BLOG TOUR: Profile K - Helen Fields

He’s going to kill you. He just doesn’t know it yet.

Midnight Jones is an analyst trained to understand the human mind. But everything changes when, in the course of her work, she discovers Profile K’s file – because K stands for killer, and she knows that someone more dangerous than she could have ever imagined walks among them.

Midnight knows what Profile K is capable of before he even commits his first crime. But as the news rolls with the brutal murder of a local woman, no one believes what she tells them: that he is capable of so much worse.

Profile K will kill again – and, terrifyingly, Midnight realises that the moment she found his file was the moment she became his next target. Because Profile K is coming for Midnight – and the only way to escape with her life is to find him before he finds her…

The million-copy bestseller is back with a dark, terrifying journey into the mind of a psychopath that will keep you riveted until the very last page.

 

What did I think?

OMG!!! Helen Fields has done it again - her new novel has completely blown me away. Profile K really has the wow factor and I couldn’t put it down.  It's just fantastic from start to finish and deliciously dark and disturbing, as you would expect from a Helen Fields book.

Midnight Jones has a moral dilemma when the test results she’s reviewing reveal a Profile K.  The 'k for killer' profile was set up as a joke as nobody expected anyone to actually be a Profile K. It must be a mistake in the system, surely?  Midnight doesn’t think so but her bosses tell her to forget about it but then the bodies start mounting up.

I absolutely loved Midnight Jones.  Not only does she have a great name, she also has a heartbreaking backstory which sees her being the main carer for her twin, Dawn.  Midnight can't risk losing her job as she needs to work to pay for Dawn's care and it's so expensive that she has no money left over for a life of her own.

The pacing is fast and furious and I simply couldn't read fast enough.  I felt like my eyes were on stalks as I opened them as wide as I could to devour the words as quickly as possible.  It was great to see Connie Woolwine make an appearance, although Profile K is a complete standalone novel so you don't need to have read any other Helen Fields books to enjoy it.

Intense, gripping and enthralling Profile K is an edge of your seat nail-biting rollercoaster of a book and it’s one not to be missed.  Very highly recommended.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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The Institution - Helen Fields

They’re locked up for your safety.

Now, you’re locked in with them.

Dr Connie Woolwine has five days to catch a killer.

On a locked ward in the world’s highest-security prison hospital, a scream shatters the night. The next morning, a nurse’s body is found and her daughter has been taken. A ransom must be paid, and the clock is ticking.

Forensic profiler Dr Connie Woolwine is renowned for her ability to get inside the mind of a murderer. Now, she must go deep undercover among the most deranged and dangerous men on earth and use her unique skills to find the girl – before it’s too late.

But as the walls close in around her, can Connie get the killer before The Institution gets her?

 

What did I think?

WOW!  Just WOW!  Do not miss this book!  I have to start my review of The Institution by saying how amazingly brilliant it is.  It's a standalone novel but I was absolutely delighted to be reacquainted with profiler Connie Woolwine and former DI Brodie Baarda who we met in The Shadow Man.  

Set on a criminally insane ward in a remote location, it's fraught with danger as Woolwine and Baarda go undercover to find a murderer after a most heinous crime is committed on site.  It's certainly no mean feat as every man held there is a killer.  Imagine Hannibal Lector being the main character in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, The Institution is sort of like that.  Are the 'guests' insane or dangerous?  Can any member of staff be trusted?

The increasing danger level had me on high alert throughout the book.  There were several scenes where I gasped out loud or held my breath and I had absolutely no idea who had committed this awful murder, how they'd done it or why.  When all is revealed, the conclusion is immensely satisfying and it left me fist pumping the air (and with a little bit of sick in my mouth - yuk!).

The storyline is very chilling, but it was the last line that gave me goosebumps and chilled me to the bone.  I'm not going to quote it and it could be quite innocent to a lot of people but it really resonated with me as I have been there and regretted it.  I hope it's not something that Connie Woolwine will come to regret and I hope it's a sign that there are more Woolwine and Baarda books to come.

With characters that gave me nightmares, The Institution is gripping, addictive and chilling.  The writing, plot, characters and chilling location are all outstanding and I was left both breathless and speechless at the end.  It's brilliant from start to finish and an easy five stars.  Very highly recommended.

