| Title | : | The Hive |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 475 |
| Publication | : | First published June 8, 2021 |
In the Pacific Northwest, 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…
To hear Marnie Spellman tell it, when she was a child, a swarm of bees lifted her off the ground and toward the sunlight, illuming her spiritual connection with nature—an uncanny event on which Marnie built a cosmetics empire and became a legend, a healer, and the queen of holistic health and eternal beauty. In her inner circle is an intimate band of devotees called the Hive. They share Marnie’s secrets of success—including one cloaked in darkness for twenty years.
Determined to uncover the possibly deadly mysteries of the group, Lindsay focuses her investigation on Marnie and the former members of the Hive, who are just as determined to keep Lindsay from their secrets as they are to maintain their status.
The Hive Reviews
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Well, this was a weird one! I don’t think I’ve ever had such mixed feelings about a supposed cult.
A young woman’s body is found at the bottom of a ravine. Turns out, she was doing an expose on a group led by a beautiful, charismatic business woman who sells natural beauty products. The leader espouses a woman’s right to find her full potential. But to the extreme, like leave your husband and kids kind of extreme. So why my mixed feelings? Because a male writer making women’s rights into an evil concept worried me a little. But her “outside in” philosophy is one more sales gimmick.
The police procedural part of the story worked okay. Lindsay is a detective, forced to work on her own after her partner’s recent suicide. A man contacts her saying there’s a link with his wife’s murder from 20 years earlier. The link, of course, is the cosmetics queen bee.
The book is written to purposely keep the reader off balance. Told in an omniscient POV, we see not just Lindsay, but the members of The Hive, the five women that previously surrounded Queen Bee Marnie and Marnie herself. And the chapters also alternate between the present day (2019), 1999 before Calista died and segments from the memoir Marnie wrote.
As the book goes on, the story gets more and more convoluted, with a plethora of characters. I liked the premise better than the execution of this one. I would have preferred more chapters from Lindsay’s POV. Olsen does tie everything up in the end with a satisfying ending.
My thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of this book. -
I really enjoy Gregg Olsen’s Megan Carpenter and Nicole Foster series. They’re fast paced thrillers featuring complex and flawed female lead characters. However, I was somewhat disappointed in this slower, strangely flat mystery.
The novel started well with the body of a college student found naked at the foot of a waterfall. A journalism student, Sarah Baker, had been chasing a story about the murder of a woman called Calista Sullivan twenty years earlier with connections to Marnie Spellman, a famous personality who formed a multi-million dollar cosmetics empire based on products from bees. Marnie developed an almost cult like following, spruiking her personal philosophy that women need to look the best they can on the outside to feel empowered within. At the height of her business women would leave their homes and families to work with Marnie at her compound on Lummi island. Her five closest acolytes were known as her Hive and together they shared many secrets.
While this had the potential to be an interesting plot, I found the execution really boring. The novel was totally lacking in suspense or tension and rambled between a cast of insipid characters. I really failed to connect with any of the characters and never got a clear picture of Marnie and why she was so charismatic or what it was that kept women coming to her island. The detective investigating Sarah’s murder, Lindsay Jackson, doesn’t seem to get very far unearthing clues until right at the end of the book, by which point I was really fed up with Marnie, her bees and her Hive and just wanted to finish the book asap.
With thanks to Thomas and Mercer and Netgalley for a copy to read -
There are SECRETS and then there are SECRETS and then there are SECRETS!
A charismatic entrepreneur/leader/skin care guru/wellness practitioner - is she the real deal or is she a charlatan?
This book opens strong when the body of a young aspiring journalist, Sarah Baker, is found at the bottom of a ravine. Lindsey Jackman, the lead investigator, soon learns that the young journalist was writing an exposé on Marnie Spellman, a famous wellness guru.
Marnie claims that when she was a child, a swarm of bees lifted her up, and spoke to her. She has always stated that her experience with the swarm caused her to have a deeper connection with nature and inspired her bee/honey skin care line.
Let there be no doubt in your mind, Marnie is a queen bee. Her inner circle, made up of women who have walked away from their lives, relationships, and jobs to join her, are known as the “Hive". She ruled her empire and group of followers using charm, manipulation, and power.
As Lindsey investigates Sarah's murder, the plot thickens as layer after layer of secrets are uncovered. There is more going on than meets the eye. With everyone interviewed, Lindsey learns that this case is not cut and dry and to solve it she must go back to an earlier case and start there.
