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Riley Fisher #1
The Fields
A breakneck procedural that is beautifully written and masterfully crafted, Erin Young's The Fields is a dynamite debut—crime fiction at its very finest.
Some things don't stay buried.
It starts with a body—a young woman found dead in an Iowa cornfield, on one of the few family farms still managing to compete with the giants of Big Agriculture.
When Sergeant Riley Fisher, newly promoted to head of investigations for the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office, arrives on the scene, an already horrific crime becomes personal when she discovers the victim was a childhood friend, connected to a dark past she thought she’d left behind.
The investigation grows complicated as more victims are found. Drawn deeper in, Riley soon discovers implications far beyond her Midwest town.
Some things don't stay buried.
It starts with a body—a young woman found dead in an Iowa cornfield, on one of the few family farms still managing to compete with the giants of Big Agriculture.
When Sergeant Riley Fisher, newly promoted to head of investigations for the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office, arrives on the scene, an already horrific crime becomes personal when she discovers the victim was a childhood friend, connected to a dark past she thought she’d left behind.
The investigation grows complicated as more victims are found. Drawn deeper in, Riley soon discovers implications far beyond her Midwest town.
345 pages, Hardcover
First published January 25, 2022
310 people are currently reading
16200 people want to read
About the author
Erin Young
4 books355 followersTHE FIELDS was Erin’s debut crime thriller, featuring Sergeant Riley Fisher of Black Hawk County, in the first of a planned series.
THE FIELDS has been published in North America and Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand, Germany, Italy, France, the Netherlands and Taiwan.
On publication in 2022, THE FIELDS was a Glamour book of the year, a Times thriller of the month, an Amazon USA pick of the month, and was shortlisted for hardcover of the year at the ITW thriller awards.
Erin was named in Oprah Daily as one of the best emerging female thriller writers of the year. THE FIELDS is in development for TV by the producers of Big Little Lies and City on a Hill.
The sequel, ORIGINAL SINS, will be published in 2024.
Erin lives and writes in Brighton, England. She also writes historical fiction as Robyn Young.
THE FIELDS has been published in North America and Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand, Germany, Italy, France, the Netherlands and Taiwan.
On publication in 2022, THE FIELDS was a Glamour book of the year, a Times thriller of the month, an Amazon USA pick of the month, and was shortlisted for hardcover of the year at the ITW thriller awards.
Erin was named in Oprah Daily as one of the best emerging female thriller writers of the year. THE FIELDS is in development for TV by the producers of Big Little Lies and City on a Hill.
The sequel, ORIGINAL SINS, will be published in 2024.
Erin lives and writes in Brighton, England. She also writes historical fiction as Robyn Young.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 804 reviews
February 2, 2022
Quick checklist to determine if Erin Young’s debut crime thriller, The Fields, is the right book for you:
- Do you live in Iowa?
- Can you stomach extremely graphic depictions of postmortem bodies, like those found in Karin Slaughter novels… but taken up a notch?
- Are you interested in the political debate about Big Agriculture and GMOs?
If you answered yes to all three of these questions, then oh boy this is your holy grail piece of fiction right here! Bodies are turning up in cornfields and barns and such, decomposing and full of maggots, and the motivation behind the killer might just be related to agricultural espionage.
Now listen, I’m from Iowa. Author Erin Young is not. She sure took notes while visiting the state though and packed her novel with alllll the Iowa things: State Fair butter cow, Maid Rite, Hawkeye sweatshirts, and lest we forget… FARMS! Yes, we do in fact grow stuff here. And yes, there are little farms and big farms, and GMO companies have a very big presence. As referenced in the book, other countries like China have indeed been caught trying to steal seeds from our soil and replicate them. Gotta feed the world, amiright!
If that last paragraph bored you, The Fields is probably too immersed in the world of agricultural politics to hold your interest. But if you’re like, heck yes, I want to dig into that and see characters take it to such extremes that people are being mutilated as a result, get yourself to a bookstore and buy it! Then preorder the follow up, since this is part one of a series featuring Sergeant Riley Fisher.
3.5 stars
My thanks to Flatiron Books for the gifted review copy via NetGalley and the invitation to participate in the blog tour for this release. The Fields is now available.
Blog: https://www.confettibookshelf.com/
- Do you live in Iowa?
- Can you stomach extremely graphic depictions of postmortem bodies, like those found in Karin Slaughter novels… but taken up a notch?
- Are you interested in the political debate about Big Agriculture and GMOs?
If you answered yes to all three of these questions, then oh boy this is your holy grail piece of fiction right here! Bodies are turning up in cornfields and barns and such, decomposing and full of maggots, and the motivation behind the killer might just be related to agricultural espionage.
Now listen, I’m from Iowa. Author Erin Young is not. She sure took notes while visiting the state though and packed her novel with alllll the Iowa things: State Fair butter cow, Maid Rite, Hawkeye sweatshirts, and lest we forget… FARMS! Yes, we do in fact grow stuff here. And yes, there are little farms and big farms, and GMO companies have a very big presence. As referenced in the book, other countries like China have indeed been caught trying to steal seeds from our soil and replicate them. Gotta feed the world, amiright!
If that last paragraph bored you, The Fields is probably too immersed in the world of agricultural politics to hold your interest. But if you’re like, heck yes, I want to dig into that and see characters take it to such extremes that people are being mutilated as a result, get yourself to a bookstore and buy it! Then preorder the follow up, since this is part one of a series featuring Sergeant Riley Fisher.
3.5 stars
My thanks to Flatiron Books for the gifted review copy via NetGalley and the invitation to participate in the blog tour for this release. The Fields is now available.
Blog: https://www.confettibookshelf.com/
February 10, 2022
This was promising debut with blood freezing and intense opening: a brutally killed young woman lying in the corn field, discovered by drones flying around the area like vultures sniffing the smell of their preys.
It’s good combination of political thriller meets slow burn mystery takes place in small town where the farmers slowly lose their jobs to Big Agriculture: an industrial giant company taking over their farms from their hands.
After the murders start to occur, some of the politicians try to benefit them for upcoming elections.
Two things about the book didn’t work so well for me: third narration storytelling and lots of characters I barely keep their names on my mind.
The story centered around Riley Fisher who recently becomes sergeant at her young age, investigating the dead girl’s murder who is found at the cornfield. Actually the girl was her childhood friend. But the murders don’t stop and she starts suspecting there’s a serial killer out there with ulterior motives and if she really wants to catch him, she needs to face her own skeletons in the closet. She has to dig more the biggest and ugliest secrets of townies against raising political threats and intimidating manners of her own folks.
The identity of the culprit was a little obvious. There was no big surprise or earth shattering revelation.
I liked the characterization of heroine and her traumatic past story but I wish the book was told from her perspective with less characters more action scenes.
I’m still rounding up my 3.5 stars to 4 town politics, agricultural rivalry, secrets, lies, brutal murders stars for promising start of it.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
It’s good combination of political thriller meets slow burn mystery takes place in small town where the farmers slowly lose their jobs to Big Agriculture: an industrial giant company taking over their farms from their hands.
After the murders start to occur, some of the politicians try to benefit them for upcoming elections.
Two things about the book didn’t work so well for me: third narration storytelling and lots of characters I barely keep their names on my mind.
The story centered around Riley Fisher who recently becomes sergeant at her young age, investigating the dead girl’s murder who is found at the cornfield. Actually the girl was her childhood friend. But the murders don’t stop and she starts suspecting there’s a serial killer out there with ulterior motives and if she really wants to catch him, she needs to face her own skeletons in the closet. She has to dig more the biggest and ugliest secrets of townies against raising political threats and intimidating manners of her own folks.
The identity of the culprit was a little obvious. There was no big surprise or earth shattering revelation.
I liked the characterization of heroine and her traumatic past story but I wish the book was told from her perspective with less characters more action scenes.
I’m still rounding up my 3.5 stars to 4 town politics, agricultural rivalry, secrets, lies, brutal murders stars for promising start of it.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
February 9, 2023
Never tell.--------------------------------------
It was an oath she had broken first, many months later, the words heaved from her in sobs, her parents’ expressions frozen, Ethan stumbling from the room, his face ashen. The secret once shared—once detonated—had destroyed them. Not in the first blast, but slowly, inexorably. A sickness in the heart of their family. A poison that lived for years, quietly working in each of them.
It’s not heaven. It’s Iowa.Damn, did he have that right. The Iowa of Erin Young’s The Fields is a hell of a lot closer to The Children of the Corn than it is to any Field of Dreams. After spending some time in Cedar Falls and its larger sibling, agro-urban wasteland town, Waterloo, where the rust-belt meets the corn-belt, you might swear off dreaming altogether. Well, town might be down-playing it a bit. Between the two (both are real places) they total about 100,000 souls (not counting livestock), so maybe small cities rather than towns. Abba may have been on to something when they referred to Waterloo. (Couldn’t escape if I wanted to) Some truly can’t. One of those turns up dead in a cornfield.
----------Ray Kinsella in Shoeless Joe
If not for the University of Northern Iowa—where she’d majored in criminology—with its annual influx of students and money, Riley guessed Cedar Falls would have slumped into the same depression as Waterloo. There had been some brave attempts at regeneration in recent years—microbreweries sprouting on weed-covered lots, kayaks for hire on the Cedar River and an annual Pride festival, fulminated against by local churches. But they were fighting a strong downward pull.
Erin Young, nom de plume for Robyn Young, showing off her Thriller-writer pose, or her “You expect me to believe that? Come on now.” face - image from her Facebook pages
Riley Fisher is local, mid-thirties, single, grew up in Cedar Falls, her grandfather a former head of the Blackhawk County Sheriff’s Office. She knew early on that she wanted to follow in his footsteps. Now, after a detour or two along the way, she is head of investigations, to the consternation of others who had hoped for the promotion. The new-found body is in a field owned by the Zephyr Farms cooperative.
