The Institution is an atmospheric, dark and disturbing killer thriller that grabs you from the first page. Superbly written, Helen Fields delivers a compelling, intense, page-turning novel with a fabulous, strong female lead. Bravo!

I've loved everything I've read by Helen and I couldn't wait to read this. It had me hooked from the opening chapter.

The way the baby was kidnapped was horrifying and gruesome. There are only a few 'guests' in The Institution and it was fascinating to hear their backgrounds to why they were there. Its a tense, atmospheric read that has you turning the pages to find out who was behind the kidnap of baby Aurora. There is a part in the book, I won't say what because of a spoiler, where the tables were turned. Watching it play out made me sick to the stomach but in a twisted way I also enjoyed that bit.

My only niggle was towards the end it, when the electric failed, it went a bit unrealistic. That said I thoroughly enjoyed it, read it in one sitting and I'm now sat waiting for the next book.

4.5 stars

A mad, creepy thriller. I was hooked but finished wondering why the specifics of the crime were necessary. Enjoyed!

Have read Helen Fields previously and really enjoyed her writing style. This book kept me guessing to the end and I couldn't put is down. Highly recommend

The Insitution by Helen Fields is a superb and engrossing read with a great plot and engaging characters. Well worth the read!

Sadly this new book by Helen Fields just didn't keep me hooked as much as her other ones have done.
I did finish reading the whole book but it left me feeling underwhelmed.
Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for the ARC

Thanks to Helen and NetGalley for allowing me to read The Institution prior to the publication date.
This is an easy read which I would describe as a cross between a horror story , a psychological thriller and a locked room scenario.

From the outset, Helen builds the atmosphere and tension as she describes the approach to the sprawling, remote
fortress known as The Institution. Add an approaching storm and she has the reader on edge.

If she is to save baby Aurora and whilst maintaining her undercover persona, Dr. Connie Woolwine has to rapidly assess, not only the ‘guests’ in the high security wing, but also the staff.

She knows that the guests are dangerous and unpredictable serial killers, although their backgrounds might have the reader reconsider whether some of them are bad, mad or something else.
Most of the staff only work on this wing because they can earn more. But is there more than that?
Who can be trusted? Can Connie overcome her own anxieties whilst in The Institution?

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC of The Institution in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book for the most part. For once, the protagonist in a book like this was capable and knew precisely what she was doing.

Connie was a very interesting protagonist. She was quite smart and pragmatic. Her struggles with PTSD with depicted quite well. Tbh, the personality wasn't written particularly well. She was quite inconsistent at times. One thing that bothered me a lot was that despite being so smart and experienced, she was not able to guess who the killers were.

By the end, even I had correctly guessed the killers.

This was an atmospheric read. It had some gothic vibes. The residents of the Institute could have been very interesting but they were highly undeveloped.

I think that my main issue with this is that the final act was quite unbelievable at times. Some things were very unrealistic and were only there to increase the plot's tension.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Institution. A profiler is called to look into the death of a nurse at a psychiatric hospital called The Institution. This nurse is murdered. She was pregnant and her child was taken. Connie woodvine is an experienced profiler who goes undercover because the killers have asked for a ransom for the child
Connie calls upon a colleague to help her and he too will go undercover as a patient
This is a solid mystery who done it. Well written and lots of twists to keep you guessing
Good book. 4 stars

In The Institution, a high security home to the criminally insane, a young nurse is brutally murdered. Her unborn baby has been cut from her body and is now being held for ransom. Dr Connie Woolwine, a psychological profiler, is tasked with infiltrating the ward the murder took place on to see if she can discover the whereabouts of the baby. A ward which is home to the worst serial killers in the country.

Right from the beginning we have a seriously creepy story that will have you on edge from beginning to end. Combine this with a knowledge of writer Helen Fields and you know no-one is safe. The introduction unveils the despicable crime which has taken place. This then leads into the description of The Institution itself; set in the middle of nowhere, located next to a huge dam, all adds to the sense of isolation. Inside the building we get a sense of claustrophobia, despite the isolated location, as we read about the solidity of the walls and the numerous mechanisms in place as staff move from one building to the next, between floors and from one room to another. All designed to keep the patients and the staff safe.

