This book really lacked on sort of real suspense to be classified as a thriller. It was very predictable. A lot of the plot line was ne ver developed and we never really got any background context at all. It felt very simple and straightforward, lacking the elements of a good thriller.

Ahh…I don’t want to write this review, because it’s not going to be a good one. I’m usually quite adept at picking out books I know I will like, but I missed the mark with this one. I thought I was getting a story about a cult/compound, and while I did, I feel like the construction of the story was all wrong.

Kylie is a production assistant, and her boyfriend Jesse a cameraman. They’ve flown from Los Angeles to Iowa for a month of working on a movie. Kylie doesn’t want to go there, because it’s where the cult she was raised in and escaped from is, but that isn’t something she’s going to tell anyone else. When they get there, people start dying, and that’s when it goes back to her childhood.

I think my biggest issue with this book is that it was laid out in a strange way. I think if the past had been expounded on and interwoven through the book in a past/present arrangement, it may have worked better. I also think if this could have been either cut some to make more of a short story, or expanded upon to give us more back story, it may have been better. As it was, it was a very simply-written book with a plot-line that was never developed, and an ending that was as implausible as the rest of the story. My apologies to the author, but this one wasn’t for me, and I can’t recommend it to others. This wanted to be a thriller, it wanted to have some horror, but it made me feel absolutely nothing. 2 stars.

(Thank you to Joffe Books, Robin Mahle and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on December 10, 2024.)

The Compound, by Robin Mahle.

Kylie returns to the small town that she left as a child, to work on a film set. Not expecting anyone there to know who she is, she is shocked and terrified when members of the crew start to be murdered and she realises that she is the link.

Gradually, Kylie’s past is revealed with shocking revelations. There were some confusing aspects and the timelines didn’t always make sense, but when it all came together at the end, the full truth was horrific!

It was reasonably enjoyable and the ending was excellent, but there was a lot of repetition and filler to plough through to get there.

3 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Robin Mahle and Joffe for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Robin Mahle and publisher Joffe for the ARC and opportunity to review this book.

This was the first I have read by this author but it won’t be the last. I would have given it 5 stars but I felt it dragged on in some areas. There were many points of suspense and edge of your seat moments.

It was a quick read and kept me guessing until the end. I feel the characters could have been developed a little more but overall a great read.

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this advance copy. Just the title, The Compound caught my interest right away, as did the cover. And Cult!! This was fast paced, but not alot of suspense in the beginning to pull you in. The plot twist was surprising.

Thanks to both Netgalley and Robin Mahle for this ARC.

What a ride! I usually stay away from stoies involving cults - I don't know why - but I heard it would be a good read for fans of Freida McFadden, so, I gave it a go. Plus, the blurb and the over both really spoke to me, as well.

The story is told in the POV of Kylie, Detective Burns, and Dale, and gotta admit, sometimes In had to double-check whom's POV I was reading, because it was all first person. It makes things a little harder to not get messed up. At least, for me.

Still, I did enjoy the twist and turns and wanted to know where the stoy would go. Started reading before bedtime and then on my way to and from work, and could ignore the awful weather because I was invested into the book all of the time.

The reader is promised ‘breathtaking suspense and nail-biting tension’ in this story of a woman who returns to the area where she spent an important part of her youth. Now she’s in her thirties and her job, which she enjoys immensely, asks her to spend time with her co-workers and her boyfriend somewhere she’d rather not ever set foot in again. This is where she lost her parents and her little brother. This is where all her fears originate, fears she battles every day.
Sounds good. Unfortunately for me I couldn’t relate to the main character nor the story as such. Pretty soon in the book it becomes clear what happened at ‘The Compound’ where a group of people lived – and died. From the moments Kaylie sets foot in the area she feels she’s being followed and soon strange and horrible things start to happen. However, I missed the nail-biting tension and the breathtaking suspense. Everything just ‘happened’ and except for the end it was all rather predictable.
Thanks to Joffe Books and Netgalley for this review copy.

This book has a strange plot, and the storytelling is not very good. There are no points of suspense in the first half, and the changing first person POV is messy. This makes the book readable, but there's no problem putting it down, and when you pick it up again you may not know who you are.

"The Compound" by Robin Mahle follows Kylie, who returns to her hometown to work on a film set as a survivor of a cult that was held on a compound. She thought she would never return to her dark past, but once sinister things happen on set, she believes not all cult members were lost in the fire twenty years ago.

Thank you, NetGalley and publisher Joffe Books, for the gifted eARC for review purposes. All opinions expressed here are my own.

I didn't really care for this story. I originally picked it up because many early reviewers thought it would be similar to a Freida McFadden story; however, I strongly disagree with this assessment. I was disappointed when it lacked the cult story I was so eager to read, and there was a lot of repetitive storytelling, which made me feel like skimming over most of the story. It didn't draw me in at all.

The most fascinating part of the story was the ending; however, unfortunately, you need to read most of the book to get to it. There was a lot of eye-rolling on my part and many impossible scenarios included in the story.

Unfortunately, this story was not for me.

Always a fan of a good thriller with cult-vibes but sadly this was plot lacking.
The premise of the story was good but the execution was a bit over the top. The ending left the plot line unresolved leading me to think there may be a sequel. The epilogue only gave a partial resolution, felt rushed and was somewhat repetitive.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Great edge of my seat thriller! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one! This book had suspense, intriguing, action, cults, bad cops , murder, mystery, great characters, a great who done it and some crazy twists! The story was very interesting and kept me glued to my kindle! I highly recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and Joffe books, my favorite! For sharing this book with me! Can’t wait for more!

This had a amazing twist and worked with the genre in a way that works with the story itself. The characters had that element that I wanted and enjoyed getting to read this. Robin Mahle has a strong writing style and enjoyed the way this was done.

Kylie returns to her home town to work on a movie. There is someone stalking her - is it something to do with the cult that her parents belonged to?
Two of her colleagues are murdered, and Kylie has to fight for her life.

Very suspenseful, but not my favourite of this authors work. I have read several of her books and this isn't in the same league as those.
I also didn't really like the ending. But it is possible that there will be a sequel?

3/5 stars
Thanks to Netgalley and Joffe Books for the ARC