I was so looking forward to this book but it wasn’t for me it was too slow and unbelievable and couldn’t connect with any of the characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for an ARC

IN 1999 a group of 6 recent graduates and an eccentric professor, does some research in developing a new dating site using psychological testing but things start to go wrong.
Years later they are all invited to a dinner party in London. They haven’t seen each other in years except for Georgia and Theo who are both married. But when things start to get deadly. They are held hostage until someone reveals a secret. But they are all unaware of what that secret it is, until they reminisce back to 1999 and suddenly, they start opening up to each other and secrets start being revealed.
I am always excited to hear a new Mark Edwards book. So, I was looking forward to reading this one. The author is a great storyteller, and I was intrigued by the premise of this story. But for me personally found this to be quite slow and a very long build to the main part of the story and I only got really fully invested in it until the latter half when all the secrets are revealed. 3.5 stars from me

I literally read this in one sitting - I couldn't step away. A mysterious dinner party for those who have a shared history from their post university days, but after arriving at dinner: The doors are locked and others turn out not to be who they thought - they then endure hours of threats and being held at gunpoint to confess their sins. Lies and secrets they're not even aware they have to begin with...I liked the flipping between the two time eras and I liked the characters now were clearly built on exaggerated versions of their 20 something year old selves. Full of surprises, twists, turns, lies - I couldn't put this down, 5 stars from me!

Gripping read, that pulls you in right from the beginning. Lots of twists and turns which will keep you guessing till the end.

I unfortunately ended up DNFing this book as I just found it too slow and like I had to force myself to read.
It did have a good opening, gripping and making you wonder how you would devise a test to catch a psychopath.
After this the book because very push and pull. I felt like I really had to push myself to read it, but then after a long slog something pulled me back in. Then again unfortunately after a short while I feel as if I had to force myself back into reading.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC of The Wasp Trap by Mark Edwards in return for an honest review.

As a longtime fan of Mark Edwards, I went into this book with high expectations. Unfortunately, The Wasp Trap didn’t quite deliver for me. While I usually find his thrillers gripping and compulsively readable, this particular storyline failed to keep my interest. The plot felt wildly far-fetched at times, stretching the bounds of plausibility to the point where it pulled me out of the story rather than drawing me in.

Additionally, the constant switching between past and present made the narrative feel disjointed and more laborious than it needed to be. Rather than building suspense, the structure made it difficult to stay engaged.

This one just didn’t hit the mark for me.

Mark Edwards has done it again—The Wasp Trap is one of those books that grabs you by the collar, throws you into a locked room, and refuses to let go until the very last page.

It kicks off with a dinner party that’s meant to be a nostalgic reunion, but it quickly turns into a nightmare. Six old friends, a gun-wielding intruder, and a sinister ultimatum: spill your darkest secrets, or suffer the consequences. From there, it’s a race against time (and each other) to unravel the mystery lurking in their past.

The dual timeline adds an extra layer of suspense, taking us back to the late ’90s when this group of university students worked on a groundbreaking dating app with their psychology professor. But alongside the main project, they also dabbled in a separate, much darker experiment—one designed to identify a specific psychological profile. And that side project? Well, let's just say it might have left behind some unfinished business.

Edwards’ signature style shines here: fast pacing, gripping tension, and just enough psychological twists to keep you second-guessing everything. And the ending? Oh, it delivers.
If you’re a fan of locked-room mysteries, juicy secrets, and thrillers that keep you on your toes, this one’s a must-read. Clear your schedule—you’re going to need to finish this in one sitting.

Thank You NetGalley and Penguin Random House for a Review Copy.

I loved this book. The storyline, the characters, the setup.. everything was great. Would highly recommend.

A clever story, that is dark and gripping with an excellent build up of tension and enough twists that it is impossible to guess which way it is going.
After finishing university a group of students are employed by psychology Professor , Sebastian Marlowe, to put together a dating app and launch it into the world. It is the summer of 1999 and the six of them move into his house in order to work together on the project. Roll on to the present time and the group come to a dinner at the house of Georgina and Theo to celebrate the life of Sebastian who has recently died. None of them, apart from Theo and Georgina who married, have been in contact with each other since that summer, after Sebastian abruptly terminated the project and sent them all home.
All of the students, now adults, carry baggage from that summer, and as they are beginning to get to know each other again they are interrupted the internet going down, and then the house doors locking and eventually an ultimatum - which one of them has been keeping a secret from that time. Tensions rise and secrets are revealed as the group struggle to stay alive, but each time something new is exposed, the group find there is more to come.
Well written and cleverly put together, this is a very satisfying read. It is my first Mark Edwards book, but definitely an author I'll look for again.
With thanks to Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for the arc copy in return for an honest review.

Mark Edwards knows how to write a page-turner, and The Wasp Trap is no exception. It’s one of those books that sinks its teeth in right away and keeps you guessing as it peels back layers of long-buried secrets, simmering resentment, and a whole lot of "what really happened that summer?" tension.

The setup is immediately intriguing: six idealistic graduates in 1999, holed up with an eccentric psychology professor, working on what they think is going to be a groundbreaking dating site. Flash forward 25 years, and Will—our likable, slightly regretful narrator—gets an invitation to a dinner party with the old group. What starts as a nostalgic get-together quickly turns into something much darker. Someone hasn’t moved on. Someone wants answers. And someone’s willing to kill for them.