Cooperatives were how some smaller Iowa farms had been able to survive the relentless advances of Big Ag. By dominating the market in hybrid seeds, fertilizer and pesticides—the holy trinity of crop production—through aggressive trademarking, swallowing up the competition and tactical lobbying at the highest levels of government, giants like Agri-Co had come to control much of the nation’s agricultural wealth.Been out there for days, been ripped at in an unusual way, was maggoty, ripe, and unsettling. No problems with an ID, though, once Sergeant Fisher arrives on the scene. Chloe Miller (nee Clark) was one of Riley’s besties two decades back, in high school. But they’d gone their separate ways. Seeing Chloe brings back a terrible time from Riley’s youth, a time that had derailed her life, a time she could never forget.
So, we are faced with two mysteries. What happened to Chloe in that field and why, and what is it about Chloe’s death that has brought Riley to such a state of emotional turmoil? Something happened back when they were still friends, something major. And the revived memories are not exactly a source of comfort. Both mysteries are peeled back like leaves on a lovely ear of you-of-what, bit by bit, the present-day crime via procedural investigation; the personal mystery through intermittent, mostly small recollections.
Image from KWWL.com by Olivia Shmitt
But wait, there’s more. The discovery of Chloe’s body is the spark that starts the action, but Young has a wider field of view in her sites. A writer of very successful (over two million sold) historical novels, she wanted to have a go at writing thrillers, finding inspiration in
an article she read about the menacing power of Big Agriculture. A decision to set the novel in Iowa, corn-capital of the world, led her to make a fascinating journey across the state – from chance encounters with cops and farmers, and an audience with a local mayor, to shooting Glocks and getting caught in supercell storms. - from her websiteA voice is given to concerns about the darker implications of increasing concentration in the age of the agro-industrial complex.
A necessary evil, some called them. Progress, said more. But to those whose forefathers had farmed this land since the days of the first families from New York, Philadelphia, and Virginia, who’d settled here after the Black Hawk War when the Ioway had been driven west, these corporations were vultures, polluters and thieves.(Entirely unlike the settlers who drove out the natives, I presume.) So, not exactly a tension-free relationship between local growers and the bigger side of the farming industry, personified here by the Agri-co corporation. We get a strong oppo position from an activist determined to head off even more governmental pro-corporation actions.
Companies like Agri-Co only care about profit, not the soil and water they infect with their chemicals, or the wildlife they destroy. Cancer rates are rising from pesticides, and, still, their political allies and lobbyists help them sow their poison.She blames the current governor, up for re-election, for his role in this. Concern with big-Ag concentrating power at the expense of smaller producers and fouling the environment in the process finds an echo in another part of the country.
It was almost a year since Logan joined the department, moving with his folks from Flint. His father, niece, and nephew had been badly affected by the crisis there—when lead seeped into Flint’s water supply after city officials changed the system in an attempt to save money, then tried to cover up the devastating consequences.It is clearly impossible to run from the national corporation-led degradation of our environment, or from pervasive public corruption.
Riley is an engaging lead, clever in the way we expect our fictional detectives to be. We also expect our lead to carry some personal baggage, challenges at the very least. Her beloved grandfather, Joe, has been in decline for quite a while, coherent and in possession of his memories on an increasingly part-time basis. Her brother Ethan is a bit of a disaster, divorced, a ne’er do well with some substance issues. Riley can usually count on Ethan to step back whenever she needs him to step up. Ethan’s daughter Maddie is a teenager, a decent sort, overall, in a tough situation, but, you know, a teenager, so offering the family their RDA of stress. And Riley still carries the weight of what happened all those years ago. Unfortunately, Riley is saddled with the addition to her team of Officer Cole, an asshole cop straight from central casting, toting the usual bigotries, inflated self-view, and presumptions, with an extra dose of jealousy. Thankfully, Riley’s other partner, Logan, is another good cop.
And then a second body turns up, (not in a field) also not discovered until well past passing, also in very nasty shape, also featuring some remarkable damage. Is there a serial killer on the loose?
Abandoned meat-packing plant - image from sometimes-interesting.com
Thrillers have tropes like Ruffles have Ridges. Black SUVs put in an appearance. Are they good SUVs or bad SUVs? Ya gotta figure, when Riley spots a large poisonous snake on her property, (Chekov’s snake?) that it will rattle into play at some point. The question is how, when, to whom, and to what effect. News of a coming storm is another one. Usually this signals that the violent final resolution will occur against an atmospherically dramatic background. Young preps us with a mention of eight twisters having touched down in Iowa since April. Will one drop down into the mix here? Now, that would be a real twist. The upcoming Iowa State Fair is also noted, and gave me visions of snakes dropping on fair-goers, transported by a tornado, as everything is revealed in a climactic disaster scene. But Chekov surely does not have to take ownership of all these things. They could also just be foreshadowing images or external representations of the fear and turmoil Riley is experiencing, or the dangers she is facing. (But I sure do like that State Fairground snakenado notion).
So how does the historical novelist fare at the thriller genre? Young ticks off many of the usual boxes that make up the type. The author has to make good with the reader on explaining things at the end, the main things, anyway. Check. A ticking clock? “I’ve had the county attorney on the line already. Less than two months from the state fair and with the gubernatorial coming up? You know how vital this next budget is to the department. I want this case handled quickly. Efficiently.”, so, check. Our hero must face an increasingly perilous set of challenges, no escaping, victory can only be had by overcoming. What’s she gonna do when all those snakes start dropping out of the sky (Ok. I got carried away, again.) But yeah, Riley rolls, doing battle on multiple fronts. An element of suspense? Sure. Got that. Whodunit, why, and who’s next. An appealing hero? Sure. A reliable sidekick with an alternate skill set? Yep. Logan fills the bill. Plot twists? Of course. Red herrings? Bring your fishing pole. There are a few swimming about. Alternate POVs? The story is told in third person, but there is one first person POV that appears a few times. Cliffhangers? That is what made it tough to read only 20-30 pages a night of this book. An exciting climax? Yeah, for sure, even though I was really kinda hoping for the snakenado thing, even though I know it would have been really
I quite enjoyed Young’s simple, but dark descriptions.
Waterloo was lifeless in the stagnant air. Smoke seeped from factory chimneys and the Cedar flowed sluggish and brown. Although the roads were clogged with trucks and trailers, there were few people about, just a few vagrants shambling along broken sidewalks, and cleaners and hospital workers trudging to or from shifts…It wasn’t long before she saw the old meatpacking plant on the outskirts of the city…Its twin smokestacks were dark fingers against the pallid sky, old bricks the color of rust. The bottom windows were boarded over, the ones higher up mostly shattered. A chain-link fence surrounded the site, bristling with barbed wire…stepping over heaps of rubbish, she found herself in a cavernous hall. Metal steps ascended to gantries that crisscrossed in between pillars and snaking pipes, conveyor belts and wheels. It all looked like some complex ride at the state fair, only made of metal and rust, fractured glass and hooks. She imagined the steers and hogs shuddering round, the iron spike of blood, steam from spilling guts. Parts of the gantries had collapsed. In places, the floor yawned into darkness.A good book should teach you something about the world while delivering a good story. You will certainly get a sense of the perils of Big Ag, the history of how such concentration got started, and the impact it has had on the economy and the people of this area (presumed to be comparable in all farming states) You will learn a bit about the potential and potential dangers of genetic research for crops. And will learn some Ag lingo.
Good writing is good writing whether it is for historical novels set across the pond (well, across for us in the Western Hemisphere. For her, living in Brighton, no pond crossing is needed.) or for a gritty thriller set in America’s heartland. Young has made the transition smoothly, with an engaging procedural-cum-political-thriller, featuring a strong lead, a diverse supporting cast, well-paced action, and plenty of mystery to keep one’s curiosity on high alert, all while offering a bit of information about the world, and highlighting very real issues concerning Big Agriculture. I am looking forward to the further fleshing out of Riley’s story and those of her supporting cast. Seeds have been planted. The soil is fertile. The shoots are emerging for the Riley Fisher series, and look very promising. A bountiful annual harvest is forecast. Volume #2 will be set in Des Moines. I am betting that when she writes it, readers will come.
The lifeblood of rural America was being drained, leaving husks of cities, where poverty and crime rushed in to fill the void. It was a legacy all too visible in the boarded-up factories and processing plants that loomed like broken tombs around the city, haunted by vagrants and hookers, and cruised nightly by the squad cars of Waterloo PD.
Review posted – January 14, 2022
Publication dates
----------Hardcover - January 25, 2022
----------Trade paperback - February 7, 2023
This review has been cross-posted on my site, Coot’s Reviews. Stop by and say Hi!
I received an ARE of The Fields from Flatiron in return for a review that was not too horribly corny. Well, I tried, ok. Thanks, too to NetGalley for facilitating.
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Links to the author’s Erin Young and Robin Young personal,
FB, and Twitter pages
Items of Interest
-----Ruffles have Ridges
-----Master Class - Masterclass: What is the Thriller genre?
-----A bit of silliness
-----Reedsy Blog- Chekhov’s Gun: Don’t Shoot Your Story In the Foot
-----Crop Prophet - Corn production by state
Corn Production Rankings: 2020
Rank State Production (M bu)
1 Iowa 2296.2
2 Illinois 2131.2
3 Nebraska 1790.1
4 Minnesota 1441.9
5 Indiana 981.8
6 Kansas 766.5
7 South Dakota 729.0
8 Ohio 564.3
9 Missouri 560.9
10 Wisconsin 516.8
11 Michigan 306.5
Items of Interest from the author
Young has a few items coming up for publication soon, one in CrimeReads on her research trip to Iowa, and another in The Big Thrill Magazine. There is also an interview upcoming on Jeff Rutherford's Reading and Writing podcast
December 14, 2021
TRIGGER WARNING: THIS NOVEL IS EXTREMELY GRAPHIC AND VIOLENT WITH WHAT I THOUGHT WERE UNNECESSARY DETAILS.
