Review: The Hive

The Hive by Gregg Olsen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a good read that could have been even better having there not been so many cliches (women lying and stabbing each other in the back, washed-up actress, a politician running for an important office, women thinking that life would be better if they looked better, that Marnie and her bees had all the answers...) and had the timeline not been so willy-nilly. I realize the author felt that this was a good way for us to learn what was going on - cults, bees, lies, secrets, blackmail, and murder. These characters, ALL of them-are so unlikeable that you may want to tear your hair out. There were too many issues with this book for my taste, but on the other hand, I did keep reading it, so that says something about it! If you have Kindle Unlimited, then this would defiantly be something you may want to try. If you don't have KU, the price is still a good one and will be a good summer read for those of you that are curious and like all the positive reviews. *ARC supplied to me by the publisher, author, and NetGalley.

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SYNOPSIS: "Glamorous messiah or charlatan? A mask of beauty hides deadly secrets in #1 New York Times and Amazon Charts bestselling author Gregg Olsen’s mesmerizing novel of suspense.

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."