The Institution by Helen Sarah Fields

Dark & chilling, grim & gritty, fast-paced thriller that kept me hoping for the best from beginning to end.

What I liked:
* Dr. Connie Woolwine: intelligent, forensic profiler, psych background, American, partners on cases with Brodie Baarda, considered odd-different by others, intriguing, wondered if there was more about her in The Shadow Man that I should have read
* Brodie Baarda: ex-policeman, divorced, father, partner to Connie, stoic, interesting, British, wondered what I had missed about him that I might have enjoyed in the previous book
* The plot, location, atmosphere, pacing, intensity, and writing
* Learning about the “guests” in The Institution and why they were there
* Finding out more about the employees, their motivations, and how varied they were
* The shades of gray or evil and seeing that not all who do evil things are totally evil – and that not all who are in charge are good
* Being able to visualize what happened to some of the victims without all the graphic details
* That I was able to read this without having read the first book in the series
* Being immersed in the story, being able to relate, and being taken back to memories of teaching nursing students at a hospital for those deemed criminally insane

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like – and there were many!
* Knowing that though this is fiction there is much that happens in this book that has happened in fact

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitely.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avod for the ARC – This is my honest review

5 Stars

Great read with twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat.

Fantastic alternative setting being in an Institution and Connie having PTSD from her previous stay in an Institution really mixes things up.

Highly recommend.

Crikey Mikey, what a mind-boggling, knockout of a book! A superior, chiller thriller that skillfully combines character, plot and setting to deliver an intoxicating story of murder, mystery and nail-biting suspense. It’s a compulsive, addictive read, and it has catapulted Helen Fields straight onto my list of auto-buy authors.

Consider the premise: Dr Connie Woolwine, a forensic profiler, has been sent deep undercover with her partner, Baarda, to try and identify a murderer. Their destination: The Institution, the world’s highest-security prison hospital, home to some of the most depraved, deranged serial killers on earth. The victim: a heavily pregnant nurse, whose pre-term baby has been crudely torn from her womb and is now being held for ransom. In a race against time, Connie has not only to find the killer but also baby Aurora before it’s too late.

The setting of this alone was enough to give me the heebie jeebies: an isolated, gothic-type edifice, hemmed in by lake and mountains. From the get go, the atmosphere is unforgivingly dark and oppressive. Throw in the crazies, some suspiciously off-key staff, and an electrical storm that cuts off all communication with the outside world, and it’s big-time showtime!

This is no run-of-the-mill thriller. It’s deep and layered, intricate and sinuous, every character given shape and purpose. Connie is a fascinating protagonist, with unusual methods and an intriguing background of her own. I especially appreciated the insights revealed through her interviews with the male patients; their histories and the extent of their depravity hugely magnifying the sense of danger and isolation.

The plotting is superb: taught and razor sharp; the tension unrelenting and ratcheting up to an explosive, heart-stopping finale that left me a quivering wreck. And no, I didn’t guess the killer!

What more can I say? Read. This. Book.

The Institute is intense, brutal, hard-hitting, shocking and thrilling. All with a soft centre that had me crying in the final scenes with all the depth of emotion Helen can bring to a page. She is up there with the best of them in crime writing. Check it out!

Connie is a woman on a mission, she has days to find a baby ripped from her mother’s womb in an isolated mental facility. She is working on a secure ward with the country’s worst serial killers, who can she trust? who was the killer? Will they kill her? This was a rollercoaster of a read and the last few chapters taking place during a storm that shuts the whole place off from the world are particularly tense. I’ve loved Helen Fields other books and this stands up there with the rest as a great read.

3.5 stars. This was a very satisfying thriller, some edge-of-the-seat moments, and a twist I had guessed at one point but then forgotten about. I wasn’t a great fan of Dr Woolwine at all times, but I’m keen to read more of her and Baarda’s story. Definitely a lot of potential.

(Review copy from NetGalley)

Another great read. Another edge of your seat thriller that will keep you turning the pages.it so gripping It's really a quick read because it's one you don't want to put down. I was pulled into the plot I great book

The Institution by Helen Fields is the second in a series of books starring Forensic Psychologist Dr. Connie Woolwine.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Avon Books, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


Series Background:    (Warning – May contain spoilers from previous books)
Dr. Connie Woolwine is a colour-blind Forensic Psychologist from the U.S., who uses her profiling skills and rather unconventional methods to solve crimes world-wide.  Her methods and demeanor are often considered "odd".  She convinced ex London Detective Baarda to join her as an investigator, and now they work together full-time. The work in both the private sector and as consultants to government agencies.


My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Connie is undercover at The Charles Horatio Parry Institution for the Rehabilitation of the Criminally Insane, known the Institution.  It is located on a remote mountain, with one road in and out, with occasional helicopter service.  She's  on a locked psychiatric ward which houses the most dangerous men on earth.  Only the director of the hospital knows why she is there.  A murder has been hushed up.  A nurse was brutally murdered, and her unborn child ripped out of her body.  The child is being held for ransom, but due to the trauma and pre-mature caesarian section, they have a limited amount of time to find the perpetrators and the child.

