This was a winding story but by god did it end well & I loved the back story for each character, it was gripping, right to the end. It was a bit long winded but I think it needed to be to get all the back story correct. Parts of it were shocking & parts were sad but it’s a great read, so everyone should get this book.

It’s present day and Will is invited to a dinner party. A dinner party with people he has not seen for 25years. Although apprehensive, he decides to go. What follows is an evening that does not go as anyone was expecting, with flash backs to what happened in 1999 when they all worked together.

Mark Edwards is very clever with how he builds suspense and keeps you guessing, holding out right until the end with some surprises.

Honestly, this was quite a slow burn for me and it seemed quite far fetched and very unlikely how everything all comes together and comes out on this one evening, 25 years later.
I found myself not caring a great deal about any of the characters (except maybe daughter Mia) as they aren’t that well developed. You learn about them during that summer of 1999 and a little about their present, but I wasn’t particularly routing for anyone and just wanted to know what the big secret was.

I’ve loved previous books from this author, but this wasn’t my favourite.

I’m sure others will love this psychological thriller but for me it was a bit drawn out, predictable in places and had characters I just couldn’t feel for.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This was so freakin’ good.

It flicks between the 90’s and present day where the group have met to celebrate their former professor. Back in the day, they were developing a dating app where they also developed a test to determine if someone is a psychopath.

During the dinner party they’re all locked in together and held hostage until someone confesses their sins from when they were younger.

The book just flows so well and once you start, you just won’t want to stop reading it!

The ending felt a little predictable but overall there were some good twists and surprises in there.

A twisty suspicious thriller that kept me guessing right until the end.
I found this book fast paced and full of suspicion, great ideas and well written characters, all with different personalities and a good chemistry between them.
The story itself was a type of murder mystery but it flipped back and forth to the present and the past as the mystery unraveled, keeping me interested until the unexpected ending.
I will read more from this author.

Well what can be said about this book Mark Edwards has you doubting yourself again he likes to feed you the storyline slowly at the beginning of this book then when he has you hooked he just reels you in with twists that will make you actually shout aww come one or gasping at the twist you just read while asking the book WHAT how the hell did that happen, like I did on a busy aeroplane.

This story is set around 6 friends meeting after a long period of not seeing each other, they come together for a memorial to remember Sebastian a professor type person who one summer has the friends working on a project a dating app, but is the professor even what he seems but what happens in 1999 now has repercussions 25 years later for the friends. As that summer while working on the project things start to turn a little more dark as the story unfolds.

The tale of how the six friends who over the years have got on with their lives and bring their own stories slowly become held captive with no escape or phones or even WiFi signal should have alarms ringing and they become exploited in a sick game by those who have them and it will make you squirm and intrigued because you too will want to know the secret, it has everything in this book with the flashbacks helping to tell the story of what happened in 1999.

Though the twists at the end of this book you will not see coming because once you think that’s it it’s over it’s not and will make you shiver which this author is the king off. The ending of this book is really only the beginning of a whole other chapter.

I’ve read and loved several Mark Edward’s books and was excited to receive a copy of his latest.

I’m sad to say that this one was not for me. It was just too slow and far fetched for me to get engaged in.

Many thanks to #NetGalley for a copy of the book in exchange of an honest review.

“The Wasp Trap” by Mark Edwards is a story which starts in 1999, with six ambitious graduates working under an eccentric professor to develop a revolutionary dating website. Their summer together is intense, full of hope and pressure, but just as they’re about to launch, everything suddenly falls apart—the project abandoned, lives diverging, and secrets buried deep.
Fast forward twenty-five years, and those same six people reunite at a dinner party to honour their recently deceased professor. I was intrigued by the premise—old friends, unresolved issues, secrets lurking beneath the surface—and the atmosphere quickly thickened once the guests arrived. The tension ratcheted up beautifully: phones lost signal, the internet went dead, and suddenly they’re trapped inside with someone hiding on the third floor. Creepy, right?
Mark Edwards is a master of crafting suspense, and this book was no exception. The twists kept coming, and I was genuinely surprised more than once. The way the author weaves the past and present, slowly revealing what really happened during that summer of 1999, created a compelling narrative that kept me flipping pages late into the night. The characters are flawed and human, and I enjoyed trying to piece together who was hiding what.
That said, I did find some parts a little unbelievable—some plot points felt a bit far-fetched. It stretched my suspension of disbelief a bit, but I was willing to go along for the ride because the story was so gripping.
The ending was satisfying overall, with a clever resolution that tied many threads together. However, the final stretch did feel somewhat rushed and a little over-the-top, especially with some of the hidden passageways and secret rooms that seemed more like a plot device than a realistic detail. Still, I appreciated how it all came together, even if a few elements felt a bit contrived.
Overall, “The Wasp Trap” was an engaging, twisty thriller that kept me guessing. While it had some unrealistic moments, the suspense and pacing made up for it. I’d recommend it to anyone who loves a clever page-turner with plenty of surprises—Mark Edwards once again proves he’s a go-to for exciting, well-crafted thrillers.

