Why am I passionate about this?
I am a huge fan of logic puzzles and can find myself wasting hours on these. A locked room mystery is similar to a logic puzzle. We are presented with a limited number of characters and a setting where no one can arrive or leave. Thus, the killer must be one of these characters, leaving the reader to try and find the guilty person before the end of the book. As Sherlock Holmes said, "Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth." I love to try my hand at being Sherlock both as a reader and a writer.
Marion's book list on locked room mysteries
Why did Marion love this book?
The Institution is a secure unit for the criminally insane, unnerving enough but when the two main characters enter its walls under cover, one as a therapist, the other posing as a patient, the stakes are high.
A horrific crime has taken place and the remote location means the perpetrator was either a patient or a member of staff. The two lead characters have to find the killer while keeping their real identities a secret.
Add to this a race against time to find a newborn baby and the tension is unbearable.
I wrote about an abducted baby in my second book and keeping the race against time uppermost in the reader’s mind was the most difficult part of the process.
1 author picked The Institution as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
'Brilliant! The Institution is a harrowing, nonstop story that will grab you from the first page and not let go. Helen Fields is a master of suspense. You'll consume it in one sitting.' - International bestselling sensation JEFFERY DEAVER
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.…