Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six had all the fixin's for an eerie, atmospheric, locked room setting. We have three couples with secrets and dysfunction, a remote luxury cabin location, an incoming storm, and sinister paranormal happenings. 

Ooooo, right?

Told using alternating perspectives and flashbacks, the story follows these three couples (each with bags of emotional/relationship dysfunction) during their weekend away in a posh secluded cabin that goes off the rails almost immediately. It's a great locked room premise, but the story and the inclusion of a secondary POV didn't come together for me as well as I had hoped.

First, there's too many POVs and timelines and things soon get messy, distracting and a bit frustrating. Too much time was spent on Henry's POV which took away from the building tension in the cabin. The two stories eventually come together but the big ah-ha moment was a bit lackluster and while the use of DNA themes was interesting, it was also the premise of another book I was reading at the same time (The Match by Harlan Coben), so things got a bit murky in my cranium. That's my bad and not reflected in my rating.

Unger introduces important themes (I particularly found the enabling aspect interesting) and has a character or two who are stereotypical but enjoyable to hate. But I wanted less familial dysfunction and more focus on the sinister vibe of the cabin and the paranormal aspect which was introduced but pretty much forgotten.

In the end, this book has a great premise, but was a bit of an underwhelming read that felt more confusing than chilling.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Park Row books for my complimentary digital copy which was provided in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 3 stars

Author: Lisa Unger

Genre: Suspense

Type and Source: eBook from publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Park Row (Harlequin Trade)

First Published: November 8, 2022

Book Description from GoodRead: Three couples rent a luxury cabin in the woods for a weekend getaway to die for in this chilling locked-room thriller by New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger.

What could be more restful, more restorative, than a weekend getaway with family and friends? An isolated luxury cabin in the woods, complete with spectacular views, a hot tub and a personal chef. Hannah’s loving and generous tech-mogul brother found the listing online. The reviews are stellar. It’s his birthday gift to Hannah and includes their spouses and another couple. The six friends need this trip with good food, good company and lots of R & R, far from the chatter and pressures of modern life.

But the dreamy weekend is about to turn into a nightmare. A deadly storm is brewing. The rental host seems just a little too present. The personal chef reveals that their beautiful house has a spine-tingling history. And the friends have their own complicated past, with secrets that run blood deep. How well does Hannah know her brother, her own husband? Can she trust her best friend? And who is the new boyfriend, crashing their party? Meanwhile, someone is determined to ruin the weekend, looking to exact a payback for deeds long buried. Who is the stranger among them?