Picture a luxury cabin in the woods.

Time off the grid, but with a private chef and a fully stocked bar.

Think that sounds inviting?

Well, in Lisa Unger'’’s latest thriller it becomes less enchanting and more of a getaway to die for.

I'’’m Ann Bocock.

Welcome to Between the Covers.

Lisa Unger is here.

You know her as New York Times bestselling and award winning author.

Every time I read her latest book, I say this is one is my favorite.

What I cannot believe is that this one, Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six, is her 20th book.

The previous one, Confessions on the 7:45, is a Netflix series with Jessica Alba starring.

Lisa, So do I even have to ask how life is these days?

So, do I even have to ask how'’’s life these days?

Things are pretty good!

Yah, the 20th novel .

And yes, True Confessions is in production right now... lots of positive things happening right now, yah.

As always, this book is a psychological thriller.

It takes place in a secluded cabin.

A gorgeous secluded cabin.

I'’’d like to start with the setting itself.

Tell me about the place.

The secluded cabin sleeps six was inspired by my husband & daughter because of places we stayed during the pandemic socially distanced getaways but I couldn'’’t help but feel a sense of isolation, in an no one can hear you type setting that names of characters needed to escape to for some needed R & R. I find it amusing that it was your family for the inspiration of the book There are six people, three couples away for away for beautiful weekend in Georgia.

And yes, it'’’s in the woods, But this is Lisa Unger and the tension is ratcheted up.

For one thing we got this massive storm is headed their way.

And there'’’s no cell service.

You can feel the tension.

But before we get there, give us a peek into these characters that are at this cabin and their relationship to each other.

So, the first voice is Hanna, she'’’s a new mom, happily married to Bruce and Bruce works for her brother Mako, who'’’s a larger-than-life Tech Mogul but Hanna adores him There is there family friend Cricket, the party girl, she has a mysterious new boyfriend, who nobody has met and she'’’s bringing for the weekend Then there'’’s Liza, the voice of reason, She'’’s Mako'’’s Yogi influencer wife and then Bruce, Hanna'’’s husband, is another big important part of the group It'’’s a very close knit group they all have a lot of history, they all have baggage in the form of secrets and lies and things are going to unravel pretty quickly.

It is kinda amusing, that there'’’s No internet our lives fall apart quickly.

These characters have to confront things, including their own feelings .

It was very well done, they way you addressed that because they haven'’’t been in touch with their feelings.

That'’’s True it'’’s a thread/theme that gone through my previous books about social media how online dating is undermining the connection of intimacy the same is true here, when the Air B & B getaway is all of the sudden dropped from your digital life, you find yourself confronting a lot of space & time then all of the sudden your forced to confront each other and yourself.

That'’’s true, when we spend half of our day on the social world.

I'’’m not going to give anything away, I'’’m just going to say that there'’’s a complicated history between these six people.

And more than a few secrets because it is a Lisa Unger book, its gonna have some secrets.

It'’’s a family and I know from reading your stories some of the best story lines have to do with family relationships?

True?

Absolutely, its definitely a vain that I never hesitate to mind twisted family relationships, complicated blend of love & loyalty, resentment All the different stuff we bring to our family, take from our family complicated sibling relationships and then parents who keep secrets from their children by the desire to protect their children, but those decisions that you make for your children don'’’t necessarily hold up to scrutiny, and then your adult child is like why did you do this All of us in in this tangle daily, extended family or nuclear family, I'’’m always interested in those relationships and what they reveal about people.

What makes us who we are and about each other.. Its definitely a very layered story.

And there'’’s a paragraph that sets the stage for what we are talking about.

If you could please read the last page of chapter 2.

I would love that.

That gave me chills when I read it the first time, kinda did it again.

So, now we know that not every relationship is how it appears on the outside looking in.

And the story begins 6 months before this vacation.

It'’’s Christmas dinner with the family.

There are presents to open and then there'’’s secret Santa present.

