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There are currently 33 member reviews
for The Fields
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Betsy R. (Gig Harbor, WA)
Best debut novel I've read in a long time
The Fields is about a young recently promoted detective who works in the town she grew up in. When one of her childhood friends is found dead in a cornfield, she is determined to find out who and why. The story moves into a complex web of theories and possibilities and I found it to be riveting. It will be a bestseller if enough people see it and read it. I loved it!
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Henry W. (Lake Barrington, IL)
Surprise
I could not put it down. What better endorsement can one give a mystery. The tale is filled with unresolved twists and turns. Most of the twists are logically resolved but in some cases the resolution is so unexpected as to be pure coincidence. Of course the book does include all the modern culprits, the media, big corporations ,and politicians. The author also teases us with a big secret from the lead character's past for a good part of the book. The lead detective has a stressed personal life and a tendency to go beyond her authority. A character similar to the non compliant officers of other detective series.
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Laure R. (Fresno, CA)
THIS BOOK IS A GEM
I was delighted to find a crime novel set in the rural Midwest…specifically Iowa cornfields! I was most pleased to be caught up in the fast paced story with so many unexpected twists and turns almost immediately.
This is a police procedural filled with complex characters, well fleshed out. It contains a serial killer, corrupt politicians, three women missing from the small community, a drug crisis and much more. It focuses on Ms. Riley Fisher, a newly promoted Sargent on the small local police force. She has plenty of baggage to bring to the job as well as a number of relatives and friends and others she has been surrounded by most, if not all, her life.
The pace is very fast and elegantly written. It is particularly deserving of praise for it is the debut of Erin Young's writing a crime thriller. I was very pleased that Ms Young plans to make this the basis for a series. Put me down for the next one! I happily recommend this book as a really great read.
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Lynn D. (Kingston, NY)
Great crime story !
The Fields is a compelling crime story with many layers. It's a police procedural with a sympathetic and flawed detective (and her family). The author takes on Big-Ag vs, small farmers, political corruption, drug abuse, and the societal challenges of the rural Midwest, including the Iowa State Fair. It all adds up to a great read. I look forward to the next Riley Fisher story!
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Judy K. (Montgomery, TX)
Beware of the corn!
The mystery genre is my favorite and I must've read a million mystery books. I've learned to love a good, tangled yarn that, in the end, plays me for a fool. This book surprised me and that surprised me. I also love a good serial killer, a depraved serial killer (is there any other kind?) and The Fields checked that box as well. We've got a flawed detective (think Harry Hole, Jo Nesbo's protagonist as the gold standard) and a back story concerning said detective that keeps rearing it's ugly head. We have a lot of intriguing things in play, all set in the cornfields of Iowa, written by an English author, which is a mystery in itself. How is a lady in Brighton, England, intimate with midwestern America? I live in Texas and I'm very sure I couldn't write about Brighton, England. Kudos to Erin Young for an absorbing story that is well written and keeps you guessing. I look forward to her next book with Sergeant Riley Fisher as the protagonist.
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Colleen F. (Carrollton, TX)
Page Turner
I have to say that this book was truly a page turner. I enjoyed all the twist and turns that this book has to offer. Just when you think that you have solved who did it. There is more that happens. I sure hope that she comes out with a part two of this book. I would love to learn more about the main character.
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Rebecca K. (Chicagoland)
A great new series
Erin Young's debut novel "The Fields" is a fast-paced and timely mystery. Set in Black Hawk County, Iowa, the story begins with the discovery of a dead body in a cornfield. A young woman was brutally murdered and her body found on a family-run farm. It's one of the few in the area not connected to the Big Agriculture giants. Sergeant Riley Fisher is surprised to find that she recognizes the dead girl as a friend from her high school years.
When more victims turn up, the police try to determine whether they're all related. Eventually, a conspiracy is formed - do the bodies have anything to do with the disagreements between the small, family farms and the large ones using genetically modified seeds and toxic bug sprays. And what role does the state's governor, currently running for reelection, have in the situation?
I loved the characters in the story, especially Riley. She reminds me a bit of Chief Kate Burkholder from Linda Castillo's mystery novels set in Amish country. Riley is a young cop with a complicated history thanks to tragic events in her past. She has to deal with the sexism of others on the force, including one officer particularly angry that Riley received a recent promotion for which he also applied.
This is a fast-paced book (I would have read it faster if I wasn't recovering from major surgery and on lots of painkillers), and I especially raced through the final half because I couldn't wait to find out what happened. I was never able to guess the "whodunit," and I'm sure fellow mystery lovers will appreciate the complexity of the plot. This is the first in a planned series, and I cannot wait to read the future installments!
