Stephen Chadbourne reached out to me about a book he recently wrote, called Commune. He sent me a free copy of it in exchange for an honest review. When he told me the plot, I prioritized reading this immediately!

Nothing is more fascinating to me than cults. I know that might seem a little weird, but it’s true! I often watch documentaries and movies about cults like Heavens Gate, Jonestown, or Children of God, and say to myself, “I would never get sucked into a cult.” However, it’s really not that simple, is it?

Jeez, I can already feel myself about to get carried away talking about cults! Maybe I’ll have to make a blog post specifically to discuss that at a later time. For now, just know that my fascination runs deep through my blood and I was very excited to get my hands on Commune.

Summary

Tyler’s daughter went missing years ago, and after her cell phone momentarily pinged off of a cell tower in Nebraska, Tyler drops everything to try to find her.

While settling into his motel room, Tyler meets Cindy Renly, a private investigator working on a 20 year old cold case that involves a local unfriendly farming community called New Age Science Commune, or NASC. They decide to work together, because strength in numbers, right?

Will this commune somehow lead Tyler to his daughter? Will it hold the secrets of the 20 year old cold case? Or will the compound hold even more secrets than they could’ve possibly imagined?

My Review

This book was so fun, you guys!

I immediately became invested in both of our main characters, Tyler and Cindy. They’re both very well written and I thought they were both extremely complex and engaging, which I was especially impressed by because the book isn’t very long. In a short amount of time, Stephen was able to create a cast that you truly cared for. I think that’s impressive!

I was also excited because Cindy and Tyler hit it off immediately! They realized that they both had skills and characteristics that could benefit each of their searches for the truth, and they waste no time focusing on what was important.

Although I love a book with extra fluff from time to time, I just as much appreciate a book that cuts to the damn chase. Stephen knows what we’re here for…

Now, let’s drink the flavoraid!

No book regarding a cult would be complete without some sort of f*cked up megalomaniac leader who’s up to no good! This book does not fail to deliver.

Like any cult, things appear to be pretty pleasant and acceptable at a glance. Truth be told, people wouldn’t get involved in cults if there weren’t some good qualities about them! So when we’re introduced to NASC, we see first hand that they have a small, but peaceful, thing going on… until it becomes clear that it’s not.

Without ruining anything for you, Tyler and Cindy are invited back to the compound after their first visit and it doesn’t take very long for shit to go south… west, east, and north! This cult has Cindy and Tyler’s heads spinning all over the damn place with their crazy weird antics!

As much as I was rooting for our main characters, I was also completely enthralled by the chaos that the cult was causing for them and didn’t really want it to stop. It was all around entertaining and dark, just the way a cult story should be!

While some of the twists may have been a little predictable, there are others that you can’t see coming at all!

My Rating: ★★★★☆

Check out Stephen’s website as well as his Instagram: @bourneauthor!

Have a safe day, everyone… Watch out for wolves in sheep’s clothes.

xoxo

Ande