At 30% I'm throwing this on the DNF pile!!! There is so much I don't like about this book. I certainly wouldn't call it "beautifully written and masterfully crafted". By 30% I was just really annoyed with it and knew it wasn't a book for me.
I should have put the book aside from the start as I don't like books with graphic violence and the book opened with a pretty gruesome start!
I will admit that I didn't like the main character, Riley. She does a lot of really unprofessional and just dumb things. Going off on her own to do her investigating, etc. She didn't seem like a skilled enough "detective" for these major murder cases.
There is a large cast of characters and I had problems keeping track of who is who and how they fit into the plot. There are characters from the present and from the past, way too many for me to care about.
We keep getting little tidbits of information of something bad that happened to Riley in the past, but I never got to the point where I even knew what that was and why or how it fit into the story.
Basically this is a novel with an agenda. Big Agriculture against little farmers and all of the bad things that they do to drive out the little guys. While I'm sure a lot of this may be true, I didn't really want to read a book based on these political issues. I have no idea how much research the author did or if all of this is just fiction.
I guess I'm getting tired of books with political statements. It felt as though the author couldn't decide whether this was a thriller or if she wanted to make a statement about Big Agriculture??? I think she tried to do both and it didn't work for me.
At any rate there are other reviewers who loved it, so I'm in the minority. If you want to read it, go in blind and it may be a good fit for you.
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
At 30% I'm throwing this on the DNF pile!!! There is so much I don't like about this book. I certainly wouldn't call it "beautifully written and masterfully crafted". By 30% I was just really annoyed with it and knew it wasn't a book for me.
I should have put the book aside from the start as I don't like books with graphic violence and the book opened with a pretty gruesome start!
I will admit that I didn't like the main character, Riley. She does a lot of really unprofessional and just dumb things. Going off on her own to do her investigating, etc. She didn't seem like a skilled enough "detective" for these major murder cases.
There is a large cast of characters and I had problems keeping track of who is who and how they fit into the plot. There are characters from the present and from the past, way too many for me to care about.
We keep getting little tidbits of information of something bad that happened to Riley in the past, but I never got to the point where I even knew what that was and why or how it fit into the story.
Basically this is a novel with an agenda. Big Agriculture against little farmers and all of the bad things that they do to drive out the little guys. While I'm sure a lot of this may be true, I didn't really want to read a book based on these political issues. I have no idea how much research the author did or if all of this is just fiction.
I guess I'm getting tired of books with political statements. It felt as though the author couldn't decide whether this was a thriller or if she wanted to make a statement about Big Agriculture??? I think she tried to do both and it didn't work for me.
At any rate there are other reviewers who loved it, so I'm in the minority. If you want to read it, go in blind and it may be a good fit for you.
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
September 20, 2023
**3.5-stars**
It all begins with a body in a corn field.
Before we get started, can I just say that I find corn fields to be terrifying. There's just something about them; I can't. Who knows what is lurking in there...
Seeing one mentioned in the synopsis for The Fields, I knew that I wanted to read this debut Crime Thriller.
Sergeant Riley Fisher, the head of investigations for Black Hawk County Sheriff's office is shocked, upon arriving on scene, when she discovers she knows the victim.
Even though Riley and Chloe went their separate ways in their teen years, Riley is still rattled to the core by her estranged friend's tragic death.
The corn field is owned by a local co-op, Zephyr Farms, one of the very few to survive the crushing presence of Big Agriculture.
Does Chloe have a connection to this place? How did she end up here and who would have wanted to harm her?
Riley dives deep into this investigation. After all, it's personal and soon finds herself in a dangerous world of politics and very big business. Not a comfortable place to be by any means.
As more bodies start dropping, the pressure increases, with Riley pushing herself to her limits in order to get to the bottom of these cases before more innocent lives are loss.
While parts of this intrigued me, mostly the murdery bits, I felt like the structure of the story lost me at times. There were certain aspects, or sections, ((I'm not quite sure how to best explain what I mean)) that felt out of place and it would kick me out of the story.
Along a similar vein, for me the pace was off, with my interest coming and going in waves.
There was a solid mystery here, but at times it felt overshadowed by other things; namely politics, which personally, I could have done without.
With all of this being said, please don't take this the wrong way. I did enjoy this book. I see a lot of promise in Young's writing and would pick up the next book in the Riley Fisher series.
This is a good start to series. I liked Riley a lot and look forward to learning more about her in the next installment.
She has a dark cloud hanging over her, a bit of a secret history, and I really want to know what that's all about. I'm hoping in the next book she'll spill it.
So yeah, this wasn't a perfect read for me, or the most memorable, but I did enjoy it enough to continue on with the series. I'm actually looking forward to it.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Flatiron Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I appreciate it!!
It all begins with a body in a corn field.
Before we get started, can I just say that I find corn fields to be terrifying. There's just something about them; I can't. Who knows what is lurking in there...
Seeing one mentioned in the synopsis for The Fields, I knew that I wanted to read this debut Crime Thriller.
Sergeant Riley Fisher, the head of investigations for Black Hawk County Sheriff's office is shocked, upon arriving on scene, when she discovers she knows the victim.
Even though Riley and Chloe went their separate ways in their teen years, Riley is still rattled to the core by her estranged friend's tragic death.
The corn field is owned by a local co-op, Zephyr Farms, one of the very few to survive the crushing presence of Big Agriculture.
Does Chloe have a connection to this place? How did she end up here and who would have wanted to harm her?
Riley dives deep into this investigation. After all, it's personal and soon finds herself in a dangerous world of politics and very big business. Not a comfortable place to be by any means.
As more bodies start dropping, the pressure increases, with Riley pushing herself to her limits in order to get to the bottom of these cases before more innocent lives are loss.
While parts of this intrigued me, mostly the murdery bits, I felt like the structure of the story lost me at times. There were certain aspects, or sections, ((I'm not quite sure how to best explain what I mean)) that felt out of place and it would kick me out of the story.
Along a similar vein, for me the pace was off, with my interest coming and going in waves.
There was a solid mystery here, but at times it felt overshadowed by other things; namely politics, which personally, I could have done without.
With all of this being said, please don't take this the wrong way. I did enjoy this book. I see a lot of promise in Young's writing and would pick up the next book in the Riley Fisher series.
This is a good start to series. I liked Riley a lot and look forward to learning more about her in the next installment.
She has a dark cloud hanging over her, a bit of a secret history, and I really want to know what that's all about. I'm hoping in the next book she'll spill it.
So yeah, this wasn't a perfect read for me, or the most memorable, but I did enjoy it enough to continue on with the series. I'm actually looking forward to it.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Flatiron Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I appreciate it!!
March 30, 2022
Erin Young's writes a terrific crime thriller debut, set amidst Iowa's farming country, mile upon mile of flat cornfields, drawing on contemporary real life worrying issues associated with the ruthless political power and expansion of Big Agriculture, relentlessly swallowing up small farmers, impoverishing small town communities, poisoning the land and environment with pesticides, with the potential problems associated with lack of diversity and with genetic crop modifications. Newly promoted Sargeant Riley Fisher, Head of Investigations at Black Hawk County Sheriff's Office, is at Zephyr Co-op Farm cornfields with Logan Wood, a recent recruit, looking at a the gruesome murder of a woman with harrowing injuries. It turns out Riley knows the victim, Chloe Miller, her best friend from childhood, along with Mia, tight knit friends until Riley suffers a nightmare incident, a secret at the heart of the sickness in her family, a past that is now dredged up, leaving her fragile and vulnerable in the complex murder case she is now in charge of.
This is not the only pressure tearing Riley apart, there is resentment and jealousy in the department at what is felt her unjustified promotion, emanating particularly from Jackson Cole. There are the eco-activists and protests dogging the feverish tightly fought election campaign between current Governor Bill Hamilton, with his sinister private security, perceived as a backer of big agriculture to the detriment of ordinary people, and Senator Jess Cook, who promises to challenge this with her more environmentally friendly agenda. Riley's brother, Ethan, proves to be a thorn in her side with his toxic marriage as he drowns in the demon drink and drugs, struggling to raise his teenage daughter, Madeleine. Further murders of women with a similar MO heighten tensions in a frightened, fearful and agitated community, with Riley and her team facing deadly dangers as she comes across rumours of the homeless disappearing, snatched and taken in a white van.
Young writes an exciting, thrilling and highly suspenseful novel that captured my interest, she evokes an intensely atmospheric picture of the twister country location, the shimmering and sweltering heat, the humidity, the mosquitos, the air loaded with dust, the rattlesnakes, and the ominous absence of birds due to the lack of insects (due to pesticides). There are a wide range of disparate characters inhabiting this novel, presumably establishing a number of them for future additions to the series, and I will certainly be re-acquainting myself with Riley Fisher as I plan to read the next in this promising series. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
This is not the only pressure tearing Riley apart, there is resentment and jealousy in the department at what is felt her unjustified promotion, emanating particularly from Jackson Cole. There are the eco-activists and protests dogging the feverish tightly fought election campaign between current Governor Bill Hamilton, with his sinister private security, perceived as a backer of big agriculture to the detriment of ordinary people, and Senator Jess Cook, who promises to challenge this with her more environmentally friendly agenda. Riley's brother, Ethan, proves to be a thorn in her side with his toxic marriage as he drowns in the demon drink and drugs, struggling to raise his teenage daughter, Madeleine. Further murders of women with a similar MO heighten tensions in a frightened, fearful and agitated community, with Riley and her team facing deadly dangers as she comes across rumours of the homeless disappearing, snatched and taken in a white van.
