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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
Release Date: January 25, 2022 (thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review!)
Rating: 3/5 stars
Synopsis: Riley Fisher, newly promoted police sergeant in a rural Iowa county, becomes embroiled in a murder investigation when her childhood friend is found dead in a corn field, bringing up memories of dark secrets in Riley’s past. But things aren’t what they seem and soon one brutal murder turns into what may well be a serial killer on the hunt…
My Thoughts: I’m a big fan of police procedurals and an even bigger fan of Criminal Minds/anything involving behavioral analysis or serial killers. Because of this, for the first half of The Fields I was completely engrossed and already contemplating the four-to-five-star review I would give, with minor dings for writing that occasionally came off as cheesy and a pretty painful lack of diversity (to be honest, this book was so white it actually felt like Young was TRYING not to have a single character of color and I strongly encourage her not to repeat that mistake when the series continues).
But then, the ending. I’m usually very willing to suspend my belief for a somewhat bizarre storyline, but this one went a couple bridges (or cornfields) too far. I don’t believe in spoilers in reviews, but I found the entire thing unbelievable, in the literal sense, and it made the entire book feel like science fiction (and not in a good way). This is the first entry in a planned series and I’ll still be giving the second one a try because I really enjoyed the characters and the setting, but I badly hope Young irons out the debut thriller issues (and crafts a more believable resolution) for her next installment.
Recommended if you like: gritty police procedurals; serial killer stories; rural farm drama.
CW: Gore/death/mutilation; rape/sexual assault; drugs, including addiction; mentions of suicide.
Rating: 3/5 stars
Synopsis: Riley Fisher, newly promoted police sergeant in a rural Iowa county, becomes embroiled in a murder investigation when her childhood friend is found dead in a corn field, bringing up memories of dark secrets in Riley’s past. But things aren’t what they seem and soon one brutal murder turns into what may well be a serial killer on the hunt…
My Thoughts: I’m a big fan of police procedurals and an even bigger fan of Criminal Minds/anything involving behavioral analysis or serial killers. Because of this, for the first half of The Fields I was completely engrossed and already contemplating the four-to-five-star review I would give, with minor dings for writing that occasionally came off as cheesy and a pretty painful lack of diversity (to be honest, this book was so white it actually felt like Young was TRYING not to have a single character of color and I strongly encourage her not to repeat that mistake when the series continues).
But then, the ending. I’m usually very willing to suspend my belief for a somewhat bizarre storyline, but this one went a couple bridges (or cornfields) too far. I don’t believe in spoilers in reviews, but I found the entire thing unbelievable, in the literal sense, and it made the entire book feel like science fiction (and not in a good way). This is the first entry in a planned series and I’ll still be giving the second one a try because I really enjoyed the characters and the setting, but I badly hope Young irons out the debut thriller issues (and crafts a more believable resolution) for her next installment.
Recommended if you like: gritty police procedurals; serial killer stories; rural farm drama.
CW: Gore/death/mutilation; rape/sexual assault; drugs, including addiction; mentions of suicide.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
informative
tense
fast-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Could be an easy round down to a 2.5. Another obvious first in what is going to be a series. It is very much like a standard procedural, but this book wasn’t sure what it wanted to be: eco-thriller, women in peril thriller, badass lady cop thriller…I’ve finished it and still have no idea.
Chief complaint: too many characters that can be distinguished one from the other. Too many Frank’s, Logan’s, Wallace’s, Smith’. IYKY
It’s not horrible just not great.
Chief complaint: too many characters that can be distinguished one from the other. Too many Frank’s, Logan’s, Wallace’s, Smith’. IYKY
It’s not horrible just not great.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book was slow going at first, very gradually picking up pace halfway through, and speeding towards the end. There were a lot of different plot threads that I personally feel were not tied up, or wrapped up extremely abruptly for how drawn out/important they seemed to be. Felt like the storyline went a bit off the rails.
Thank you to Flat Iron Books for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
CW: Death, blood, gore
The Fields is an addictive murder mystery novel, the first planned in a new detective series by Erin Young. From the moment I started reading, it had me hooked. It has been awhile since I've read a murder mystery novel that I've actually enjoyed, so I'm really glad I was able to read this.
We follow Riley Fisher, a newly promoted sergeant who heads the Black Hawk County Sheriff's Field Investigations Unit. When she is called to the scene of a murder at a corn field, she recognizes the woman as being one of her childhood best friends. With this revelation, Riley is worried that parts of her past will be unearthed after she has tried so hard to bury them. However, her desire to get justice for her old friend keeps her on the case. As more bodies begin to show up, Riley begins to realize that this case will have much bigger implications for her town than she thought.
This book took on the feel of an atmospheric thriller, which I didn't expect but absolutely loved. I'm from the midwest, so maybe I felt so into the book because I was like "yeah, I could see this happening in my hometown". Even if you're not from the midwest, though, I think you'll agree that the setting of this book just...works. I also thought the political thriller aspect of it was well done, as the discussions of big agriculture fit well into the setting and also contributed significantly to the plot so we didn't waste any pages on unnecessary conflict.
This is the author's debut mystery/thriller and I thought it was really good overall. I feel like it did suffer from some pacing issues at times, but it was never so bad that it threw me out of the story. I am so excited to see what Sergeant Fisher does next!
CW: Death, blood, gore
The Fields is an addictive murder mystery novel, the first planned in a new detective series by Erin Young. From the moment I started reading, it had me hooked. It has been awhile since I've read a murder mystery novel that I've actually enjoyed, so I'm really glad I was able to read this.
We follow Riley Fisher, a newly promoted sergeant who heads the Black Hawk County Sheriff's Field Investigations Unit. When she is called to the scene of a murder at a corn field, she recognizes the woman as being one of her childhood best friends. With this revelation, Riley is worried that parts of her past will be unearthed after she has tried so hard to bury them. However, her desire to get justice for her old friend keeps her on the case. As more bodies begin to show up, Riley begins to realize that this case will have much bigger implications for her town than she thought.
This book took on the feel of an atmospheric thriller, which I didn't expect but absolutely loved. I'm from the midwest, so maybe I felt so into the book because I was like "yeah, I could see this happening in my hometown". Even if you're not from the midwest, though, I think you'll agree that the setting of this book just...works. I also thought the political thriller aspect of it was well done, as the discussions of big agriculture fit well into the setting and also contributed significantly to the plot so we didn't waste any pages on unnecessary conflict.
This is the author's debut mystery/thriller and I thought it was really good overall. I feel like it did suffer from some pacing issues at times, but it was never so bad that it threw me out of the story. I am so excited to see what Sergeant Fisher does next!
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
As someone who partially grew up in the region this was set in (my mother's whole family has been there for generations) I'm impressed. There were some surprisingly specific small details I enjoyed. I really appreciated the themes and overall messages as well as enjoying it as just a good story.
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No