The patients are terrifying. There are only five patients on the ward Connie infiltrates, they are the worst of the worst. Each one has been found guilty of atrocious crimes. As Connie interviews each one we learn their background and realise that despite being classed as insane they are all highly intelligent and master manipulators. Even more terrifying are the staff, people Connie should be able to work alongside and trust. Each one seems to be hiding something and you do wonder if one of them could be responsible.

Dr. Connie Woolwine is very empathetic and she uses this to get to know the patients and staff, however we are continually aware that there is a time pressure to find the baby and this adds to the overall intensity of the story. As events begin to move at a frenetic pace you feel the panic that Connie is in and wonder if she is going to be able to save the baby and herself.

Thank you to Avon Books UK for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

*Four and a half stars*

This book is EXACTLY what I love in a thriller. Fast paced, jumps RIGHT into the action, atmospheric, and keeps you guessing. I adored this book from the get-go, and absolutely tore through it. The setting is essentially a locked room type mystery; a high security, secluded psychiatric unit full of dangerous offenders has had a murder of a nurse and the kidnapping of her baby. And let's just say, the murderers may not be the only ones to watch out for.

The main character does have her quirks and irritating moments (especially with boundaries), but that's my only criticism. It is also meant more to be a facet of her personality than anything else, and the MC herself is aware of the ways she can come off. At times in the plot, she does have consequences when she makes rash decisions.

Overall, I loved this book and I'm going to need to delve into this author's other works.

Wow what a crazy ride! This is a thriller that will have you turning the pages and not be. Able to put down. I can’t even tell you how crazy this story was! I hope there is a sequel.

I´ve been lucky to read three book on the last month that are really difficult to get over. This is one of them. In fact, This one is not even published yet (Thanks Net Galley for the ARC) and I´m aready lookng forward for the sequel, cause Dr Connie Woolwine it does deserve a sequel.

Well written, fast passed, full of great characters not only the "good" ones but the villans too and a story that will keep the reader on the edge of their chairs till the very last moment. To be honest, it make me sencond guess my asumtions more than once. I even started thinking this was a Shutter Island kind thing, but you will have to read it if you want to kno w for sure.

Forensic Profiler Dr. Connie Woolwine is called out to a murder and newborn baby kidnapping at a high security prison hospital for the criminally insane. Nurse Tara Cameron was well loved by both her co-workers and the dangerous criminals that she cared for on a daily bases. She was a week away from maternity leave but someone inside the walls of the hospital removed the baby from her womb and left her restrained to a medical table to die before sending her body down a laundry chute and dropped into an awaiting truck.

The baby is being held for ransom and it’s up to Dr. Woolwine to find baby Aurora before it’s too late. A newborn baby, ripped away from its mother, will only survive around 5 days without proper nutrition and care. Dr. Woolwine is going undercover as a psychologist within the hospital’s walls in order to interview patients and try to figure out more information on Nurse Cameron and where baby Aurora could be.

When a terrible storm blows in and the power goes out, Dr. Woolwine is alone with four criminally insane serial killers and her life is in terrible danger!

This book was around 400 pages long but I was glued to the storyline and was rooting for a happy ending. After a venturesome game of cat and mouse, the ending was powerful! This novel was gripping, bone-chilling and I recommend all my thriller loving friends to read it.

This was my first book by Helen Fields and I find her imagination, that went into this book, both fascinating and frightening at the same time.

Wow, what an edge of your seat book. Dark, disturbing and desperate at times but a roller coaster of a ride. I couldn't put it down. Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy

This was my 1st book from Helen Fields and omg, have I been missing out!! Its everything I want in my thrillers, dark, twisty, atmospheric and without being just torture porn or gory for shock value. Its so cleverly written and keeps you hooked. I had absolutely no clue who was behind it all until the big reveal. Absolutely recommend

Thank you to netgalley for the chance to read another great read from the amazing Helen Fields.
Helen Fields is of course one one my favourite authors. She has an amzing series, but she also has some equally amazing standalones. This book was no exception. I spent the whole book guessing who dunnit, and im pretty proud of how close i came, but i wasnt quite there. This book is whole of tense moments, which kept me on the edge of my seat. We see a return of the amazing Connie and Baarda who come together to solve a murder that happens at the instituation. As always with Helen Fields, i was hooked. I was happy to see connie and baarda again as i was hooked on their previous story, also a few other names i recognised aswell. As always, a five star read from Helen.