Young writes an exciting, thrilling and highly suspenseful novel that captured my interest, she evokes an intensely atmospheric picture of the twister country location, the shimmering and sweltering heat, the humidity, the mosquitos, the air loaded with dust, the rattlesnakes, and the ominous absence of birds due to the lack of insects (due to pesticides). There are a wide range of disparate characters inhabiting this novel, presumably establishing a number of them for future additions to the series, and I will certainly be re-acquainting myself with Riley Fisher as I plan to read the next in this promising series. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
December 28, 2021
PUBLICATION: January, 2022
RATING: 5 stars
THE FIELDS is the first in a new series planned by author Erin Young. It is a high-octane police procedural whose intense plot and explosive tempo keep you on the edge of your seat, if not biting your nails.
Sergeant Riley Foster is newly promoted as the Head of Investigations, Field Services Division of Black Hawk County in Iowa. The area is farming country, primarily corn, and the most excitement, generally, is the slow takeover of individual farms by a large conglomerate, Agri-Co.
Riley’s mystery begins with the find of a dead body in one of the cornfields. The death is surprising, but not as surprising as the cause. The identification becomes personal to Riley and before she can answer the “who did it”, another death takes place. The cases turn up the heat on Riley and emotions and stress bring things to a boiling point. Is Riley equipped to handle the pressure?
WARNING: The death scenes are very graphic.
The writing is superb and beautiful. Young fully paints her word landscape in vibrant hues. While this is Erin Young’s debut crime mystery, the author is also known as Robyn Young, a historical fiction writer of the Middle Ages. She is best known for the Brethren trilogy.
My thanks to Flatiron/MacMillan and to Ms Young for the giveaway copy of THE FIELDS in exchange for an unbiased review.
RATING: 5 stars
THE FIELDS is the first in a new series planned by author Erin Young. It is a high-octane police procedural whose intense plot and explosive tempo keep you on the edge of your seat, if not biting your nails.
Sergeant Riley Foster is newly promoted as the Head of Investigations, Field Services Division of Black Hawk County in Iowa. The area is farming country, primarily corn, and the most excitement, generally, is the slow takeover of individual farms by a large conglomerate, Agri-Co.
Riley’s mystery begins with the find of a dead body in one of the cornfields. The death is surprising, but not as surprising as the cause. The identification becomes personal to Riley and before she can answer the “who did it”, another death takes place. The cases turn up the heat on Riley and emotions and stress bring things to a boiling point. Is Riley equipped to handle the pressure?
WARNING: The death scenes are very graphic.
The writing is superb and beautiful. Young fully paints her word landscape in vibrant hues. While this is Erin Young’s debut crime mystery, the author is also known as Robyn Young, a historical fiction writer of the Middle Ages. She is best known for the Brethren trilogy.
My thanks to Flatiron/MacMillan and to Ms Young for the giveaway copy of THE FIELDS in exchange for an unbiased review.
September 26, 2021
In the Corn Belt of Iowa, big agricultural giant Agri-Co dominated the market in hybrid seeds, fertilizer and pesticides, "the holy trinity of crop production." "Corn breeding and genetic engineering-you name it, they're in it...". Zephyr Farms, part of a farm cooperative, was working on a new variety of seed. Winning the Food Prize at the Iowa State Fair would guarantee their future. It was less than two months to the State Fair. The upcoming gubernatorial election would follow. Agri-Co..."Too powerful to challenge. Too big to fail."
In the cornfields at Zephyr Farms "a family farm struggling for continued recognition", the body of Chloe Miller was found. A grisly, brutal murder. Newly appointed as the Head of Investigations, Sergeant Riley Fisher was called to the crime scene. "Things like this didn't happen in Black Hawk County, where stores still closed on Sundays and strangers were noticed." Riley had been besties with Chloe and Mia when they were fourteen years old. Riley's claim that she hardly knew Chloe allowed her to work the case. "Chloe was dead-she would keep [Riley's] secrets...Mia was a door into the past that Riley didn't want to walk through...".
As the investigative team of Riley Fisher and Logan Wood questioned Chloe's husband, as a person of interest, a second horrendous murder shook them to the core. A prostitute, savagely attacked, was found at a seedy location on the outskirts of the city. Are these murders connected? Vestiges of a person camping in an old meat packing plant come to the forefront.
"The Fields" by Erin Young is a procedural thriller filled with political corruption and agricultural espionage. Big agriculture tries to force out small struggling farms, and, in an election year. Protestors wave placards, "Iowa for farms, not Firms". Riley Fisher, determined to prove her worth as the first female investigator, doggedly pursues leads as the victim count increases. Riley's past challenges did not greatly enhance the novel, nor, did the extensive cast of tangential characters. That said, tidbits of clues were added to entice the reader to await the next case to challenge the investigative prowess of Riley Fisher. I look forward to the next offering by Erin Young.
Thank you Flatiron Books/ Macmillan and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
In the cornfields at Zephyr Farms "a family farm struggling for continued recognition", the body of Chloe Miller was found. A grisly, brutal murder. Newly appointed as the Head of Investigations, Sergeant Riley Fisher was called to the crime scene. "Things like this didn't happen in Black Hawk County, where stores still closed on Sundays and strangers were noticed." Riley had been besties with Chloe and Mia when they were fourteen years old. Riley's claim that she hardly knew Chloe allowed her to work the case. "Chloe was dead-she would keep [Riley's] secrets...Mia was a door into the past that Riley didn't want to walk through...".
As the investigative team of Riley Fisher and Logan Wood questioned Chloe's husband, as a person of interest, a second horrendous murder shook them to the core. A prostitute, savagely attacked, was found at a seedy location on the outskirts of the city. Are these murders connected? Vestiges of a person camping in an old meat packing plant come to the forefront.
"The Fields" by Erin Young is a procedural thriller filled with political corruption and agricultural espionage. Big agriculture tries to force out small struggling farms, and, in an election year. Protestors wave placards, "Iowa for farms, not Firms". Riley Fisher, determined to prove her worth as the first female investigator, doggedly pursues leads as the victim count increases. Riley's past challenges did not greatly enhance the novel, nor, did the extensive cast of tangential characters. That said, tidbits of clues were added to entice the reader to await the next case to challenge the investigative prowess of Riley Fisher. I look forward to the next offering by Erin Young.
Thank you Flatiron Books/ Macmillan and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 17, 2022
A body of a woman is found in a cornfield in Iowa. Newly promoted, Sergeant Riley Fisher is the head of investigations of the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office. When she gets to the scene, she recognizes the victim as Chloe Miller, a childhood friend. Some would feel that this hits too close to home, but this is Riley's first case as Sergeant, and she wants to proceed. As she investigates, another woman is horrifically murdered. A prostitute has been killed and her body left on the outskirts of town. Are these two murders connected? What do they have in common? Where were both women killed? When more bodies are found, Riley believes this is the work of a serial killer.
In Iowa, farming is the name of the game. Unfortunately, there are those in big agriculture who want to win the game and smaller family farms are having difficulty competing. This is a police procedural that also looks at farming and the agriculture industry. Things get political and Riley must deal with some political roadblocks in this book as well.
Riley is an interesting character. She is flawed and the book hints at her past and Riley does not want it to come out. The is the first book in the series and I believe there will be more character development and growth in future books.
As other reviewers have mentioned, there are a lot of characters in this book. Were they all necessary? I believe this story could have been told with less.
This book is dubbed as a debut crime thriller for the author, but please note that she also writes under Robyn Young and has written quite a few historical fiction books. It is no wonder that the writing is very polished and well done in this book. Young has honed her craft and it shows.
Book #1 is off to a good start, and I am curious what she will have Riley investigating in future books. I just hope the next book has fewer characters.
Thank you to Flatiron Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
In Iowa, farming is the name of the game. Unfortunately, there are those in big agriculture who want to win the game and smaller family farms are having difficulty competing. This is a police procedural that also looks at farming and the agriculture industry. Things get political and Riley must deal with some political roadblocks in this book as well.
Riley is an interesting character. She is flawed and the book hints at her past and Riley does not want it to come out. The is the first book in the series and I believe there will be more character development and growth in future books.
As other reviewers have mentioned, there are a lot of characters in this book. Were they all necessary? I believe this story could have been told with less.
This book is dubbed as a debut crime thriller for the author, but please note that she also writes under Robyn Young and has written quite a few historical fiction books. It is no wonder that the writing is very polished and well done in this book. Young has honed her craft and it shows.
Book #1 is off to a good start, and I am curious what she will have Riley investigating in future books. I just hope the next book has fewer characters.
Thank you to Flatiron Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
January 25, 2022
Sergeant Riley Fisher is the recently promoted head of the Field Investigations unit of the Sheriff’s Office in Black Hawk County, Iowa. When she’s called to the scene of a murder victim in the corn fields of one of the families who are part of the Zephyr cooperative, she was completely unprepared for knowing the woman’s identity. She was Chloe Miller, one of her two best friends when she was a young teen. It brings back a flood of wonderful and terrible memories of a time that changed her destiny.
One of the things that worked about this story was the fallibility of Riley and the small town department of deputies. This wasn’t a simple murder and there were lots of tentacles that led to complex issues and circumstances. Riley had good instincts but her inexperience as a leader led to some crucial mistakes. It felt realistic, no matter how frustrated I got with her because these were explosive issues well above the skill set of her team. Yes, they made mistakes but they were methodical and competent in their approach.
