Red Hot + Blue Reads: Review: 5 Stars for Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six: A Novel of Thrilling Suspense by 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?

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What I thought about Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six

It was the title of the book and the blurb that made me itch to read this book. There's something about that title that just screams this is all going to get crazy and it does!

Our six cabin occupants are: Hannah and her husband Bruce, Hannah's brother Mako/Mikey/Mickey and his wife Liza and Hannah's friend Cricket (who also happens to have hooked up with Mako) and her new boyfriend Joshua. It does take a number of chapters to get this all straight in my mind, and there's another parallel story being told as well. So at the start, I wasn't quite sure what was going on, but things moved rather quickly and I liked that very much.

There's a weird vibe that starts right at the beginning of this book when DNA test kits are mysteriously found around the Christmas tree. It's a deliciously wicked and suspenseful feeling as they reluctantly head off to their vacation cabin six months later.

Once at the cabin, an incoming storm provides additional tension to the setting. Things really get crazy and serious. It wasn't until almost the end of the story that I put all the pieces together in my mind, and I just loved that I remained guessing for most of the story. I thought the author did an excellent job of telling this story, and the DNA aspect was refreshing and timely.

There's also a few red herrings thrown in for good measure and I did like how the motivations of the crime was revealed. I may have even held my breath in a few places, and I was very pleased with how everything turned out, even months later.

I really, really enjoyed this story and the characters, even though they weren't all likeable. There was a fabulous build up of tension that had me finishing this in just a couple of days, even though the beginning is a bit tough because of multiple points of view and not knowing the characters yet. This was one of those books that I read whenever I had a free minute because I needed to know what was going to happen to the six in the cabin.

I would be remiss in forgetting to mention Henry, who brings a certain redemption to this story that was perfectly placed. I think what I liked the most about this story was how it was told and seeing how all the pieces fit together at the end. It definitely has something to say about blood being thicker than water, and how family doesn't always mean blood relatives. I loved the ending.

So overall, this was a 5 star read for me this year. This book made my head happy with its complexity and themes. Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six will definitely be on my "favorites of 2022" list.

About the Author

Lisa Unger is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of eighteen novels, including CONFESSIONS ON THE 7:45 (Oct. 2020). With millions of readers worldwide and books published in twenty-six languages, Unger is widely regarded as a master of suspense. Her critically acclaimed books have been voted "Best of the Year" or top picks by the Today show, Good Morning America, Entertainment Weekly, Amazon, IndieBound and others. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, and Travel+Leisure. She lives on the west coast of Florida with her family.