A new take on a locked room mystery as it takes place in a mental institution in the middle of nowhere on the highest security ward. The Institution did not disappoint, the characters were thoroughly developed, the setting was fantastic, and the mystery kept me guessing up until the end. We reunite with Dr. Connie Woolwine as she goes undercover in the Institution to try and solve the mystery, we first met Connie in The Shadow Man (another great book) but you do not need to read the books in order you can jump straight into this book. I highly recommend reading both The Institution and The Shadow Man because they were both dark thrillers and great reads.

Looking forward to reading more books from Helen Fields in the future.

The Institution is a phenomenal thriller from start to finish. Filled to the brim with twists and a captivating plot, this one is sure to keep readers hooked. The characters are well-developed. The story is incredibly fast-paced. This is one not to be missed! Highly recommended! Be sure to check out The Institution asap.

Connie is a profiler who is called to a remote psychiatric unit to help find a murderer and the baby he has cut out of the woman’s body before it dies. The unit holds serial killers who have not been considered sane enough for trial. The details of the murder are very unpleasant and this book is not for the faint hearted. She then goes on to interview different men held on the ward which feels a bit like an excuse to horrify you further with details of their crimes. The staff are also suspects and pretty unpleasant too. When a storm hits, Connie finds herself in dreadful danger and unable to know who to trust. This last part was very exciting but this book was too dark for me. Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC.

When a ransom demand for a newborn baby is received by the mothers family it's realised a horrendous crime has taken place. The Mother, heavily pregnant Tara, worked in a high security prison and is found dead with her baby surgically removed. Dr Connie Woolvine agrees to go undercover in the prison with her partner Detective Baarda under the guise of monitoring him on behalf of the military whilst in reality desperately trying to find the baby before it's to late. The prison houses the worst psychologically disturbed murderers and Connie needs to investigate each of them and their gruesome pasts.
A gripping story which could have moved faster for me as at times it seemed to loose momentum times but a very good thrilling plot.

Helen Fields is always one of my "I need to read this book" authors, along with Nora Roberts. This one did not disappoint.

The Institution is a grim building, built centuries earlier, which now houses the criminally insane.

Dr Connie is going undercover so she can find out who killed a pregnant nurse who worked at The Institution, and try and figure out where her unborn baby is, if he/she is still alive. She has a friend with her but he is also undercover - as a prisoner. What could possibly go wrong here? Ha.

I think the setting adds to the atmosphere of the book, without a shadow of a doubt. Just the thought of being in the middle of nowhere, with no easy way to spend time with people in the community gave me the shivers, let alone needing to watching your back at all times with the mad and the bad who live in the place - and we are not only talking about the prisoners!

Another masterfully written book by this author. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK.

A very gripping, page turner of a thriller. Excellent characters and a relentlessly dark psychological story which continues with pace throughout. This is a stand alone novel with no need for having read any of the authors previous works with back story of the main character introduced throughout the book. It will keep you guessing to the last as you try to establish who was responsible.

They’re locked up for your safety. Now you’re locked in with them.

The Institution is a high-security prison for the criminally insane. One night, a nurse in a locked ward is murdered, and her newborn baby is kidnapped. Forensic profiler Dr. Connie Woolwine has only five days to find the ones responsible for this crime. After that, a newborn will be in danger.

I’m only an occasional thriller reader, but I really liked this one. It’s a fast-paced, dark psychological thriller. Not for the faint-hearted. I like that Dr. Connie’s not perfect. That she seems like a regular human being with flaws.

Thanks to Avon Books UK for the ARC and this opportunity! This is a voluntary review and all opinions are my own.

Wow what a read!… I was up all night reading this… An absolutely gripping psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the last page… Full of mystery and suspense with twists and turns to keep you on your toes, I was completely hooked… Gives you goosebumps

Dr Connie Woolwine is an accredited criminal profiler and psychologist, and it’s to her that the authorities turn when a pregnant nurse in a high security prison hospital for the criminally insane is found murdered and her baby stolen. The kidnappers are requesting a ransom for the roads return of the baby, so the clock is ticking. Sent in to the facility under cover, she has 5 days to find the missing baby and discover who the killer is, but doing this is not only dangerous and high risk, it brings back haunting memories for Connie from her past. Can she keep her own demons long buried at bay long enough to discover who is behind this heinous crime?

