'Pines' by Blake Crouch
'Pines' by Blake Crouch

The good

  • An intriguing mystery that you pick up right on the first page.

  • Action packed. Not only does the mystery start on page 1, but so does the action, and it doesn’t let up the entire book.

  • Lots of WTF moments in the book as the mystery unravels. Things just seem to escalate more and more, until you get to the final conclusion.

  • The conclusion is mostly satisfying, if not great. It ties up just about all the loose ends in a reasonably neat manner, which is impressive for a story with a big, dark mystery at its heart.

The not so good

  • The conclusion—the explanation of the mystery—doesn’t feel particularly realistic or believable. But I guess with books like these, you have to suspend your disbelief.

  • It’s a little too action focused. Taking some more time to pause and explore the underlying mystery, especially after the big reveal, would’ve allowed this book to explore some interesting new places. Perhaps that’s what happens in the sequels?

  • Most of the characters are pretty thin.

Rating: 4 stars