Feel free to invite some friends to join our Round Table community!http://www.goodreads.com/group/invite_members/26989-goodreads-authors-readers Thirty Days of Darkness” by Jenny Lund Madsen – Book Review @OrendaBooks @JennyLundMadsen #ThirtyDaysOfDarkness #BookReview @edelweiss_squad @meganeturney November 26, 2023 When another woman that is a professional in her field disappears, the inspector gets worried. She got taken right from her very own doorstep. Just like that, Luc is in a race to find a killer before it’s too late. The detective now believes that he is in a race against time, and he has to do whatever it takes to figure out whether Elaine and the other woman are alive or dead– and who is responsible for their disappearances in the first place.

In the Institution, we meet forensic profiler Dr Connie Woolwine. Connie is well known for her abilities to connect with murderers and we learn that her ability and interest is based on a childhood experience in an institution. In this story, she is paired with an undercover agent inside an institution for the most dangerous killersHelen’s novels just get better and better and she is not afraid to go where others fear to tread, yes at times you do wonder if things are believable but in the context of this story they certainly were. Thank you to HarperCollins UK Audio, Avon 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. After leaving us all on a momentous cliff hanger in her Perfect series. Helen Field’s has taken some time away to write a second Connie Woolwine novel and wow is it good!! A popular nurse's mutilated body has been discovered, and her daughter has been taken. There are only five days to save the baby. Ransom is demanded and to be paid in crypto-currency. As if things weren’t disturbing and nerve-shattering enough, a vicious storm comes and makes all who reside at the Institution at the mercy of nature, and even more isolated than they were before…

Helen Fields is one of the best in her field and does not shy away from the gore and stomach turning moments some other writers avoid. Her stories are always gritty and dark and filled with twist after twist.The gasp-inducing new killer crime thriller for 2023 from the million-copy bestselling author Helen Fields Dark and terrifying, The Institution had me committed to finishing it from the first chapter!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Institution is a remote and almost brooding old building frequently cut off from the outside world in bad weather and the book often almost reads like a Gothic horror tale as much as a crime thriller I did find the events that unfolded in the last 1/4 of the book to be a bit far-fetched, and it left me wondering how things would have unfolded if those events hadn't occurred. I was also disappointed by Dr. Connie's choice at the very end of the book, however, I understand that it allows for a sequel to happen more easily. The setting of this book is perfect, the isolation adding to the chilling atmosphere and the sense of despair that infuses the ward, along with the anger and capacity for violence that underpins the story. It’s tense, exciting, heart thumping action, with scenes that will make skin crawl and steal your breath away, especially when Connie finds herself face to face with the wrath of Dr Roth. Those scenes felt like a violation, building the anger, and therefore the pace and tension, towards a very intense and dramatic finale. it’s not all darkness though and there are some lighter and tender moments. Whether that results in a positive outcome for this case remains to be seen. You’ll just have to read the book to find that out. Most definitely recommended. There are twists upon twists. I was suspicious of everyone, facility staff and prisoners alike. Some parts might lean towards OTT, but it only made it more addictive. The banter between Connie and Baarda helped balance out some of the tension. When a terrible storm blows in and the power goes out, Dr. Woolwine is alone with four criminally insane serial killers and her life is in terrible danger!Although I'm a huge fan of this author's Luc Callanach series, I haven't read her standalone, The Shadow Man, and I understand Connie Woolwine is introduced in that book. I'll have to read it sometime soon. As always when I spot a title by Helen Fields, I know I just have to read it! But this was absolutely a truly terrifying read, From the horrific characters, to the isolated setting, and Connie struggling with her own inner demons. It made for the perfect storm for a spectacular thriller.

Psychological profiler Connie studies the body of nurse Tara Cameron to try to work out what has happened to her. There is little forensic evidence to go on despite her injuries and horrific violation. There is at best a five day window to find the baby ripped from her body, it’s a life or death race against time as a ransom demand for 5 million in crypto currency is delivered to her family. Connie goes undercover as a therapist working for the military via “Patient B“ and both arrive at the Charles Horatio Parry Institute for the Rehabilitation of the Criminally Insane to try to unmask the perpetrators at the secure unit where Tara has worked. A very dark and exciting read. If you want to stay up all night, love serial killers or just want a strong female heroine , The Institution is for you!’

So Dr Connie is a profiler… not with the FBI (anymore - just got her own company), the police decide to let her go in undercover (first time undercover… seems legit), with her buddy who works for her (ex cop). His cover is being a military special agent or something and he has committed unspeakable crimes. The cover story they come up with is that he is Patient B and no one can know anything about him until Dr Connie has determined if it’s the best place for him by interviewing all the patients and staff (not suss at all). No one has any idea that she might still be out there. A burning corpse of a person usually seems pretty open and shut. Elaine might still be out there, and if anyone might be able to find her, it is Luc Callanach. The Detective Inspector has just been given a nice new office but has barely time to enter it when the case of a missing person is upgraded to murder. It's also very different from The Last Girl to Die, the last book I read by Helen Fields. (You can find my review here). Where Last Girl to Die drew on myths and folklore, The Institution is very scientific. This gives it more of an analytical coldness where Last Girl to Die was all about emotions. Also, location played a huge part in Last Girl to Die, to the extent that it was hard to imagine it being set anywhere other than Mull. In contrast, by the end of the book I had no idea where in the world the Institution was. It's a building completely removed from the world around it.