FBI Agent Ethan Burke arrives in the small town of Wayward Pines, where two of his colleagues have disappeared. Right at the entrance to the city, a huge truck crashes into Burke's car, and the main character wakes up on the river bank without money, phone or documents. True, good people live in the city, always ready to help. But the sheriff does not want to cooperate, and the residents gradually begin to behave strangely. Then it turns out that it is impossible to leave the town by road, and if you go through the forest, you will come across a high fence with electricity. Moreover, it seems that the fence is needed primarily to protect the residents of Wayward Pines from something on the other side... Blake Crouch is no stranger to the field of strange stories, but his latest novel, “Pines,” was a clear breakthrough for the author. Crouch does not hide the fact that his source of inspiration was the television series Twin Peaks; It is not surprising that the FOX channel announced the premiere of a film adaptation of the mini-series “Pines” in 2015, especially since the author had already completed the sequel to the novel. “Pines” seems at the same time more down-to-earth and more fantastic than “Twin Peaks.” Crouch writes quite simply and builds his narrative, keeping the ending in mind, so he creates a precise, rhythmic novel, where he slightly ironizes the traditional atmosphere of “strange small towns.” Fusing together horror, thriller, fantasy and even parable, Crouch manages not to slip into absurdity, while maintaining an ominous atmosphere. The incomprehensible and surreal here is growing by leaps and bounds, the main character from an investigator soon turns into a victim, and the amount of details makes me doubt that the author will be able to find a single key to this Kafkaesque nightmare. However, Crouch presents an unexpected, but quite logical solution that sheds light on all the mysteries. She turns the plot on its head, giving it an almost parable tone. The protagonist's final choice seems both logical and unpleasantly disturbing. Basically, to quote Twin Peaks, “owls are not what they seem.” And “Pines” too.