A young woman tries desperately to escape through the vast cornfields, but someone is closing in on her.  When morning breaks, her mutilated body is found in the stalks, and Black Hawk County’s first female sergeant, Riley Fisher, recognizes the young woman from her childhood.  THE FIELDS hold many secrets and when Big Agricultural Firms squeeze out the smaller Iowa farm owners, some of those secrets will come spilling out into the blood-soaked soil.

Investigations Sergeant Riley Fisher identifies Chloe Miller as the dead mutilated girl in the Zephyr Farms’ fields.  Chloe was Riley’s childhood friend before Riley suffered a traumatic event that cut her childhood short.  What was Chloe Miller doing in the fields at night?  Chloe’s husband suggests she was having an affair, but Riley wonders whether Jason Miller is misleading the investigation.  There is also a missing teenager in the area and some wonder if there is a connection.  When another badly mutilated body is discovered at an abandoned meatpacking plant, Riley knows they are dealing with an extremely dangerous individual.  There are many questions that need answering including the cause of a reemerging disease, the disappearance of homeless individuals, and a new drug on the market causing serious side effects.  Can a perfect storm of elements create a monster-hunting human flesh?  As Riley furthers the investigation, she uncovers a local politician’s interests in Big Agriculture and the pursuit of a Chinese contract at any cost.   Who is tainting the Iowa cornfields and what will be the ultimate human cost?

THE FIELDS is Erin Young’s crime debut and it is a thrilling complicated ride through small-town America and the effects of big agricultural firms on the local economy.  It is dark and gritty with an ominous feeling throughout.  It reads sometimes like a police procedural and other times like a thriller.  The violence is graphic and the crimes horrific, but the author weaves the unusual premise into a believable plot that makes you realize how likely something like this could occur.  Riley is an interesting character with a tortured past.  She is complex and driven, but sometimes her actions and motivations are unprofessional.  She is like a loose cannon in a field full of weapons.  The writing is solid and provoking.  The only downside is that the novel contains so many story threads and information that the pace can feel frenetic and disjointed at times.  It does though set the stage for future planned novels in the series.   Although not perfect, it is a compelling thrill ride and I will follow Riley into her next mystery to see how her personal story unfolds.