The dual timeline works really well here. The chapters alternate between the sunny, idealistic days of 1999 and the increasingly claustrophobic, locked-room-style tension of the dinner party. Edwards paces the reveals nicely—just enough to keep you invested, but always leaving you wanting more. Every chapter ends on a little jolt or question mark, which makes this very hard to put down.

I also appreciated how different each of the six original group members felt. They’re not just filler characters—they each bring a different energy to the table, and part of the fun is watching how their seemingly successful adult lives have or haven’t lived up to their youthful ambition. Will’s voice holds everything together—he’s grounded, observant, and just unreliable enough to make you question what really happened.

Where the book stumbles a bit, for me, is in the final stretch. There’s a twist, and while it’s definitely entertaining, it teeters on the edge of feeling too sensational. None of it ruined the book, but it did slightly undercut the tight, psychological realism that made the first half so compelling.

That said, The Wasp Trap still lands as a solid, clever thriller with a unique premise and great pacing. It asks interesting questions about ambition, loyalty, guilt, and how the past refuses to stay buried. If you’re into stories where a group of people is forced to confront their shared trauma—with a healthy dose of danger and secrets along the way—this will absolutely scratch that itch.

Not quite a five-star masterpiece, but a super satisfying ride all the same.

I’ve read books by this author before and really enjoyed them so think I’m the outlier on this one as it seems to be receiving rave reviews. Without spoiling anything I just didn’t feel invested in the characters and the choices they were making and the latter parts of the book did require a lot of suspension of disbelief.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this dark thriller about a group of friends reuniting for a dinner party after a long time apart. The only problem is everyone is keeping secrets and someone at the party is determined to find out the truth and will kill to find out. Don’t miss this one.

A really great story with so many twists and turns in it, you doubt everyone at various points as the story unfolds and there is enough shocker value to keep you going from start to finish!

I love mark edwards books, the house guest is one of my fave books ever so was excited for this one. It took me a good few chapters to get to grips with everyone and what was happening; it was a bit boring but from chapter 6 it was very good. There were lots of twists and surprises no-one would ever guess. There’s a lot of action and I enjoyed the secrets. The ending was very good and makes me think we might have wasp babies!!

I really enjoyed this taut, psychological thriller sent in 1999 and the present. Books set around big houses and groups of friends are like catnip to me, and throw in complicated histories with an overarching sense of doom and I am gripped!

I loved the late 90s references, and the depiction of a heady, hot summer. It's fast paced with some real surprises and is a propulsive read, especially the last third when all the secrets are revealed.

An outstanding read! This story is so engaging and flows so seamlessly that it can be read very quickly. I loved the flashbacks to summer 1999 and remember that summer very well as one of excitement and fear as the millennium approached. This story captures the whole essence whilst bringing it all back to a very scary present day dinner party. Excellent characters with secrets being revealed left, right and centre!

My thanks to Michael Joseph publishing and NetGalley for a copy of “ The Wasp Trap” for an honest review.

This is my first read of a Mark Edwards book but I was drawn to read it from the mysterious storyline.
I really loved this book and found it fast paced and gripping .The characters were well written and I genuinely didn’t have a clue until the end who was keeping “ the secret “
I’ll definitely be checking out his previous books and hope they are as good as this one is !

Thanks to Mark and NetGalley for allowing me to read The Wasp Trap before publication date.

In this locked room thriller, the story is told in 1999 and the present day, much of it by Will’s character who is an aspiring author.
In 1999, Sebastian Marlowe, a Professor of Psychology, has a concept for a commercial dating app.
If he can bring it to market before the competition, it will make all concerned wealthy.
He recruits young graduates to fill the project roles, while they live at his estate.
As the app has completed final testing, and with no explanation, Sebastian shuts down the project and sends everyone home.

25 years later, with the exception of Theo and Georgina, the team members have had no contact with each other. Following the death of the professor, Theo and Georgina invite the rest of the team to a catered dinner party at their home.
There is an extra guest, Finn, who is introduced as being Sebastian’s assistant in the 2 years before his death.
Tensions are running high as secrets from the past and long held grudges are revealed.

The book reminded me of the play, An Inspector Calls, and it would make a good drama.

THE WASP TRAP – MARK EDWARDS****
Mark Edwards is usually reliable as an author of fast-paced stories and this book has done nothing to change my opinion. It’s one of those ‘friends meet years after a crucial event’ (of which they supposedly know nothing) and are kept captive in the massive country house of a professor they all worked for on a top-secret programme many years before. They get invited for a weekend to remember by the current owners and all hell breaks loose.
This is enjoyable hokum, of course, the basic premise being that one of the friends has a deadly secret and one by one they will be bumped off if the guilty party doesn’t confess. Doors are locked, keys are lost, and their phones are taken away, and there are mad killers on the loose. Into this mix is a family member hidden in the attic (more or less!), strange knockings in the walls, and secret passages. And, along with many twists and turns, the wasp trap does have something to do with it!

A little confusing in places as it jumps between the two timelines but fast paced and full of the type of plotting you come to expect from Mark Edwards!