This book started strong and instantly had me intrigued. Who could have wanted her dead? There are a lot of characters, and we learn more when each tells his/her story to Lindsey. This slowed the book down for me. In the middle of the book, I wanted things to hurry up and bring on that reveal already! This book takes some patience. Everything will come together in the end.
There are clues along the way, and readers will soon learn that you cannot escape your past. Sooner or later, some secrets are dying to be uncovered.
How these characters kept track of all the secrets buzzing around in their heads, is a mystery to me.
This book is gripping when it gets moving and more clues are dropped. There are a couple of twists and turns, and revelations along the way. I enjoyed the story but the slowness of each character telling his/her story brought my rating down a little. I would have enjoyed the book more if this had been a little faster paced.
A solid book with a gripping mystery.
3.25 stars
Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at
www.openbookposts.com -
The Hive follows the mystery of two different murders that occurred years apart and the cult that is mysteriously linked to them.
Books following a celebrity, famous artist/writer, or in this instance, a cult leader are always interesting because there's always so much you can do with their character. Is Marnie, owner of a skin care business popularized by its use of honey, a manipulative egoist or someone who has stumbled their way into the role of power?
I think a locked room setting could make The Hive a lot more suspenseful and put the focus more on the characters. The perspective-shifting slowed the pace when I was still the most interested in the cult dynamics.
Maybe not as disturbing or creepy as If You Tell, but if you're in the mood for a mystery with some solid characters this could be the book for you. -
This is a READ NOW on NetGalley
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A cult and murder!!! This sounds amazing!!!
Spoiler.... It was not 😐 -
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THE HIVE by Gregg Olsen is a suspense/thriller/police procedural which revolves around the present-day murder of a college journalist investigating a death and cover up in the past. The death in the past leads back to a charismatic beauty and wellness guru and her “Hive” of close followers on a small island in the Pacific Northwest.
Detective Lindsay Jackman is reeling from the suicide of her partner and is immediately thrown into an investigation of a young college journalist found naked at the bottom of a ravine. Lindsay discovers the dead girl was working on an expose of Marnie Spellman.
Marnie Spellman tells the world the tale of her being lifted by a swarm of bees and being given a spiritual connection to nature and God, who is female. Using honey, royal jelly and other natural ingredients, Marnie builds a cosmetics empire. But Marnie is also a guru or charlatan, depending on your view, who makes others believe in her power to elevate women to a higher level as they also obtain holistic health and eternal beauty. Her inner circle of six is called the Hive and they share in Marnie’s success, but also her biggest secret which could destroy them all.
As Lindsay digs into Marnie’s empire and the Hive, the women are determined to keep their secrets at all costs, including silencing any who could reveal the truth.
This story pulled me in from the very first page, but as the story progresses it switches time frames frequently and it can get confusing at times. Lindsay is a dogged investigator and I enjoyed how she was impressed by Marnie, but her investigation was never influenced by her. This book is full of surprising plot twists as Marnie and each individual Hive member’s secrets are revealed. I am always interested in stories, fictional and non, where a person can be so charismatic as to lead the average person to do terrible things. The story’s climax surprised me and all the story threads are tied together in a way that left me satisfied.
I can recommend this suspense/thriller for a compelling and unique police procedural read. -
Many thanks to Net Galley, Thomas & Mercer, and the author for a chance to read and review this book.
Oopsie, oops!
The blurb was so exciting that I had to, u know had to download it from Net Galley. It had been a while that I had read about mysteries with cults too!
The central part of the story that has a detective Lindsay investigating the death of a young woman was brilliantly plotted. The story that begins with a woman who has just recently given birth and is surely showing signs of postpartum depression is the first witness to the scene, but that is just a random scene that has no impact on the story whatsoever. It is exactly how the story then begins developing, Lindsay has to manage the trauma of her mentor partner having committed suicide and look into a complex case that is tied to something that occurred 20 yrs. ago. The story alternates between the past and the present haphazardly which I had no problem following but the POV’s that moves the story forward are too numerous to count.
I wish the devious plot could have unraveled with investigative procedures through Lindsay rather than the way it is described in the novel, coz the thrill of secrets tumbling out never happens. There’s no excitement or any tension in the story, everything feels flat and devoid of feel, which was sad coz this could have more spectacular in my opinion.
Despite this, I loved the suspense of the story and the whole twisty surprises that bind all the characters together but just hoped for a more gripping impact!
