Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six
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?
Awards and Honors
- USA Today Bestseller
- Publishers Weekly Bestseller
- Globe and Mail Bestseller
- People Magazine Book of the Week
- USA Today 5 Books Not to Miss
- Amazon Editor's Pick Best Book of the Month
- Indie Next Pick
- LibraryReads Hall of Fame Pick
- Apple Books Must-Listen
- Goodreads Editor's Most Anticipated Book
- Goodreads Readers' Most Anticipated Book
- Target Best Book of 2022
- NetGalley's Most Popular General Fiction Audiobook in 2022
- BuzzFeed Fall Thriller Recommendations
- BookPage Most Anticipated Mysteries and ThrillersÂ
- BookPage Best Mysteries of NovemberÂ
- BookBub Best Mysteries and Thrillers of Fall 2022
- Air Mail Best New Mystery Books for November 2022
- Scary Mommy Best 2022 Fall Releases
- PopSugar Best Thriller and Mystery Books of 2022
- E!News Recommendation for November
- The Saturday Evening Press Best Books to Cozy Up with this Fall
- Pioneer Press Top Reads
- Paste Magazine Must Read New Thrillers for Fall 2022
- CrimeReads Best Psychological Thriller of 2022
- LoanStars Top 10 Pick
- Indigo Top 10 Thriller and Most-Anticipated Book
- Real Style Network Top 4 Books to Buy This Fall
- The Market Herald Best Book Releases Arriving in November 2022
- CrimeByTheBook Most Anticipated BookÂ
- OverDrive Biggest Books of November
- SheReads Best Thrillers of Fall 2022
Praise
"In Unger's 20th terrifying thriller, DNA ancestry kits lead to revenge when siblings, spouses and friends vacation in an isolated luxury cabin. As a dangerous storm threatens, creepy anonymous texts and a menacing presence twist the tight-knit group's alliances. Dark personal secrets emerge from the tension, showing that family vacations can be murder. Keep the lights on."
—People Magazine, Book of the Week
"Unger is a virtuoso of the psychological thriller."
—Tampa Bay Times
“Hidden history and 21st-century technology collide in a breathtaking thriller.”
—Kirkus, starred review
"For fans of creepy, cunning locked-room thrillers based on controversial social norms. Readers will revel in the search for genealogical justice amid best-kept secrets, while wondering who will live and who will die."
—Library Journal, starred review
"If you've been invited on this getaway, get away and go somewhere else! ... A riveting novel of suspense."
—Booklist
"The dark woods, miles from the nearest town, with, of course, a remote cabin rented to family and friends set up the gripping scenario in Lisa Unger’s 20th novel… In Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six, Unger’s multi-layered plot succinctly takes the story in different — and totally unexpected — directions, arriving at a surprising ending that is as astonishing as it is believable… Here’s hoping Unger writes 20 more engrossing novels."
—Sun Sentinel
“A deliciously tense ride that takes a deep dive into the meaning of family and the price we'll pay for those we love.”
—Ruth Ware, New York Times bestselling author of The It Girl
“Lisa Unger is a brilliant writer, on the top of her form. Here, she delivers yet another stellar thriller, packed with tension and twists, but also laced with nuanced insight and characterization. On this weekend away, the cabin and its owner are disquieting, the weather is menacing but the threat level is truly amped up by the disturbing family dynamics and a backstory that grips.”
—Gilly Macmillan, New York Times bestselling author of What She Knew
“Master of suspense, Lisa Unger ratchets up the tension in her twentieth spellbinding outing, SECLUDED CABIN SLEEPS SIX. Blending an adrenaline-fueled plot and an expertly drawn cast of characters, Unger is at her atmospheric best in this wickedly chilling story of a getaway gone wrong. In SECLUDED CABIN SLEEPS SIX, Unger yanks readers down a dark, twisty path teeming with secrets, obsession, and revenge — I still can’t catch my breath. If you pick up just one thriller this year — make it this one.”
—Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times bestselling author of The Overnight Guest
"Unger sets up the perfect locked room mystery, as precisely as a house of cards, then ratchets up the suspense by deliberately removing one card at a time, while the reader turns the pages breathlessly to see when—and why—it all comes asunder, in this deeply satisfyingly thriller."
—Vannessa Cronin, Amazon Editor
"Secrets abound in Lisa Unger’s latest thriller, which is so well crafted, you’ll be tempted to read all 400 pages in one go."
—BookPage
“Three couples in an isolated luxury cabin in the woods, secrets, and unclaimed DNA tests under the tree. What can go wrong? Told in alternating chapters from different points of view, this is an excellent suspenseful read for chilly autumn nights.”
—LibraryReads Michelle Nebbia, Hillsdale Public Library
"Hannah's charismatic brother insists that she and her husband join him and his wife plus one other couple at an ostentatious luxury cabin for a getaway weekend. The trip is tense due to secrets between the wives and their overworked husbands. Tension is added with a creepy rental host and anonymous threatening texts... similar to Harlan Coben's The Match and The Stranger."
