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 that is set in the Pacific Northwest. Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for providing this book 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.