There was a lot of focus on agricultural issues related to big corporations and their dominance over small farmers who have family legacies and histories. I learned a lot about those issues and am grateful my hubby, who spent twenty years supporting them, was able to help on background. While the author may have shown some bias, she got the issues right. It was an education I didn’t know I wanted. Riley was also hampered by her own personal baggage that threatened to negatively interfere with the investigation but it just reflected her humanity. The story also has a strong sense of place, almost overly so as the descriptions often bogged down the mystery elements. But, it still made for an intriguing story that kept me interested. This is the first of a new series and while some things about Riley’s past were resolved, there was quite a bit more that left me hanging. It’s a strong start to promising series and I’m committed to the next book. 3.5 stars
Posted on Blue Mood Café
(Thanks to Macmillan Reading Insiders for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
One of the things that worked about this story was the fallibility of Riley and the small town department of deputies. This wasn’t a simple murder and there were lots of tentacles that led to complex issues and circumstances. Riley had good instincts but her inexperience as a leader led to some crucial mistakes. It felt realistic, no matter how frustrated I got with her because these were explosive issues well above the skill set of her team. Yes, they made mistakes but they were methodical and competent in their approach.
There was a lot of focus on agricultural issues related to big corporations and their dominance over small farmers who have family legacies and histories. I learned a lot about those issues and am grateful my hubby, who spent twenty years supporting them, was able to help on background. While the author may have shown some bias, she got the issues right. It was an education I didn’t know I wanted. Riley was also hampered by her own personal baggage that threatened to negatively interfere with the investigation but it just reflected her humanity. The story also has a strong sense of place, almost overly so as the descriptions often bogged down the mystery elements. But, it still made for an intriguing story that kept me interested. This is the first of a new series and while some things about Riley’s past were resolved, there was quite a bit more that left me hanging. It’s a strong start to promising series and I’m committed to the next book. 3.5 stars
Posted on Blue Mood Café
(Thanks to Macmillan Reading Insiders for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
dnf-lost-interest
February 11, 2022*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
March 28, 2022
This book gave readers some interesting farming backgrounds between big farming companies and family owned farms since the story took place in Iowa. I’m familiar with this so it was a bit slow paced for me. I do enjoyed the reminder about GMO and fortified foods that are sold in the supermarket. I don’t enjoy the politics portion much. There were some gruesome scenes. The thrilling part was when Thorne succeeded in her task at the governor’s residence. The story picked up when more bodies were found and the news outlet got their front page news that angered the police. The read got intense when Riley talked to the Senator. I enjoyed the thrilling read after that. The ending was great. I couldn’t guess who the killer was or why which made the read good!
This book started with a woman running into the corn fields from her assailant. She was injured until she couldn’t run anymore. She thought about her wedding day with James before she passed out. Then the story began with Riley, 35, Sergeant and Head of Investigation. She drove to the police station to pick up her partner Logan then dropped off her niece Maddie, 14 at her home. They got a call to the crime scene an hour ago. As she arrived, she interviewed the guy who found the body. Then she took a look at the crime scene and identified the victim. Riley recently got the promotion and many men who were interested in the position didn’t like that. Her grandfather was the town’s Sheriff and she’s now the first female sergeant. She was assigned by the sheriff to investigate the crime where the victim was her high school friend. Riley’s unforgivable past often came up. There was an anonymous view of a tortured person or a person not feeling well. Two more bodies were found later. The second view was Maddie, Riley’s niece. She liked to spend time at her friend’s house because they served home cooked meals instead of microwave meals. The third view was Thorne. She was waiting in line to have her backpack inspected. She almost got caught sneaking in something but was saved by the man with a baseball hat. They were working together and focused on politicians. The fourth view was Cole, deputy. Riley dislike him and he dislike her for losing the promotion to her and more. There were a few different quick views at the end. The investigation felt closer to Riley because her secret past was on the edge of exposing.
The Fields was an interesting read. The ending was more of a thrilling read than the beginning and middle. The ending sounds like book 2 will be coming because Riley’s past with herself and her parent’s death have been swept up under a rug. The investigation was okay. Riley’s past came up often to sidetrack the investigation of the current killer(s) to only fizzle out was disappointing. The current case was helped by the FBI and her grandfather so it didn’t really differentiate herself any different for winning the promotion over the guys. I thought she would be smart like having some kind of sixth sense where some of the guys don’t. I liked Logan’s character with his vegan lifestyle and personality. I liked the love of Cam and his wife Sue. I’m interested to read book 2 if there’s one because the author did brought up a fascinating story between killer(s) and victims.
xoxo, Jasmine at www.Howusefulitis.com for more details
Many thanks to Flatiron Books for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.
This book started with a woman running into the corn fields from her assailant. She was injured until she couldn’t run anymore. She thought about her wedding day with James before she passed out. Then the story began with Riley, 35, Sergeant and Head of Investigation. She drove to the police station to pick up her partner Logan then dropped off her niece Maddie, 14 at her home. They got a call to the crime scene an hour ago. As she arrived, she interviewed the guy who found the body. Then she took a look at the crime scene and identified the victim. Riley recently got the promotion and many men who were interested in the position didn’t like that. Her grandfather was the town’s Sheriff and she’s now the first female sergeant. She was assigned by the sheriff to investigate the crime where the victim was her high school friend. Riley’s unforgivable past often came up. There was an anonymous view of a tortured person or a person not feeling well. Two more bodies were found later. The second view was Maddie, Riley’s niece. She liked to spend time at her friend’s house because they served home cooked meals instead of microwave meals. The third view was Thorne. She was waiting in line to have her backpack inspected. She almost got caught sneaking in something but was saved by the man with a baseball hat. They were working together and focused on politicians. The fourth view was Cole, deputy. Riley dislike him and he dislike her for losing the promotion to her and more. There were a few different quick views at the end. The investigation felt closer to Riley because her secret past was on the edge of exposing.
The Fields was an interesting read. The ending was more of a thrilling read than the beginning and middle. The ending sounds like book 2 will be coming because Riley’s past with herself and her parent’s death have been swept up under a rug. The investigation was okay. Riley’s past came up often to sidetrack the investigation of the current killer(s) to only fizzle out was disappointing. The current case was helped by the FBI and her grandfather so it didn’t really differentiate herself any different for winning the promotion over the guys. I thought she would be smart like having some kind of sixth sense where some of the guys don’t. I liked Logan’s character with his vegan lifestyle and personality. I liked the love of Cam and his wife Sue. I’m interested to read book 2 if there’s one because the author did brought up a fascinating story between killer(s) and victims.
xoxo, Jasmine at www.Howusefulitis.com for more details
Many thanks to Flatiron Books for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.
December 9, 2021
I was really excited for Erin Young's debut novel,
The Fields
, because I haven't read a dark, twisty, procedural in a long time. Although this book takes place in Iowa, it has a very similar narrative as those from Nordic Noir procedurals. Sadly, this book wasn't my most favorite procedurals ever.
The story focuses in rural Iowa, specifically in a town that thrives off farming. When a body is found in an Iowa cornfield, Sergeant Riley Fisher leads the investigation behind the mysterious murder. It becomes even darker when the murder victim is one of Riley's childhood friends. As the investigation grows, more victims are found, promoting the culprit into serial killer territory. How will the Black Hawk County Sheriff's Office uncover this slew of murders?
Let's start off on the positive—the writing. Erin Young's writing in this book is honestly spectacular. I really couldn't put the book down when I got into the story. I really was intrigued by the character development and the dialogue. However, I really don't care about the politics and drama surrounding the agriculture industry, which is a major contention in this book. That's where this book lost me completely. SORRY! I would 100% dive back into this series if the author takes another path for book 2. Political thrillers are not my favorite, no matter what the story is about or who the author is. Especially if it involves corn.
Overall, I think procedural readers will really enjoy this book. Go in with normal expectations and report back to me when you're done. I'm curious to see how readers will react to Riley Fisher.
The story focuses in rural Iowa, specifically in a town that thrives off farming. When a body is found in an Iowa cornfield, Sergeant Riley Fisher leads the investigation behind the mysterious murder. It becomes even darker when the murder victim is one of Riley's childhood friends. As the investigation grows, more victims are found, promoting the culprit into serial killer territory. How will the Black Hawk County Sheriff's Office uncover this slew of murders?
Let's start off on the positive—the writing. Erin Young's writing in this book is honestly spectacular. I really couldn't put the book down when I got into the story. I really was intrigued by the character development and the dialogue. However, I really don't care about the politics and drama surrounding the agriculture industry, which is a major contention in this book. That's where this book lost me completely. SORRY! I would 100% dive back into this series if the author takes another path for book 2. Political thrillers are not my favorite, no matter what the story is about or who the author is. Especially if it involves corn.
Overall, I think procedural readers will really enjoy this book. Go in with normal expectations and report back to me when you're done. I'm curious to see how readers will react to Riley Fisher.
January 27, 2022
The Fields is the first book featuring Sergeant Riley Fisher and I hope not the last. This is a very dark and grisly police procedural and I couldn't get enough of it. I will say that it won't be be for those readers with a weak stomach. There are some quite graphic descriptions of the bodies and crime scenes. If you can handle your murder mysteries dark then this is the book for you.
Riley Fisher is the new head of department in Black Hawk County in Iowa. Not everybody is happy about this and can't wait to see her fail. Her first case is tough, and becomes a political minefield. But Riley is determined to find the killer, no matter the cost. When she arrives to the local family farm, she discovers that she recognises the body. An old childhood friend, from a past that she has tried really hard to put behind her. And then another body is found - is there a serial killer on the loose?
The Fields is so well written, so descriptive. It is a slow burn but it is definately a page turner. Thanks to Hachette Australia for my advanced copy of this book to read. Released in Australia January 25th.
Riley Fisher is the new head of department in Black Hawk County in Iowa. Not everybody is happy about this and can't wait to see her fail. Her first case is tough, and becomes a political minefield. But Riley is determined to find the killer, no matter the cost. When she arrives to the local family farm, she discovers that she recognises the body. An old childhood friend, from a past that she has tried really hard to put behind her. And then another body is found - is there a serial killer on the loose?
