*DNFed* Imma be honest here, i could tell that this book isnt for me. I dont love the writing style with all these unnecessary adjectives. The author also kept mentioning a “big ag,” vs a “little ag,” (agriculture), and being as I live in the midwest, i dont want to here about more cornfields. I didnt realize how centered this book would be around the “midwest lifestyle.”

#TheFields #NetGalley
Awesome novel.
A young woman found dead in an Iowa cornfield, on one of the few family farms still managing to compete with the giants of Big Agriculture.
When Sergeant Riley Fisher, newly promoted to head of investigations for the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office, arrives on the scene, an already horrific crime becomes personal when she discovers the victim was a childhood friend, connected to a dark past she thought she’d left behind.
The investigation grows complicated as more victims are found. Drawn deeper in, Riley soon discovers implications far beyond her Midwest town.
Go for this novel.
Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for giving me an advanced copy of this book.

Thank you to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Fields by Erin Young is a gripping procedural thriller that is unputdownable from start to finish. The plot is told from a close 3rd person point of view and revolves around Riley Fisher, who was recently promoted to Sergeant at her small-town police department. When a young murder victim turns out to be Riley's childhood friend, Riley will have to confront ghosts of her past while trying to find the killer in the present. More bodies turn up, and it turns out she should be looking for a serial killer, not a one-off murderer. Will Riley be able to discover the serial killer's identity, or will the ghosts of her past catch up to her?

Here is an excerpt from the chilling opening chapter when the first murder victim is running through an Iowa cornfield:

"She ran without thinking, without direction, desperation driving her deep into the fields. The endless rows of corn were an oppressive labyrinth, ripe heads bowing above her, snagging her hair. Blades whipped her palms as she thrashed through the towering stalks, not looking back.
...
Her lungs were burning. The thrumming in her ears was louder. Something out there. Coming closer. She felt a fresh stab of terror as light smeared the shadows, the knotted canopy shimmering green above her. She threw herself down, curling around the brace roots, eyes squeezed shut."

One of the highlights of this thriller is the excellent setting. The Fields is set in a small town where farmers are losing their jobs due to an industrial company / Big Agriculture taking over. It reminded me of the first 2 seasons of the hit procedural drama The Killing in that it focuses on one murder and then backs away from the scene to reveal connections to politicians, mercenaries, and Big Agriculture that involves the entire community.
If you like thrillers that involve an entire community, from the homeless man on the street to the state governor, then you definitely need to check out this book.

If I had to nitpick about one thing, I would say that I only really enjoyed the chapters that focused on Riley.. Sometimes, the chapters would be from a 3rd person point of view that focused on other characters, and I had a hard time keeping the large cast of characters straight. That's just a minor thing though, since most chapters were from Riley's perspective, and I enjoyed reading the mystery from her point of view. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of thrillers in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in January!

This is author's debut crime thriller set in Iowa. It is a compelling story starting with the brutal killing of a young woman in a corn field having been tracked by a drone. We are introduced to the young female sergeant of investigations assigned to the case who also knew the murder victim during her teen years. This will not turn out to be a murder case that is easy to solve. As the investigation proceeds it grows in complexity accompanied by personal threats to safety of anyone working the case.
Big agriculture, foreign interests and corrupt politics all play their roles in defining the small town case as an international threat to the public.

NetGalley Advanced Reader Copy- Thank you! Will be published in 2022