"Beautifully-written, utterly compelling and charged with atmosphere and emotion, this sees a young woman traumatised by the loss of her best friend confront ghosts from her past."
Suffused in loss and a search for the truth through a thick mist of memories, Ana Reyes’ The House in the Pines debut casts a captivating spell. Precise, atmospheric and suspenseful, it has a something of a Southern Gothic vibe, and comes heartily recommended for readers who love classy, compelling, thought-provoking mysteries that forge a unique path through the woods. This is no mystery-story-by-numbers — both the concept and execution are unique and executed with elegance.
Back in high school, Maya’s best friend Aubrey dropped dead in the company of Frank, a charismatic man the girls had been spending a lot of time with. Some seven years on, Maya hasn’t dealt with her loss. While battling secret addictions, she discovers that another girl has dropped dead in similar circumstances, in Frank’s company, so she’s drawn to return to her hometown to revisit her past experiences, and Frank’s enchanting cabin in the pine woods.
At the same time, Maya is drawn back to an unfinished book written by her deceased Guatemalan father. Armed with her hazy memories, and guided by her father’s writing, Maya returns to the cabin and confronts the man at the heart of an unsettling, entrancing mystery that explores how the past plays a haunting role in our present lives.
Primary Genre | Thriller and Suspense |
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