3.5 stars
This review is published in my blog
https://rainnbooks.com/, Goodreads, Amazon India, Medium.com, Facebook, and Twitter. -
I always enjoy Gregg Olsen's books and this one was no exception. It's told primarily from the POV of a police detective named Lindsay, who is reeling from the suicide of her partner while also trying to solve the murder of a young woman found in the woods within her jurisdiction. The murder seems to tie back to another decades- old unsolved murder, which has roots in a cult-like empire built by the enigmatic Marnie Spellman.
The story is told both in real time and flashbacks, and gives the reader some insight into the other players in the story, including the "hive": of women in Marnie's inner circle. This is a storytelling method that I enjoy, and it was interesting to watch the mystery come together from various perspectives. Also, living in WA state, I always enjoy the familiarity of the locations where Olsen sets his stories.
The book was able to connect many seemingly disparate storylines into one, which was pretty cool. In some cases, I made the connection myself early on, but in other cases, I was surprised. There was one twist that I can't believe I didn't see coming, but I was as surprised right along with Lindsay. I am not hugely interested in the topic of cults, but I did find that aspect fascinating in this particular story, and appreciated Lindsay's skepticism that matched my own.
All in all, this was a fast and fun read with a unique storyline and a lot of action. Olsen hasn't let me down yet, and I'd recommend the book to those who like mysteries and thrillers, and especially those who enjoy the tie-in to the Pacific Northwest. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. -
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
All opinions are my own.
The premise of this book was so interesting (murder? cults? YES), and I just felt let down the whole time. The ending was tipped SO EARLY and it was SO OBVIOUS that I spent the rest of the book being super mad at the detective for being an idiot. Like, how have you not put this together yet??? I know I read a lot of detective novels and figure things out real early, but this was just... bad. The whole business with the "hive" felt like something I've read before. The book also flipped back and forth between timelines and perspectives, which is fine, but it ping ponged so much that it made my head spin. I thought this could have been organized MUCH better. The epilogue was unnecessary and didn't bring anything to the story. I would not recommend this to others.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC! -
Next on QVC—A Charismatic Cult Leader With Mysterious Connections To Dead Women Sells Skin Cream
Book Information
The Hive was written by
Gregg Olsen. The book was published on June 8, 2021 and is 475 pages. Olsen is a #1 New York Times bestselling author who has written ten nonfiction books, ten novels and contributed a short story to a collection edited by Lee Child.
Summary
Officer Lindsay Jackman is dealing with the suicide of her partner and mentor when she is summoned to investigate the murder of a college journalist. Lindsay quickly uncovers that the victim was writing a story on a famous, charismatic wellness guru who once commanded a huge following both globally, and also a tight inner circle called “the hive” on her farm in Washington State. There seems to be more going on at the farm than cosmetic products made from bee pollen, honey, royal jelly, and all-natural ingredients.
The investigation quickly seems to connect to another unsolved murder from 20 years prior….and Lindsay is determined to get to the bottom of it all.
My Thoughts
This is a beautifully written, multi-layered, well-conceived and thoughtfully constructed novel.
Olsen’s command of descriptive prose is impressive. His attention to detail helps to make the words come to life as the story is read. He also effectively transitions from present day to flashbacks and does it from the point of view of most of the major characters in the book.
The story seems to unfold as the detective continues her investigation. Revelation upon revelation along with unexpected twists. Olsen’s experience with true crime books surely helped him as he built this detailed fictional story.
Also, If you are looking for a book with strong female characters (not necessarily good and certainly not always making the best decisions)—just about every significant character in this novel is female.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. I listened to the audio version and thought that Karen Peakes did a fantastic job narrating. It probably was not the easiest of tasks with so many female protagonists to differentiate vocally but she was amazing.
Recommendation
If you like mysteries related to murder, cults, and cosmetics---this is for you. Seriously though, it’s an enjoyable read (or better yet listen to) that I think most would enjoy.
Rating
4 Royal Jelly Stars -
Gregg Olsen's The Hive is a fast-paced, intriguing, intense, and suspenseful read that is as creepy as it is fantastic. When the body of a young woman, Sarah Baker, is found at the bottom of a ravine, Detective Lindsay Jackman finds herself pulled into an investigation far more elaborate than she ever imagined--leading her to uncover additional crimes stretching back decades. Olsen carefully and masterfully peels back the layers of the investigation page by page, providing many gasp-worthy moments. Brilliant, thought-provoking, heartbreaking, and original, The Hive will keep you up at night and leave you reeling long after you've finished it. Every page carries weight in this novel. There are plenty of twists and turns to satisfy even the most seasoned crime fiction reader, and the characters feel authentic and alive in ways that only Olsen can achieve. Don't miss this one. Olsen takes you deep into a fascinating rabbit hole that you won't want to emerge from!
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Spellbinding
Greg Olsen is an author whom I devour his books whenever I see one. His writing is flawless and creative.
This story is very original and twisted. The lead detective puts her nose to the challenge and never gives up, all be it one killer does get away without being suspect.
The descriptions of each character and who they are is well done. The ending was surprising to me but that's the way I like it.
I recommend this read to those that like mystery and detective stories. -
The Hive is a standalone cross between a police procedural and a psychological thriller centred around a murder and an exploitative cult. The characters come vividly to life and the dark, disturbing and wickedly twisty plot hurtles along gathering speed with every passing chapter. Olsen explores the allure of cults: the void they fill in people who wish for nothing more than to belong, the damaging, and often ludicrous, messages they spread as well as ideologies they abide by and cling to as a means of identity. It's a mysterious and deeply unsettling read full of enigmatic people and enough on the thrills front to keep you tearing through the pages. A compulsive, engrossing and rollicking good read. Highly recommended.
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A young woman is found at the bottom of a ravine ... a victim of murder. Detective Lindsay Jackman is charged with investigating. While Jackman is thrilled to be leading her own investigation alone, it's also stressing that the opportunity only came because her partner and mentor committed suicide.
When the victim is identified, it turns out she was a journalist, in the midst of writing an expose of The Hive. The queen bee is a wellness guru who has millions of followers.. mostly all women. Marnie Spellman started with building a cosmetics empire and then became a healer and assuring all of eternal beauty.
What Jackman finds is that the murder of this woman is somehow connected to the secret past of Spellman twenty years ago.
Jackman finds more questions than answers .. especially as there are those who want those secrets buried forever .. and will do whatever it takes to keep them there.
This is a well-written, well-plotted story line full of twists and turns that rival a roller coaster ride. it's fast-paced with the suspense starting on the very first page and maintaining a high level of mystery leading to am explosive, unexpected conclusion. The characters are solidly drawn. I do believe that detective Jackman would make a terrific series character.
Many thanks to the author / Thomas & Mercer - Amazon Publishing / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological thriller / police procedural. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own. -
This the third book I’ve recently read involving cults, bees and the perfection of their hives. It’s weird BUT I absolutely loved this book! Gregg Olsen is a hit or miss author for me and this one definitely was a hit.
If you think about Mary Kaye Ash, the home based "beauty" guru, and put her philosophy on drugs then you have the main protagonist of The Hive. Marnie, the "queen bee" is obsessed with bees and their royal jelly. All of her beauty products are made with it. In addition, she forms a community of women who help her with her empire - they are called "The Hive." It's a cult but it's a strange one. These women are encouraged to leave their family, their husbands, children and homes behind in order to fully encase themselves into The Hive. As with most cults, it eventually turns deadly.
This is a terrific police procedural, something that Gregg Olsen does very well, and despite knowing the "who," it is the why and how that is important. If you like good crime fiction then you should enjoy The Hive. -
Detective Lindsay Jackman is looking into the death of a young journalist who was writing a story about Marnie Spellman, a wellness guru who operates a "farm" in the Pacific Northwest producing apiary-based products, mostly cosmetics, and considered a cult by some. Detective Jackman begins to investigate links between this death and the death of a member of the Spellman "hive" twenty years previously. Her partner, Alan Sharpe, recently and shockingly committed suicide and she is left to try and solve the case on her own.
I had a bit of difficulty keeping up with the changes in the timeline since they seemed to jump all over the place and I had to backtrack a couple of times to remind myself where I was. As well, I found some of the dialogue a little stilted, I think mostly due to the lack of contractions at times, like using "I will" instead of "I'll", or "I hope you are happy" instead of "you're" during a conversation. I enjoyed the story but think there are too many characters and too many timelines to keep it cohesive. I thought it was well-written though and easy to read but it was very long. It wasn't really an "edge of your seat" book but worth reading and I liked how everything was wrapped up in the epilogue. I'm a bit of a Gregg Olsen fan so I may be slightly biased. 3.5 Stars!
Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for access to an ARC of this novel.
Release Date: June 8,2021 -
I forgot to write my thoughts out after reading it.
So writing this now, I've had a moment to reflect.
At first, I wasn't a huge fan. The story had a great premise but it took too long to get there. Once it did, the pace picked up and it got more interesting.
Did I love it? No, but I did think the twists in it were creative and not something I have read before. I appreciated the writing even if the story itself did not turn out to be for me.
I still think lots of people will enjoy this thrill ride! -
Genre: Thriller
Type: Standalone
POV: Multiple
Rating:
Lindsay Jackson wasn’t going to let personal tragedy stop her from performing her job as a Detective. When a young woman was found dead, she pulled herself up and channel her mentor to figure out the case which seemed to revolve around the enigmatic holistic cosmetic queen, Marni Spellman. But the closer she got to the answers, the truth might be far uglier than she could ever imagine.
I went into this one blind so I was pleasantly surprised by a certain aspect of the story, which is what I always love. I enjoyed the premise of the story, however, it was very long and it didn’t help with the constant timeline shifts and multiple POVs. I usually love that in a book but it was hard to keep up with this one.Predators do that, Lindsay thought. They find the weak—even when the weak seem as though they aren’t weak at all—and they have an innate sense for whom to peel off from the rest of the herd.
The main characters were interesting and I especially enjoyed the dynamics and how they handled the situations. The revelations weren’t surprising to me but it wasn’t a deal-breaker. A scene towards the ending was a bit too much though, but I still liked how the story was properly resolved.
The Hive is a story of ambition and desperation. It would appeal to readers who enjoy a slow-burn Thriller.
🔸️🐝🔸️ . . . (F)BR With Twinsie CC . . . 🔸️🐝🔸️
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Average book
The hive had an interesting concept but overall the book was too long. All of the characters were morally corrupt except for one or two. All in all just an average read. -
A female detective battling personal sadness at the suicide of her partner. A life and wellness guru with a committed and loyal sorority of followers. And a dead woman at the bottom of a waterfall.
Detective Lindsay Jackman is investigating the murder of a young woman named Sarah Baker who was found dead at the bottom of a waterfall. Sarah, a journalist with her university paper, is researching a group known as the Hive lead by holistic and beauty industry innovator, Marnie Spellman. Jackman’s investigation begins to reveal that Sarah had uncovered an ominous side and plenty of buried secrets related to the circle of women. Did her discoveries cause her death?
A mix of crime fiction and psychological thriller, The Hive delivers deep and well-developed characters and lots of twists to keep you guessing. However, I would give the first 300 pages of this book 2.5-3 stars, but the last 150+ pages 5 stars (hence the average of 4). The story is good, however initially it almost felt like the cult beliefs were also being peddled to the reader as well (and I was afraid that Detective Lindsay Jackman would also fall for Marnie's garbage). Once I got approximately 80% into the book, the twists were UNBELIEVABLE and I was hooked. All said, I'm thankful I suffered through the first 300 pages because this book has some of the most shocking twists I've read. A very slow burn and unlike Gregg Olsen's other fast and twisty novels. Would still read it again, though! Rating of 4 stars. -
When I started this book I was super engrossed in it. As I continued the story it became redundant. The exact same thing was talked about chapter after chapter. Marnie and her hive. They had a murder. And they just continued to talk about the murder without giving away too many details, but when you finally learn the details you’ve already figured it out because you’ve read about that over and over and over again. There wasn’t anything shocking to me. I found myself being like is it over yet? The hive was taken down but Marnie really didn’t get what was coming to her.
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I want to stick with only this paragraph from the blurb:
In the Pacific Northwest, 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…
This is my first detective drama / murder mystery for 2022 and what a great read it was. I felt immensely sad for everyone involved when closing the book. It really did not matter how wealthy or famous they were, or how manipulative, cunning, or mean they could get. They were all just human. Some just more humane than others. And some got strangled by their own greed.
Life can get complicated when six beautiful women (perhaps too beautiful for their own good) form the six sides of a hexagonal honeycomb, with the queen bee in the center. Marnie Spellman dominated them all in size and beauty. They had a secret. They were silent for twenty years. Until Sarah Baker appeared on the scene. A young ambitious student of journalism who was determined to expose The Hive to the world. Except, she ended up chalky white and lifeless at the bottom of the ravine in the Nooksack River.
