Blurb:

They’re locked up for your safety.

Now, you’re locked in with them.

How do you find a murderer in a prison full of killers?

On a locked ward in the world’s highest-security prison hospital, a scream shatters the night.

A nurse has been murdered and her daughter has been taken.

And with only five days to find the girl, the clock is ticking for Dr Connie Woolwine to find a killer hiding in plain sight…

Review:

I am fascinated by mental health conditions and treatments, so I was really intrigued by the premise of The Institution. I loved the way that Helen Fields created the setting, even providing a map at the front of the book, and built an atmosphere that kept me, as a reader, on edge the whole way through, wondering what the characters were capable of and what would happen next. The Institutional environment felt as though it was well researched and authentic.

The protagonist of The Institution is Connie Woolwine, and I enjoyed getting to know her. I warmed to her quite quickly: she’s obviously very brave and determined to place herself in the situation presented by the novel. There are also elements of her past which are explored in this novel and this adds an interesting dimension to her character.

Throughout The Institution, we are also given insight into the patients at the facility through Connie’s assessments of them. I loved this way of presenting the characters as it helps the reader to form opinions of them to help them guess who the perpetrator might be, whilst still giving us enough scope to be surprised.

As the novel reaches its climax, the tension and sense of danger increases and I could not turn myself away from what was happening. I was desperate to find out who was responsible for what throughout the course of the novel and discover what would become of all the characters.

The ending sets us up for another novel featuring Connie Woolwine and I really hope this is the case!

The Institution is available from Amazon.