It has been ten years since the mass suicide of a cult called the Flock. It has also been ten years since Laurel Tai was kidnapped and murdered. Claire Kettler, Laurel's best friend, is the only survivor and she has buried her memories of that awful night. Dominic Bragg, the cult leader, has vanished. After the tragedies, her community and the residents of her hometown turned on her. They are certain she knows more than she is saying. Does she?
ONLY THE GUILTY SURVIVE, a novel by Kate Robards, tells the story of a woman whose life was deeply affected by the cult she chose to join and the ensuing tragedies. The narrative is told in different timelines and this adds depth to the story. As the tenth anniversary approaches, Claire learns that a podcaster is determined to uncover what really happened and Claire knows that she will be thrust into the limelight again. The time has come for Claire to dig for answers, too.
ONLY THE GUILTY SURVIVE is a dark story whose characters are deeply troubled and this includes the cult leader. In his voice, Dominic Bragg tells us what makes him tick and what he is capable of. As the story moves forward, Claire's quest for answers turns dangerous, and a shocking secret is revealed. And after that, there is one more. The author has crafted an engrossing, memorable and eerie story whose conclusion was a total surprise.
A podcaster digs into strange connections between a cult’s mass suicide and the murder of a local beauty queen in this twisty psychological thriller about true crime culture, perfect for fans of Riley Sager and Lisa Jewell.
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.