally and gives the reader a good understanding. It's fascinating to see how the criminals minds works. an infomative read.

Inside job - Rebecca Myers

More than I’d be able to stand. This woman deserves a medal for being so brave as to bring the inside out for us and put herself in danger like that. This is a definite NO for me, I’d never ever do this job!

Extremely fascinating read about deeply disturbing individuals and the rehabiliation interventions that forensic psychologists undertake in prison. It's a very emotive topic with regards to whether certain individuals can be rehabilitated or not and I feel this book gave the readers an insight into one particular program that was tried and the outcomes from that at just the right level.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I received an ARC from HarperCollins/Net Galley.

Wow, what a book. This is gripping, insightful and detailed. It is very descriptive of the crimes the men have committed, there is also a hostage incident so please think about this before reading. I've read a lot of true crime books but this is the first one from the point of view of someone actually working with inmates, I'd love tor read more like this.

It was interesting to read about the SOTP and the things that go on between the psychologists and men taking part. Their progression from the first sessions to the final ones is a journey for everyone involved.

Rebecca's relationship with one of her colleagues so soon after starting the job seemed sudden. Aside from the crimes of the men, this disturbed me quite a bit. He had his own problems which I do feel Rebecca should've seen sooner. A lot of red flags there!

But overall a fascinating read, I imagine Rebecca could write a series of these books.

This book is an inspiration to woman who want to carry out their dream job but are afraid because of historical male occupation. Well done I hope that this book inspires other females to follow their place in life.

Interesting, intriguing and real. This has been interesting, informative and everything I have looked for in a book. I have devoured page after page of this one in just one sitting.

As a Criminogenic Facilitator, I was very interested in reading this.

The topic is something that is of interest to me, as I have also worked with child sex offenders. Reading about people that commit such horrendous crimes definitely isn’t for everyone.

Dr Rebecca Myers writes a fascinating look into a job that is vital and emotionally draining. Working in such an intense environment, with such confrontational topics is exhausting and I felt it was important that she communicated this.

One thing that disappointed me was that she showed unprofessional behaviour in terms of hooking up with her co facilitator in the prison.

I get that she was young and that we all do wild stuff at that age, but that crossed so many boundaries to me. If I did something like that whilst working in prison I’d be fired.

I’m saying that, I do acknowledge that the community within the prison at the time was ‘loose’ and different to how it is nowadays, it was just something that concerned me when reading it.

Overall I appreciated Dr Rebecca’s candour and honesty - whilst not being dramatic or overt with her descriptions about the men she worked with.

This is a book I’d read again and I have told many coworkers to read it.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this and to be able to post my honest review.