A book that brought me to some very dark places, kept me on the edge, and surprised me with each twists.
I was fascinated by the chilly and creepy atmosphered, liked the well developed characters and plot.
A page turner!
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

This book is a very dark sometimes harrowing but gripping as well .A Nurse has been murdered and her baby snatched,the setting is an Institution for the Criminally Insane ,a Gothic building isolated and secure .Dr Connie and Baarda are sent undercover to try and find the baby before it is too late.The characters are very well written plenty of twists and scary moments a dark and intense atmospheric thriller what's not to like !!! Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC

Could you survive in an insane asylum full of criminals?

A scream breaks the silence in a locked ward in the world's highest-security prison hospital. The next morning, a nurse's body is discovered, and the unborn daughter is kidnapped. Not only was it a horrible crime, but fetal abduction is one of the most heinous crimes that can only be committed by a truly insane and sadistic individual. A ransom must be paid, and time is running out.

Dr. Connie Woolwine is a forensic profiler known for her ability to get inside the mind of a murderer. Now she must go deep undercover among the most deranged and dangerous men on the planet to find the girl - before it's too late.

But, as the walls close in around her, will Connie be able to catch the killer before The Institution does? Profiling in the outside world when other people are conducting an investigation and you get the time and space to immerse yourself in all the facts is one thing, but here, assessing and assimilating as you go, keeping your guard up all the time.

The Institution is as much a prison for the people working there as it is for those they cared for.

Thrilling with true terror, a sense of claustrophobia, and gloom. Cinematic, with vivid characters all the way through.

Love it.

Helen Fields is a favourite author of mine, so I was very excited when I received her latest novel, The Institution, to read on NetGalley. The book follows Dr Connie Woolwine, a forensic profiler, as she tries to solve a murder from within the walls of a high-security prison, and tries to do so fast enough t0 find a missing new-born baby, hopefully still alive.

The book gripped my attention from the first chapter, and I was hooked. I liked that this book was something a bit different to her other thrillers, and I love the protagonist. I did feel like some elements in the book felt a little unbelievable at times, and I saw one of the people involved a mile away, but it still kept me guessing and second-guessing throughout, and the tension in the ending more than made up for it.

Helen Fields' ability to keep readers on the edge of their seats, hearts thumping, as the story reaches its climax is second to none, and I would fully recommend this book to any thriller lovers!

I'm currently holding off on posting my review on any platforms in support of the HarperCollins Union strike.

Rounded to 4.5 stars.

CONTENT WARNING: murder, blood, fetal abduction, grief, mention of physical and psychological abuse, stigmatizing language towards mental illness (challenged at times), misogyny, suicide, violence, gore, forcible medicating, mention of childhood physical and sexual abuse, mention of homophobia, mention of bullying

I’m hooked on Fields books ever since stumbling across one in the library a few years back, and I’ve really gotten to like the character of Dr. Woolwine and her partner, Brodie Baarda. I had pretty high expectations for this novel, and Fields didn’t let me down.

I was hoping that the locked ward setting of a high-security prison hospital for the criminally insane would be relatively realistic, and while I haven’t ever worked on a locked ward for criminal mental health offenders, I have worked in residential mental health, and this setting definitely brought back echoes of my own employment. There’s a mix of people who genuinely want to help others and people who have been so worn down by the work and the system and the overall hopelessness of rehabilitating people that they’ve become jaded. Also, there’s some element of the prison system that draws in cruel people who seem to revel in gaining power over those who are powerless. And this is reflected well in the staff portrayed in the novel.

The way that Dr. Connie, as she goes by in this novel, prefers to get to know the patients, isn’t by reading their charts, but by meeting with them and allowing them to tell their own stories. However, some of the stories were publicized, and that influences her understanding of who they are, but it was intriguing to see them tell their own stories, not just in the crimes that they committed, but also the factors that influenced their upbringing and personalities. However, this also falls into the trap of allowing them to manipulate the narrative, and it ultimately falls up to Dr. Connie to decide what to believe and what to discard.

The Institution, as it’s known, is an imposing structure set in a remote and inaccessible location, WIth the body of Tara Cameron being discovered quickly, and the pre-term baby going missing, Dr. Connie and Brodie go deep undercover to catch the killer and find the baby in this innovative twist on a locked room mystery with the traditional terrifying twist that’s unique to Fields books. I loved how it set things up for the twists, and while I didn’t see them coming, once they were revealed, I could see how events paved the path for them all along. I suspected one of the characters of being involved in the murder, and I was right, but I never guessed how it all panned out.

