Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - The Institution

Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Institution by Helen Sarah Fields

7 reviews

hollyamber's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Plotline: A 'whodunnit?' based in a high security psychiatric hospital that houses serial killers. Can Connie, an undercover profiler, identify the killer of a pregnant nurse whose baby was taken from her during the murder?

Whilst I think this would make a great movie, I found the story a bit difficult to follow at times as there were a lot of characters to keep track of! There was more description than I like, but the tension was built well overall, and I liked the setting of the story. It took me ages to finish this though - a bit heavy and slow for me!

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oceanwriter's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I was instantly taken in by the setting. This is probably one of the most perfect locations I’ve read in a thriller. I only wish I had been as taken in by the story and its presentation.

Along with the synopsis, the opening pages hooked me. We meet Dr. Connie Woolwine as she’s examining the body of a deceased woman who’s had her newborn baby taken from her. Connie is determined to find the culprit, believing that there is a chance the baby is still alive. To do so, she must stay amongst the inmates at a high-security prison.

First, I should say that a lot of what I didn’t like about this book boils down to personal preference. I found this to be too gory for my liking with a lot of medical detail, blood, etc. Readers with a stronger stomach will enjoy this a lot more. I also struggled to click with any of the characters and struggled for a while to keep the supporting roles straight, especially with how dialogue-heavy the book becomes as it goes on.

The high points for me surround, again, the setting of the book and the general atmosphere. I would have liked a little more time spent on descriptions even though the cover captures the vibe quite well.

A huge thanks to Harper360 for sending me a free ARC of the book!

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emma6544's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I really enjoyed this thriller. I have read a few of Helen Fields standalone thrillers so I was looking forward to this one. However, unlike The Last Girl to Die and The Shadow Man, this book was not a fast paced thriller but a slower pace mystery. This threw me off at the start and it took awhile for me to get into the book but it is worth the read.

We follow the same characters from The Shadow Man and I enjoyed their return. I also enjoyed the plot of the book which is a set in a psychiatric prison on an island isolated by civilisation. I thought that this added extra suspense and risk to a common mystery plot trope.

I also enjoyed the use of weather at the end to heighten the tension

Connie and Barbba are separated. There is a huge storm raging meaning no police or emergency services can help until the stop is over. The generators are also not working, leaving Connie to navigate the dark to find the killers and save baby Aurora.

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gretamitg's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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jackierobinson's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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mysteriesandhistories's review against another edition

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adventurous dark sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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yvo_about_books's review

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3.25

Finished reading: February 17th 2023

"We give doctors a lot of power. Most of the time, rightly. Occasionally, that's dangerous."

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Avon in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

I tend to enjoy Helen Fields' writing and I have a weak spot for thrillers with a serial killer angle as well as a psych ward setting, so it's easy to say that The Institution sounded like a perfect fit. I've been looking forward to pick it up ever since a copy appeared on my kindle... What I sure didn't expect was that I ended up having mixed thoughts instead. It's by no means a bad read and I understand why so many people are loving it so far, but there were also a few issues I couldn't look past personally.

Before I continue, a little warning. While The Institution is technically a stand-alone, it is also the second encounter with main character and forensic profiler Dr. Connie Woolwine, who already appeared in another stand-alone The Shadow Man (along with Baarda). The story itself is completely separate, but I would still recommend reading that one first to have a better picture of the dynamics between the two characters and their background. You can still understand the plot and everything that is going on in The Institution without that knowledge though.

The remote psych ward and prison hospital setting was without doubt one of the highlights of this story for me. The descriptions of the fortress and its surroundings were thorough and made for such an atmospheric backdrop for the plot, and they helped create that ominous vibe perfectly. And this was even before the weather went bad and the huge storm amped things up even further... While the storm and them being cut off from the outside world was a bit too cliche, it sure added a lot of suspense and tension to the plot.

The plot almost had that locked room mystery vibe, with only a limited amount of staff having access to the Heaven Ward and only five prisoners on that same ward... A limited suspect pool, although every single one seems to be a worthy suspect, and the plot gives you reason to doubt them all as Dr. Connie goes undercover and tries to investigate. The psych ward and everything that goes on at the Institution complex in general are both fascinating to read about, and it was another highlight for me.

What didn't work as well for me then? First of all, I had issues with the pace of the plot. Especially the first half was considerably slower than expected, and it took me a long time to get a proper feel for the story. I'm not sure if the story was too descriptive, if things were too dragged out or if it was something else I couldn't put my finger on, but the fact is that I did struggle quite a bit in the beginning. I also felt that the final events were way over the top and simply not credible at all. Sure, once the storm makes its appearance the pace accelerates enormously and the entertainment factor goes through the roof. BUT. It was too much of a change and especially the behavior of the prisoners just wasn't credible at all for me.

I also felt that it was quite obvious who were behind it all, and when you look back at how the plot throws suspicion at everyone on the ward everything is starting to feel a bit too forced. Add the cliches, slow start, lack of credibility and over the top escalation, and The Institution just wasn't as good as I hoped it would be. If the story and pace would have been balanced more evenly, it would probably have been easier to forgive the escalation in the final part... But as it is, it almost seemed like I was reading two completely different stories that weren't glued together properly. I know I'm in the minority though, so don't give up on my account if you think this story is for you.

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