Pines
The Wayward Pines Trilogy Book 1
by Blake Crouch
4 Stars

A thrilling ride from the very first page, that leaves the reader sitting on the edge, as they turn to discover what next.

Secret service agent Ethan Burke arrives in Wayward Pines, Idaho, with a clear mission: locate and recover two federal agents who went missing in the bucolic town one month earlier. But within minutes of his arrival, Ethan is involved in a violent accident. He comes to in a hospital, with no ID, no cell phone, and no briefcase. The medical staff seems friendly enough, but something feels…off. As the days pass, Ethan’s investigation into the disappearance of his colleagues turns up more questions than answers. Why can’t he get any phone calls through to his wife and son in the outside world? Why doesn’t anyone believe he is who he says he is? And what is the purpose of the electrified fences surrounding the town? Are they meant to keep the residents in? Or something else out? Each step closer to the truth takes Ethan further from the world he thought he knew, from the man he thought he was, until he must face a horrifying fact—he may never get out of Wayward Pines alive.

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This title was provided by Netgalley and the publisher in return for an open and honest review.

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This was a fun read but I wasn't so keen on the ending. It felt very sudden. Some of the characterisation felt a little loose, but the plot was enjoyable.

I have had Pines on my TBR for a long time. I'm sad that I waited so long to read this book because I loved it. I haven't seen the TV show, so there were no spoilers for me. The story opens with Ethan waking and not initially remembering who he was or why he felt like he got hit by a truck. He sets out in the town to figure things out.

This is a really hard book to review without spoiling anything. Let's just say, I did NOT see that ending coming. I spent a lot of the book not understanding why the timelines made no sense. I was way off in the explanation as to what was going on. That being said, I loved Ethan. His drive to figure out what was going on was fun to watch. I spent most of the book wondering if he WAS really delusional. I highly recommend this one, especially if you haven't yet seen the TV show. It was fast paced and just really good. I can't wait to read the next book, Wayward

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Secret service agent Ethan Burke arrives in Wayward Pines, Idaho, with a clear mission: locate and recover two federal agents who went missing in the bucolic town one month earlier. But within minutes of his arrival, Ethan is involved in a violent accident. He comes to in a hospital, with no ID, no cell phone, and no briefcase. The medical staff seems friendly enough, but something feels…off. As the days pass, Ethan’s investigation into the disappearance of his colleagues turns up more questions than answers. Why can’t he get any phone calls through to his wife and son in the outside world? Why doesn’t anyone believe he is who he says he is? And what is the purpose of the electrified fences surrounding the town? Are they meant to keep the residents in? Or something else out? Each step closer to the truth takes Ethan further from the world he thought he knew, from the man he thought he was, until he must face a horrifying fact—he may never get out of Wayward Pines alive.

Okay, I have to start by saying no spoilers - there is too much at stake in the story to give it away here. Let's just say it is a pay-off worth waiting for.

Aside from that, this is a really well written supernatural thriller story, that has tinges of Koontz and Shirley Jackson through it that makes the story really fresh and interesting. Sometimes I found myself in "whoa, cool!" territory and really appreciates the work that went into both the mystery and the supernatural side of the story-telling.

Definitely recommend this book...now off to book 2!


Paul
ARH