Pines is that rare kind of thriller that is smart, exciting, and mysterious, without resorting to cheap trickery or plot disregardation (You shut up. Disregardation is totally a word). Reminds me of Max Barry’s Lexicon in that it’s a page turner where you HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT, and the plot twists are believable. My mouth literally dropped a couple of times.
Ethan Burke is a Secret Service Agent dispatched to Wayward Pines, Idaho, to locate two agents who had gone missing previously. But he’s involved in car crash and wakes up next to the river with blurry memories, no wallet, and no ID.
From there, everything gets wacky. No one and nothing is what it seems, and Burke is soon running for his life and trying to uncover the mystery of what the hell is going on in this insane little mountain town.
The action is well done, the mysteries kept me guessing, and I was satisfied by the end. Plus, that’s a neat cover up above, no? I’m just learning about typography and cover design, so this stuff fascinates me now.
If I had to give it one knock, I’d say the final reveal is a bit far-fetched, but explained well-enough that I bought it. Man, that was a wild ride.
I would totally recommend Pines for anyone who like plot-twisty thrillers with smart plots and lots of reveals.
I recently finished books 2 and 3 in the series, and they’re also worthwhile. While not having the same smack-you-in-the-face plot twists as PINES, they give some great backstory and details about the mythology, and provide a satisfying conclusion.
If you’re not into reading, there is currently a miniseries adaptation on FOX. Yay television!