Wayward

Book excerpt: The second book of the smash-hit Wayward Pines trilogy, from the New York Times bestselling author of Dark Matter, Recursion, and Upgrade It’s the perfect town . . . as long as you don’t try to leave. Nestled amid picture-perfect mountains, the idyllic town of Wayward Pines is a modern-day Eden – at least at first glance. Except that within its fences, the residents are told where to work, how to live, and who to marry. None of them know how they got here. Some believe they are dead. Others think they’re trapped in an unfathomable experiment. Everyone secretly dreams of leaving, but those who dare face a terrifying surprise. As sheriff, Ethan Burke is tasked with enforcing the town’s laws, and he’s one of the few entrusted with the truth – even though, for all his knowledge, he’s as much a prisoner of Wayward Pines as anyone else. But when a murder investigation draws him deeper into the town’s inner workings, Ethan learns that its past is darker than even he suspected – and finds himself faced with an impossible choice. The second novel in Blake Crouch’s blockbuster trilogy, Wayward delves deeper into the irresistible mysteries and horrors of this perfect little town, even as it asks what it means to live with secrets – and what price we’ll pay for the truth.