Only the Guilty Survive by Kate Robards is an engaging thriller that offers a satisfying read. As my first experience with Robards' work, I found the novel intriguing with its suspenseful plot and well-crafted characters. The story, centered around a gripping crime and its aftermath, keeps the reader invested. However, some aspects of the plot can be a bit predictable, and the pacing occasionally slows. Despite these minor drawbacks, Robards’ writing is compelling, and the novel delivers enough twists and tension to keep readers hooked. Overall, it’s an enjoyable read and a promising introduction to Robards' work.

Ten years ago, the small Michigan town was home to a cult known as the Flock, whose members lived at an abandoned bird sanctuary under the leadership of a charismatic young man, Dominic Bragg. After one member is kidnapped, the other Flock members died by mass suicide, and Dom disappeared, only Claire Hollis is left behind as the sole survivor, and she can’t remember what happened. When a true crime podcaster comes to town, the old case gets dredged back up and Claire must try to untangle what really happened a decade ago.

This book had so many of my favorite thriller aspects – cults, podcasts, dual timeline, multiple POVs, an unreliable narrator, and a small town Michigan setting – but unfortunately it didn’t deliver. The premise was great and I was hooked from the start, but some things just didn’t work for me and I came away underwhelmed. In the present, Claire is so meek and passive that I couldn’t connect with her, and in the past, there is too much telling the reader about the cult’s manipulation rather than showing. The big reveal kind of comes out of left field without laying any breadcrumbs that the reader could have followed. Although most plot points are wrapped up by the end of the book and I’m not a reader that needs everything tied up in a pretty bow, the last chapter drops a bomb and then abruptly ends without enough closure. Maybe there will be a sequel? I would read it!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me an advance copy of this book.

Deliciously twisty and a thoughtful examination of power plays within cults. I so wish there’d been a definitive answer on where/who Dom ended up being/becoming but so enjoyed this book!

Only the Guilty Survive by Kate Robards is a slow burn thriller that was intriguing and had me entertained the entire time.
This was a thought-provoking read. With interesting characters that kept me hooked and turning the pages.
A well-written, entertaining read about cults.

Thank You NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

In Only the Guilty Survive, Claire, the only survivor of a cult known as The Flock, must re-examine the tragic events that happened a decade earlier, including the disappearance of her best friend, Laurel, when a podcaster arrives in town to investigate the case.

The Reader is treated to Claire's perspective in the present, Laurel's perspective in the past, and another perspective, which I'll keep mum on for spoiler's sake. The back-and-forth between the women was a good way to tell the story. Claire, in the present, has very hazy recollections of her time within The Flock, so Laurel's past perspective is really essential for building that aspect out.

This is a fine book. It does nothing wrong. It tells a story that I feel like a lot of Readers will have fun with. For me though, the mystery just wasn't engaging enough to feel invested in. It didn't pull me in. The character work was fine and I did think that Laurel's past perspective showcasing the lives of those within The Flock was fairly interesting. Overall though, it did nothing to make it memorable, or really stand out for me in this genre.

I think if you are looking for some light entertainment, or a story you can easily fit into your weekend schedule, this could be a good selection. I did feel the audiobook narration was strong and would suggest that format.

Thank you to the publisher, Crooked Lane Books and Dreamscape Media, for providing me with copies to read and review. I'm glad I gave this one a shot!

The cover of Only the Guilty Survive is beautiful and what originally intrigued me. A book about a cult and podcast, yes please!

Unfortunately the execution left much to be desired.

First, the podcast element was hardly relevant other than reigniting interest in a ten year old case. I’d have liked to see more of Arlo’s (the host of the podcast Birds of a Feather) perspective - his research, process, interviews, etc.

Only the Guilty Survive is written alternating between former Flock cult member Claire in present day, and Flock member Lollie/Laurel 10 years ago. Neither character is written with a distinct voice, so I often forgot whose chapter I was reading.

The writing was often repetitive but then some plot points seemed to be missing, and the ending/wrap up was really rushed. There was a point near the 85% mark that started to ramp up for me, thinking this might be a 4 star rating, but then it just abruptly moved on to something else much less intense.

This read went from 3 star, to 3.5, a quick spike to 4, then a nosedive to 2.75. It just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Cooked Lane Books for an advanced copy of Only the Guilty Survive by Kate Robards.

3.5 stars

From the book description:
“<i>The mass suicide of a cult known as The Flock sent shockwaves through the small rural town of Iola, Michigan. Led by the charismatic Dominic Bragg, The Flock camped at an abandoned bird sanctuary before their sudden and shocking demise. The deaths came just weeks after one of their members, Laurel Tai, a local pageant queen, was abducted. The town turned its blame and fear onto the sole survivor, Claire Kettler–Laurel’s best friend. Burdened by grief and unanswered questions about her friend’s murder and her fellow cult members’ deaths, Claire can’t help but wonder what really happened, especially when the cult leader is nowhere to be found. When podcaster Arlo Stone begins poking around ten years later, determined to uncover the truth about the cult and Laurel’s murder, Claire is propelled back into action. In a desperate attempt to puzzle out the past and keep her secrets from being spilled for the entertainment of thousands of listeners, Claire must dig into a tangle of unanswered questions before time runs out and history repeats itself. </i>”

This book is told in two parts from two perspectives in each part: Both parts feature Claire’s perspective in the present day; Part 1 feature’s Laurel’s perspective leading up to her disappearance in the past, while Part 2 features Dom’s view leading up to the Flock’s death in the past.