From the get go I was gripped to the story! I couldn’t stop reading, I just wanted to know how it was going to end! The characters were well thought out, the story was brilliant and well written. I really enjoyed seeing the characters develop, especially the patients, as you really didn’t know who was involved and who wasn’t. I couldn’t have guessed the ending, it was just fantastic. Really chilling, creepy, and dark at some points too which I really liked, not just for the story, but for Connie too, as we learned more about her past as the book progressed which was a great insight to a complex character. Amazing is all I can say, loved it!

3.75 stars. I’m a big fan of Helen Fields and love her Luc Callanach series, but this one left me with mixed feelings. The setting of the hospital prison for the criminally insane was perfect and creepily atmospheric. The crime was horrific and the many suspects quite deranged. The storm and power outage, though cliched, definitely added to the tension. The main character, psychological profiler Connie Woolwine, however, left me disappointed. She was such a mixture of brains, unprofessionalism, emotional trauma, and oddness. She also pretty much misread all of the prisoners and staff she was interviewing. I have not read The Shadow Man, the previous book she was in, so perhaps that would have given me more background to better understand her character.

Wow this really had me hooked. The terror and sheer horror was gut churning. Just the thought of these people and also the people who look after them gave me chills. Brilliant #TheInstitution #NetGalley

The Institution is a maximum security prison for the criminally insane. Located in a setting that is cut off from the world & access limited, escape is thought impossible. The top level houses the worst offenders. A nurse on the ward is found murdered- the baby she was expecting torn from her body & missing- a ransom has been demanded. Dr Connie Woolwine, forensic profiler is called in. Her cover story is that she is examining the Institution to see if it is suitable for a top secret prisoner. This prisoner is Baarda, her partner & together they have to find the child before it's too late.

This is a dark tale, full of menace. The author draws the reader into the claustrophobic setting & the dark characters. Connie had her own demons to fight as well as the mind games going on within the Institution. It makes for a totally gripping read that kept me reading way past my bedtime. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this brilliant book.

The Charles Horatio Parry Institution for the Rehabilitation of the Criminally Insane is the Institution of our story...

In an isolated location, the Institution is a maximum security hospital housing some of the most notorious mentally ill patients ever to have stood trial. It staff highly vetted, and the strictest procedures in place - it isn't a place that welcome strangers.

When a nurse is found murdered, her body mutilated and another life at danger, the hospital has no choice but to let outsiders in.

Dr Connie Woolvine is a forensic profiler, renowned for her ability to get inside the mind of a murderer.

At the institution she has her work cut out, because 'Heaven' ward is full of the most deranged, sadistic and dangerous murderers.

Alongside a colleague, she must fight against the clock to catch the killer, and save a life, but she must keep them both safe and alive whilst doing so. Which is easier said than done.

When a life endangering storm isolates the Institution further, Connie and her colleague have their work cut out.

The Institution is a fast paced thriller, with some uncomfortable subjects dealt with sensitively. I can't wait for the authors next.

The Institution was a read that was long but full of action and twists and turns.
Dr Connie Woolwine is a profiler, she is excellent at her job. A criminally insane unit in the middle of nowhere needs her help. A nurse has been found murdered but that isn’t all she was pregnant and someone has cut the baby from her. How has this happened? Who is responsible and why? The most important question…where is the baby? Connie must go to the institution and live amongst these murderers and staff to find out who has done this truly awful thing and for what reason.
This was a really good read, it had danger and trepidation all the way through it along with the ticking clock to find the baby. The longer it takes the less chance there is of the baby surviving. Interesting characters and a well written plot put this amongst the reads of the year for me.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Not for the faint-hearted, this harrowing crime thriller is set in a secure institution for the criminally insane, where a baby has been abducted under everyone's noses. In a setting full of criminally and morally devious characters, Connie Woolwine is the forensic profiler charged with finding out what has happened - and as you can imagine she has her work cut out, with a plethora of possible suspects at her feet.
Some neat twists and turns, with a spookily gothic setting - I couldnt sleep until I'd finished the book!

Helen Fields what a genius!

