The Hive

All in all, I have to say everything worked together & made for a better than average read, but I probably have just as many pros as I do cons. Detective Lindsay is investigating two murders that happen 20 years apart, but there are several other deaths or disappearances that occur throughout the unraveling of these crimes that seem suspicious to me. They seemed to be brushed over as irrelevant, but there was a lot of death that surround The Hive. I enjoyed Gregg Olsen’s writing, but the alternating time lines just got to be too much. I eventually ignored the dates at the beginning of each chapter. The story line did hold my interest & had some really great twists, but it was almost as if the obvious was becoming repetitive, just to get a to one new tidbit of information. The characters were all interesting & I do enjoy reading multiple viewpoints. However, I’ll never understand how people are so drawn in by cult leaders (even though I do know it happens). Everything was wrapped up neatly in the end, but I had a bit of a problem with the punishments, or lack there of. In summary, my cons are really just my opinions & views that may not align with other people. The pros really make this a well written & worthwhile read.

This is a very well done novel! I have found, for my personal tastes, that stand alone novels rarely give me enough meat to chew as far as character depth, character development, plot complexity or climax. I am usually left feeling disappointed. Not the case with The Hive.The premise is and always has been intriguing to me so I was sucked in very quickly. However, I stayed for the characters. Marnie in particular was just plain interesting as the villian. Olsen created a scarily realistic charismatic narcissist that more then once made me question if she were a real person, or if the events in The Hive were based off a true story. She's so well fleshed out in fact that I am convinced Olsen has some sort of personal experience with someone just like her in his past - she is that uncomfortably real and believable.There was never a single moment where I was bored, where I felt the pace moved too slow or where I wasn't committed to finishing this story.I do not want to give away any details or spoilers. Though, I do want to say that outside of Marnie, it was the central concept of Marnie's machinations that also kept me glued. I am a nature based person, my spirituality and my ethics are rooted in the balance of nature, in all of it's reflections and forms, to work together in a never ending circle of interdependent contectedness to maintain life on this planet. I strongly reject any "new age" guru that works to upend that balance by placing more importance or value on one aspect over another, that promotes toxic positivity or pushes the law of attraction, etc. I have watched and examined so much bunk throughout my greater spiritual community and have seen the wreckage it causes to those who are seeking. So, I was very invested in seeing where Olsen was going to take Marnie's philosophy. Again, I was not disappointed. This also makes me feel that Olsen has some personal stake in this territory but that's just a guess.The best part though, and it was all good, was the ending. The way it all tied together seamlessly and the very real-life way it concluded. It was just perfect and makes you think critically about the world around you.There are so many areas of life and systems in our culture that he hit on in such a subtle but unmistakable way, with such a damning, brutal (but not in beat you over the head with it) laid bare view.Really well done novel. I want to read more of Olsen's work.

I'm a but confused by all the details in the first chapter - the first character. Otherwise,Great read. Jumping back and forth between years was easy-to-follow and the story itself . . . AWESOME!The ending was primo. Definitely going to read some more from Gregg Olsen.

As always, Greg Olsen doesn’t disappoint. The story almost feels real. I couldn’t wait to finish the book to find out exactly what happened to Clerista and Sarah. It’s not what I thought would wind up being. Mr. Olson has a way of making story so realistic. He really brings his characters to life. A good read for someone who likes crime stories. This wont disappoint.

Was hard to put down. I'm trying to solve the mystery myself at every turn of the page. Highly recommend.

I had just started reading another murder mystery that had lots of stars but was really poorly written. I am not sure what these gushy stars were for! This popped up and I was drawn in immediately by the tight professional writing, the interesting premise and the locale. Lindsay is the main character, a likable detective trying to connect two murders in the PNW. The star of the book is really Marnie, the queen bee of the hive of the title. I would have liked to have gotten to know Lindsey better, but there were enough characters and plot twists to keep track of as it was. I was ready to be done at about 90% but that extra 10% is needed to tie up the loose ends. I’d like to see Lindsay in another mystery, and have her character explored more.

Perfect condition!

The suspense

This is an interesting read ...think about all the Cult like retreats you read about ....Hmmmm!I'll never look at Bee's the same way again ! This is a good curl up with a coffee ( or wine) read , for these Covid Lockdown days ! Guilt free reading for hours ..enjoy !

The book was just ok it drag too long about the pass but in one way I enjoyed it

I found the story long winded , not really going anywhere.The characters plastic dull and no substance . The first few chapters were depressing , however I persevered.Came to an end with another two hours to go couldn’t face anymore.

Got quite bored with this. Couldn’t finish it.