Connie finds both the residents and the staff to be suspicious, and finds herself at a loss as to who is responsible for the missing child.  She is also having flashbacks of her own past, and feels the walls crumbling around her.


My Opinions:
This was wild.  I absolutely loved the setting of an isolated mental institution with dangerous felons - and a storm coming in.  Talk about atmosphere!

I also love the relationship and banter between Connie and Baarda. The first book in the series had me struggling with the character of Connie, but this one cemented my love for her.  She is tough, and as we learn more about her past, her strength and determination becomes more admirable.

The plot was dark, twisted, and wonderful!  I've always enjoyed books by this author, but this series has me really hooked.  The characters, whether good or bad, had depth.  The story moved quickly, and although the book is fairly long, it seemed to fly by.  It was really intense!

Anyway, I can't wait to see where Connie heads next!

Helen Fields never disappoints.
Another great read. Another edge of your seat thriller that will keep you turning the pages. It's really a quick read because it's one you don't want to put down.

Grab this one. Enjoy.

#TheInstitution #NetGalley.

If you like a slick and cleverly plotted thriller with tension ramped up to the max and the darkness of the subject matter to be as dark as the bottom of the deepest coal mine…then it is time to get The Institution into your life. This is quite a read and I really, really enjoyed it but I’d forgotten Helen Fields doesn’t pull the punches when putting her characters through the wringer – proceed with caution.

The Institution is a prison for dangerous killers. Each inmate in the isloated, high-security ward has committed multiple murders, is considered to be dangerous and can hold no real expectation of ever being freed. They are closely guarded and under the medical care of a team who provide psychological care but also employ any type of restraint or chemical assistance to keep their charges docile and calm. It’s a thankless place to work and there’s a high level of frustration on show amongst the staff. One employee appears to have been more popular than others but my use of “was” in the previous sentence may give an indication as to her fate.

A murder in a locked ward where all the inmates are known killers. A kidnapping too. Into this maelstrom comes Dr Connie Woolwine. She is going undercover on the ward to try to use her profiling skills to work out which of the convicted killers was responsible for the murder of the poplular young nurse. But there’s a real time pressure as the woman’s kidnapped daughter isn’t expected to live unless she can be found and returned to her family quickly.

This is a story where I can’t really share much about the plot without slipping into dangerous “spoiler” territory. The crimes described are brutal and could be upsetting for some readers. The locked room mystery element of the book is wonderfully set up and really had me scratching my head. There are obviously unpleasant characters in the story as there is a secure wing full of violent killers. But the staff that Connie finds herself working beside are equally complex and unpleasant too.

There are only a few people that Connie can trust and the nature of her undercover role will mean she is often cut-off from their support. Watching Connie cope with the intensity of her situation made for utterly compelling reading and when cracks start to show, well that is when Helen Fields really gets into the tension groove. I hit a point in the story where I realised there was no way I’d stop reading The Institution until I actually finished the whole book.

Another terrific thriller from Helen Fields – she always delivers.

Too dark and gory for this to ever be my favourite read. It would make a good tv drama series but overall just not my cup of tea but I can think of a few in my book group who will love it when I give them a brief run down of the plot.

The Institution
By Helen Fields
Pub date Mar 2
Avon
Thanks to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Dark crime and thriller at its best!
A very haunting and gripping story.
4 stars

This was my first Helen field book and I requested it purely for the cover and the face it's a standalone book. It's definitely a slow burn but if then you get sucked in and then I couldn't stop , I also have the audio book of this but choose to listen all on audio as it was easier for me!! This is definitely captivating and some interesting turns and anything with mental asylums is generally the setting for a good thriller! I will definitely be checking out other Helen Field books after listening to this! Huge thanks to netgalley and avon books for sending me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks to Avon Books U.K. for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Institution’ by Helen Fields.

I am a big fan of Helen Field’s police procedurals and was interested in this crime thriller set in an institution for the criminally insane. While a self contained story, its protagonist, forensic profiler Dr Connie Woolwine, was introduced in Field’s 2021 novel, ‘The Shadow Man’.

Dr Connie is renowned for her ability to get inside the mind of a murderer. She has been discreetly brought to the world’s highest-security prison hospital in order to assist in the investigation of a shocking crime.

The body of a heavily pregnant nurse has been found, the victim of a foetal abduction. The distraught grandparents have received a ransom demand for the return of the newborn. There are only five days to retrieve the infant safely and the clock is ticking…

As it is certain that this was an inside job and great care is needed not to alert the perpetrators of a police presence, Connie is sent to the remote institution to work deep undercover among the most deranged and dangerous men on earth and uses her unique skills to identify those responsible and locate the infant girl – before it’s too late. No further details to avoid spoilers.