A standalone novel from Helen Sarah Fields author of the DI Callanach series that is one of my favourite reads. This one is a little different to the normal servings by this author but nevertheless an exciting read.

A nurse has been murdered on a locked ward in the world’s highest-security prison hospital for the criminally insane. The nurse was murdered and her newborn baby kidnapped. The race is on to get the baby back but the kidnappers want a ransom. Dr Connie Woolwine is a forensic profiler who is known for her ability to get inside the mind of a murderer. She is asked to go undercover in the prison to try and uncover the truth and rescue the newborn baby.

This is an exciting read from author Helen Fields and I am already looking forward to her next book.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Avon Books for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second novel featuring Dr Connie Woodwine and Brodie Baarda, first appearing in the excellent Shadow Man.

Psychological profiler Connie studies the body of nurse Tara Cameron to try to work out what has happened to her. There is little forensic evidence to go on despite her injuries and horrific violation. There is at best a five day window to find the baby ripped from her body, it’s a life or death race against time as a ransom demand for 5 million in crypto currency is delivered to her family. Connie goes undercover as a therapist working for the military via “Patient B“ and both arrive at the Charles Horatio Parry Institute for the Rehabilitation of the Criminally Insane to try to unmask the perpetrators at the secure unit where Tara has worked.

I am running out of superlatives to describe a Helen Fields novel and the sense of anticipation as you take a dive beneath the pages is intense.
This is utterly gripping and most certainly a buckle up, strap yourself in read and prepare to have a sore jaw as it hit the deck with a resounding thump on several occasions.

Where to start with this edge of your seat read which I defy you to put down easily!!? First of all, the Institute is like a character in its own right with its sordid 200 year history making it a scary overwhelming place that gives off Gothic vibes at times and feels dystopian at others. The author uses its isolated location to great effect and let’s chuck in some adverse weather and it becomes utterly spine chilling.

Secondly, the characters are excellently conveyed especially that of Connie who is utterly fascinating as she is so very different as she uses her many skills to navigate this dangerous play. Through what unfolds here you learn more about Connie‘s backstory which is very revealing. ‘Heaven Ward’ high up in the skies houses very dangerous offenders and their portrayals make your skin crawl. The evil concentrated in this one place is almost overwhelming and definitely palpable. What pulls you even further into the storytelling is the conundrum of the staff. They are, let’s settle for interesting!! Some of the encounters with Connie are strange, unsettling with distinct off notes thus raising a multiplicity of suspicions.

The danger levels which are already high at the start reach Mount Everest proportions, its fear inducing and scary. It is very dark, inevitably disturbing, chock-full of tension and you feel the emotions and pressure that Connie is under. The twists and turns in this rollercoaster read our fantastic as we hurtle pell-mell to an excellent ending.

This is another crackingly powerful mindblower of a read from an author I rate very highly. It’s a warp speed ever changing plot which keeps you super glued to the pages.

More Connie and Brodie please, thank you!

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Avon Books U.K. for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

I have sworn of traditional detective novels where investigations are involved. The book started with an autopsy, but unlike before, this autopsy didnt make me cringe or want to skip it. Connie had an unusual way of being with the dead body, in a way that made the descriptions of what she saw interesting rather than clinical.


The books is about Connie Woolwin, a forensic psychologist who goes undercover to discover who murdered and carved out her premature baby in a mental instituion for serial killers. A very interesting premise indeed, and the book kept that interesting well and throughly. I loved the profiling part of the novel, and it was made even more engaging since Connie had been in a mental health institution herself. You kept guessing along her and when she starts realizing that someone knows what she`s doing there, the suspense intensifies. The plot is balanced well, you have peaks where the suspense is almost giving you a heart attack, and periods where you get to know Connie better, which is necessary if you want to care about what happens to the character. I liked the portrayal of her PTSD, she had the typical symptoms, and it was obvious that the author knew what she wrote about. At the ending there was a lovely sequence when Connie talks with the grandmother to the baby, that desplayed how gifted Connie was as a therapist too, which always makes me happy (I like when novels reflect how psychologist work and help people).

The reason I did not give it five stars, was that it just was too strange when the serial killers started to help, it was just too surrealistic.


This is a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat. You will want to read as much as possible, and be sad when the book is over, even if you felt very satisfied. I will definitely read more books by Helen Fields in the future

Thanks to netgally and Avon books uk for the arc