I really enjoyed this, a bit different to what I usually read so wasn’t sure at first but that quickly changed. A great slow burn that builds tension and then picks up in the second half. I enjoyed the dual timeline and the added subplots. I didn’t see the end twist coming which I haven’t had for a while. I stayed up late in to the night finishing this so was definitely a quick read you don’t want to put down!

A thrilling story that keeps you guessing until the end! Set across two timelines, this story tells of a group of people employed by a professor. When he dies, they are brought back together but things aren’t what they seem. A fantastic read!

Oh Lordy Egan an excellent read.
A locked in thriller, literally! And I do love a locked-in read.
Told over two timelines, the reunion dinner and the first meeting back in 1999, the author takes you on a rollercoaster ride. Amoral characters, differing points of view and some brilliant twists, all combine to deliver a very clever and very unusual read.

This book sucked me in from the beginning and it never let me go.

Six friends reunite after 25 years when a professor they all knew passes away. What should have been a nostalgic dinner turns into a deadly game when they are held at gunpoint and made to reveal their darkest secret.

After the first few chapters I had nothing but questions. Some were answered quickly and others I had to wait. The book was a slow burn in the beginning as it bounced back and forth between present day and 1999. It just meant that the scene was being set, the story was being built up and we got to know the characters but I was left to wonder where on Earth the narrative would go.

The second half of the book though - I couldn’t turn the pages quick enough (or rather click my page turned 🤣). The twists made this an addictive story with non stop thrills. I loved the suspense and dread this book filled me with as I ploughed through the chapters. The ending was superb!
Mark Edwards is on the auto buy list!

This book is fast-paced and tense, perfect for a single sitting. The story follows a man’s journey into a seemingly innocent job opportunity that quickly descends into paranoia and claustrophobic dread.

Mark slowly built the suspense which was great, it kept the story exciting, and his usual creeping sense of unease. The psychological tension is palpable, and as the truth unravels, it’s both satisfying and disturbing. While the ending did not shock me, it ties things up in a way that stuck with me for a while after i finished the book.

This was fantastic! I was hooked from start to finish. Everything about this was perfect. There were so many twists and turns in this and I for sure didn’t see the ending coming! I was shocked.

I haven’t read a thriller like this in a long time and I wasn’t disappointed. I definitely fell in love with authors writing style.

Incredible book! I will 10000% reread this one again.

I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to read this book as my son had a mental health crisis best of luck mark x from what I am told your books are superb so I will be sure to keep an eye out for it and read in my own time

What a rollercoaster, this was thrilling and just impossible to put down. Certainly the best thriller I have read all year. Would recommend this book to everyone.

Mark Edwards Strikes Again! Once more, Mark Edwards proves he's the undisputed king of psychological thrillers. This latest novel had me gripped from the first chapter to the very last page. Just when I thought I’d pieced it all together, he hit me with twist after delicious twist—none of which I saw coming. The pacing was relentless, the atmosphere tense, and the characters unsettlingly real. Edwards has a gift for turning the ordinary into the deeply ominous, and he does it with surgical precision. Absolutely loved it.

In 1999 Sebastian gathered an amazing team of people at his mansion to create a computer program that would revolutionise computer dating. Each had their part to play in making it a success – that is aside from Sebastian’s obnoxious nephew Dominic. There is also some matchmaking taking place between the members of the team – Theo and Georgina bond over a wasp’s nest, and Will loves Sophie but is too scared of rejection to make a move. The programme seems to be going well until Sebastian suddenly shuts down the project and sends everyone home. Moving on 25 years and Sebastian dies. Theo and Georgina, now married with children, invite the others for a dinner party at their home to celebrate Sebastian’s life and discuss old time. In classic Mark Edwards style, buried secrets bubble up, allegiances shift, and the evening takes a sinister turn. Nothing is what it seems—and that’s precisely what makes this story impossible to put down.

If you haven’t dipped into the world of Mark Edwards yet, now’s the time—and trust me, you’re in for an absolute treat. This isn’t just a book, it’s a full-throttle roller coaster: thrilling twists, jaw-dropping reveals, and suspense that grips you tight. So, hold on to your hat, cancel your plans, and settle in for a wild ride you won’t want to end.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7754336860

https://maddybooksblog.blogspot.com/2025/07/the-wasp-trap-by-mark-edwards-mark.html

A take on a locked room thriller, six friends come together for a dinner party after last seeing each other 25 years earlier.
The story is narrated by Will and moves seamlessly between the dinner party in the present and the events of 1999. All of them have a secret about that summer, one of which puts them all in danger but will they reveal it to save themselves and the rest of the group?

The mix between past and present works to ramp up the tension and the reveals are well placed and keeps up the intrigue.

I loved the ending and didn’t see it coming so it was a nice surprise.

Thank you to Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House foran early copy to enjoy.
This was my first ever read id Mark Edwards and I absolutely loved it! If you like the idea of a group of people being trapped/escape room type stories this is the one for you. It revisits 1990 and then the present day. Im never in the habit to spoil the story just to tell you if its worth the effort to read it and it most definitely is! I look forward to reading more of Mark Edwards books a guaranteed 5 star read!

