About the Book
'Murder, politics, family secrets, an iconic main character, and a fiendish plot. What's not to love?' Laura Shepherd-Robinson, author of Blood & Sugar
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.
For Sergeant Riley Fisher, newly promoted to head of investigations at the Black Hawk County Sheriff's Office, an already horrific crime takes on a personal edge when she discovers the victim is an old friend, from a dark past she thought she'd left behind.
Rumour travels fast in small towns, while sweltering heat and state-wide elections only add to the pressure-cooker atmosphere. When another body is found, Riley is in danger of being engulfed by the fear and the frenzy. Something deeply disturbing is out there - and it reaches far beyond Black Hawk County.
Beautifully written and masterfully crafted, The Fields is a stunning crime debut.
'Eerie & engaging. One of the best procedurals I've read in a good long while'
Ace Atkins, bestselling author of The Revelators
'The sharp prose and explosive plot immediately drew me in, but the richly textured exploration of life in rural America stayed with me long after I finished. This is a classic crime series in the making'
Cristina Alger, bestselling author of Girls Like Us
'Loved the vivid sense of place. Hints of True Detective & The Silence of the Lambs. EXCELLENT'
Will Dean, bestselling author of The Last Thing to Burn
About the Author :
Erin Young's debut thriller, THE FIELDS, was inspired by an article about the menacing power of Big Agriculture. A decision to set the novel in the corn-capital of the world led her to make a fascinating journey across Iowa, from the state capitol to the state fair, from chance encounters with cops and farmers to an audience with a local mayor, shooting Glocks at a range and getting caught in supercell storms. Having grown up in a fishing village in Devon, she is drawn to the claustrophobic dramas of rural small-towns and the secrets they hide.
Erin Young is the pseudonym of acclaimed historical novelist, Robyn Young, author of eight internationally bestselling novels. She has been published in 19 languages in 22 countries, selling two million books worldwide. THE FIELDS is her first contemporary thriller. She lives and writes in Brighton, England.
Review :
Eerie and engaging. The Fields is one of the best procedurals I've read in a good long while
The sharp prose and explosive plot immediately drew me in, but the richly textured exploration of life in rural America stayed with me long after I finished. This is a classic crime series in the making
Loved the vivid sense of place. Hints of True Detective & The Silence of the Lambs. EXCELLENT
A smart compelling thriller. Silence of the Lambs meets the Pelican Brief
Young delivers a disturbing, twist-riddled thriller stocked with well-drawn characters
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 . . . From potential serial-killer investigation to high stakes political intrigue . . . THE FIELDS is an impressive debut
Murder, politics, family secrets, an iconic main character, and a fiendish plot. What's not to love?
[A] well-crafted procedural... vivid portraits of Black Hawk's denizens provide a compelling draw.
Whips along at an incredible pace and it left me breathless... both a brilliantly imagined police procedural and a nightmarish horror story
Get ready for the first novel in a new page-turning police procedural series
Real people you care about caught up in a thrilling plot. It gave me Mare of Easttown vibes. Surely a bestseller on both sides of the pond
Sharp with dark brilliance and a gripping panorama of characters, a detective who will pull you round and break your heart, Erin Young takes us deep into the Fields, dark heart of cruelty, conspiracy, betrayal, a web of lies, secrets and love. A world you don't want to leave, an all out, edge of your seat thriller you can't put down
With an eye for detail, Erin Young has provided a timely tale of mystery. Not only will the reader come away with a formidable knowledge of the changing landscape of our heartland, but Ms. Young introduces a strong female character who defies the odds to uncover the truth behind the murders in a previously quiet community
A very well polished debut... [and] a compelling police procedural.... Those who appreciate well-constructed multi-layered mysteries with flawed characters should find this very much to their liking
An immersive unravelling of small-town America with a gloriously chilling mystery at its core
The first two thirds of THE FIELDS is pure police procedural. The last third is a can't-put-it-down thriller. The breakneck speed at the end is bound to keep readers wide-eyed into the wee hours.... As the plot progresses and more bodies turn up, you learn what makes Iowa tick: agriculture, the state fair, small towns, and decent folk. But there are mysteries out there in the never-ending fields of organic gold
A body. A newly appointed investigator. A second body. Ghosts of a dark past. The story of Sergeant Riley Fisher, a new crime investigator in a small farming town, simmers with tension and the niggling fear that there's something dangerous just around the corner. If you love cracking open crime procedurals or page-turning thrilled books Erin Young's debut crime novel will have you clamouring for more from the author. The best part? The Fields is set to be the first in a series, so get ready for the next instalment!
This is gonna be big. A jet-black and compulsive thriller set against the backdrop of Iowa's agri industry. Corruption, murder, elements of horror and an engaging female lead detective. Brilliant writing.
Not only a great crime novel, but a sizzling and timely description of a collapsing corn-belt community. Riley Fisher is a hero we can all root for
A big, ambitious, angry story... In narrative terms it works well and the ultimate message that good intentions are no guarantee of good outcome adds a sense of tragedy to the novel
Provocative and gripping
Just as surely as Mare of Easttown brilliantly tweaked the police procedural format, so does Erin Young in her lean-limbed, gripping new novel, the first in a series...Young's plot blazes outward like a prairie fire as the body count mounts and Riley's own past surges into the present, testing her instincts in crime scene after crime scene
A story as gripping and sinuous as Jane Harper's The Dry. There could be no higher praise
Fisher is a credibly drawn lead, and this is a series that, if it can plough a distinctive furrow, may go on to put down roots.
A razor sharp procedural, a protagonist you'll root for, and a twist that you will never see coming
Just brilliant
