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The Institution

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The Institution

By: Helen Fields
Narrated by: Genevieve Swallow
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About this listen

‘Deliciously dark and utterly compelling – I couldn’t put it down.’ – CLARE MACKINTOSH

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…

Welcome to The Institution. The locked room thriller listeners don't want to leave.

©2023 Helen Fields (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
Amateur Sleuths Crime Thrillers Mystery Private Investigators Suspense Thriller & Suspense Crime Detective Fiction Exciting Scary

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Critic reviews

Brilliant! The Institution is a harrowing, nonstop story that will grab you from the first page and not let go. You’ll consume it in one sitting.’ – Jeffery Deaver

‘Quite simply, wow! One of the best high concept thrillers I've read in forever. I raced through this riveting thriller in a single, breathless session of oh-my-God-what-is-going-to-happen-next.’ – New York Times bestseller Lisa Gardner

Absolutely AMAZING. Tense, engrossing and gripping with a truly unique main character.’ Angela Marsons

‘An intense, fast paced, locked room thriller. A brilliant concept which kept me guessing right until the end. Fields is at the top of her game.’ John Marrs

Dark and atmospheric with some brilliantly horrific characters. Compelling and unputdownable.’ – Catherine Cooper

A terrifying, shocking, pulse racing thriller. One of the best crime novels I've read in a long time.' – Jacqui Rose

Criminally compulsive, claustrophobic and captivating, The Institution is Helen Fields at her just-one-more-chapter best.’ – Neil Broadfoot

'Scary, tense and totally absorbing, I just couldn't put it down. Wonderful.' – Simon McCleave

‘A wonderful, compulsively gripping rollercoaster of a read.’ – Liz Nugent

A white-knuckle ride that is completely addictive. Chillingly effective.’ – B P Walter

All stars
Most relevant  
The best way to describe this closed circle mystery is Gothic. It’s totally ridiculous and overwrought but it is a very compulsive listen - as long as you can put up with very graphic violence. I didn’t much care for the narration which, while competent, was a bit overdone. The American protagonist’s accent wanders wildly around all 50 states apart from the one it belongs in. But overall, a bizarre but entertaining listen.

Overblown but addictive

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however in the 4 weeks since I read it, I have forgotten much of the plot line. I recall enjoying it, it wasn't too complicated or overly long. I would probably try this author again.

a reasonable read

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What a pleasant surprise! When the book outlined a condition that the main character has I rolled my eyes, I thought not another one! For example, many books now have a character with a condition where one eye is a different colour to the other (that’s not the case, here), but I did think not again, every other book will have this now! However, it was a wonderful surprise to find out it was the same characters from a previous book which I really enjoyed called “shadow man” or “the shadow man”. It’s a locked room, mystery meets Cluedo! But atmospheric and enjoyable. Next!

Excellent

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This book brought to mind Stephen King's book, the Institute, but the story is totally different. I didn't guess the end of this one, and there were many twists and turns throughout the story. I don't read this author as much as I should, and I will definitely now put Helen Fields on my favourite author list.

Horrowing, but brilliantly written

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It's a gripping thriller, but it needs to be read from start to finish. There are many characters involved with varying backgrounds and stories. Some of them are dealt with individually some not. There are many plots and twists that keep you guessing and some parts will be shocking and distressing. Ultimately it was a good read with a couple of twists at the end that left me speechless.

Setting

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I absolutely love Helen’s books, this started well but started to get a little ridiculous. Wasn’t keen on the voices the narrator tried to put on, took the seriousness away from the story, women just can’t do men’s voices - end of. Sorry but a big let down.

Slightly disappointed :-(

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Great holiday reading. Plenty of plot twists. Can’t wait for the next one. Thank you

Really enjoyable read

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Great read. Can highly recommend! Looking forward to the next instalment in this series. Just brilliant

Love the characters

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This is my first book by this author and I downloaded another before I’d finished this one. I liked the setting, characters and pace. The ending had me hanging on to every word, really enjoyable listening experience.

A really engaging listen

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This was a fantastic book, listening to it on audio, gosh it was a great book. Had me on the edge of my seat.

More than I expected

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