This book was hard to rate for me. Reading the description the book immediately intrigued me and it was really well written, hooking me immediately, with both the past and the present stories. I loved both the mystery of what was happening at the Bird Sanctuary under Dom (the cult leader/guru), because you realize immediately that something is ominously wrong- and not just because we already know that the group will be found dead at the end of the summer; but also the present-day story of Claire and her inability to cope with her past.

It was really a great set-up for a mystery/thriller that had some parts that came together really well.

Butttttt……some didn’t. And they landed really, really flat. I don’t want to spoil anything, but some of the main mystery solution is really, quite frankly, dull. Like, it comes out of nowhere and just, kind of, happens. And I had no emotional investment in it after everything. Like seriously? That was it?

But Another part did hit some of the right notes and left me with the chills. But also some questions…..it needed some more explanation based on the rest of the story. Like, based on the rest of what we read, it didn’t quite fit without more context, even though it was good. I’ll give you that, it was good.

So yeah, this was a great book overall, but the ending needed maybe some more tweaking. Which dampens it a little bit, because the ending is, well, important.

But it’s still very worth reading. I’d recommend it.

Only the Guilty Survive by Kate Robards is a recommended psychological thriller focused on a cult.

In the small town of Iola, Michigan, a cult known as the Flock is tied to the murder of a local beauty queen and the mass suicide of the members. The leader disappeared after the tragic events and one of the members, Claire Kettler, was the sole survivor. Claire is still suffering from what she experienced at the hands of cult leader Dominic Bragg. Claire was also best friends with Lollie (Laurel Tai), a local beauty queen who was trying to leave the cult and was later found dead. Now a podcaster is in town stirring up secrets while looking into the cult and the crime.

The narrative is told through the perspective of Claire in the present day and Lollie from a decade ago. This dual point-of-view allows readers to experience through Lollie's eyes what Claire was going through in contrast to what Claire remembers and what she is now experiencing. Although this plot device allows suspense and tension to slowly build, the pacing actually felt a bit slow and uneven.

Lollie was the more compelling character in contrast to Claire. I never fully believed any competent therapist would allow her to not confront her past and what happened. The character of the podcaster, Arlo Stone, could have been used more effectively to enhance the tension and a create a greater sense of urgency in Claire much sooner.

Ultimately this is a good novel. It is entertaining and follows some benchmark traits of cults and their leaders, however, it never set itself apart as anything special. Thanks to Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

What are your thoughts on books that have potential but miss the mark? Only the Guilty Survive was one of them for me. It was touted as a book that stemmed from a podcaster investigating a mass suicide of a cult and its connection to the murder of Lauren (Lolly), a local pageant winner. It turned out to be more about Claire, a survivor of the cult who is still suffering from the trauma of the experience, and still living in the town where it all happened, being blamed Lolly’s murder.

There was so much grief, hatred and guilt connected to Claire as the only survivor of the mass suicide. I don’t think I am still certain of what she was spared or why she was not part of it all. Equally the whole story about the most unappealing and least enigmatic cult leader, his disappearance, and what happened at the end of this book seemed to come out of nowhere, or very limited connections to the past that I could see. If the ending of this book closed off many of the questions I had, I think I could think very differently about this story.

The podcaster, Arlo, really didn’t have a major role in this book. He flitted in an out and interviewed a few people, but it was not the centre of the narrative. There was a lot of narrative missing, and it was more about traversing the spectrum of emotions that Claire was experiencing on a daily basis. The friendship between Lolly and Claire was questionable. What was it that brought them together apart from sharing a room? Were they jealous of each other? In awe of each other? Everyone is seeking answers for how they were all acting and why they acted the way they did. And when you think specifically of a cult leader, Dominic, the fact that he was so haphazard made him a little laughable. Even her father, with a suspicious manipulative element to him, was so banal I’m not sure if he knew he was in the book.

More questions than answers in this one, with a need for more enhancement in its plot for it to shine. Its cover though, beautiful.

When a podcaster comes to town, the survivor of a cult finds herself revisiting her past and the murder of her best friend.

The story here was fine, but I didn't really like the way it was written. The dialogue just felt very choppy

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book is about cults and a lone survivor of one. I think the cover is beautiful!

However, I did not like this book. I felt like the characters were so unlikeable and it was hard to connect with anyone. I also felt like the podcast element was barely used and I think that was a missed opportunity. I think the podcast element was hyped in the synopsis since it is so popular right now but it wasn't in the actual book much. I also felt the the cult part was just too surfacey and felt like a lecture about cults rather than being in a cult (if that makes sense.)

Overall, I just did not like this one. I hope others love it.

