Pines by Blake Crouch is the first book in the Wayward Pines trilogy which was also made into a 10 part miniseries for TV.       This book uses a limited point of view to bring the reader to a big twist/revelation at the end.   It starts as a crime novel as the protagonist Ethan Burke, a Secret Service Agent,  travels to the town of Wayward Pines in Idaho to investigate the disappearance of other two agents.    Within a few chapters, the book reads like a fast-paced thriller which is sustained until late in the book.    He realizes that something is fundamentally wrong in Wayward Pines and as the story progresses we realize that it is not a crime or a thriller, but a science fiction story, with echoes of the X Files or Twin Peaks.

At the end of the book the author provides a big surprise, a hard-to-guess explanation of what has been going on, and Burke is left with some difficult choices.    The book is a quick read, fast-paced, accessible, and we are easily snared in the puzzle of Wayward Pines.    This is not a story of complex characters and well-developed themes.   At times the story is a bit uncomfortable to read but it will appeal to many.    4.0 out of 5.0 stars4.0

“For every perfect little town, there’s something ugly underneath. No dream without the nightmare.”
― Blake Crouch, Pines

The audiobook: