Truly a fascinating concept, as I sure we have all had the thought "you know, maybe I could withstand cultish brainwashing.." My only complaint was with the writing style; normally I love a book that changes point of view from character to character, but this did so in a way that was often jarring or without any sort of transition, so I was confused for the first few sentences until I figured out who the new subject was. I love that I could tell how much research Olsen must have put into this to get the science and plot all right, but there was one glaring plot hole that I feel look could have easily changed the plot (I would divulge here for wont of spoilers). Overall very interesting, and as I got further into book, as the mystery began to unravel in such surprising ways I could not put it down!

I love Author Gregg Olsen's books and as soon as I started reading this one I knew it was going to be a good one after being introduced to no-nonsence Detective Lindsay Jackman. Detective Jackman was mourning the death of her mentor and partner when she was called to investigate the discovery of a body of a female at the bottom of a cliff. The body proved to be that young journalist, Sarah Baker, who was writing a tell-all book about wellness guru, Marnie Spellman whose followers were referred to as "the Hive." There are lots of twists and turns in this book that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

Thank you NetGalley and Thhomas & Mercer for the ARC of this gripping novel that kept me reading well past my bedtime.

Very good book. Lots of twists and turns you never see coming. The detective in the book was relentless in finding out what happened to all the people who died during a coverup. The women who started it all was really off balanced but was able to have a following of her way of thinking and products.

This is my first book by Gregg Olsen and based on this one I would pick up another one in a heartbeat. It has an interesting plot with a lot of twists along the way and enough clues to keep you guessing while turning the pages to find out how everything is connected when you follow Lindsay, a police detective in the Pacific Northwest who is investigating the murder of a young girl. Meanwhile her partner and mentor has just committed suicide and how does this all tie in to another death 20 years ago and the Spellman Farms founder Marnie and her confidants?

I like stories where you the mystery is revealed to you slowly and from different viewpoints. Each viewpoint giving you another piece of the puzzle. The characters were interesting as was their path into the Hive and the process that led them to do the things they did. Olsen managed to keep thing exciting with just enough clues not giving too much away at one time and it kept me turning the pages every moment I had.
If you are looking for an intricate mystery and are willing to put in the time before you know everything this is a book I would recommend you pick up.

*** An ARC was provided by Netgalley in exchange for a honest review ***

Gregg's books are always page turners and this book didn't let me down. I felt that this book has stories within the story.

How can 5 women who all had the same beliefs still be at such odds 20 years later? What happened back then that tore them apart? Sheriff Jackman is trying to figure out how a death 20 years ago has a connection to a young college student found murdered in the park?

Lindsay is working on her own after the loss of her partner and mentor. She finds herself still relying on Alan's wisdom, thinking and doing things the way he would. Lindsay was surprised what she didn't know or see about her partner.

Yes, another page turner from Gregg.

This whole thing would have been significantly better if every other chapter hadn't wrapped up with the character dropping some kind of hint about how no one can ever find out what really happened. Also? I don't feel like people really die this easily.

Gregg Olsen never disappoints and his latest, The Hive, doesn't either! This story is gripping and one that will keep you turning page after page from the start until the end. There are twists and turns that keep the plot flowing very smoothly. Another great Gregg Olsen book!
Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

*Thank you to Gregg Olsen, Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

*Previously posted at https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/the-hive/*

The Hive is Gregg Olsen at his finest. Exciting, anxiety provoking, and twisty. I could not put it down until the very last page.

Detective Lindsay Jackman has been called to a murder scene. Sarah Baker, a young college student in her twenties, is found dead at the foot of Maple Falls, seemingly thrown off a cliff. Sadly, she has just received a call that her long-time partner, detective Alan Sharpe, has committed suicide. Alas, the show must go on, and Lindsey soon finds there are more suspects than she counted on.

Enter the hive. The beautiful and wealthy Marnie Spelling, queen of her bee farm on Lummi Island, has invited five women to come and stay on her farm: the washed-up movie star, Dina; Nurses Trish, Heather, Greta; and finally, Calista, a married woman with two boys who she leaves to stay on the farm. These five women make up the hive.

