Jen's Reviews > The House in the Pines

I enjoyed this book and thought it was a unique premise. The story centers on Maya, whose best friend Aubrey died suddenly while with the guy Maya was dating named Frank. There is something weird and creepy about Frank that Maya can’t put her finger on, but she is convinced he had something to do with the death. 7 years later she sees a video posted online where another woman seemingly just keels over and dies while also in Frank’s presence and Maya knows she has to get to the bottom of what Frank is doing to these people.

The story goes back and forth between the current timeline and the time around Aubrey’s death, which also gives insight into Frank’s mysterious hold over Maya. Maya is battling an addiction to prescription drugs in the current timeline and I felt that she was a believable and sympathetic character. The book was creepy even when nothing creepy was outwardly happening and I was fascinated upon finding out what was really going on.

The only part of the story I really didn’t get was the connection to the book that Maya’s father had been writing. This seems to be really symbolic, both in the synopsis and throughout the story itself, but I couldn’t make the connection between that story and what was happening to Maya.

Overall, I really liked this book and found it to be a unique and engaging read. I’d recommend it to those who enjoy psychological mysteries. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.