I  chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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BLOG TOUR: The Last Girl to Die - Helen Fields

In search of a new life, seventeen-year-old Adriana Clark’s family moves to the ancient, ocean-battered Isle of Mull, far off the coast of Scotland. Then she goes missing. Faced with hostile locals and indifferent police, her desperate parents turn to private investigator Sadie Levesque.

Sadie is the best at what she does. But when she finds Adriana’s body in a cliffside cave, a seaweed crown carefully arranged on her head, she knows she’s dealing with something she’s never encountered before.

The deeper she digs into the island’s secrets, the closer danger creeps – and the more urgent her quest to find the killer grows. Because what if Adriana is not the last girl to die?

 

What did I think?

WOW!  What a book!  The Last Girl to Die is a book I will be recommending for a very long time.  It is filled with mystery and intrigue that hooked me from the start but it is the razor-sharp plotting that makes it a memorable read.  

When an American teenager goes missing on the Isle of Mull, her parents hire a Canadian private investigator, Sadie Lavesque.  This invasion of foreigners on Mull creates a claustrophobic and tense atmosphere for Sadie as she is faced with the suspicion and mistrust of the islanders.  Sadie can't count on the local police to help her and things only get worse for her when she finds a body...and then another...

I cannot even begin to tell you how good this book is and no review I write will go anywhere near to doing it justice.  It's a book that you just have to read and experience for yourself.  Helen Fields intricately weaves mysteries and folklore of ancient Mull into this gripping and atmospheric thriller making it a completely unforgettable novel.  

Shocking, disturbing and jawdropping, The Last Girl to Die is an impressive and completely haunting thriller.  Helen Fields is my newly crowned Queen of Twists and I felt like my brain had gone 12 rounds in the boxing ring as the twists and shocks pummelled me from all angles.  Very highly recommended - don't miss this one!

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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The Shadow Man - Helen Fields

 

He collects his victims. But he doesn’t keep them safe.

Elspeth, Meggy and Xavier are locked in a flat. They don’t know where they are, and they don’t know why they’re there. They only know that the shadow man has taken them, and he won’t let them go.

 

Desperate to escape, the three of them must find a way out of their living hell, even if it means uncovering a very dark truth.

 

Because the shadow man isn’t a nightmare. He’s all too real.

 

And he’s watching.

What did I think?

I've bought Helen Fields' DI Callanach series over the years but I haven't had time to read any of them yet so I made sure that The Shadow Man, her new standalone thriller, didn't linger on my TBR pile for long.  It didn't linger in my hands long either as once I picked it up I couldn't put it down!

The character pairing of forensic psychologist Dr Connie Woolwine and DI Brodie Baarda is electric, not in a sexual chemistry kind of way but more the way they complement and challenge each other.  I loved Connie's sarcasm and wit above all but she also suffers from achromatopsia (an inability to see colours) which heightens her other senses and sometimes makes her actions look very weird.  It's absolute genius of Helen Fields to give Connie this condition; who best to seek out the shadow man than a woman who only sees light and dark?

Woolwine and Baarda are investigating a murder and a spate of abductions in Edinburgh.  In an unusual twist, the reader knows the identity of the perpetrator so there's no guessing whodunit or a big reveal involved, but surprisingly it doesn't make it any less gripping.  Fergus is the most chilling character I have come across in a long while; he is cold and emotionless as he collects his victims for his bizarre tableau.  He is so vividly described (with a rather amusing likeness to a character in a film) that it made my skin crawl whenever he appeared.  

Helen Fields sure does have a way with words; she not only creates exceptional characters and gripping storylines but she adds elements of dark, dry humour that makes her book stand out from the crowd.  The whole book is outstanding from beginning to end and I didn't want it to finish but I couldn't slow down my reading either...and so begins my addiction to Helen Fields' writing.  Luckily I have more of her books to keep me going!

Chilling, creepy and compelling, The Shadow Man will get under your skin and creep you out but you will not be able to tear your eyes away from the page.  Highly recommended reading, if you're brave enough.

I received an ARC from the publisher to read and review; all opinions are my own.

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