Member Reviews
Lisa Unger delivers another page turning psychological thriller that is fast paced and absolutely everyone is a suspect. Thanks for the advanced copy!!
A cabin in the woods, a major storm and murder, what is there not to like about the story. Lisa Unger does what she does best in this action packed thriller. A little confusing with multiple points of view and parallel story lines she competently ties it all together in a story that keeps you reading. As a side note, this is the second book I have read in recent weeks that genetics plays a major part. Is there a new trend starting?
Thanks to NetGalley and Killer Crime Club for the advanced readers copy
This was such a great read!! I loved the suspense. The questions. The DNA aspects. It was a slow set up but it really took off and was a fun read. I was so curious how Henry tied into the story and way role he played with the cabin and the 6 people. I really liked the multiple POV.
I did want more on Bracken because he seemed quite twisted and his story kind of fizzled out. I expected him to be more integral to the story. He was a minor character tho. Just seemed he’d more essential
I thought it was a great page turner!
Great pacing, multiple perspectives and an interesting twist makes this book a great ride.
Set in a remote cabin with a sketchy host and even weirder staff, you are kept on your toes wondering who has a secret and who is going to get hurt.
I enjoyed the history of the property, and the possibility of a ghost sighting.
I was a bit confused with Henry’s storyline but once it got past his childhood, it started making a lot more sense.
This is a thriller you can really sink your teeth into, and it’ll keep you up at night, both trying to finish and with it’s creepy location and storyline!
An interesting premise derived from searching for family through DNA testing and the sometimes surprising results. Found the novel was definitely absorbing and I really wanted to put the pieces together. Thought there was a good variation of characters from Alice who was quite intriguing as well as Macko and Henry. Lots of good vs evil. Great coverage of a fairly extensive period of time.
This twisty mystery has one of my favorite devices ever, a mystery in the past that will eventually catch up to, and converge with, the present. Unfortunately the style is very repetitive. Key characters get their own POV chapters where they go over and over in their minds the same few ideas about their personalities and relationships to each other. Tech mogul Mako is a bad man; his sister, Hannah, bails him out and covers for him. Her friend, Cricket, is a party girl and has always been infatuated with Mako, who is a bad man, but his sister Hannah turns a blind eye to his faults. The navel-gazing overtakes the plot. Readers might enjoy descriptions of the fabulous, luxurious vacation home where it all takes place.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free digital ARC.
I liked the idea of fsther by insemination ... but it wasn't the main piece of the plot and that was disappointing.
Thank you so much to Park Row Books and Lisa Unger for my copy of Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six. This book was a locked room mystery about three couples who are staying in a luxurious cabin in the woods. First there is Hannah and Bruce, worried to leave their baby for the first time but in desperate need of a vacation. Hannah’s brother Mako and his wife Liza are paying for the vacation and want everyone to get away for some bonding time. They also invite their close family friend Cricket and her new boyfriend Joshua, which is complicated because Cricket and Mako have a decades long affair.
Once they get to the cabin, they meet their host who doesn’t seem quite right. Then there is a horrible storm that cuts off power right after the couples learn the haunted history of the property. On top of all of this, everyone is hiding something and the complicated relationships begin to reveal something much deeper beneath the surface. Then, one of their party disappears and the group knows that danger is lurking.
Thoughts: I loved this secluded and creepy setting. Each of the characters are unique and individual which makes it fun to read about them all. They were all horrible and I wouldn’t say I was rooting for them, but I was interested enough to keep reading about them. This book was a slow burn that is definitely character driven, and things are revealed just enough to keep the reader engaged. I loved the DNA aspect of the story and how Unger used a genealogy test as a part of this story.
I would recommend going into this story blind like I did, because I didn’t know the plot or where the story was going. There were lots of things going on and I don’t feel like everything was resolved or explained which was frustrating. Things just worked out for the characters and some of them were not realistic, but it was a fun book that I’d recommend to anyone who likes a locked room mystery or a scary setting. 4- stars!
