The Cabin, by Natasha Preston

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of going on a trip to a lake with my friends is how much fun we will all have together. Usually, the idea of spending time with close friends after a stressful year of school is an exhilarating one, and the adventurous trip of a group of friends is what I thought I would be reading about when I first laid my eyes on the book The Cabin by Natasha Preston. Somehow, I thought this book would steer away from Preston’s usual genre of thrillers and mysteries. Even though I knew that Natasha Preston is prominent for her thrillers, reading the synopsis of the book intrigued me, in the sense that I doubted the ability to make a fun trip into a murder mystery and a chilling story of betrayal. 

In The Cabin, Natasha Preston introduces us to a group of teenagers, the main protagonist of the story being Mackenzie. After a much-needed getaway, the group decides to take a trip to a secluded cabin— the cabin of Mackenzie’s best friend’s brother. With Mackenzie having special hate for her friend’s brother, the tension starts building up from the start, but the group nevertheless decides to make things work between everyone. While Mackenzie tries to focus on not letting her reluctance and annoyance get the best of her, she meets Blake, a friend of a friend in the group. While Mackenzie’s annoyance turns into anger, she and the group decide that the best way to relax and celebrate the trip is to have a night full of drinking and partying at the cabin. Little does the group know there is a secret murderer in the group. 

Waking up with two of their friends dead the morning after the party, Mackenzie and the rest of the group instantly call the police. Without any help from the police, as there is no evidence that proves the friends were killed instead of another source causing the death, the group decides to cope back home. With Mackenzie and Blake coming closer and developing a close connection, the two decide to stick close together and find out who killed their two friends. Simultaneously focusing on their connection and trying to find the killer, all clues lead to the killer being one of Mackenzie’s closest friends, who, ultimately, develop some personality issues. Even though the killer was found, she still runs free, with the lives of Mackenzie and Blake constantly threatened. 

This book is an interesting read because it’s a classic murder mystery, or what you would expect from such a book, anyway. The twist Natasha Preston added to the book was a twist that not even the reader could have predicted, as betrayal in a friendship went hand in hand with murder. Even though developing close connections with the characters is difficult, the reader gets to observe the situation through Mackenzie’s perspective, and develop assumptions on their own. The descriptiveness of the book is what holds its spark, adding the well-deserved creepiness and suspense. The psychological thriller puts an interesting twist on fictional friendships, which makes the reader make connections to their reality, or serves as fuel to one’s imagination. With the murder causing such suspense, the reader can’t help but wonder about those around them, for no one really knows what goes on behind someone’s smile.