I thought the idea of the book was really intriguing and the author did a pretty good job of building on how the cult had began, her research into the workings of a cult was definitely thorough and well planned. But, aside from that I found the story to be a bit bland.
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get into this one. I found the pacing to be a little slow and at times confusing.
In saying that if you enjoy books centred around cults and aren’t too bothered about open endings you might find this one enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Maybe it's weird, but I know a lot about cults. I went through a phase of studying cults and cult behavior. I think Jim Jones was probably one of the premier cult leaders. Dom...the leader of The Flock? What a joke.

Only the Guilty Survive is supposed to be the survivor story of Claire. 10 years prior, Claire lived on a bird sanctuary with The Flock, a vague cult run by a mentally ill Dom. Claire's best friend, Lollie aka Laurel, had plans to escape The Flock until she was taken in the middle of the night and later found dead in a nearby lake.

Now, with a new podcast dissecting The Flock and Lollie's murder, Claire has to dig deep into her past to find out who really was the bad guy.
-----
*sigh.

I'm not going to be saying anything that others haven't already said. Both Claire and Lollie were...idiots. I realize that certain types of people are susceptible to fall for vaguely enigmatic people, but...my GOD.

Any of the cult stuff could be found on Wikipedia. A leader who has sex with everyone. A leader who talks about cleansing souls and auras. Honesty circles. Everyone is dirty and gross. It felt very dated. Like that cult story should be taking place in the 60s or 70s. The current storyline with the podcast also felt odd. Claire making dumb choices - like meeting some random man in the middle of nowhere. Meeting with someone you KNOW hates you.

I don't know. I don't even think I 'got it' in the end. Who was Dom, who was the killer, who .... who...

I know that I'm smart, but did I black out during the reveal? Regardless - this was a HUGE miss for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This moves around in time and between narrators to tell Lollie's story-the story of what happened to her in the Flock-and its impact on Claire, the only survivor. A podcaster interested in what happened 10 years ago pulls Claire back into the orbit of the Flock. She's suffered PTSD and she's been shunned the community. She's also married to an unsupportive husband. Robards also includes the voice of Dom, the leader of the Flock. You will root for Lollie and her effort to get loose-even though you know she won't-and wonder why Claire didn't pick up and leave town years ago. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. An interesting read.

Sadly, i could not get into this book. No worries, didn’t books satisfy different people! That’s the beauty of reading.

This book was definitely a departure from my normal read.

*Trigger warnings*

We explore the inner workings of a cult, and the aftermath of a disappearance leading to murder and a mass suicide. It was interesting to see the perspective of someone involved with one of these groups but from the outside you can't help but wonder how someone could be quite so gullible and naive.

This story drew me in and I needed to keep reading to find out what really happened. I would have rated this 4 stars if not for the very ending that leaves you with more questions than answers. The ending came very abruptly and almost seemed unfinished and didn't end up answering all the questions you want answered while reading the book.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the earc of this book. All thoughts are my own.

I was really excited for this book as I love true crime and books about cults. Claire is the sole survivor of a cult ended by a mass suicide, which she discovered. It has been 10 years, she's gone through therapy, is married, and works part-time at the library. A man doing a podcast comes in one day and Claire decides its time to try to figure out what happened.

The pacing of this story is great, with the trade off of Claire in current time, and flash backs to one Flock member, and the leader.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I also have the audio copy of this book as well to review.
This was an interesting book told both in the past and the present from three POV’s.
I think most of the book was well written.
Characters were interesting and the view into the life of a cult and its members I found to be fairly interesting and accurate based on some true crime books I’ve read before.
I didn’t love the ending but otherwise an all around decent book.

I love a cult storyline but I really struggled with this one. I found the multiple POVs confusing and at times the story really dragged.

★★
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I want to thank NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to review this book.

This book felt so disjointed and frustrating. The premise had me hooked, but it was just executed so messily.

Claire is the only survivor of a cult. Her best friend, Laurel, went missing and was murdered, leading to the cult committing mass suicide (which Claire conveniently slept through). Ten years later, a podcast host comes sniffing around to create a podcast series about the cult. Claire is left to deal with her guilt and shame, as well as search for answers about what really happened.

Again, the plot? Great, no notes. HOWEVER. Everything else was sloppy.

Laurel as Claire's "best friend"?? You have POV's from both young women and I cannot point to a single thing that tells me that they're that close other than Claire continuously referring to Laurel as her best friend.

The characterization of... everyone was just not it. Laurel comes out relatively unscathed. But Claire is whiny and flat with no real growth. Her husband flip flops between borderline dismissive and supportive. For the first third of the book, he teams up with Claire's dad to gaslight the hell out of her, then wants to help her figure it out, then just abandons her to go to his dying mother (which reads like a convenient way to get him out of the picture for the third act). Claire's dad? Total jerk. The cult leader, Dominic? No charisma at all.

The prose is more internal monologuing instead of any real plot development. Each character is constantly explaining in detail why they're behaving the way they are. Which, specifically for Dominic, comes across as really unrealistic.

The podcast host, Arlo, is also severely underused in this book. There is such a treasure trove of directions to go that actually use his character, but we only really see him twice. The rest of the book he just serves as a constant source of anxiety for Claire.

This was a hard no for me, but I really wanted to know who did it.