The house in the pines

The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes (2023): Armed with only hazy memories, a woman who long ago witnessed her best friend's sudden, mysterious death, and has since spent her life trying to forget, sets out to track down answers. What she uncovers, deep in the woods, is hardly to be believed. Seven years ago, Maya was a high school senior when her best friend, Aubrey, mysteriously dropped dead in front of the enigmatic man named Frank, whom they'd been spending time with all summer. Now, Maya lives in Boston with a loving boyfriend and is coping with the gaps in her memories and the lost time she can't account for. But her past comes rushing back when she comes across a recent YouTube video in which a young woman suddenly keels over and dies in a diner—sitting across from none other than Frank. Plunged into the trauma that has defined her life, Maya heads to her Berkshires hometown to finally confront that fateful summer and the sinister influence Frank once had on her. To save herself, she must understand a story written before she was born, but time keeps running out, and soon, all roads are leading back to Frank's cabin.