The Institution had me glued to the pages. This was a wild story. I can't wait to read more books by Helen Fields.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books, UK for my ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Helen Field has churned out another brilliant crime thriller.

Dr Connie Woolwine is a profiler working freelance. And the UK police have called her in to assist on a case going undercover in a psychiatric unit for serial killers called The Institute. One of the ward nurses was killed and her unborn child removed from her womb and now a ransom is being demanded in return for the baby. It’s an inside job, so Connie goes in undercover to find out who is involved.

This was a brilliant read. It had an unusual plot, especially with the way the baby was stolen, but it was a real page turner and an immersive story. It was completely character driven, and we’ve met Connie in previous stories in the DI Callanach series. She’s a great character, who’s fearless and brave, yet vulnerable in her own way. There were no slumps or slow areas in the story, and it was a real rollercoaster. There were elements of the story that made me feel frustrated, especially when Connie was treated unjustly. And I spent a lot of time rooting for her and her case.

Overall, an excellent read that I’d highly recommend!!

Just love this author…… This is the second book featuring Dr Connie Woolwine but can be read as a stand-alone novel.
Gripping, intense and enjoyable, I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to fans of thrillers. Giving it four stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND THE PUBLISHER FOR THIS REVIEW COPY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.

Nurse Tara has been brutally murdered and her pre-mature baby has been kidnapped after a forced caesarian in "the institute". The Institute is the sophisticated name of the prison where all of the psychopath serial killers are immured. Tara is one of the people who pursued nursing for sake of helping others. Her husband and parents are devastated and want the baby back. Dr. Connie is a profiler who works in unorthodox ways, she has been part of many successful murder cases. She decided to go undercover to find the baby and the murderer. Everyone is suspect there, all of the patients are serial killers so it is not an easy task to find the real culprit.

I've never read this author before so I didn't know what to expect. From the first line, the story engaged me, I right away felt a connection with the character of Connie. It was such a thoughtful and different story that was filled with emotions as well as twists. The way the author introduced all of the patients helped me to remember them and to get connected with their stories. Their background stories made them human and one can connect why they chose to kill. It was definitely a dark story with graphic details. Most importantly, the ending blew me. I can't even say that Connie was being stupid or an idiot for not identifying the murderer right away as I also fell into the same trap.

If you are open for a psychopath prison dark, the gruesome story then it is your cup of tea.

Simply stunning. Fast paced, breathtaking and ingenious. The setting is sinister and compelling in equal measures, remote incarceration packed with psychopathic killers and the lowest of society.
The premise of the story is brave and emotive, foetal abduction through a brutal caesarean causing the death of the mother and launching a kidnap ransom from the grieving family. The whole story pulls at your sensibilities and emotions at rollercoaster pace, questions basics of human nature and nurture and makes you face the worst scenario nightmares and question how you would respond in such horrific scenarios.
I’m a huge fan of this author and she never fails to disappoint in fact she amazes me more with each new read. Absolutely brilliant would recommend in a heartbeat.

The newest book from Helen Fields was fantastic! Super scary, claustrophobic, and dark, loved this thriller.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read this ARC.

A dark psychological thriller set in a hospital for the criminally insane high up in the Scottish mountains. A very slow start, multiple characters and a maverick protagonist did not endear me to the story.

I did not enjoy this book. However, it was well-written and just because it is not my cup of tea does not classify it as bad.

We first met D.I Baarda and Connie Woolwine in The Shadow Man, so I was delighted to read The Instituion. It is very dark, not for the faint hearted but SO gripping; almost a locked room mystery with relatively few characters locked in a psychiatric institution. The pair are helicoptered in to solve a murder and find a missing baby. They are undercover with a convincing back story. The suspense and terror increase throughout, locked in with serial killers, but written with a sure hand and ends in an unbelievable climax. A sure fire winner. I was hooked, just as I was with The Shadow Man. One of my very favourite Authors.

Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for an Arc in return for an independent review.

Well, The Institution is a cracker of a book. I’m a big fan of the Luc and Ava series by Helen Fields and was looking forward to reading this as it seemed completely different. And different it certainly is! I’m not a reviewer who goes over the plot of a book, but this is set in a secure hospital for the criminally insane and the heroine, Dr Connie, is undercover investigating the murder of a pregnant nurse and the abduction of her baby. Clearly this is a crime carried out by someone who has no empathy but also has to have had help from the medical staff. None of that is a spoiler. We met Dr Connie and Brodie who is patient B in The Shadow Man but this is their first stand alone novel.

The hospital is your worst nightmare and it’s also Dr Connie’s worst nightmare. The staff clearly don’t much care for their patient inmates, indeed the sanest people appear to be those inmates. Except, of course, they’re not. Only the oddly named Boy is a friendly face amongst the staff.

Only the Governor knows who she really is and who the patient who is her cover to be there, really is. The Governor has to go off site, her patient is being abused, and then a storm isolates the already isolated institution. Claustrophobic? You will be.

The tension, the claustrophobia and the treachery all ramp up until Dr Connie is herself on the wrong end of The Institution. She has no idea who she can trust, no one is who they seem and a labyrinth of a place, set in wild and flooding moorland means there is just no escape.

Lives will be lost, for sure.

This is one of the scariest books I’ve read in a long time and also, that rare thing, something completely different within the genre. It’s original and innovative with strong characters and I hope this is going to be the first of a series featuring Dr Connie and Brodie. There’s certainly plenty of potential and this is a very strong start.