As Lindsay investigates the hive, she realizes that all these women are lying to protect Marnie, and ultimately themselves. Heather, in a race to become Senator, is eager to stay under the radar during this investigation. Dina, now a recluse in her mansion, is the only one still in contact with Marnie. Greta, now in a glass house on Chuckanut Drive, sees the irony of her lifestyle. The questions remain: What happened to Calista Sullivan twenty years ago? How is her murder connected to the death of college student, Sarah Baker? And why did Lindsay’s partner, a content and fortunate man, commit suicide? The connection between these incidents would shock any reader.

The Hive flashes back between 1999 and 2019. We learn the paths that these five women have taken and how Marnie Spellman has dictated their fates. Again, this book is Gregg Olsen at his very finest. His descriptions of the Pacific Northwest and its beauty are priceless, and his ability to tell a complicated story is amazing. He masterfully creates a mystery with many different characters, including one woman who has negatively affected so many who have come in contact with her. You will stay up all night reading The Hive, not wanting to put it down until the final and shocking conclusion. This book will take you right down a rabbit hole you never suspected.

The Hive' by Gregg Olsen ✔ ⭐⭐⭐/5
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Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and @netgalley for this arc. 'The Hive' is a group of female followers of Marnie Spellman, a wellness guru who claims to have the secret of health, happiness, beauty and success for all women. However, after a journalist writing an expose on Marnie is found murdered, the secrets of the hive start to unravel 👀
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This was a cool concept for a novel. I enjoyed the cult aspect of the hive and the aftermath for its members. The story was intricate and engaging. I did however find the timeline quite scattered and hard to follow at times. A decent thriller with lots of action throughout👌
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#greggolsen #thehive #netgalleyuk #netgalleyarc #netgalleyreads #thrillerbooks #thrillerlover #thrillernovels #grippingbooks

Couldn't put this Excellent Murder mystery down. Right from the very start a picnic, world wind swarm, suicide and Murder!! Enjoyed the characters and descriptive scenery in Northern WA State.

Since finishing this book a few days ago I can say this....I'm completely addicted! So much so that I keep going over the sequence of events in my mind. What an amazing book this was! From the beginning I was completely absorbed with the characters. I love a book that draws you in so much that you can't wait to get back to the story! This was definitely one of those books for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

There were so many twists and turns! Two girls are murdered 20 years apart from each other but Detective Lyndsay Jackman is hell bent on linking these two murders. Then there's Marnie AKA leader of the Hive (cult). Is she responsible for these deaths? Lyndsay's partner Alex is found dead in the garage of his home from carbon monoxide poisoning. Between Alex's death and trying to solve this puzzle I'm amazed that Detective Jackman has the strength to keep going.

Absolutely a fantastic crime fiction by my favorite author. He never disappoints me!

Thank you for the opportunity to early read Gregg Olsen’s “The Hive.” I absolutely loved it!

I was hooked again from the very first pages of this novel!

Sarah Baker, a student and young journalist is found dead at the base of Maple Falls in the Pacific Northwest.

Detective Lindsay Jackman is on the case, and at the outset gets another blow: her boss Detective Alan Sharpe was found dead of an apparent carbon monoxide suicide in his garage – how can she do this young journalist murder investigation alone?

As Lindsay investigates the Maple Falls death, it becomes evident that Sarah Baker was murdered and her murder is somehow woven with another murder on Lummi Island some 20 years earlier.

Sarah was found to have been writing an expose about the famous and adored Marnie Spellman, who, when she was a child was lifted by bees off the ground, toward the sun – enlightening her spirit with nature, and upon all of this - Marnie built her bee-inspired inner beauty and business empire. Marnie was a healer, a beauty queen (the queen bee of holistic health) and she also had her own inner circle ‘hive’ – that shared not only Marnie’s secrets of her successes, but her dark secrets held for 20 years.

Lindsay is hell-bent on uncovering the dark secrets and mysteries of Marnie, her “Hive” and their families……but Marnie and her “Hive” are hell-bent as well to keep their secrets away from Lindsay.

Gregg Olsen is the mastermind and master weaver of intricate plots, twists, turns, and surprises – which you’ll be shocked and “stung” once he lets you know. The “Hive” is a superb thriller, and among other delights, is like a window into a cult, one of despicable lies and murder. You’ll relish in the layers and layers, like an onion when peeled away; each point of view Gregg presents is absolutely amazing.

