Wayward

In Pines (2012), Crouch introduced Wayward Pines, a town that fictional futurist David Pilcher created to preserve humankind, in danger of extinction in the face of devolved human Abnormals overrunning the planet. In 2013, Pilcher kidnapped the town's residents and placed them in suspension pods, releasing them 1,800 years later. Behind a picket-fenced facade, Wayward Pines is surrounded by an electrified fence, and Pilcher controls townies with microchips and zero-tolerance regulations. Sheriff Ethan Burke is attempting to protect the townies from horrors on both sides of the fence by cooperating with Pilcher, but in the course of investigating a murder the victim turns out to be Pilcher's daughter Burke's veneer of cooperation cracks, and he struggles to execute a plan that will grant townies liberty without sacrificing their safety. Crouch successfully embeds political philosophy and a spot-on murder investigation into this dystopian blend of fantasy and thriller. While the novel lacks some of Pines' stomach-churning suspense, its cliff-hanger ending promises truckloads of terrifying moments to come.--Tran, Christine Copyright 2010 Booklist

A mystery wrapped in sf wrapped in dystopia best explains Crouch's follow-up to Pines. Two thousand years in the future, the few people who remain are living in a controlled society where they are told whom to marry and where to work. Sheriff Ethan Burke knows it isn't normal that his town, Wayward Pines, is surrounded by miles of tall, electrified fence-and he knows why. Find out what happens when the rest of the townspeople learn the terrifying secret he's been keeping. Paul Michael Garcia's narration maintains the suspense. Verdict Recommended for adult fans of dystopian lit as well as Stephen King followers.-Cheryl Youse, Moultrie, GA (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.