Detective Lindsay Jackman: Her story was a strange blend of mystical self-help, written in a time when the New Age Movement was gaining converts. People were wearing pyramids. Gathering healing stones. Marnie Spellman's take, it appeared, was to grab a piece of that and then draw in the very real hopes and dreams of an entire generation of women who'd found themselves unable to get where they wanted to go.
The novel dragged, hence the loss of a star. Too much repetition. However, the ambiance kept me reading. The magic of the bees added a surreal element to the saga. I guess anything with nature as a possible character will float my boat.
Compelling, riveting, suspenseful. A beautiful combination. No pun intended.
RECOMMENDED. -
3.5 ★
As a young girl, Marnie Spellman’s life changed and she became determined to create her vision by promoting a specialty lifestyle brand. Though Marnie had a longstanding effect on her loyal followers, another suspicious death causes Detective Lindsay Jackman to investigate Spellman Farms and members of the inner circle.
“Time is important. So is commitment. Can’t live properly without managing both.”
In this complex crime investigative, the plot landscape is divided between various timelines and character perspectives spanning over twenty years. Though the influence of Marnie is ever present, we learn about her through the experience of the other characters. As such, this chosen method adds to the manipulation of perception, which is a central theme.
There were many elements that intrigued me in this novel, particularly how people can exploit the vulnerabilities of others for their own gain. Interestingly, this cast of characters were diverse yet not very likeable as a whole, but I wanted to enjoy hating some of them. Overall, while the plot unfolded at a fairly steady pace, there were times when it felt like simultaneously too much and too little of a download of plot movement. That said, all plot points were reconciled at the ending.
The Hive is mystery steeped in deceit and secrets. This book would appeal to those seeking a multilayered and ambitious storyline.
*An ARC was provided for a review.*
*This was a (F)BR with Twinsie Hawkey!*
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The Hive is a complex thriller with multiple plots running simultaneously throughout the narrative. The detective Lindsay is investigating two deaths (one recent, the other some years back) linked to the beauty business belonging to Marnie at Spellman Farms; she and her Hive of five enablers have made a fortune selling a range of cosmetics with a special bee additive. At the same time Lindsay is recovering from the unexpected death of her long-term partner Alan - he committed suicide leaving a wife and son behind. All the characters are linked inextricably in this exciting novel.
There are some wonderful descriptions of Marnie's approach to business "Marnie collected women who didn’t mind simply basking in her glow; women who could accept that the reflection of greatness was in itself a worthy purpose " and "She used them, coddled them, abused them, loved them. With Marnie in the room, there was no way of knowing what might happen next. The followers who stayed longest were not only true believers but adrenaline junkies. Marnie was the fix they needed to thrive. It was, most ended up thinking later, a one-sided trade". Even before Lindsay meets Marnie she appears to be smitten by her products "Even while she told herself it was all nonsense, if not flatly offensive, the more time she spent with it, the more Lindsay found herself wanting whatever it was Marnie was selling" and " Again and again, as Lindsay pored over online images of her (researching her case, she told herself), Lindsay
marveled at her. Her beauty really was a light, a radiance that came from somewhere deep inside her. How could she not have drawn people to her?" I began to wonder whether the detective was losing her objectivity.
The book is long, some might say too long; Olsen uses a lot of historical narrative to give the reader a feel for the sad and sometimes acrimonious relationships between his characters. These conversations reveal hidden family ties, secret connections and ultimately the reasons for all three deaths - Alan, Calista and Sarah.
This review was written by Shawn Callon ,author of The Diplomatic Spy -
I was really into the mystery of a murdered girl and a possible connection to a previous murder so I was into this book for the first 15-20 or so chapters; however, it just got too weird for me. The Hive (as explained in the book) was not what I expected at all. I feel bad because I love Gregg Olsen, but not this book.
Marnie is a woman who is quite the manipulator who reminds me of a feminist who is able to get women to leave all behind them because "they are more than just a wife or mother" and so on. But they really do fall under he control.
Lindsay is the detective who is trying to solve the murders and I thought she was a well-developed character and was a good investigator. Her partner committed suicide at the start of the story, which was quite a loss for her.
The story is told in two timelines, 1999 and 2019, and it's told from different POV's, so at times it can be a wee bit confusing. Overall, this just wasn't one of my Olsen books of favorites.