A dual timeline locked room thriller, set in modern day and 1999. Six friends reunite to toast the passing of their former employer, but the evening takes a dark turn when they find themselves held at gunpoint. To survive, they have to tell their deepest, darkest secret. Who will comply, and who will die?

I liked the dual timeline nature of the book, each chapter revealing a little more about the reasons behind the situation the characters find themselves in. Unfortunately, for me, none of the characters were very appealing, I didn't really care if they survived or not. There were a number of twists and turns, and although I didn't predict some of them, the main ones I found to be quite obvious, and that let down my enjoyment of the book. A quick, easy to read story.

I love a locked room thriller where the characters are all trapped together with no escape and the stakes are high. The Wasp Trap is exactly this and it is a brilliant book. It gave me The Traitors vibes but with death being a real threat.

Tension is high throughout as the characters all have their own baggage and secrets which are getting revealed, and you don’t know which one could save them all.

The chapters from 1999 are woven throughout to give the reader clues and snippets of information at the perfect time.

It was also interesting to hear about where the characters were 25 years ago when they last saw each other and the events that happened, and compare this to where they are now as their relationships and friendships are being tested.

There is so much action to keep you on the edge of your seat and a clever, almost poetic, ending that is just brilliant.

I highly recommend if you’re looking for a tense thriller.

4.5 ⭐️

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a gripping book! The author has obviously done a wealth of research, as well as having the ability to write a really captivating story.
There are a great number of misdirects and twists, which kept my attention beautifully! Definitely a book that is very hard to put down.
My only very slight issue was the epilogue, which was somewhat predictable, but then my mind is twisty. I don't really see what else this talented author could have done at that point, so I really shouldn't even mention it.

First time reading @markedwardsauthor and I really enjoyed #TheWaspTrap.
A fast paced, clever, twisty, tense, atmospheric psychological thriller. I was hooked from the beginning and it kept me guessing to the very last page. I found it enjoyable and easy to read. It’s full of twists and turns, lies, friendship and secrets as a group of friends reunite at a party after 25 years, but things don’t go as expected.
A well written story with a dual timeline which flows so well with intriguing but unlikeable characters that felt real.
I look forward to reading more from this author.
Definitely recommend this book if you enjoy this genre. It well worth a read.
With thanks to #NetGallery #PenguinRandomHouse @michaeljoseph for an arc of #TheWaspTrap in exchange for a honest review.
Book publishes 31 July 2025

This is a great read, psychological tension with an engaging dual timeline which I really enjoyed. Highly recommend if you love thrillers

BOOM!
Now this is how you write a psychological thriller, which borders on the line of being classed as a horror.

Six friends, one dinner party and a secret worth killing for.
When old friends reunite after their former university Professor Sebastian Marlowe passes away,they are all intrigued to see each other again after twenty five years.

Back in 1999 they all helped the Professor work on one of the first ever dating apps but with a psychopathy questionnaire attached to it, but something went wrong and the Professor abruptly ended the whole programme without an explanation.

One knows the truth but what other secrets are the others hiding?
And who is the mysterious Fin, who claims to have worked for the Professor.

Hold onto your hats everyone because you are in for one heck of a ride!

’Everything echoes’

Mark Edwards’, The Wasp Trap is a locked-room, psychological mystery-thriller following six former-colleagues as they meet for a dinner party in honour of Professor Sebastian Marlowe, whose tech startup they worked on 25-years prior. Unluckily for them, this party will be unlike any they’ve ever attended, as secrets are revealed and the truth behind that summer in 1999 turns devilishly violent.

While fairly simple in premise, The Wasp Trap is an effective thriller, which kept me on my toes for its length. The constant reveals throughout, ranging from the embarrassing secrets and mistakes of youth, to the life-shattering ones that could place you right in your local penitentiary, made for exciting and, to be blunt, thrilling reading. I enjoyed the layered relationships between each character, and was particularly impressed with the ‘villains’, who were threatening and oddly sympathetic at times. Will, the wannabe author of the group, made for an acceptable point of view throughout, though I preferred Sophie (witty and down-to-Earth) and Georgina (complex and unforgiving) as characters.

The pacing was excellent, and this book certainly did not overstay its welcome. This is the first book I’ve read by Edwards, and I can say without a doubt I’ll be checking out more!

Overall, The Wasp Trap gets 4/5 stars.

thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review! <3

Such an easy, compelling read- it had me hooked from the very start all the way to the end. Everything about this book pulled me in. At first, I wasn’t sure how the title connected to the story, which only added to the intrigue. But when it all came together brilliantly.

You really can’t beat a plot about a group of acquaintances, long separated since 1999, suddenly reunited at a dinner party. The tension, the secrets, the underlying unease- it made for such a gripping read. It was genuinely hard to put down.

Wow!!! This is what I want in a thriller. Fast paced, fun, full of secrets and lies and twists and turns. Had me guessing and on the edge of my seat the whole time I couldn’t put it down. The plot was brilliantly written and it all made sense and added up in the end. Also the epilogue was chilling. If you like locked room settings with a group of characters all with something they’re hiding, pick this up! It also had a past and present timeline too so you could piece things together as you went along. Loved it. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this arc.