Reviews with content warning for Schizophrenia/Psychosis - The Institution

*** 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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