The Fields is so well written, so descriptive. It is a slow burn but it is definately a page turner. Thanks to Hachette Australia for my advanced copy of this book to read. Released in Australia January 25th.
January 26, 2022
Check out all my reviews at: https://www.avonnalovesgenres.com
THE FILEDS (Riley Fisher Book #1) by Erin Young is a gritty, dark, and intense start to a new police procedural crime thriller series featuring a rural American female police sergeant as the protagonist. This is a hunt for a serial killer and the author does not shy away from explicit crime scene descriptions which is fine for an ID and true crime lover as myself, but may be too graphic for some.
Newly promoted Sergeant Riley Fisher is to lead the Black Hawk, Iowa Sheriff’s Office Field Investigations Unit. A young woman is horrifically murdered and is found in a cornfield. When Riley arrives to investigate, she is shocked to discover the victim was a childhood friend.
As the investigation continues, so does the body count and the connection to Riley’s own dark past.
I really loved Riley and am very glad this is a series because there is still so much more I want to know about her. All the secondary characters are interesting and fully fleshed. I felt the police procedural plot was made more realistic with the missteps along the way instead of the usual step-by-step perfect investigation. The inclusion of government corruption and Big Ag interwoven throughout sometimes slowed the pace for me, but it was thought provoking. I will be interested to see where the author takes these characters in the future.
Overall, a strong start to a new police procedural crime thriller series with an intriguing new protagonist.
THE FILEDS (Riley Fisher Book #1) by Erin Young is a gritty, dark, and intense start to a new police procedural crime thriller series featuring a rural American female police sergeant as the protagonist. This is a hunt for a serial killer and the author does not shy away from explicit crime scene descriptions which is fine for an ID and true crime lover as myself, but may be too graphic for some.
Newly promoted Sergeant Riley Fisher is to lead the Black Hawk, Iowa Sheriff’s Office Field Investigations Unit. A young woman is horrifically murdered and is found in a cornfield. When Riley arrives to investigate, she is shocked to discover the victim was a childhood friend.
As the investigation continues, so does the body count and the connection to Riley’s own dark past.
I really loved Riley and am very glad this is a series because there is still so much more I want to know about her. All the secondary characters are interesting and fully fleshed. I felt the police procedural plot was made more realistic with the missteps along the way instead of the usual step-by-step perfect investigation. The inclusion of government corruption and Big Ag interwoven throughout sometimes slowed the pace for me, but it was thought provoking. I will be interested to see where the author takes these characters in the future.
Overall, a strong start to a new police procedural crime thriller series with an intriguing new protagonist.
December 2, 2021
What could be more all-American than a small town amid rolling fields of corn? But when a woman’s body is found in those same fields, the dark truth beneath that wholesome image begins to emerge.
Riley Fisher is a sergeant for the Black Hawk County Sherriff’s Office, and when a Chloe Miller’s body is found in the cornfields just outside the small town of Cedar Falls, she naturally believes it to be a standard murder investigation. When a second body is discovered, and she can’t quite make all the pieces of the puzzle fit naturally together, her instincts begin to warn her that she’s stumbled into something much more complicated than it first seemed.
The Fields is the debut thriller from Erin Young, and what a great start! Riley’s an excellent lead character for a story; smart and persistent, and clearly a dependable presence in the lives of her loved ones – I was on her side right from the start. Her own past is one of unexpected trauma and pain, but it’s clear she’s made her way successfully back from those events to now safeguard not just herself, but those in her county. The way that past was revealed, in step with the novel’s central mystery as it started to grow, worked really well for me as I read it – the past and present storylines fed into each other and bumped the tension up nicely.
That central mystery, too, is a perfect example of delayed gratification, with a journey just as enjoyable as the destination reveals of the ending. I still wanted to know what happened – had to know what happened! – but I couldn’t bring myself to rush through the book and miss anything happening along the way. There’s a lot going on here, and as the story moved from potential serial-killer investigation to high stakes political intrigue, I was glad to have held back. The Fields is an impressive debut from a writer I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on.
Riley Fisher is a sergeant for the Black Hawk County Sherriff’s Office, and when a Chloe Miller’s body is found in the cornfields just outside the small town of Cedar Falls, she naturally believes it to be a standard murder investigation. When a second body is discovered, and she can’t quite make all the pieces of the puzzle fit naturally together, her instincts begin to warn her that she’s stumbled into something much more complicated than it first seemed.
The Fields is the debut thriller from Erin Young, and what a great start! Riley’s an excellent lead character for a story; smart and persistent, and clearly a dependable presence in the lives of her loved ones – I was on her side right from the start. Her own past is one of unexpected trauma and pain, but it’s clear she’s made her way successfully back from those events to now safeguard not just herself, but those in her county. The way that past was revealed, in step with the novel’s central mystery as it started to grow, worked really well for me as I read it – the past and present storylines fed into each other and bumped the tension up nicely.
That central mystery, too, is a perfect example of delayed gratification, with a journey just as enjoyable as the destination reveals of the ending. I still wanted to know what happened – had to know what happened! – but I couldn’t bring myself to rush through the book and miss anything happening along the way. There’s a lot going on here, and as the story moved from potential serial-killer investigation to high stakes political intrigue, I was glad to have held back. The Fields is an impressive debut from a writer I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on.
March 21, 2022
Trigger Warnings: rape and sexual assault, alcohol, drug use, abuse, violence and gore (graphic), murder.
I am very disturbed and I can’t tell if it’s in a good way.
First of all, this book is graphic. I probably should have seen that coming, considering that it’s a thriller and murder mystery, but the thrillers that I read are nothing like this. I was honestly unsettled by a lot of the book, especially once I got past the 40% mark.
The plot of this book followed Riley Fisher, head of investigations in a small police department in small-town Iowa, assigned to a murder case. However, the circumstances of the death were strange, not lining up with any normal causes, and the body discovered was her childhood best friend. Things unraveled with a string of a missing girl and more murders.
This was intense and very harsh. The realities it faced were aggressively realistic, to the point of very graphic, disgusting details and painful flashbacks through Riley’s perspective.
The plot just stuck with me so much - it was so aggressively painted, with so much detail and truth embedded throughout that I just couldn’t shake it. It was dark, cruel and realistic in a way that I don’t think I’ve seen in another book.
Her own past - dredged up with Chloe’s body - had become excruciatingly present. If she wasn’t able to solve this case, Riley feared she might never be able to push it all back down inside.
Riley was a very strong protagonist. Her perspective, actions and narration were so real and harsh and written so well that you could tell she was a well-developed person. I loved her mindset and strength and how her emotions were so clear and tangled in a very human way.
Logan was cool, I didn’t care about him that much but he was a good, strong character. He was written really well and I liked his mindset. I was drawn into how he worked so well with Riley.
Jackson Cole was an asshole and I despised him, but there was more to him than just being a straight-up dick, so I appreciate the characterization. I felt some sympathy for him and I won’t deny that he’s not evil, but I also really wanted him to get shot and killed.
Maddie was very realistic and I really appreciated a look into a teenage girl’s mind that wasn’t stereotypically what we call “high-school age narrative.” Maddie’s consciousness was treated differently, if that makes any sense. She felt so much more raw and unfiltered than most authors write high school girls.
The narration of the story flashed from character to character, from people in the background to our recurring mains, mostly Riley and Logan. There were a lot of different perspectives, but each one was incredibly unique.
One of my favorite parts about these characters was how they all felt so rough and authentic in such unsettling ways. They were crude, almost extreme to the point of exaggeration but in a way that perfectly fit with an everyday narrative. I’ve met my own share of Rileys and Jackson Coles and Maddies, and it scares me how they just blended into reality.
These women - Chloe, Nicole, Gracie - they were under her skin, occupying her waking thoughts and her dreams. They’d become part of her: their violent deaths and lost lives.
This book addressed the violence of this world in such an unflinching way. Almost immediately, with the gruesome deaths of several women, you could tell Erin Young wasn’t going to shy away from what really happens to 99% of missing girls.
I’m honestly kind of amazed at the issues this book addressed. It went into feminism and the opposite, the realities of all girls past the age of twelve. It went into environmental issues - a lot of environmental issues, actually. There was a lot of emphasis placed on farming and industry, but in a way that perfectly went with the setting of small-town Iowa.
It went into drugs and assault and trauma, and it didn’t back down. It was honestly terrifying. Riley’s flashbacks and the string of murders and the perspectives scattered through the story were horrifying - especially when you read a chapter that is so, so clearly written from the point of view of the killer, but in a way that makes you really see their side. This book truly, genuinely scared me, and while I didn’t particularly enjoy that experience, I will say that it was worth so much.
Where was the fork in her road? The divergence that had led her to this place of slaughter?
Honestly, this book was so much more than a detective murder thriller. There was way too much packed into this for it to just be a true crime read. The narrative was as compelling and fascinating as it was disgusting.
Overall, would I recommend this book? Absolutely, but only if you’ve got a strong stomach for some very gory details. This book was aggressive and unflinching, in a way that you can’t really enjoy.
I did love it, but not in the way I usually love books. More like I admire everything about it in the same way that I’m terrified of spiders and poisonous snakes - I appreciate their tenacity and the fear they inspire in me.
Aside from my very obvious terror, this book was really good in a literary sense too. The characters, setting and plot were all written well, and I actually really loved the writing. It was gritty and intense, but there were some lyrical flourishes along the way that stood out to me unexpectedly.
Basically, my advice is: if you want to be scared and tense for a full day or two, read this book. If you want something shocking and gruesome, read this book. If you want something true crime without the editing and airbrushing of a documentary, read this book.
