Have to start with thanking NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity of reading this ARC.
I think one word can describe this book: addictive.
Detective Lindsey gets pulled into the world of Marnie, a cult-like figure in the world of natural beauty products, when she starts investigating a link between the murder of a young girl and a murder that took place 20 years ago.
From the start I was hooked to see how the investigation played out. It kept me guessing throughout the whole story and even when I thought I had solved it, another twist popped up!
One big selling point I need to say, these twists can be predicted by the reader so you KNOW it's a good twist.
I loved how Marnie and the Hive were promoting this "everyone's perfect, beauty on the outside will lead to beauty on the outside" when all of these women were horrible people.
It was slightly confusing with the timeliness switching, but overall Gregg Olsen did a fantastic job writing a very addictive and compelling story.

I love Gregg Olsen books, so I hate to only give this one 3 stars, but I feel like it really fell short compared to his other books. I really struggled to get into this one. The writing seemed...different than his usual. I don't know how else to explain it. Unfortunately, this wasn't a win for me.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book early. This is one of my favorite authors and I always look for his new releases.
This book had a lot going on. The jump back into time for the backstory was sometimes confusing, as there are a lot of characters involved. I had no inkling of how the story was going to play out and that part kept me reading. The initial murder that gets the detective involved is shoved to the back and doesn’t play a role in the story until later in the book. Kind of confusing. I hate to be negative about this author, but this wasn’t one of my favorites that he has written.
I’m glad I had the chance to read it though.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Police officer Lindsay Jackman is trying to find out who killed a college student. Her search leads her to Marnie Spelling who is a guru. This book kept me guessing from start to finish.

5 stars

Detective Alan Sharpe, Detective Lindsay Jackman's partner has very recently committed suicide. Shocked and bereft, Lindsay must continue with her job. Her latest case is a young woman who was found dead at the foot of a ravine. The young woman's name is Sarah Baker and was strangled before she was thrown off the cliff.

Lindsay and her boss Lieutenant Madison begin an investigation into Sarah's death. Sarah was relatively shy and mostly preferred to be left alone to pursue her interests. She is attending college and rooms with a childhood friend. Sarah loved plants and animals and also works on the college newspaper.

When Lindsay gets a phone call from Reed about his wife who was murdered some twenty years earlier, she goes to see him. He has a devastating story to tell about his wife and someone called Marnie Spellman.

The almost mesmerizing and magnetic Marnie Spellman, cosmetic queen. She says she had an experience with a swarm of bees as a child and has used that encounter to become a self-styled guru of both cosmetics and a self-help/actualization process. It is really a cult of personality.

Lindsay finds herself with countless “witnesses.” All of them have their own stories and are very reluctant to talk and very good at lying. Her search for the truth leads her into a twisted path of betrayal, lies, shocks and murder.

This book is Gregg Olsen at his best. It is a very involved and twisty story. It is very well written and plotted. We are treated to the actual situation in 1999 and the manner in which the participants have whitewashed the truth in the present. He presents this story so well, I was awed. I have read his books for years and truly enjoyed this one. Great going, Mr. Olsen.

I want to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for forwarding to me a copy of this remarkable book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed her are my own.

The Hive is enjoyable throughout the first half, but at midpoint I thought it was starting to sputter. It didn't seem like we were going anywhere, just around in circles, back in time, forth in time, then back, then one character, then other, and it just continued that way. Yet I stuck with it and we finally moved forward. There was not a likable character to be found in the novel, excepting the police officer Lindsay Jackman. She's in the dark for most of it as was the reader. She served as our rock.
The author has set up various scenarios and degrees of involvement for the characters. He releases driblets of information at a time, but, when all is said and done, the novel is interesting.
Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for this arc. What a compelling story and great characters! Who hasn't known a Queen Bee or a mean girl? Gregg Olsen does a great job of bringing this Queen Bee to life with gripping writing that will make it hard for you to put this book down! The only reason this is not a 5 star read is near the end the book felt too long, and the timeline was sometimes confusing. Maybe instead of having specific dates there is a way to just show just years or month and years? I will admit that my concentration is not as good as it used to be. so this could just be my failing.
If you want an intriguing story with great characters, this book is for you.

I loved this book! It was such a strong well written story. It was exactly what I needed with everything going on in the world! A mind bending escape!

I started reading The Hive by Gregg Olsen yesterday evening and had to force myself to stop reading at midnight so I could get some sleep. As soon as I woke up this morning I was grabbing for my e-reader so I could finish it. I guess you could say I really enjoyed it!

Not only was the book perfectly paced and kept me riveted, it also avoided some very annoying clichés that often pop up in the murder mystery/detective genres. Also most of the characters are women but they feel authentic and well written which can be unfortunately rare. There was no unnecessary romantic side plot or sexually charged descriptions of what the female character looks like. The main character, detective Lindsay Jackman, is written with depth and nuance which was refreshing to read.

This is the first book I've read by Gregg Olsen, but I will absolutely be reading more!

police officer Lindsay Jackman is investigating the murder of a young journalist found at the bottom of a ravine. Lindsay soon learns that the victim was writing an exposé. Her subject: a charismatic wellness guru who’s pulled millions into her euphoric orbit!

I was sucked into this story and I loved every bit of it!
What a wonderful book!

If you haven't ever read Gregg Olsen before you need to start with this suspenseful novel starring Detective Lindsey Jackman.

When Lindsey investigates the murder of a young woman found naked at the bottom of a ravine she is soon thrust into investigating health guru Marnie Spellman and another murder from years before. Lindsey is also reeling from the apparent suicide of her work partner Allan .

As Lindsey begins to investigate Marnie's farm and her "hive" a small group of women who left their families to work with Marnie and make natural products she is led every which way as one lie after another are uncovered.

A twisting thrilling novel about people and the lies they tell to protect themselves and the lengths they will go to get to where they want to be.

I’ve recently started read Gregg Olsen and I am so very glad I did. He will be an auto buy for me. I have not found a book written by him that wasn’t fantastic and this one definitely is.

Thanks to publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Pub date 6/21- highly recommend and any of his others you can grab!