I'd like to thank NetGalley & Thomas and Mercer for an e-ARC of this book. My opinions are honest and given in exchange for the e-ARC. -
THE HIVE by Gregg Olsen begins with a fascinating premise and a spellbinding opening scene and held me tight as I flew through the pages. Buzzing with secrets, betrayal, and murder, Olsen expertly weaves together a multi-layered tale told by a complex array of unforgettable characters in his latest jaw-dropping thriller. Queen bees and wannabes take on a whole new meaning in this dark and dangerously addictive read. Not to be missed.
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Following the suicide of her long-time partner and mentor, Detective Lindsay Jackman investigates her first solo case when the body of a young woman is discovered at the bottom of a ravine. The young woman is Sarah Baker, a young journalist who was working on an expose about wellness guru — and probable cult leader — Marnie Spellman and the five women who worked closely with her at Spellman Farms decades before. Sarah seemed to suspect the ladies were hiding a murderous secret. Lindsay’s investigation might prove that to be true when it seems the only way to uncover who killed Sarah is to figure out an unsolved murder that happened over twenty years before.
Full of long-held secrets and layers of deceit, “The Hive” by Gregg Olsen explores the allure of cults with a dash of (perhaps toxic) feminism. What motivates people to walk away from their lives to join a cult? Marnie Spellman peddles her farm-made, honey based beauty products on a home shopping network, but she offers something more than beautiful skin. She offers personal fulfillment.
Even though the environment she’s created feels cult-like almost immediately, the women who come to the farm to work don’t see it that way. To them, she’s been given special knowledge from God (a female), and they want to learn from her. They happily labor to make Marnie successful while she preaches for them to take control of their own lives — instead of living the life prescribed for them by men. However, Marnie’s the self-proclaimed queen bee, and there’s always only room for one. The empowerment she offers these women more closely resembles servitude.
A masterful blend of crime fiction and a psychological thriller, “The Hive” delivers deep characterization and plenty of twists to keep you guessing. All the characters in the book are as compelling as they are suspicious. Although there are quite a few of them, keeping track of who’s who isn’t difficult. You get a solid impression of each through Lindsay’s investigation as well as through frequent flashbacks to the time of the first murder. The flashbacks are needed to tell the story, but pay attention to chapter headings, or it can get confusing.
Truth be known, I have a lot of favorite authors. Who those authors are depends a lot on what books I’ve read recently. But Gregg Olsen is always toward the top of the list. If you haven’t read anything of his yet, you should. His books are always fascinating, well plotted, and complex. His writing is always so smooth that it’s nearly undetectable as you get lost in his stories. “The Hive” is no exception.
Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and author Gregg Olsen for the gifted eARC. -
Think Mary Kay Ash on steroids: Such is the life of Marnie Spellman, who made a fortune in direct sales of her bee-inspired beauty creams and lotions as well as a loyal following of believer-buyers from her farm on an island in the Pacific Northwest (with some help from TV home shopping network appearances). Marnie, it seems, claims that a swarm of bees lifted her off the ground - yes, really - and in the process encouraged her to found a cosmetics empire and teach women how to beecome the best that they can bee. To help with that, she rallied together a group of devoted worker bees dubbed (though not by her) the Hive.
Although a misstep or two whittled her empire down a bit over the years and the members of the original Hive have scattered to the four winds, Marnie remains committed to rebuilding - and to forgetting a few dark "secrets" that marked the early years - all the while hoping and praying (to her female God) that her devotees would forget as well.
But the past seems to be on a collision course with the present, as the naked body of a young journalist is found at the bottom of a ravine. Police officer Lindsay Jackman, who is still mourning the recent suicide of her mentor-partner, is assigned to the case. In fairly short order, she learns that the dead woman was planning to write an expose of Spellman Farms and its charismatic founder. Then, she learns that another woman with a connection to the Spellman empire was found dead 20 years earlier. Could the two murders somehow be related?
Chapters switch time frames frequently, which always makes a story seem a bit disjointed to me. But the technique does allow readers to see what went on in the lives of the worker bees and at the farm at various times - all of which, of course, build up background and provide possible "connections" that in this case happen at just about every twist and turn. It's also a good way to slip in clues as to how the whole story will play out (and ultimately end). Speaking of the end, there's a handy dandy epilogue in this one that ties up loose ends - some of which were a little surprising (and at least one that was very disappointing to me given everything that happened).
All in all, an enjoyable and well-thought out story. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy. -
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