‘The Institution’ had an intense plot that kept me guessing as to whodunnit. Aside from the ‘guests’ (aka inmates), many of the staff were seriously strange. The former fortress located deep in the mountains proved an atmospheric setting.

Once I started reading it was pretty much impossible to put down and I ended up reading into the early hours in order to finish it.

Overall, I found ‘The Institution’ a brilliant fast-paced, gripping crime thriller. I am hoping that we will be seeing more of Doctor Connie in the future.

Highly recommended.

The Institution by Helen Fields Narrated by Genevieve Swallow was an excellent audiobook. Especially the beginning of this book, it was excellent and with a start like this I was hooked! till the end. It full of great twist and full of suspence. I was sitting on the edge of my seat and had to finish this audiobook. So glad I had my wireless earphones charged!!! All the characters were well developed and were very interesting. I loved it.

The narrator Genevieve Swallow was hard to listen too at the beginning, However, she grew on me and I liked her......But, she does take a while to get used to. Don't be put off as this book is a 5 star read and listen to.

I highly recommend this latest book by Helen Fields especially as it is a stand alone book

Big Thank you to netgalley and Avon books uk for the arc!

Gritty, gruesome and gripping.

This book is a very slick thriller that compelled me to read as soon as possible.

I would recommend this to anyone that has been in a thriller slump and needs a book to remind them how good the genre can be.

What a great story! It kept me guessing who the bad guys were till the end, and what ending! The Institution is a fast-paced story, full of detailed descriptions of crimes, places, people, feelings, smells, deceit, and many, many lies. Sometimes those who are declared criminals or insane are not worse than those who are responsible for their well-being. Dr. Connie is working against the clock to find a kidnapped newborn and in order to do that she has to fight her worst nightmares and go to The Institution to find her.
I thank the author, her publisher, and NetGalley for this book.

Helen Fields has done it again! The Institution has everything you need in a thriller and then some. Starting with the creepiest bunch of characters I've ever come across - I think it helps that they are all convicted killers, add in an isolated location, a brutal murder and a missing baby and bam this is the recipe for a thriller you won't forget in a hurry.

I was drawn in from the first few pages and it really is one you will struggle to put down. I raced through in a couple of sittings.
The Institution is full of Fields trademark gory descriptive writing and tension building plot, I was literally on the edge of my sofa for the majority of my reading time. I loved the characters of Dr Connie and Baarda - I can see them becoming another double act like Ava Turner and Luc Callanach - the rest of the characters mainly tick the unlikeable and very creepy boxes but that just massively adds to the tense vibes and gripping storyline.

I don't think I'll say much more for fear of giving away too many details but this is a definite must read!

Yet another gripping read by Helen Fields and one I very much enjoyed

It has everything - a gruesome murder, an isolated creepy location, serial killers, twists, turns, action and fantastic characters all wrapped up in an excellent story that was hard to stop reading even the parts that were quite gruesome.

Dr Connie and her partner, Baarda, are a great team and I would really like to read more about their work together - if there are more stories in the pipeline ... sign me up!

A very tense and riveting read that I highly recommend and thank you Avon Books UK and NetGalley for enabling be to read and share my thoughts of The Institution.

I’m worn out. This novel was one of the most intense novels I’ve ever read.

Set in a very isolated, maximum security prison hospital, the novel was so claustrophobic that I longed to leave there… but not before I found out what happened of course. The place was so very remote that staff had to live in, making it a prison for the people who worked there as well. We don’t know where the Institution was, only that it was a mountainous region, maybe Austria? Switzerland?

The protagonist, Dr. Connie Woolwine was very believable and admirable, yet she wasn’t without her own personal demons.

An incredibly brutal and grotesque crime has been carried out. Everyone who resides at the Institution is suspect, both inmates, and staff. Dr. Connie and her partner Baarda (an investigator and retired policeman) have entered the Institution under cover. She as a visiting psychologist, and he as an inmate.

Their time under the Institution’s roof is gut-wrenchingly tense, fraught with peril and suspicion. No one can be trusted.

A book of manipulative, psychotic minds, of brutal and graphic descriptions of crime, and of the altruistic and brave people who are willing to risk their own personal safety to solve a barbaric crime and save the life of an innocent.

As if things weren’t disturbing and nerve-shattering enough, a vicious storm comes and makes all who reside at the Institution at the mercy of nature, and even more isolated than they were before…

Nerve-jarring suspense ratchets up to almost unbearable tension as plot twists reveal some very real monsters.

Though this is the second novel to feature Dr. Connie Woolwine and investigator Baarda, it reads excellently as a stand-alone. That being said, I would at some point like to read “The Shadow Man”, the first novel in which they appear.

Highly recommended to those who enjoy very intense thrillers who are not in any way squeamish. The story was compelling and kept me riveted from first page to last.