This plot was so convoluted it made me feel quite dumb. There were too many details and red herrings in this novel. The ending tried to wrap up all the connections between the characters, but by then it was too late and I didn’t care anymore. The title was certainly intriguing, though.
In true Lisa Unger fashion this book was astounding. It was plot driven and a complete page turner. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. The characters all had different things going on that could’ve contributed to what was going on. It was hard to know which was my favorite part. This is a must-read! Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!
I thought I had read/could predict everything that could happen in a "bad weather/locked room" mystery...but UM this was a LOT more than that.
There is SO much more to the story than the synopsis says which is so refreshing!
This book flew by so fast as I needed to know how all the parts were woven together. Some parts were too creepy and too disturbing for me!
Ultimately, I was on track to give this 5 stars and the last 75% knocked it down a little bit for me. I feel like there were some loose ends and some things that really weren't addressed at all.
3.5 stars rounded up for GR
Thanks so much to Park Row Books for the ARC! This will be available November 8th!
Tech mogul Mako books the trip inviting his sister Hannah and husband Bruce, and another couple. The build up to the trip is slow moving, once at the cabin it picks up. The setting is creepy, the cabin is secluded deep in the woods, there’s a storm, and everyone is keeping secrets. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy.
This modern take on a locked room mystery was a quick, exciting read. I enjoyed it, but it’s not one that really stuck with me and strained the credibility at times. The plot is three couples plan a remote weekend away – in a very luxurious, very isolated (ie no easy access, no wifi, no cell phones). The couples are: tech mogul Mako and his yogi wife, Lisa, Mako’s sister, Hannah and her husband, Bruce (who works for Mako), and Hannah’s best friend and Mako’s ex, Cricket, and her new boyfriend, Joshua. Additionally, there is the architect/owner of the luxury rental, Bracken, who is a little too invested in his tenant’s activites. Of course there is also a mysterious unknown character skulking in the woods, who may be one of the former, but is definitely the villain of the piece. There are also a couple of other story/timelines floating around the novel as well. To be honest, there were so many different point of views being presented that it got a bit confusing to keep the character’s and their arcs straight. The red herrings are plentiful, and all of the character’s have something to hide. And given that it is repeatedly stressed how isolated and cut off this home is, the reader knows that at some point mayhem will happen and there will be no escape for our terrified victims. There is some interesting use of contemporary technology and DNA profiling, despite the traditional locked room aspect of the thriller. It’s an entertaining enough ride, so long as you don’t stop long enough to question the logic of the character’s decisions. I received an ARC digital in return for an honest review.
Three rich couples stay in a secluded luxury cabin for a long weekend. They all have secrets and the weekend goes sideways fast.
I thought this was fine, but it didn’t blow me away. All of the characters sucked to various degrees, and I didn’t particularly care if any of them didn’t make it home from their obnoxious vacation.
I honestly would have enjoyed the story more if it had been told from the point of view of the person “determined to ruin the weekend” — that would have been something!
Three couples are in for more than they bargained for when what was supposed to be a relaxing weekend at a secluded Georgia cabin turns into a harrowing nightmare. Lisa Unger uses multiple narrators and time periods to create an abundance of suspense and intrigue. We are introduced to a character, Henry, who doesn’t appear to be related to the couples at the cabin. As the story progresses, we learn who Henry is and about past transgressions and a sinister plot that throws everything into complete chaos. I loved the atmosphere of the isolated cabin in the woods and the storm, which add to the essence of the plot. The descriptions drew me into the environment completely. This is another stellar suspense from Unger.
I loved this atmospheric thriller by Lisa Unger. This fast-paced tale will with multiple storylines had me on the edge. The multiple POVs took some time to get straight at the beginning--a bit confusing.
Hannah and her friends stay at a beautiful cabin (complete with a chef). Hannah's brother is footing the bill for this luxurious getaway. But the amazing weekend naturally takes n a bad turn. First, a deadly storm is brewing. The personal chef reveals that the house has an unpleasant history. And of then we have the friends and their weird complexes (and secrets). Unger can spin a tale that has you on the edge of your seat!