—BuzzFeed
"When you see a title like that, doesn’t a whole story appear in your brain? We know that secluded means isolated and terrifying, we know that no one will actually sleep, and we know that whichever six people enter, there will be fewer who leave. Stay home!, we want to warn them, but they don’t. Unger is a master of atmosphere, both internal and external, and her newest is absolutely terrifyingly riveting."
—BookTrib
"As a storm approaches and things go frighteningly awry, Unger tightens the screws like the seasoned pro she is, though she isn’t interested in scare tactics for their own sake. To flesh out the familiar setup, Unger has woven in a complex backstory that explores the Pandora’s-box effect of unregulated DNA-ancestry-test kits and genealogy searches. In the wrong hands, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing."
—Air Mail
"In this absorbing and arresting thriller that explores the myriad definitions of family, Unger cleverly conjoins the storm without and the storms within."
—Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star
"Unger takes readers on the most frightening vacation in Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six."
—PopSugar
"Sure to keep you up at night...Three couples. Two nights. One secluded cabin the woods. That is the perfect set-up for suspense in Unger's latest thriller as what was supposed to be a dreamy weekend slowly turns into a nightmare."
—E!News
"Lisa Unger consistently turns out excellent thrillers, and this one is top-notch"
—CrimeReads
"SECLUDED CABIN SLEEPS SIX is a far more introspective novel than Unger’s previous efforts... The result is a satisfying read that digs deeply into the secrets that affect how family members deal with one another."
—BookReporter.com
"A locked room thriller that turns a weekend getaway into a literal trip to die for, Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six is bursting with messy relationships, long-buried secrets, and more."
—Paste Magazine
"New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger brings a fresh new gripping novel that follows three couples who rent a luxury cabin in the woods for some R&R, except their weekend getaway is about to turn into a nightmare. With a storm brewing, a strange rental host and secrets within the group, Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six takes readers on a thrilling ride."
—The Market Herald
"Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six is a book that is filled with tension, and is a really entertaining read. Unger created an interesting family dynamic that will make you think about how far you would go to protect a loved one, no matter how flawed they are. It is the perfect book to bring for your beach holiday or even to enjoy some downtime with over the holidays."
—DIVINE
"Lisa Unger’s latest has all the elements of a great thriller in one book! Three couples staying in a secluded cabin (way more luxurious than it sounds!); a creepy owner; multiple narrators with some serious secrets; a massive storm; and a vengeful stalker lurking about. Added to that explosive mix is the question of who anonymously gifted genealogy tests to some of the group. What are they trying to discover? Truly gripping!"
—Zip06 Marilyn, R.J. Julia Booksellers
"I needed a neck brace after reading this! SECLUDED CABIN SLEEPS SIX has so many twists and turns it should come with a bottle of Dramamine. Suspense at its finest!"
—Mary O'Malley, Skylark Bookshop
"This book has it all—secrets, lies, relationships, and heart-pounding, page-turning suspense."
—Sherry Fritzsch, Bank Square Books
"This has family drama, secrets and great characters- so clear the weekend, because you will not want to put it down. Every book that she does establishes Lisa Unger as a fantastic thriller writer and story teller. This will definitely bring even more fans to her camp (or cabin?). She is at her prime!"
—Laura Taylor, Oxford Exchange
"Hold on to your DNA when Lisa Unger takes you on a thrill ride of a tale. SECLUDED CABIN SLEEPS SIX is a double helix of suspense and the age old question of nature versus nurture. Think twice before you book that next vacation rental - but be sure to pack this novel!"
—Pamela Klinger-Horn, The Valley Bookseller
"This was a whole other level of thriller for me - i loved Unger's take on the current DNA test craze and her dive into nature versus nurture when it comes to genetics. It's a fabulous story about the choices we make, the potential for darkness we all hold, and how to overcome it."
—Lauren Nopenz Fairley, Curious Iguana
"Lisa Unger’s Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six will most certainly appeal to readers who are enjoying the current trend of “getaway crime”—suspenseful stories constructed around the central premise of a relaxing vacation, holiday rental, or lavish luxury trip—but it will also find fans in those that enjoy watching the unraveling of long-held family secrets. As always, Lisa Unger’s understanding of human psychology—especially the need to belong—is on full display throughout... Unger will make sure no one leaves this weekend getaway unscathed."
—BOLO Books
"Full of intrigue, introspection, sharp prose, and that trademark Unger angst (nobody writes angst like Unger), you’ll find yourself burning through this one in no time."
—Press & Guide
"As always, Unger writes a taunt and complex, revenge-driven tale."
—Montecito Journal, Leslie Zemeckis
"Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six by Lisa Unger plays on people’s fears as a good thriller should… suspenseful and intriguing."
—Mystery & Suspense Magazine