This story is full of chills and surprises, and all I can say is don’t expect to sleep while reading this. It worms its way into your thoughts and will keep you awake, wondering what is going to happen next, and if they will be able to find the baby in time, as well as whether they’ll catch the killer, in a ward full of the country’s worst serial killers. As always, one of her best books yet, and I’ll be looking forward to seeing more of Connie and Baarda in the future.

This was a high octane and very atmospheric read! Who doesn’t love a terrifying storm and power cut in a remote location?! I haven’t read a lot of books like this but it very much had the feel of some of the 90s thriller films I used to enjoy - it was a sort of Con Air meets Silence of the Lambs meets Primal Fear.

At times it was a tad unbelievable but I became so invested in trying to work out which of the inmates or staff might have been involved that I overlooked this. I was totally wrong with most of my suspicions, which I loved.

I’ve never read anything by this author so didn’t initially realise the main character Connie featured in a previous book so I’m intrigued to go back and read that to find out more about her.

I raced through this book in three nights and really enjoyed it, bit bonkers but fun.

Another amaozng installment from one of the best authors out there. A creepy dark and atmospheric thriller. Brilliant xx

I loved the setting for this story, the bleak abandonment and sense of desperation, both in and outside the Institution. Connie Woolwine is a great character, and the story gripped me from the beginning. With its serial killer inmates and embittered staff, it sweeps you along on a roller-coaster ride of fear and secrets. I can't wait for the next one in the series!

This is a hard book for me to review, a lot of it was interesting but it was hard to read, a locked psychiatric ward with serial killers and staff that were often indifferent or possibly as dangerous. A staff member is murdered and her unborn child is taken from her body. Now the frantic search for the baby begins. It is a tense, disturbing book, often too detailed for me 3.5

Utterly terrifying and addictive thriller that was so unique and atmospheric in its eerie setting and individual suspects. I instantly loved the characters of Connie and Brodie, they brought so much to the plotline and their commitment to justice for the victims.

I really like the Ava and Luc series by this author and this was OK, but the Institution was just not very believable and neither was the story ultimately.

Have read many books by this author but nothing could have prepared me for the sheer darkness portrayed in this story. The setting, a mental institution for the worst of the criminally insane. A couple of criminal investigators skilled in the art of profiling accept the challenge of interviewing the inmates to discover the perpetrators of the brutal murder of a nurse and to find her newly born missing baby . What follows is an initial structured series of interviews into the mindsets of depraved individuals facing no chance for freedom , escalating into a breach of all safety protocols putting everyone in the facility in extreme danger. No closer to solving the mysterious death and location of new born infant degenerates into a calamitous series of mistakes and judgemental errors leading everyone involved into a life and death situation. Characters all strong and believable lead the reader into a terrifying setting and bloodthirsty conclusion that is the stuff of nightmares. The pace of reading towards the latter end of the book increased in conjunction with the speed and acceleration as events moved away from any sense of control or order into a fire and brimstone hellish scenario . Not for the faint hearted but a thrilling journey that requires a strong stomach for a most unusual and unique storyline from a multi faceted writer. Many thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

When Forensic psychologist Connie goes undercover in an asylum for the criminally insane, she has to delve into the minds of serial killers to save a baby's life.
The chapters that detailed the reasons for the inmate's incarceration were just on the right side of fascinating without delving into the minutia of their crimes. It was tasteful without being too graphic.
Connie's slow fall as her PTSD starts to creep in was done in such a masterful way that you also wondered if she was losing her mind, or if there was something sinister going on.
The final action scene with the storm, fire and gothic backdrop played out like a dramatic movie scene and would make for amazing television or film.
A Gripping and Atmospheric thriller with good tension building, great characters and a steady pace.

When the body is found of pregnant nurse Tara Cameron and her baby ripped out of her at the institution for the criminally insane. Psychological profiler Dr Connie Woodwine, wonders what happened for to end up like this. She was well liked by the inmates so what went wrong? The person who has killed her has asked for a ransom to be paid in Crypto currency for the safe return of the baby.
Connie and her partner Baarda, a former police officer goes undercover at the institute. They have 5 days to find out what happened and find the baby in time. At first Connie interviews all the inmates to ascertain who the murderer could be. But when a big storm hits the facility, Connie finds herself in danger and could be one of the next victims of one of the inmates.
Thank you, Avon, for a copy The Institute by Helen Fields. This is another great thriller from the author. This time a locked room mystery. Connie using her profiler skills to find out where the baby is. But This is a tense and found a bit creepy and paranoid at times. As all the inmates are killers how can Connie trust anyone of them? I think this would make a great film. 5 stars from me.