If you like thrillers, maybe don’t. It depends.
That was the thing about monsters. Like the wolf in grandma’s clothing. Like the witch with her house of gingerbread. If you weren’t careful, you wouldn’t see them coming.
Objectively, it was good, but mentally, it scarred me. But also in a somewhat good way.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an ARC!
I am very disturbed and I can’t tell if it’s in a good way.
First of all, this book is graphic. I probably should have seen that coming, considering that it’s a thriller and murder mystery, but the thrillers that I read are nothing like this. I was honestly unsettled by a lot of the book, especially once I got past the 40% mark.
The plot of this book followed Riley Fisher, head of investigations in a small police department in small-town Iowa, assigned to a murder case. However, the circumstances of the death were strange, not lining up with any normal causes, and the body discovered was her childhood best friend. Things unraveled with a string of a missing girl and more murders.
This was intense and very harsh. The realities it faced were aggressively realistic, to the point of very graphic, disgusting details and painful flashbacks through Riley’s perspective.
The plot just stuck with me so much - it was so aggressively painted, with so much detail and truth embedded throughout that I just couldn’t shake it. It was dark, cruel and realistic in a way that I don’t think I’ve seen in another book.
Her own past - dredged up with Chloe’s body - had become excruciatingly present. If she wasn’t able to solve this case, Riley feared she might never be able to push it all back down inside.
Riley was a very strong protagonist. Her perspective, actions and narration were so real and harsh and written so well that you could tell she was a well-developed person. I loved her mindset and strength and how her emotions were so clear and tangled in a very human way.
Logan was cool, I didn’t care about him that much but he was a good, strong character. He was written really well and I liked his mindset. I was drawn into how he worked so well with Riley.
Jackson Cole was an asshole and I despised him, but there was more to him than just being a straight-up dick, so I appreciate the characterization. I felt some sympathy for him and I won’t deny that he’s not evil, but I also really wanted him to get shot and killed.
Maddie was very realistic and I really appreciated a look into a teenage girl’s mind that wasn’t stereotypically what we call “high-school age narrative.” Maddie’s consciousness was treated differently, if that makes any sense. She felt so much more raw and unfiltered than most authors write high school girls.
The narration of the story flashed from character to character, from people in the background to our recurring mains, mostly Riley and Logan. There were a lot of different perspectives, but each one was incredibly unique.
One of my favorite parts about these characters was how they all felt so rough and authentic in such unsettling ways. They were crude, almost extreme to the point of exaggeration but in a way that perfectly fit with an everyday narrative. I’ve met my own share of Rileys and Jackson Coles and Maddies, and it scares me how they just blended into reality.
These women - Chloe, Nicole, Gracie - they were under her skin, occupying her waking thoughts and her dreams. They’d become part of her: their violent deaths and lost lives.
This book addressed the violence of this world in such an unflinching way. Almost immediately, with the gruesome deaths of several women, you could tell Erin Young wasn’t going to shy away from what really happens to 99% of missing girls.
I’m honestly kind of amazed at the issues this book addressed. It went into feminism and the opposite, the realities of all girls past the age of twelve. It went into environmental issues - a lot of environmental issues, actually. There was a lot of emphasis placed on farming and industry, but in a way that perfectly went with the setting of small-town Iowa.
It went into drugs and assault and trauma, and it didn’t back down. It was honestly terrifying. Riley’s flashbacks and the string of murders and the perspectives scattered through the story were horrifying - especially when you read a chapter that is so, so clearly written from the point of view of the killer, but in a way that makes you really see their side. This book truly, genuinely scared me, and while I didn’t particularly enjoy that experience, I will say that it was worth so much.
Where was the fork in her road? The divergence that had led her to this place of slaughter?
Honestly, this book was so much more than a detective murder thriller. There was way too much packed into this for it to just be a true crime read. The narrative was as compelling and fascinating as it was disgusting.
Overall, would I recommend this book? Absolutely, but only if you’ve got a strong stomach for some very gory details. This book was aggressive and unflinching, in a way that you can’t really enjoy.
I did love it, but not in the way I usually love books. More like I admire everything about it in the same way that I’m terrified of spiders and poisonous snakes - I appreciate their tenacity and the fear they inspire in me.
Aside from my very obvious terror, this book was really good in a literary sense too. The characters, setting and plot were all written well, and I actually really loved the writing. It was gritty and intense, but there were some lyrical flourishes along the way that stood out to me unexpectedly.
Basically, my advice is: if you want to be scared and tense for a full day or two, read this book. If you want something shocking and gruesome, read this book. If you want something true crime without the editing and airbrushing of a documentary, read this book.
If you like thrillers, maybe don’t. It depends.
That was the thing about monsters. Like the wolf in grandma’s clothing. Like the witch with her house of gingerbread. If you weren’t careful, you wouldn’t see them coming.
Objectively, it was good, but mentally, it scarred me. But also in a somewhat good way.
February 24, 2022
Great thriller! Nicely paced with well rounded characters. Our heroine wasn’t my favorite; however as more of her backstory emerged, I realized where her fears started.
Overall solid police mystery! Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.
Overall solid police mystery! Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.
May 21, 2022
Maybe 3.5. Fuck cops also when will a mystery thriller actually impress me???
August 30, 2021
This one didn’t really do it for me. It centers on newly minted police detective, Riley, whose first murder case is that of a childhood friend. Throughout the book, the reader learns more about Riley’s backstory while also figuring out the crime itself.
The story is primarily a police procedural, which I wasn’t expecting but is a genre I enjoy. The part I didn’t love was the tie in the the politics around the agriculture industry- I’m just not interested in that sort of scandal, and it was more prominent than I anticipated. Riley herself was a flawed but believable character.
All in all, the resolution of the murder was sound and I found it to be a decent read, just didn’t really enjoy some of the subject matter. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The story is primarily a police procedural, which I wasn’t expecting but is a genre I enjoy. The part I didn’t love was the tie in the the politics around the agriculture industry- I’m just not interested in that sort of scandal, and it was more prominent than I anticipated. Riley herself was a flawed but believable character.
All in all, the resolution of the murder was sound and I found it to be a decent read, just didn’t really enjoy some of the subject matter. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
December 25, 2021
Since finishing Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad series several years ago, I've been on the lookout for a similar series and I've finally found it with The Fields(Riley Fisher #1, series).
The Fields is set in a rural farm community in Iowa. The story centers around Riley Fisher who was recently promoted to sergeant. Riley and her team are investigating the murder of a woman found in a cornfield. The victim was Riley’s childhood friend Chloe Miller. Soon after more victims are discovered and Riley finds herself on the hunt for a serial killer.
Mix in big agriculture corporations, corrupt politicians, a fascinating cast of police officers with a strong female lead, a serial killer, spying drones, all the while taking place in the all-American midwest and you get The Fields.
This story starts with a bang that captured my attention from page one. The multilayered plot with several revelations and twists kept my attention until the very last page. As far as figuring out who the killer was, I did not have a clue. At several points, I was sure I had the culprit figured out but then a twist would happen and I was back to square one.
I love a strong female main character and Erin Young’s Riley Fisher did not disappoint. Riley is a very complex and multidimensional main character. We learn about her history, what she is passionate about, why she became a cop, and her past trauma. I rooted for her until the last page and I think readers will fall in love with her as I did.
Congratulations to Erin Young for writing a brilliant debut novel. There is no doubt in my mind that the Riley Fisher series and Erin Young will soon be household names. I absolutely cannot wait to read more of this series. I highly recommend The Fields to fans of dark, twisty, crime/detective novels. This book would be perfect for fans of Tana French’s The Dublin Murder Squad series particularly The Likeness and The Dry by Jane Harper.
A massive thanks to Flatiron Books for the gifted copy! The Fields will be available on January 25th.
Trigger Warning:
The Fields contain depictions of graphic violence, gore, sexual assault, and rape. As a seasoned crime reader who is used to violence, there were instances in this book that made me cringe. If you are triggered by any of these then I would highly recommend passing on this one.
The Fields is set in a rural farm community in Iowa. The story centers around Riley Fisher who was recently promoted to sergeant. Riley and her team are investigating the murder of a woman found in a cornfield. The victim was Riley’s childhood friend Chloe Miller. Soon after more victims are discovered and Riley finds herself on the hunt for a serial killer.
Mix in big agriculture corporations, corrupt politicians, a fascinating cast of police officers with a strong female lead, a serial killer, spying drones, all the while taking place in the all-American midwest and you get The Fields.
This story starts with a bang that captured my attention from page one. The multilayered plot with several revelations and twists kept my attention until the very last page. As far as figuring out who the killer was, I did not have a clue. At several points, I was sure I had the culprit figured out but then a twist would happen and I was back to square one.
I love a strong female main character and Erin Young’s Riley Fisher did not disappoint. Riley is a very complex and multidimensional main character. We learn about her history, what she is passionate about, why she became a cop, and her past trauma. I rooted for her until the last page and I think readers will fall in love with her as I did.
Congratulations to Erin Young for writing a brilliant debut novel. There is no doubt in my mind that the Riley Fisher series and Erin Young will soon be household names. I absolutely cannot wait to read more of this series. I highly recommend The Fields to fans of dark, twisty, crime/detective novels. This book would be perfect for fans of Tana French’s The Dublin Murder Squad series particularly The Likeness and The Dry by Jane Harper.
A massive thanks to Flatiron Books for the gifted copy! The Fields will be available on January 25th.
Trigger Warning:
The Fields contain depictions of graphic violence, gore, sexual assault, and rape. As a seasoned crime reader who is used to violence, there were instances in this book that made me cringe. If you are triggered by any of these then I would highly recommend passing on this one.
January 28, 2022
The Fields (the first in a series) is an excellent novel, beautifully written and atmospheric, with a compelling rural setting and some intriguing characters.