You’ll love it! I highly recommend the Hive and all Gregg Olsen’s books. Thank you.

This is another well-written book by Gregg Olsen. It starts out as being a basic detective story as you follow Lindsay Jackman's search for the killer in her latest homicide case. That quickly takes a turn, and you find yourself drawn in to suspect Marnie's world of "bee"ing all you can bee. It's hard not to like Marnie and all that she promotes, even when your gut tells you otherwise. The cult aspect of the hive, and the character development kept me intrigued, and I had a hard time putting the book down. I thought it was a bit hard to follow at times with all of the flashbacks, but I also felt that it was necessary to fully understand Marnie's power over her hive. Each character had an integral part that begged to be told. I will admit the ending surprised me a bit, and left me wishing that a few of the characters would have paid a higher price for their actions. Overall I thought it was a good read, and I would recommend it to others.

First, let me say I really like Gregg Olsen’s books. He’s a great writer. But this one was just so-so. It just felt way over the top and the characters just weren’t doing it for me. The twists were great though! All in all it was good. It was just the characters were so... blah.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest opinion.

I’m not sure whether Gregg Olsen is inconsistent, or I am, but it sort of seems like I don’t know what to expect when I pick up one of his books. There have been some excellent ones in the true crime genre (If You Tell) but I have found the fiction titles (mostly in series) to be uneven...often I just don’t care for the protagonist. So, it may be me that is uneven? In any case, I was happy to receive a copy of The Hive, a novel featuring police officer Lindsay Jackman set in the Pacific Northwest, from Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.
Lindsay is investigating the murder of a young woman found nude at the bottom of a ravine. She discovers the woman was a journalist working on an exposé of a charismatic wellness guru named Marnie Spellman who has millions of devotees as she operates a business from an island where her farm produces skin care products infused with substances from bees (honey, royal jelly). Her devotees are thought to be sort of a cult, with the inner circle known as the Hive.
Marnie Spellman’s story of the origin of her miracle products is a bit hard to believe: she claims that when she was a young girl, a swarm of bees lifted her off the ground and toward the sunlight, a bizarre tale of an event on which she built a cosmetics empire. Along the way she became a legend, a healer, and the queen of holistic health and beauty. The women in Marnie’s inner circle (the Hive) share both Marnie’s secrets of success as well as a deeper secret that has been hidden for twenty years.
It’s an interesting premise, totally realistic if you have ever lived near or been exposed to a very new age, “woo-woo” kind of group. Having been through est training in the 70s and lived in Santa Cruz, Berkeley, and Humboldt County, I totally got the premise of this group. The plot is well done, and the plot has just enough realism and unexpected twists to keep it interesting and move it steadily along to a good finish. I like it, and hope to see more of Lindsay Jackman. Four stars.

If you took Educated and mashed it together with the Mary Kay story, this might be what you'd wind up with--a megalomaniac like Marnie controlling women under the guise of helping them be(e) all they can be.

But was she responsible for the death of Sarah? And is the death of Calista linked somehow?

Although those seem to be the questions I want answers for, this is as much women's fiction with the story of Marnie and her farm and the hive coming out as Lindsay digs into Sarah and Calista's deaths. The mystery itself burns along in the background. And what a burn. It builds and builds and builds to an inferno of a conclusion.

Gregg Olsen has done it again! what a amazing read I just could not put it down the way Greg blends past with the present was seamless. he keeps you wondering and the moment you think you have if figured out then bam he throws you a curve ball.

I was initially drawn to this title after reading the description. Unfortunately it fell flat for me as I struggled to find it interesting. I read it in it’s entirety though it was a slower read than I expected.

I was really excited about this book, however I really struggled to get into it. It just never gripped me.
This is the first book I have read by Gregg Olsen

I enjoyed this book, but at times the pacing was a bit slow and the what was meant to be a reveal felt like a let-down. A lot of the characters fell flat — the two that didn't feel one-dimensonal to me were Marnie and Reed. I would comment on the rest of the characters, but even though I read this book only about two days ago, most of their names elude me. Honestly, the most interesting parts were the flashbacks to the time in the cult, and I think I would've much preferred a novel about that. Overall, it wasn't a bad book, but certainly not one I would be willing to reread, and not one I would go out of my way to recommend to others.