Another excellent novel from Helen Fields! Absolutely love her writing style and her ability to instantly draw you in as a reader. This novel centres around a murder committed in a remote institute for the criminally insane. Dr Connie, an expert criminal profiler, is secretly sent in to profile staff and patients and find out who done it! Unfortunately I managed to guess a couple of the suspects right off the back, but nevertheless this didn’t take away from my reading enjoyment, and there were still plenty of twists to keep me on my toes! .

I have been a fan of Helen Field’s writing since requesting one of the DI Callanach series a few years ago and I have now read nearly every one of her books. After really enjoying The Shadow Man, I was excited to hear that her latest novel - The Institution, also focuses on forensic profiler Connie Woolwine.

When a nurse from a high security prison hospital is found murdered with her baby missing, Connie and Detective Baarda go undercover to solve the mystery - but when the cast of characters includes serial-killers, how can they work out who to trust? The setting of this book is a suitably atmospheric choice to place a crime thriller. The Charles Horatio Parry Institute for the Rehabilitation for the Criminally Insane is remote and highly secure, with a lot of procedures in place to supposedly protect those in its care. The map at the beginning of the book was really helpful to draw a picture of the ward. The serial killers are all really interesting, and the book spends certain chapters introducing each one and the crime he committed which was a great narrative technique and really cast doubt on lots of people. There are plenty of twists and turns as well as a few red herrings, although I had guessed one character’s twist from the outset.

My main disappointment with the book was with main character Connie. As in the previous book, the profiler is intelligent, with an odd way of working and has a real empathy for the victims she works to get justice for. However, in this book she reveals she has PTSD - having been stuck in a similar institute in her childhood. I understand that the author probably wanted to create a flaw for Connie, but I felt some of the choices, such as telling the serial killers the true story of her history, really felt like a departure from her character profile and seemed like very silly mistakes. At the end when she is almost hysterical, I was a little confused as this did not feel like the same character that had been described previously.

The plot builds really well, and the stakes are slowly increased until the ending which changes gear to very fast-paced action. There are some parts of the ending that you needed to suspend your disbelief for, which I haven’t needed to do for any other Helen Fields novels which was a bit of a shame.

Overall, The Institute is a great read with an atmospheric and unique setting, but I struggled with the portrayal of the main character and found I needed to suspend my disbelief for some of the plot points. Thank you to NetGalley & Avon Books UK for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow -what a roller coaster . Grips you on the first page and doesn't let go .
The institution is where they house serial killers who will never be released back into society.
Dr Connie Woolwine -forensic profiler -goes undercover to investigate an horrific murder of a nurse . Everyone here is a candidate and she needs to be at the top of her game to uncover the killer .

Thank You NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest reveiw

This was a fast paced thriller that keeps you guessing till the end . It is set in a creepy mental hospital It was a well crafted and just a good read one that you could read in one sitting.
Thanks for letting me read and review this book to the publisher and Netgalley

Phew! A terrifying journey into the Institution. It resonated at a primal level, you can get in but can you get out again!!! Totally disturbing and at the same time totally engrossing.

I can always count on Helen Fields to deliver a dark, twisty murder mystery. In this, her second Dr. Connie Woolwine book (The Shadow Man is the first), Fields takes the psychological thriller to a new level--from the setting in a high-security psych ward to the twisted minds inhabiting it.

Freelance forensic profiler Dr. Connie Woolwine and her partner Brodie Baarda go undercover in The Institution, a remote, secure facility for the criminally insane. Their assignment is to try and discover who murdered a pregnant nurse and took her baby for ransom. Battling the clock in an effort to save the infant within the parameters set by her abductors, Woolwine must navigate the staff and the manipulative patients they oversee. Although these men have committed heinous crimes, who among them could resort to such a cold-hearted act? And how could he have carried it out under the noses of the staff?

This gripping, atmospheric thriller explores the crimes and motives of psychologically disturbed men held under tight security. It almost falls into the category of a locked-room mystery as Connie tries to figure out how the body of the murdered nurse and her baby were removed from the facility. The pacing is fast, the writing is compelling and the characters are truly evil. If you like getting into the minds of serial killers and exploring their crimes, this is a read you'll enjoy.

Thank you, NetGalley and Avon Books UK for an advance copy of this book for review. The publication date is March 2, 2023.