Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this arc. I really wanted to like this book but it was hard for me to get into.

Kind of tongue in cheek novel, about a scheme to kill off the bees and replace them with bee like drones to pollinate. I didn’t enjoy the attempt at humour…seemed a bit forced and silly .

As a nerdy girl who loves bugs, science, and horror, I was super excited to read this. So it's absolutely unfortunate that I didn't quite enjoy it the way I thought I was going to. Aside from the beige, basic, at times repetitive conversations between characters, the thing that really got to me was that it's started off with a great scene but just sort of piddled on all the way to the end. The concept is horrifying and it does have some good moments, I love a little bit of scientific fact thrown in. I really wish I could have enjoyed it more. It wasn't awful, I'd give it a "meh."

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! This book was a wild ride. It follows a US Fish and Wildlife officer, who specializes in entomology, pairing up with an LAPD officer (who is already on thin ice) to solve the mystery of a man’s death relating to bee stings. They go on a wild ride to uncover the crime at hand and prevent subsequent disaster. There is an action, suspense, comedy, a bit of romance, and passion for entomology all wrapped up into this novel. I felt like it was a little hard to keep up with the number of characters and action at times, especially as the plot was escalating. Overall, it was a pretty interesting read though, and I learned a lot for a fictional book.

It’s a very odd plot, I must say that.
I love bees and I love a thriller book.
This was just pretty average

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc of Bee Conspiracy. Bee conspiracy is an eco-thriller, buddy cop novel set in L.A. that sees LAPD Detective John “Duke” Wayne (not making that up) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Detective Kelso Bagley team up to investigate a murder by bee that turns into so much more….you might even call it, a bee conspiracy. While this novel doesn’t break any new ground, and the outcomes are never in much doubt, it is a quick fun read that does offer some tongue in cheek humor throughout.

I really enjoyed reading Bee Conspiracy by David Boito in which an old-fashioned LAPD officer and a US Fish and Wildlife Special Agent investigate an ultra-greedy businessman who foments mass-hysteria associated with aggressive African bees to prompt the mayor’s office to exterminate the city’s biological bees and so create a lucrative market for his patented, electronic bee.
Special Agent Kelso Bagley, an entomologist with the Fish and Wildlife Service teams ups with Det. John Alan “Duke” Wayne, a middle-aged LA detective to investigate the death of Howard Skulberry, a UCLA entomologist, who died after bees attacked and stung him in his front yard. Duke assumes the death is accidental, but Kelso disagrees. And the media is attempting to create a sensational killer bee danger in Los Angeles.
The CEO of Sage Chemical Gordon Lund has hatched a scheme and Skulberry was in possession of a key piece of technology – a prototype of an artificial bee. Lund and several associates have prepared well and are ready to unleash a bee-storm on the city with the obvious solution being a bee eradication plan. This of course would be devastating to the ecology with no bees to pollinate crops and that’s why Lund’s artificial bees will become so valuable – and lucrative.
The story is very well-written, the characters’ back stories are well-developed and interact realistically. The plot ticks along at a good pace, there are exciting, life-threatening scenes and even a dramatic helicopter chase. A good read.

This was a fun read!

It started a bit slow, and it is a slightly predictable plot line, but the characters kept me hooked. I absolutely love Kelso, and it saddens me the other characters weren't as great and fleshed out as he. The pace eventually picks up and doesn't let off, lending this to a quicker read in the last half of the book. I also love just how much care everyone is putting into the cause and movement of protecting the bees in this. Some of the story telling aspects weren't my cup of tea and some scenes felt way too far out of left field, but overall I found myself liking it as it gave the book a campy feel.

I wanted to love this book, but it just didn't keep me gripped. I found it quite slow paced and, although this isn't generally a problem for me, this book just fell flat for me sadly.

The writing style is lovely, but I needed it a little faster paced.

Interesting premise but pacing was a bit slow and I just could not connect with the characters. Some might really like this one but it just wasn’t for me. Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read and review this book.

This book was a little slow at times for me, which isn't always a bad thing. The writing style I quite enjoyed, the prose was very easy to digest. The story itself was pretty interesting, I just wasn't fully engaged all the way through. When I was engaged with the story though, I really was. The characters felt a bit one note, but I didn't feel anything wasn't inherently written bad. Overall still a good read. Not sure I'd recommend it to everyone but I think there's definitely an audience for this.

I can’t get grasp whether I enjoyed this novel or not - I’m a sucker for future tech novels and this reminded me of Michael Crichton’s writing, however, there are some points that put me off. The character building was good, however, there were some people that weren’t fleshed out, or felt a little caricatured. The writing was engaging but sometimes there was too much description. There’s an almost sci-fi element to the bees and how they are perceived to be a danger, however, I didn’t get a sense of urgency with the danger they may have presented. I guess this is one of those novels that is a little marmite - perfect for some, not so much for others but I’m sitting on the fence. This is a novel for those who enjoyed Crichton in the 90’s and want something that gives a similar vibe.

Bee Conspiracy by David Boito was received directly from the publisher and I chose to review it. Being an apiarist, having bee hives of my own, this title caught my interest immediately, as you don't see many/any fictionalized books that use bees. Anyway, the book is outside my genre zone, I generally read horror. Still, this crime thriller carries the reader along a ride through the world of beekeeping, people with insect fetishes and even robotized farming. If any of these topics interest you or someone you buy gifts for, certainly read this book.

4 Stars

Wow! This will be one of my favourite books for the year. It had everything - action, laugh out loud scenes, lovable characters, great banter, fascinating facts, edge of your seat moments, heroes, suspense. The chase scenes were the best!

Everything was described so well that I could visualise it easily and was taken away in the action. The characters were quirky and original and the storyline never felt like something I had read before.

I enjoyed this so much I will be buying a physical copy once it is published. There are not many books I will read more than once, but I can see myself reading this again. I could frankly see this as a movie, or even a tv series. I really hope the author considers writing another book with these characters, with a new mystery to solve.

I received this arc from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Bee Conspiracy by David Boito
Release date: August 18th, 2023

Detective “Duke” Wayne, on administrative leave with the LAPD is eager to close his accidental death by bee case and return to spot on Robbery Homicide. However, when he is paired up with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Special Agent Kelso Bagley, he comes to realize what he originally thought of as open and shut, may not be so cut and dry.

This grabbed my interest and held it from page one. The whole team of characters was entertaining, and Albert Fossil is a character that you love to hate. Kelso gave me serious Fox Mulder vibes (from my favorite show ever) but instead of aliens, it’s insects. The book dives into how mass hysteria can override a narrative and affect logical thinking. There was so much information about different insect species that was fascinating and showed that there was obvious research done on the subject. I was rooting for Kelso the entire time, and enjoyed how the entire story wrapped up!

LAPD Detective “Duke” Wayne is pulled out of his enforced leave to work with US Fish and Wildlife officer Kelso Bagley to investigate a death that may just be down to weaponised bees. Of course, Kelso is quick to come to the defence of the little black and yellow fliers and he can see that a bigger picture is emerging that has the stink of corporate corruption about it.

The threat to bees caused by mass housing projects and the dearth of hedgerows is well known but Kelso ropes us into his world and stands as a staunch defender of wildlife as a whole. Kelso is no geek though, as those that try to batter him into submission come to learn in double quick time. Teamed up with Duke, the twosome make for a fun pairing. The story itself is well imagined but it’s the bees that steal the show and quite right too. Dare I say it, but this was one sweet read.