Mark Edwards (6) (1970–)

ARC REVIEW: The Wasp Trap by Mark Edwards
OUT NOW - 4.5 STARS

I just read my second Mark Edwards’ book, and wow, I'm even more impressed! Six old friends show up for a cozy reunion, probably hoping for nostalgia and maybe a little awkward small talk. Instead? They land in a confessional booth from hell, complete with secrets, lies, and a body or two. Oh, and there’s a gunman who’s not exactly handing out party favors. Drama? You bet.

Edwards totally nails that locked-room, pressure-cooker show more energy. The story bounces between 1999 and now, and honestly, it’s like opening a time capsule and finding live grenades instead of embarrassing yearbook photos.

The characters? Just as juicy as the plot. Every single one drags in a suitcase stuffed with regrets, grudges, and skeletons they thought were long buried. Watching them go at it is like stumbling into a group chat that’s suddenly turned into a true-crime binge.

Every chapter is packed tighter than my closet before spring cleaning. Who’s lying? Who’s about to snap? And, who’s actually pulling the strings here?

I’m tossing 4.5 stars at this wild ride. “The Wasp Trap” is sinister, wickedly fun, and just the right amount of unhinged. Would I survive this reunion? Absolutely not, but I loved reading every second of the chaos.

Thanks to the author and Atria Books for providing this gifted ARC via Edelweiss. All opinions are my own.

#TheWaspTrap #MarkEdwards #AtriaBooks #CapCut #Edelweiss

locked room mystery - dating app - dinner party - murder - advanced reading copy - old friends - psychological testing show less

ARC REVIEW: The Wasp Trap by Mark Edwards
OUT NOW - 4.5 STARS

I just read my second Mark Edwards’ book, and wow, I'm even more impressed! Six old friends show up for a cozy reunion, probably hoping for nostalgia and maybe a little awkward small talk. Instead? They land in a confessional booth from hell, complete with secrets, lies, and a body or two. Oh, and there’s a gunman who’s not exactly handing out party favors. Drama? You bet.

Edwards totally nails that locked-room, pressure-cooker show more energy. The story bounces between 1999 and now, and honestly, it’s like opening a time capsule and finding live grenades instead of embarrassing yearbook photos.

The characters? Just as juicy as the plot. Every single one drags in a suitcase stuffed with regrets, grudges, and skeletons they thought were long buried. Watching them go at it is like stumbling into a group chat that’s suddenly turned into a true-crime binge.

Every chapter is packed tighter than my closet before spring cleaning. Who’s lying? Who’s about to snap? And, who’s actually pulling the strings here?

I’m tossing 4.5 stars at this wild ride. “The Wasp Trap” is sinister, wickedly fun, and just the right amount of unhinged. Would I survive this reunion? Absolutely not, but I loved reading every second of the chaos.

Thanks to the author and Atria Books for providing this gifted ARC via Edelweiss. All opinions are my own.

#TheWaspTrap #MarkEdwards #AtriaBooks #CapCut #Edelweiss

locked room mystery - dating app - dinner party - murder - advanced reading copy - old friends - psychological testing show less

[3.75] Edwards’ latest work is built around a fascinating premise and serves up just enough delightful twists to keep the pages turning at a brisk pace.

Tales that are largely confined to one room often give this reader a touch of literary claustrophobia, but the well-executed dual timeline narrative provided some relief.

Psychopaths have always intrigued me (shall I seek out a professional?) Hence, I’m not surprised “The Wasp Trap” ended up scoring an above-average rating.

I do wish show more there had been fewer characters so that the author could have more effectively fleshed out the most interesting individuals. A couple characters felt more like cardboard cutouts. Also, the pacing of this generally swift-moving narrative became a bit uneven in spots.

That being said, “The Wasp Trap” was a fun and and generally exhilarating ride. show less

This is my first Mark Edwards book and now I'm wondering what on earth I've been missing out on. Here To Stay is a brilliant read in every way.

Elliot Foster is a quiet man, a scientist and teacher of underprivileged children. He owns a beautiful home that he has renovated to the highest standard and he lives alone with his cat, Charlie. Until, that is, he has a whirlwind romance with Gemma Robinson and they marry after only a couple of months together. All is good on the home front until show more Gemma's parents, Jeff and Lizzy, and her younger sister, Chloe, return home from France and need somewhere to stay. Elliot, being the nice man that he is, is happy to welcome them into his home. He soon discovers he has made a huge mistake; these are the house guests from hell.

I don't think I have ever experienced such a visceral reaction to a story. I wanted to howl in anger, I was completely enraged by it. To be clear, this is the author's intended reaction and he's done an amazing job at making the Robinson family characters that it is impossible do anything but hate. These are people who made Elliot wish the world was ending just so he wouldn't have to put up with them any longer. God, I was off the scale annoyed by them.

It's all so very plausible too. It's so easy for people to get their feet under the table but so difficult to get them out again. I really felt for Elliot, somebody who had worked hard to build a life for himself only to have these leeches come and ruin it for him.

I just loved this book. It's such a compelling read. I didn't want to put it down at all. There are characters I loved and characters I couldn't stand, and a plot that is ingenious and yet not overly convoluted or trying to be clever.

The ending is unexpected and chilling and I closed the book with a real sense of satisfaction. I loved every minute of it, it's a skilful tale of domestic horror! show less