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stressgirl70's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
coffeebreath27's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
3.0
i enjoyed reading the book; the writing style is to my liking, though i think the pacing could do with a little work. however, i could not bring myself to rate this anything higher than 3 stars because the twist/explanation was just a little too out there.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cannibalism, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Rape
lauryn555's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
ericfreemantx's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Solid police procedural, set in the corn fields of Iowa.
bookishblondegirl's review against another edition
3.0
In an agricultural town in Iowa, police officer Riley Fisher, who was recently promoted to Sergeant, finds herself reunited with a childhood friend. Unfortunately, this reunion consists of Riley standing over her her old friend's body, recently found in the cornfield of a local farmer. As Riley faces the demons of her past and leads the murder investigation, it becomes clear that this case is a lot bigger and more complicated than anyone could have imagined.
If I had to describe this book, the term that comes to mind is 'agricultural thriller'. I don't know if that is even a genre, but it's certainly fitting for this story. I won't go into too many details as to avoid spoilers, but I will say that things like Big Ag, politics, and farming are all involved to varying extents. This was interesting because I haven't really read anything with these elements, and I think that ultimately the plot and mystery were well-rounded and very creative.
However, I had a couple of issues with this one: firstly, the switching of POVs that occasionally happened wasn't done all that smoothly, and I'd often be confused as to which character's narrative I was reading. Secondly, while I understand that often there are multiple storylines that eventually all come together as the answer to the central mystery, I struggled sometimes at keeping the storylines straight. Overall, though, I think all the storylines worked, they just could've been introduced in clearer ways. Finally, I think some things could've unfolded quicker and helped the story's pace.
All in all, I liked this book and I'm glad I read it. Though it is not a standout procedural for me, I would definitely continue on reading a Riley Fisher detective series, because I strongly suspect Young's work will only get better from here! If you like slower crime procedurals and shows like Criminal Minds, I think you'll enjoy this.
Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for a chance to read this in exchange for a review. The Fields releases on 01/25/22!
If I had to describe this book, the term that comes to mind is 'agricultural thriller'. I don't know if that is even a genre, but it's certainly fitting for this story. I won't go into too many details as to avoid spoilers, but I will say that things like Big Ag, politics, and farming are all involved to varying extents. This was interesting because I haven't really read anything with these elements, and I think that ultimately the plot and mystery were well-rounded and very creative.
However, I had a couple of issues with this one: firstly, the switching of POVs that occasionally happened wasn't done all that smoothly, and I'd often be confused as to which character's narrative I was reading. Secondly, while I understand that often there are multiple storylines that eventually all come together as the answer to the central mystery, I struggled sometimes at keeping the storylines straight. Overall, though, I think all the storylines worked, they just could've been introduced in clearer ways. Finally, I think some things could've unfolded quicker and helped the story's pace.
All in all, I liked this book and I'm glad I read it. Though it is not a standout procedural for me, I would definitely continue on reading a Riley Fisher detective series, because I strongly suspect Young's work will only get better from here! If you like slower crime procedurals and shows like Criminal Minds, I think you'll enjoy this.
Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for a chance to read this in exchange for a review. The Fields releases on 01/25/22!
kelli7990's review against another edition
A breakneck procedural that is beautifully written and masterfully crafted, Erin Young's The Fields is a dynamite debut - crime fiction at its very finest.
I listened to this book on audio. I decided to read this book after reading Erin Young’s new book that I had an ARC for called Original Sins which is the second book in this series. I made it to 60% in this book and I decided to DNF it. This is an agricultural thriller and I’ve never read an agricultural thriller before. I liked the second book Original Sins better than this book. This book is very graphic when it describes dead bodies that were found at crime scenes. It didn’t bother me when the first and second dead bodies were described but when the third dead body was described, I decided that I had heard enough and I didn’t want to hear any more graphic details about dead bodies. It was too much for me.
erincreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0