The Field of Wrongdoing- Book Review

The Field of Wrongdoing by Lili St. Germain

Publication Date: 12th Oct 2021
Genre: Psychological Thriller, Small Towns 

4.3 Stars 

One Liner: Twisted as hell. Not for the fainthearted. 

Small towns may look perfect from the outside but are full of secrets no one wants to reveal. Nine years ago, a dead body was found in the well on Leo’s property. The killer is never caught. Soon, Leo and Cassie, two teenagers in love, get separated when Leo ends up in an accident. The event puts him in prison and away from the only girl he has ever loved. 

Cassie has lost everything that night but continues to exist with neither hope nor any desire to make her life better. Leo comes back to the town and is on parole when another girl goes missing. 

Cassie's stepdad is the town’s sheriff and is determined to keep Leo away from Cassie in one way or another. After what seems like an eternity, Cassie realizes that she needs to take control of her life. That means she has to find the missing girl and solve the past case. 

But what does it do to her? Where will her quest for truth lead her? 

The book is 360 pages long and goes by super quick. I finished it two days (appx. 3+ hours). The chapters are short and rush by. The narration slows down around 20-40% and picks up pace again. 

The POV shifts between Cassie and Leo most of the time, with another third POV towards the end. The storyline goes back and forth a little, but it’s all neatly planned. There’s no confusion anywhere. 

Events are revealed one after another, and we realize things aren’t what they are. The characters get darker and more twisted, except for (not saying). Most of them are bad. That’s it. No redeeming arc or even a single likable attribute. 

The dark mood sustains throughout. There is no respite or a breather at any point. The story keeps pushing worse stuff as we turn the pages.  

Cassie has a great arc and is the major narrator of the book. She starts as a hopeless alcoholic. Her actual personality comes out only towards the end, and we see what Cassie is capable of. 

Coming to the rest of the story, there were a few things left loose. That dimmed the story’s appeal a wee bit. That shouldn’t stop you from picking this one, though. 

To sum up, The Field of Wrongdoing is twisted, messed up, dark, and even suffocating at times. This one is no causal read. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Level 4 Press, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

#TheFieldofWrongdoing #NetGalley

TW: Rape, Attempted suicide, animal death, incest.