The Flock was a cult led by Dominic Bragg in the small town of Iola, Michigan. Just a few weeks after one of their members Laurel “Lollie” Tai, a local pageant queen was kidnapped and found strangled the fourteen members of the cult committed mass suicide, except for Bragg, who was never found and Laurel’s best friend Claire Kettler, daughter of the local medical examiner and professor at the library Val college.

Ten years later Claire is a pariah is Iola and can’t understand what really happened. Now a podcaster, Arlo Stone has come to town to investigate the cult and Laurel’s murder. Claire is drawn back into the story and feels she is in a race against time to find answers.

The story is told in “then” and “now” chapters narrated by Laurel and Claire, with a few from Dominic’s point of view. I’m a big fan of any type of cult story, so I enjoyed those aspects of the book, and I like that parts of Dominic were true believer, parts pure user….most people have both sides, I think. The Claire of today frustrated me a lot as she appeared to have so little agency, and the end, which was, admittedly, a nice twist, was one I didn’t entirely grasp in context, I think. Overall a decent story, though.

“Only the Guilty Survive: a Thriller” by Kate Robards follows the story of Claire, a former member of a cult named The Flock that turned suicidal. The book switches back and forth between present day Claire, struggling to wrestle with her past and to clear her name as suspicion grows, and in the past Lollie, Claire’s friend in The Flock that was murdered.

I am no expert on cults and their leaders, but I felt through reading this book that it is evident that Robards did her research. The dynamics of The Flock were perfectly crafted. It was clearly demonstrated why the members became members. Aspects like how they were recruited and how they were kept under the leader’s control were discussed at length. I really appreciated that the story did not look down about the people in the Flock.

Robards crafted an immersive story with complex characters. I could imagine myself at the Bird Haven. The storyline flowed well, even though there were multiple point of views. I particularly enjoyed Robards’ characterization of the main character Claire. Her struggles with PTSD and conflicting emotions regarding her past were well done.

MAJOR SPOILERS OF ENDING BELOW!!!!!





My least favorite part of this story was the ending. It did not seem to necessarily coincide with Claire throughout the rest of the story. It also seemed like it was just done for shock factor. I wish the story had just ended with the sentence ““Birds of a Feather” followers are left wondering why, out of everyone, I lived, and where is Dominic Bragg?”.

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

A thriller involving a murder mystery and a cult? Sign me up. So seriously, this book was great. I enjoyed it a ton and it really hooked me in. This will be out in August and it should definitely be on your TBR!

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane for this ARC!

When I saw this book recommended for fans of Riley Sager I knew I had to read immediately! This is my first Kate Robards book and it didn’t disappoint, I found the storyline to be interesting and captivating, a page turner that kept me reading to find out the mysterious of the past.

“Only the guilty survive” follow present day Claire, the sole survivor of a cult called “the flock” that came to an abrupt end in 2014 when the other members acted out a mass suicide. She has attempted to move on with her life, yet shoulder the blame and harsh judgements of her small town.

The only issue is, she remembers very little about her time in the cult, and has no idea why she was the only one left out.

The POV swap between hers, and that of another member “Lollie”. In Lollies POV we are taken back to the past in the weeks leading up to the death of the cult, as we watch events unfold from a first hand account.

I enjoyed the two POV, as well as both of the main characters. I felt so bad for both of them knowing their dire situations. Usually I’m not a fan of cult fiction as I find it to be repetitive and boring, however this story brought to life new ideas from a fresh perspective and kept me entertained throughout.

Thank you to the author, Crooked lane books and NetGalley for the arc.

publish date: Aug 6th 2024