Strange deaths, a possible serial killer, past trauma and country bred relationships all play a part in this literary mystery, I really enjoyed it and read it in two sittings
Multi faceted and emotionally layered, The Fields is highly readable and I'm very happy its the start of a new series. Recommended.
Strange deaths, a possible serial killer, past trauma and country bred relationships all play a part in this literary mystery, I really enjoyed it and read it in two sittings
Multi faceted and emotionally layered, The Fields is highly readable and I'm very happy its the start of a new series. Recommended.
August 7, 2021
This is author's debut crime thriller set in Iowa. It is a compelling story starting with the brutal killing of a young woman in a corn field having been tracked by a drone. We are introduced to the young female sergeant of investigations assigned to the case who also knew the murder victim during her teen years. This will not turn out to be a murder case that is easy to solve. As the investigation proceeds it grows in complexity accompanied by personal threats to safety of anyone working the case.
Big agriculture, foreign interests and corrupt politics all play their roles in defining the small town case as an international threat to the public.
NetGalley Advanced Reader Copy- Thank you! Will be published in 2022
Big agriculture, foreign interests and corrupt politics all play their roles in defining the small town case as an international threat to the public.
NetGalley Advanced Reader Copy- Thank you! Will be published in 2022
May 11, 2022
I had no idea until now that Erin Young is actually a pseudonym for a historical fiction author, but I could definitely tell while reading The Fields that it wasn't her first rodeo. I am from Minnesota and can tell you she did a really great job of bringing Iowa to life, which is pretty impressive when you consider she lives in England. There is a procedural and political aspect to the book, but it is also pure crime fiction. Newly made Sergeant, Riley Fisher is out to prove herself, and there is much hinting done that she has a past she doesn't want anyone to know about. I really liked her as a character, and I am excited to get some more characterization in upcoming books. There is some very dark and disturbing content in this book, and I don't recommend eating while reading!
I really enjoyed the audiobook as well which is narrated by Soneela Nankani. She is actually a new-to-me narrator, but I would most definitely listen to her again. I thought she was great to voice this book and she fit Riley as a character very well. I will say that The Fields is a pretty slow roller which makes me equally happy that I decided to listen to it. As slow as it could be at times, I was still sucked into the story and Young's writing ability really shone through. I was thrown by the conclusion, and I guess while I could have potentially figured it out, I'm happy I didn't. I would say this could be compared to Karin Slaughter's writing, but with a slower pace, and I am definitely interested to see where book 2 will take us!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I really enjoyed the audiobook as well which is narrated by Soneela Nankani. She is actually a new-to-me narrator, but I would most definitely listen to her again. I thought she was great to voice this book and she fit Riley as a character very well. I will say that The Fields is a pretty slow roller which makes me equally happy that I decided to listen to it. As slow as it could be at times, I was still sucked into the story and Young's writing ability really shone through. I was thrown by the conclusion, and I guess while I could have potentially figured it out, I'm happy I didn't. I would say this could be compared to Karin Slaughter's writing, but with a slower pace, and I am definitely interested to see where book 2 will take us!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
February 16, 2022
3.5 stars.
Sergeant Riley Fisher is a 12 year veteran of Black Hawk County Sheriff's Department in Iowa who has recently been promoted to head of Investigations. That doesn't sit well with a couple of deputies who didn't get the job while others recognize her capability. A drone spotted a dead body in the corn fields and Riley recognizes the woman when she gets to the scene. Riley was good friends with Chloe years ago in school - before the incident that Riley has spent the rest of her life trying to forget. That's the first body found. Something horrific is happening to people here.
I mostly liked the book. It's my perfect recipe for a murder mystery - dead bodies, police trying to find the killer, strong female in a male dominated profession. The detailed parts with Zephyr and Agri-Co were additions that I could have done without because I just wasn't interested. But I thought the book was better in the second half, probably due to the uptick in action.
On the last page, I can see there's a book #2 coming. I thought the book was a good debut and I would be interested in reading the next one.
Sergeant Riley Fisher is a 12 year veteran of Black Hawk County Sheriff's Department in Iowa who has recently been promoted to head of Investigations. That doesn't sit well with a couple of deputies who didn't get the job while others recognize her capability. A drone spotted a dead body in the corn fields and Riley recognizes the woman when she gets to the scene. Riley was good friends with Chloe years ago in school - before the incident that Riley has spent the rest of her life trying to forget. That's the first body found. Something horrific is happening to people here.
I mostly liked the book. It's my perfect recipe for a murder mystery - dead bodies, police trying to find the killer, strong female in a male dominated profession. The detailed parts with Zephyr and Agri-Co were additions that I could have done without because I just wasn't interested. But I thought the book was better in the second half, probably due to the uptick in action.
On the last page, I can see there's a book #2 coming. I thought the book was a good debut and I would be interested in reading the next one.
January 9, 2024
This book tells the story of the newly promoted head of investigations for the Black Hawk County Sheriff's Office, Riley Fisher, and how she deals with the bizarre case of a lifetime! As the investigation grows more and more complicated, each victim is found with more harrowing injuries than the last.
There was a lot I liked about Riley, especially when she was in her bad-ass cop mode! She was definitely unpredictable and for the most part, she dealt with the rather gruesome crimes like a pro. Unfortunately, her personal life was a mess, and her dealings with THAT led to some foolish decisions. At times she was trying to protect family members and at others, it was because she didn't feel ready to share her suspicions with the other investigators.
Some other issues I had were 1) Holy moly, there were a lot of characters in the book!! My head was spinning, especially when I was trying to keep track of people who had similar names i.e., Logan and Larson. (Speaking of Logan, I reeeally liked him!) 2) It drove me a little crazy when Riley would sometimes go off on her own "behind-the-scenes" investigations, without telling anyone where she was going, or why. 3) My biggest issue was with an episode, which happened when Riley was a teenager, and it was told in tiny dribbles here and there throughout the book. I so dislike when authors do that. By the time it had all been told, I wondered why it had even been included in the book. I found it to be very distracting and, in my opinion, felt it might have made for a cleaner and smoother plot if it had been left out.
One unintentional editing error left me laughing out loud. A character named Jason was described as "slim and tanned with wavy brown hair and blue eyes. His plaid shirt bulged at his heart with a carton of cigarettes." That would be quite a bulge.😂 It makes me a little sad to know that will undoubtedly be corrected in the final book.
Anyway! I very much enjoyed the parts where Riley and Logan were working together on the case. They worked like a well-oiled machine, rather than two people who had just started working together.
My thanks to Flatiron Publishing, as well as to NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of The Fields!
There was a lot I liked about Riley, especially when she was in her bad-ass cop mode! She was definitely unpredictable and for the most part, she dealt with the rather gruesome crimes like a pro. Unfortunately, her personal life was a mess, and her dealings with THAT led to some foolish decisions. At times she was trying to protect family members and at others, it was because she didn't feel ready to share her suspicions with the other investigators.
Some other issues I had were 1) Holy moly, there were a lot of characters in the book!! My head was spinning, especially when I was trying to keep track of people who had similar names i.e., Logan and Larson. (Speaking of Logan, I reeeally liked him!) 2) It drove me a little crazy when Riley would sometimes go off on her own "behind-the-scenes" investigations, without telling anyone where she was going, or why. 3) My biggest issue was with an episode, which happened when Riley was a teenager, and it was told in tiny dribbles here and there throughout the book. I so dislike when authors do that. By the time it had all been told, I wondered why it had even been included in the book. I found it to be very distracting and, in my opinion, felt it might have made for a cleaner and smoother plot if it had been left out.
One unintentional editing error left me laughing out loud. A character named Jason was described as "slim and tanned with wavy brown hair and blue eyes. His plaid shirt bulged at his heart with a carton of cigarettes." That would be quite a bulge.😂 It makes me a little sad to know that will undoubtedly be corrected in the final book.
Anyway! I very much enjoyed the parts where Riley and Logan were working together on the case. They worked like a well-oiled machine, rather than two people who had just started working together.
My thanks to Flatiron Publishing, as well as to NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of The Fields!
March 10, 2024
thoughts:
- by page 218 riley was no further in solving the case than she was in the first few days after the body was discovered
- so much info on corn & big ag
- riley's past trauma
- the snake
- 2 stars b/c well-written
- by page 218 riley was no further in solving the case than she was in the first few days after the body was discovered
- so much info on corn & big ag
- riley's past trauma
- the snake
- 2 stars b/c well-written
June 1, 2022
The Fields is a debut crime thriller. Riley Fisher heads the investigation in the murder of one of her childhood friends.
The Fields is a dark and gritty police procedural. Riley Fisher is an intriguing character. The mystery is complex and compelling. This is the first book in a new series, and I look forward to reading more.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Fields is a dark and gritty police procedural. Riley Fisher is an intriguing character. The mystery is complex and compelling. This is the first book in a new series, and I look forward to reading more.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 29, 2021
Thank you Netgalley, Flatiron Publishing, and Author Erin Young for this ARC.
This isn't a terrible book. It's written well with decent characters. However, it's far from my cup of tea. I wasn't expecting it to be a detective type novel surrounding a crime that has to do with small town political agriculture. I struggled to get through this.
This isn't a terrible book. It's written well with decent characters. However, it's far from my cup of tea. I wasn't expecting it to be a detective type novel surrounding a crime that has to do with small town political agriculture. I struggled to get through this.
April 28, 2022
Unfortunately this book did nothing for me. I found it hard going. Multiple characters and storylines, laced with red herrings made it overcomplicated. When a long and detailed explanation is needed in the final chapters, it really doesn't work for me. Yet another superhuman female character who suffers all sorts of injuries but continues, alongside a huge amount of politics leave me cold I'm afraid. Thanks to Pigeonhole and the author.
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