Thank you to NetGalley for the early arc---Pub date is November 8th.
Lisa Unger has written a rather standard locked room mystery.
As a birthday gift to Hannah from her brother, 2 couples head to a luxurious cabin far from "real life." A severe storm happens and the chef that was hired reveals the gruesome history of the place.
Then secrets from the past - and one secret that is kept by someone who plans to exact revenge on the others come to the surface.
Unger always write a fast paced mystery, and this book doesn't disappoint.
Thanks to Park Row books and Netgalley for the ARC
Bold declaration time-I think this book will end up in my top 5 of the year, and is so far, my favorite thriller I’ve read tin 2022. I gobbled up Unger’s Last Girl Ghosted, so when I got this ARC, I knew I was in for a wild ride.
The setting couldn’t be more perfect-a gorgeous, luxurious vacation cabin in the middle of nowhere. It screams creepy, right? Our group of family and friends descend on the cabin for a weekend, when ominous things begin to happen. The cast of characters and POV’s was overwhelming at first, but within the first 50 pages, I loved that the book was arranged this way.
This is a neat one because the author is pretty upfront about WHO the threat is. But you spend most of the book speculating the WHY. I also loved that the author weaved in some really thought provoking issues amongst the thrilling events at the cabin.
5 big big stars from me for this one!!! Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This one comes out November 8th. Go ahead and preorder it, I have a feeling this one is going to be a big hit!
WOW. This did not go the way I imagined it was going to go!
Three couples gather at a beautiful, but secluded cabin for a getaway. The extremely secluded cabin is supposed to allow them some time to unplug, unwind, and just relax - but that doesn't really happen. The cabin owner is oddly attentive and the vibe of the weekend is off and it's not just the approaching storm that has everyone on edge.
Told in alternating narrators with some past & present timeline changes, readers start to understand there is more going on there what it seems. Secrets, scandals, and DNA all come into play in this fast-paced read.
This one will be easy to recommend to readers of thrillers!
I really wanted to wait closer to pub date (Nov 8) to read @launger’s newest thriller - 𝑆𝑒𝑐𝑙𝑢𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝐶𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑛 𝑆𝑙𝑒𝑒𝑝𝑠 𝑆𝑖𝑥, but it kept staring at me and the synopsis also kept pulling me in.
This is author @launger’s TWENTIETH novel and it did not disappoint! I love a good thriller that includes both a bunch of psychopaths and that is set an isolated setting!
There was so much to love about 𝑆𝑒𝑐𝑙𝑢𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝐶𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑛 𝑆𝑙𝑒𝑒𝑝𝑠 𝑆𝑖𝑥. The story moved super fast, multiple POVs, narration changes, and several totally creepy storylines! Some of the characters made my skin crawl, and several nights I quickly realized that reading this story at 3am in the dark was the wrong choice😱.
✨special thanks to @netgalley @launger and @parkrowbooks for the early arc! Pub date is November 8th✨
SYNOPSIS: “ What could be more restful, more restorative, than a weekend getaway with family and friends? An isolated luxury cabin in the woods, complete with spectacular views, a hot tub and a personal chef. Hannah’s loving and generous tech-mogul brother found the listing online. The reviews are stellar. It’s his birthday gift to Hannah and includes their spouses and another couple. The six friends need this trip with good food, good company and lots of R & R, far from the chatter and pressures of modern life.
But the dreamy weekend is about to turn into a nightmare. A deadly storm is brewing. The rental host seems just a little too present. The personal chef reveals that their beautiful house has a spine-tingling history. And the friends have their own complicated past, with secrets that run blood deep. How well does Hannah know her brother, her own husband? Can she trust her best friend? And who is the new boyfriend, crashing their party? Meanwhile, someone is determined to ruin the weekend, looking to exact a payback for deeds long buried. Who is the stranger among them?”