263 reviews for:

The Fields

Erin Young

3.44 AVERAGE


Solid read as far as thrillers go with a turn towards the far fetched in the last act
dark emotional tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Absolutely brilliant. One of my favourite new authors to discover. Lots of different people to keep track of so I kept notes. It felt more developed than most crime thrillers I read. Highly recommend.

A gripping modern police procedural overflowing with kernels of mystery, murder, cannibalism, and international agricultural politics. What more could you want?

The Fields is a reminder that simple writing can tell a complex story. It was a highly engrossing read and a solid recommendation to anyone who enjoys crime fiction.

This is a really well-written crime thriller, but I, unfortunately, didn't find a ton of originality in it. Many of the characters are holdovers from decades of crime novels before it -- the hard-ass Sheriff, the new detective working on her first big case, etc. It just rang too familiar, and with a genre as saturated as crime originality is key.

That's not to say this book is totally devoid of original ideas, but the stuff the author does come up with -- particularly in the third act -- felt very removed from the rest of the book and honestly took me out of the story. There's one particular development in the last 20 or 30 pages that made me put the book down for a few minutes.

Still, the prose is crisp and clean and the story is engaging, even if it feels like a rerun of a show I watched a while back.

I listened to this thriller and found it to be enjoyable enough.
If you like Robin Cook books, then this might be up your alley.

I thought I was coming for the murder mystery set in a fun Midwestern Gothic setting but actually other things happen...

This story is creative and interesting. I'm not sure I will read more from this series but the premise of this one was not what I expected.

Enjoyed reading this while visiting Iowa. Well paced, pretty interesting. A good airplane read.

I’m a sucker for dark procedurals with a female protagonist—especially if they have a personal connection to the crime. From reading the description, I knew THE FIELDS would check a lot of my boxes. I am happy to say that I was correct and that I really enjoyed Erin Young’s debut thriller.

As many reviewers have pointed out, Young’s prose is gorgeous. I also loved the fact that the book was as much about unpacking Riley’s own psyche and past mistakes as it was the present day crime. And though I know some people have complained about there being too much detail about the agriculture business, I loved the insider knowledge that the book offered. I felt like I was getting a nuanced peek into a world I didn’t know much about.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ebook copy. I will definitely be checking out whatever Erin Young writes next!