I remember reading The Shadow Man in 2021 and my mind being completely blown, so it should of come of absolutely no surprise to me that The Institution was the BEST BOOK I'VE READ IN YEARS!! Honestly my mind was completely blown. I was even more excited when I realised that the two main characters Dr Connie Woodwine and Detective Brodie Baarda.
Connie is a forensic psychologist who has been called into the high security prison to help solve a murder of a staff member and find her missing baby who was cut out of her at the time of her murder, Connie has five days to find out who the killer is and save the baby. Brodie comes in undercover as a serial killer to also get to know the serial killers from inside the prison. Problem is, everyone seems to be hiding something staff included! the search is going to be much harder than either of them anticipated.

Honestly this is going to be such a hard review to write because I don't want to fill it with spoilers and I want to make sure that you know how great this book is! There are so many suspects it's insane and i it was one of the first books I've read in a while where I had absolutely no idea who the killer or killers could be, plus how could a baby disappear from a top floor maximum security criminally insane institution.

This book was just woo I honestly do not understand the mind that Helen Fields has but i want to be part of it! Who comes up with such a complex story. Each person who is a suspect seems to be a bit crazy and that includes the staff! I even found myself suspecting people who weren't even part of the line up. It was just absolutely crazy I swear to god! I loved how they brought Dr Connie into the institution undercover to run an investigation and find the killer aswell as the new born baby!!! Bringing in detective Brodie Nat as an undercover army very turn criminally insane serial killer was epic!!
What I will say is this if you want a book which will leave you baffled when you finish it. Have feelings for some characters you never expected you would and also have no idea who is guilty then this is the book for you. Honestly I’ve not picked up a book in a while where I wouldn’t put it down until I was finished. I swear it’s one of the best books I’ve read in ages. The research is impeccable as always, especially into the different mental health conditions. The descriptions were so great that I was able to picture the building and grounds so well.

So I won’t say anymore other than I of course recommend. I think this will be a popular read!! It’s full of twists and turns, literally if you asked for a crime psychological thriller this is the book I would give you! It’s an easy 5 stars!!!! Love love love

Thank you, Helen Fields, Avon books uk publishing and netgalley for a free digital ARC of the institution in exchange for my fair and honest opinions.

I personally found this exciting, chilling and sinister.

I took a while to read this due to some health issues, not…..because I didn’t want to finish it or enjoy it, quite the opposite infact, I was annoyed I couldn’t get to keep reading it.

I was so invested in this story.

Fancy being undercover in a high security prison with serial killers and unpredictable characters?
No, nor me. And after reading this, it’s a definite no!

There’s a theme running throughout which the undercover two people have to discover also a baby.
I’ll say no more as I didn’t even read the blurb for this book as the author is an automatic buy for me.
So I’m not sure if it’s mentioned within the blurb. I love to know as little as possible with Thrillers especially don’t you? And read others reviews after I’ve read it.

This has all the tick boxes that would make a good Netflix movie, I assure you.

All the characters were fascinating and chillingly “hair on the back of your neck standing on end” kind of chilling.

One undercover was a “patient” and the other posed as a Doctor.

I was blindsided many times in the book especially towards the end, some of the ending played out in my minds eye so much my husband said I looked like I was cringing, yes! I was. I’ve a terrible graphic image of two scenes in here that I was ….oh…..oh gee.

This book got better and better and better.

A gripping read! I raced through this very quickly and it has easily become one of my top rated thrillers! An unforgettable tale of two undercover detectives in what I can only describe as a mental institution!

Officially my favorite book so far and this year! What a deliciously creepy book. There were twists and turns and by the end I wasn’t sure who the good guys were anymore. Well except for Connie and Brodie of course. The duo go undercover at a facility that houses the criminally insane. They have 5 days to find a baby that was removed from a pregnant nurse. Totally creepy and anxiety producing. Can I give the book a million stars? Just don’t read this at bed time! This book was provided to me by NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for my honest feedback.

A nurse at a maximum security prison for the criminally insane has been killed and her almost to term baby has been stolen. Dr Connie Woolwine is brought in to the prison undercover to try to find the baby - its clear from the location and security that someone on the staff must have been involved. As a forensic profiler Connie must get into the minds of inmates and staff to find out why she was targeted and who is trying to profit from the murder and theft. But these are the most cunning of prisoners, and many of the staff have been tainted by their time amongst them.

A real rollercoaster, it had me on the edge of my seat as Connie takes risks, too aware that time is fast running out for baby Aurora. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.