The Institution: Scare yourself silly this Halloween with the new gasp-inducing killer crime thriller from the million-copy bestselling author

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She has also self published some of her fantasy books as part of her journey. Helen decided that she wanted to go even further and now has a literary representative. A very dark and exciting read! Note this is definitely different from the tone of the Hunting Party! Helen self-published two fantasy books as a way of testing herself and her writing abilities. She enjoyed the creative process so much that she began writing in a much more disciplined way, and decided to move into the traditional publishing arena through an agent. This is the second novel featuring Dr Connie Woodwine and Brodie Baarda, first appearing in the excellent Shadow Man.

After leaving us all on a momentous cliff hanger in her Perfect series. Helen Field’s has taken some time away to write a second Connie Woolwine novel and wow is it good!! Well, what a roller coaster of a ride this was! Twists and turns and the pace! As always Fields builds the suspense until you can’t breathe and then adds more. The plot is excellent and the storytelling superb. A master of her craft , this author has the skills and imagination that take your breath away. Never afraid to write the unthinkable (ok, I’m still not over the ending of Last Girl To Die!), and yes, at times the reader has to suspend belief, but that is no bad thing and makes the read all that more exciting.Dark and atmospheric with some brilliantly horrific characters. Compelling and unputdownable.” - - Catherine Cooper Thirty Days of Darkness” by Jenny Lund Madsen – Book Review @OrendaBooks @JennyLundMadsen #ThirtyDaysOfDarkness #BookReview @edelweiss_squad @meganeturney November 26, 2023 Right from the beginning we have a seriously creepy story that will have you on edge from beginning to end. Combine this with a knowledge of writer Helen Fields and you know no-one is safe. The introduction unveils the despicable crime which has taken place. This then leads into the description of The Institution itself; set in the middle of nowhere, located next to a huge dam, all adds to the sense of isolation. Inside the building we get a sense of claustrophobia, despite the isolated location, as we read about the solidity of the walls and the numerous mechanisms in place as staff move from one building to the next, between floors and from one room to another. All designed to keep the patients and the staff safe. As Connie interviews each patient you’re given a rare glimpse into their depraved minds. Frightening!

I was eye rolling until my eyes looked like a poker machine winning the big time, I had crosses instead of eyes by the end!!! 🎰

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This book created a fantastic atmosphere that I thoroughly enjoyed. It was suspenseful and well-written. There were just so many different elements at play here, all handled beautifully. It was incredibly well done. The time-sensitive nature of Connie's mission means that there's always so much tension and pressure in this book. Every hour that goes by feels like precious life slipping away. Then nature takes a hand, and as a fire rages and the tension rises like the floodwaters. There are strong elements of isolation and loss of control, all exaggerated and made so much more immediate by the clinical setting. It's scary, it's disorienting. It's impossible to know who to trust, who to fear and which way to turn and through the urgency of the writing the reader is right there alongside Dr Connie. My thanks to Maddie Dunne Kirby, Harper Collins Publishers, and Avon Books UK via Netgalley for inviting me to read an advance copy of this outstanding novel. The author was doing so much, literally threw everything she could think of at this… we have, to name a few:

SO… this book was much anticipated… the publisher must have known, nope don’t give her a copy cause she is gonna hate it!!! I was denied on NetGalley and then went immediately out to get it once it had been released… jokes on me… I am unhappy to say the least. This book omg… the amount of plot holes and things that didn’t make sense… I get that it is fiction… but there is fiction and a logical storyline then there is THIS!!! I only hope there is going to be a follow up, as the way it was left there certainly needs to be one, no spoilers, but someone is missing!!! Helens' latest character creation is Dr Connie Woolwine, an American forensic psychologist and profiler, based on a real FBI Agent who consulted on the first book. You can find Connie in The Shadow Man, One For Sorrow and The Institution. When another woman that is a professional in her field disappears, the inspector gets worried. She got taken right from her very own doorstep. Just like that, Luc is in a race to find a killer before it’s too late. The detective now believes that he is in a race against time, and he has to do whatever it takes to figure out whether Elaine and the other woman are alive or dead– and who is responsible for their disappearances in the first place. Helen Fields is one of the best in her field and does not shy away from the gore and stomach turning moments some other writers avoid. Her stories are always gritty and dark and filled with twist after twist.

Publication Order of Helen Sarah Fields Standalone Novels

Connie is identified as “odd” by her colleagues and friends, a title she doesn’t take offense too if it means she gets the job done. An eccentric but brilliant profiler, her character is charismatic without being arrogant and kind-hearted without being overly emotional. As the other characters in the novel are all, literally, criminally insane, it is Connie’s character alone that has to resonate with readers, and Fields’ is able to bring that to life in the psychologist with a broken past.