I really enjoyed this. Very easy to read and keeps you hooked throughout with reveals well paced throughout the length of the story. I always feel that the rating of a psychological thriller hinges on its twist (or lack of) and ending - and The Wasp Trap was really solid in that regard.

It kept me guessing throughout, whilst not feeling too far fetched (like authors sometimes do for the sake of a ‘CRAZY’ twist).

Overall a very enjoyable book and would recommend.

A great story set in the era of the dot com. The reunion of those involved and what went wrong kept me thoroughly engaged. I was determined to give this author another try after I found I did not like his style. I was not not disappointed. The subject matter may not appeal to some readers, Thanks to NetGalley for ARC

Overall I enjoyed this book but it felt a bit far fetched in places. I did like the characters and the switching between two different times.

With a varied pace, this was a book that grew on me. Definitely falling into the psychological drama genre, it’s a slow burn novel with an ending I personally found very satisfying. Great tension building throughout with plenty of morally grey characters. I enjoyed the dual timeline narrative and the slow disclosure of secrets

Mixed opinion about this book. I admit I skipped and skim read parts especially the parts set in the past. It was a bit boring I'm sorry to say and not very believable.

The Wasp Trap combines a gripping and unique plot with well-drawn characters. This story unfolds in two timelines—1999 and 25 years later—creating different layers of suspense that keeps readers hooked from start to finish.

Centred on a group of students recruited by an enigmatic professor to design and build a groundbreaking dating app. The group, each possessing distinct strengths and skills, forms a dynamic team that feels authentic and relatable. The tension within the group, coupled with the professor’s mysterious behaviour, adds layers of intrigue. The night before the dating app is due to launch the professor abandons the project with no reason and tells everyone to go home. The group do not see each other for another 25 years.

The group reunites to commemorate the professor’s passing, a bittersweet occasion that dredges up old memories, unresolved tension, and unanswered questions. It is here that they hope between them to uncover what happened all those years ago.

The dual timelines are seamlessly interwoven, and the transitions between past and present feel natural and unforced. The plot is well crafted, and every detail—from the students’ initial excitement to the mysterious abandonment of the app—serves a purpose in the larger narrative.

With plenty of twists and turn along the way this thriller will not disappoint.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.

I’ve been a fan of Mark Edwards' work for years and am always looking forward to his next book. He writes dark, fast-paced, gripping thrillers. But as for The Wasp Trap? It lost its grip on me early on. It’s unusual for me to have a DNF, but sadly The Wasp Trap has become one of the few.

Thank you to Michael Joseph, Random House and NetGalley for the ARC and chance to review this book.

I am a huge fan of Mark Edwards and this book was his usual character driven story with lots of tension and suspense.. It is as ever so easy to invest in the characters. The story is fast paced and kept me guessing to the end. This was compulsive and I stayed up to read it. Would highly reccomend and thank you for the arc.

A quarter century ago, Will was involved with a ground breaking psychology project that went badly wrong. Now he has the opportunity to meet those people again, at a reunion that has been organised all these years later.

But given what happened, does he really want to? And does he know what he's getting into?

Mark Edwards proves yet again why he has gained a well deserved reputation for writing creepy thrillers with this entertaining and twisted story. It gets 3. 5 stars.

DNF.

I’ve read lots of books by the author- some 5 star, some 3, but this one I could not finish.

It was very slow, overly wordy, pages and pages of dialogue and conversation going nowhere. I lost interest half way through.

Not for me.

am a huge fan of Mark Edwards and this book did not disappoint. It is a character driven story. I quickly got invested in the characters. The story is fast paced and kept me guessing all the way to the end. At no point in the book was I bored. It is a book that I really didn’t want to put down and kept me reading into the early hours.

Ever since I read The Magpies, I’ve been a big fan of Mark Edward’s.
The Wasp Trap did not disappoint! I loved the 90s nostalgia and references and the characters were very relatable.
Without too many spoilers, I enjoyed the psychopath testing and the setting of the dinner party game (if you know, you know!)

Highly recommend if you enjoy a good thriller!

Set in 1999, this is a great thriller for anyone nostalgic for floppy discs, 90s music and pre- internet life. Based around a group of young graduates trying to break into the dot com bubble, it has a kind of dark academia vibe as they are under the spell of their enigmatic psychology professor in creating a dating website. It's all about relationship secrets, sexual tension and deadlines and has a really edgy feeling throughout. I absolutely loved it I loved Will , and couldn't believe the final twist! Wow!