Highly recommended….but prepared to be scared!

The Institution is book 2 in a series featuring profiler Dr. Connie Woolwine and former cop Brodie Bardaa. The pair are placed under cover in a remote high security forensic institution following the murder of a nurse and the kidnapping of her baby.

The set up is interesting, if a little contrived, and the cast of characters is large. The novel starts slowly as Doctor Connie gets to know the staff and guests/ prisoners/ patients. It takes a while to heat up, and Connie is a difficult character to warm to.

The murder was clearly an inside job, with staff involvement a given. Connie splits the employees into suspects and those who seem unlikely to be involved. But it's no surprise at all when her initial impressions turn out to be inaccurate.

The Institution is a little different: the plot device of a closet set of suspects in a remote location and two undercover operatives investigation works well. The pace is slow until the rather rushed revelations at the conclusion.

Helen Fields has done it again yet another page turner of a crime story. I have no idea how she keeps coming up with such great stories and characters but this one is so good. We are reintroduced to a couple of familiar characters and these are rapidly becoming firm favourites to me. The story is almost a huge closed room mystery but on a far bigger scale and I did not figure who did it.
If you have not read a book by one of the leading UK Crime Writers then this is a great introduction.

Have to say this was not my favourite book by the author however I have really enjoyed her previous novels so definitely an author I will keep reading

Is there any setting more dangerous than an institution, on a locked ward, housing some of the most disturbed murders you have ever heard of? After reading the blurb, I just knew this was going to be right up my street, What I didn't expect, is the depth added to the fear factor that made this book a truly outstanding read!
As always when I spot a title by Helen Fields, I know I just have to read it! But this was absolutely a truly terrifying read, From the horrific characters, to the isolated setting, and Connie struggling with her own inner demons. It made for the perfect storm for a spectacular thriller.
I genuinely didn't see where this was going, when you are doubting each and every character and going around in circles, you know this is a whodunit with that extra bit of class!
What I didn't expect was the skill and tact put into developing each of the personalities', it was done so well and so realistically, that I didn't see the twists until they hit, and I LOVED that shock factor!
The only thing I am disappointed in, is that I have finished the book, after reading I sat back to process and marvel at the journey I had just been taken on and realised that it would be a while until I found something THAT good to read again!

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the copy of The Institution. When a book is this long, it really has to grab me right away and keep my interest and I’m sorry to say it was tough read for me. It took some time to get interested in the story and I had a hard time connecting to the writing because it was so wordy. Maybe rigorous editing would have helped. For example, hearing detailed descriptions of what the serial killers did and thought and why didn’t add to the story. The story really picked up after the storm started, but it was late in the book and I had already kind of lost interest. The ending was good, so if you like to be surprised by the end, you will love this book. For me, the writing didn’t engage me and the characters were too odd for me to enjoy this book. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 for the great ending.

Wow, just wow! I loved everything about this book and can't praise it highly enough.

The Institution is a high-security prison hospital away from the mainland, housing some of the world's most infamous killers. Dr Connie Woolwine is called in to go undercover with her colleague, Baarda, to try and work out who killed the popular nurse, Tara, and stole her baby.

This book is super fast faced and action packed; it gripped me right from the beginning and I couldn't read it quick enough. I felt Connie's worries and sheer terror at certain points in the book and got goosebumps reading the final chapter.

Helen Fields is such a talented author and, having read all of her previous titles, I love how her books have character crossover. Her books are incredibly well written, with excellent characterisation and full of twists and turns.

The Institution is an emotional rollercoaster and I was certainly happy to go along for the ride; I will be keeping a look out for a sequel!

My thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.

WOW, Helen fields has written a brilliant new novel with the Institution, it grabbed me from the first page and i just couldn't wait for the next chapter and surprisingly I didn't work out completely who the main culprit was, which was a refreshing change.
This is a must read and i look forward to reading more about the complex Dr Connie Woolwine

This is only the second book I've read by Helen Field but she is fast becoming my favorite crime writer. This is essentially a locked room mystery, a nurse is murdered in a high security psychiatric unit and her unborn baby, Aurora, is abducted. The abductors demand a ransom in cryptocurrency. Dr Connie Woolwine, a forensic profiler and her sidekick Brodie Baarda go undercover in the maximum security unit housing five of the worst serial killers imaginable, whom Connie will interview in turn, despite being classed as insane they are all adept manipulators. The staff Connie is working alongside also have their dark secrets, Connie has no idea who she can trust. This is a real page turner of a thriller building to a heart stopping finale. The plot has many shocking twists and turns, the characters are well fleshed out with fascinating back stories. Time is ticking away for baby Aurora and there is a dark looming sense of danger, The institution is at a remote location prone to storms and any outside help might take a long while to come. Connie also suffers PTSD from when she was locked away in a psychiatric facility as a teen, the institution of the title triggering unwelcome flashbacks.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK for a review copy, I leave this review voluntarily.

Just the sort of book I was looking for! Dark, haunting and intriguing I could not put this down! Can't wait to read more from this author as soon as possible.

Holy moly! This book has enraptured me. I’ve been on the edge of my pillow (I read in bed) every night. I’ve loved every part of me. It’s so intense. It’s frightening. The location, the plot, the characters….all of it was enthralling. It’s going to be a best seller.