I was intrigued by the blurb and promo material for The House In The Pines by Ana Reyes. I mean, even Reese spoj=ke highly of it…but hmmm not all her choices resonate with me. But WTH, it is the dead of winter (at least what passes for winter on the central coast of California), and thanks to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley, I had a copy…so I went in with high hopes. 

Alas, this one was not for me. Too many cliches? Maybe. Hazy memories, return to the protagonist’s hometown, long-ago murder of a best friend from high school. I THINK I need to pay attention when something is described as a “can’t-put-it-down thriller”  – or even worse “unputdownable.” UGH. Or better yet MEH. I just didn’t care about anyone, didn’t like the mom’s attitude to drugs, don’t like a narrator whose unreliability is due to medication…I could go on but, just as was the case with this book, I don’t want to finish it. Two stars rounded up to three for effort. Not badly written, and might read something else from Ms. Reyes, but this one wasn’t right for me.