Pines by Blake Crouch

Pines is the first book in the Wayward Pines series written by Blake Crouch. The story follows Ethan, a Secret Service agent sent to the town of Wayward Pines to locate a missing colleague. As Ethan spends more time in the town, he begins to notice oddities. The deeper he digs, the more the town’s secrets unravel, sending him—and you—on a crazy adventure that you won’t want to put down.

Pines is my second novel read by Blake Crouch. This past year, I read Dark Matter. I liked both books for similar things:

• The pacing was very fast. Pages melted into the next.
• There were twists I was not expecting that also left me satisfied.
• When I had to put the books down, I kept thinking about the next time I could pick them back up.

On the other hand there were things I think the book could improve on.

• Character development was alright. This was mainly an action driven book.
• The diversity of characters was lacking.
• The twist, while good, wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. I’m curious where the next two books will go.

In conclusion, Pines is exactly what I was looking for from another Crouch novel. It is fast paced, mysterious, and had a satisfying twist that kept me engaged. I am looking forward to reading the 2nd book in the series.