The House in the Pines was written by Ana Reyes and published by Dutton in 2023. You can purchase it on Amazon/Kindle and you can visit the author on Amazon and on social media.
The House in the Pines is a psychological thriller that tugged me into its pages, and it wouldn't let me go.
As a senior in high school Maya secretly used the medication Klonopin, which she secured from a friend, to help her cope with the death of another friend, Aubrey. Aubrey mysteriously dropped dead in front of an attractive man named Frank after they both spent time with him during the summer. Maya moved on in life and eventually met a guy who she lives with in Boston. She attempts to kick the addiction, but she keeps the fact that she is using from her boyfriend, and she also hides other issues from him. She has gaps in her memory and other bits of lost time that she can't account for. All of these issues resurface as she watches a You Tube video, that has gone viral, of a girl who keels over in a diner. Sitting across from her? Frank. As the trauma of that past time threatens her current life and relationships, Maya returns to her hometown to look for answers. While frantically looking for clues that will explain the mystery of how these incidents surrounding Frank happened, she is lured to Franks cabin in the woods. It's there where things become clearer; revealing to her how sinister Frank really is. The House in the Pines is a psychological thriller that tugged me into its pages, and it wouldn't let me go. The mysterious plot was truly captivating, intriguing and there was a magic about the story that pushed it to even higher heights. This debut novel has hit #1 on best seller lists and it's not a surprise. The author has a firm grip on the tools that are needed to pen a great story, and this is, a great story. It explores our minds and forces us to think about all of the levels of evil, masquerading as coming from good and caring people. The ending is even more powerful and thought provoking. This is a must read!
I give The House in the Pines 5 out of 5 stars.