So if you can take it from there and tell as as much as you would like about that evening.

When the book opens, you'’’re at the Marrone family Christmas dinner completely free from dysfunction everybody gathered in joy Start to see things play out, Hanna mother feels about her sister in law, how her husband is a little bit tense things are bubbling beneath the surface there'’’s a discovery of identical presents wrapped under the tree and nobody will take credit who brought the gifts they'’’re handed out, and everybody gets a DNA test and everybody responds differently everybody walks away a little unsettled, mystified, and they don'’’t understand their lives are going to start to unravel from that point.

You'’’ve always kept your books current, fresh.

Technology has played a part in several.

I learned quite a bit about the dark web from your books.

There was a dark side of social media in Confessions, Online dating.

Lets talk about this.

Is it less the technology and more what the technology can lead to that peaks your interest?

Yes, it'’’s not the technology itself, although it is fascinating what fascinates me the most is how theses new technologies is rewriting how we relate to each other I remember the times before internet and social media when related to each other on a completely different plane the way we broadcast our lives today, no privacy and online dating has changed traditional mate finding..

In secluded cabin, the DNA testing is rewriting what we know about ourselves be able to connect with who you are, where you come from, this technology is opening the doors into some great things and some dark things Technologies, what can great about it and the other side of it can be very dangerous and has to be managed.

Well lets look at the DNA testing.

Maybe in my small world, I know so many people who have done this.

And almost without fail, everyone has had surprises.

Many not in the positive category, some people'’’s lives have been turned upside down.

100%.. .Yes, I found in my research, if you spin a vile chances are high that your going to find something that surprises you either about you or your family.

Once you know it, you cannot unknow it there maybe some benefits to it or dark side and it may not be a bad thing, but if you have to walk through painful space in order to reckon with the truth, secrets & lies, maybe the truth in some sense is revealed about who we are.

Well its certainly popular, I think one in five Americans have done the home DNA test ad more than 26 million.

It'’’s exploding in popularity.

There'’’s a lot to consider in this book.

Implications of DNA testing.

You have one character that won'’’t do the test because of privacy issues.

I'’’m not sure people think about that when there submitting.

Its definitely something to consider..

I won'’’t be submitting my DNA anytime soon Every year more people are submitting globally, eventually it won'’’t matter because everyone has done it...No privacy But you'’’re giving a corporation very private information about your DNA map and you have no idea how they are going to use it where they'’’re going to sell that data and then who will have access to it its stored forever there'’’s a possibility your privacy could be violated because there is no regulation, yet.

The DNA in the book shows your biological family.

But, there is nature and there is nurture.

You are a master of the psychological thriller.

So are your characters predisposed to a dark side?

Yah, this definitely something I have wrestled with again, what makes us who we are Is it nature, is it nurture, is it both of these things We know there'’’s a gene for violence, passed from father to son but I certainly believe we are the sum choices in the context of what our life is and what you make of your life even when outside forces act upon you, you have some sort of agency to control.

Can we give a shout out to libraries and librarians This is because a long time ago you told me your mom was a librarian?

And did she let you read anything that you put your hands on?

Yes, she absolutely did and she never censored me I do have a special place for libraries, such an important apart in our communities, access to books She took me to the movies, the theaters because my Dad wouldn'’’t go with her.. She thought some were inappropriate, but it didn'’’t go over my head.

Your readers are not going to be putting this book down, Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six.

And I'’’d like if we can pivot from the book back to you for the few minutes we have remaining?

My first question is you inevitably scare us with your thrillers, So what is it that scares Lisa Unger?

Ya know, I spend so much time peering into the dark side what scares me the most about people is apathy that frightens me more than anything else.

Where would you love to vacation?

As you know we'’’re big travelers top of the list would be Tokyo and Kyoto in the next couple of years.

What is the hardest thing you ever had to write?

Lisa: For me there is always a difficult scene in every book In Last Girl Ghosted/Ren In Confessions/Pearl that was a difficult one too.