Wow, what a thriller this was, I know when a book has truly got me hooked, because I look for excuses to read more than usual!

The story line revolves around 6 friends who get together to remember their professor who has recently passed away, however one of those friends has a secret and there are some people that will do anything to find out what that secret is. Alternating between the present day and 1999 when the friends were together working on a dating app, they’ve all got secrets, but which one is the one that really matters and will they all get out alive?

It had twists and turns aplenty, and just when I thought I might know where the story was heading I was wrong! I didn’t guess any of it, and that for me is totally satisfying!

I’ve not read anything by this author before, but I’ll definitely be looking out for more books by them.

I enjoyed this book. It evoked an atmosphere and was well paced, I enjoyed the characters and their interactions.

A cleverly plotted thriller involving six former co-workers meeting up again at a dinner party two decades later, purportedly to memorialise their old professor, only there are other motivations afoot. The story has a very old-school feel to it, with the past set in a country house and the present in a grand town house with supposedly undiscovered secret passages. This could have given it a very contrived feel but the author has handled this very well and all in all, has delivered a competent whodunnit. The characters, however, are a bit of a let down in that they are generally unlikeable and, in some cases, not particularly complex or believable.

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to review an advance copy of this book.

A group of friends are invited to a dinner party but there is a hidden agenda. Which one of them is a psychopath- according to a test they developed years ago? This is a gory ‘in your face’ story of ambition, friendship, secrets and jealousy. It is fast paced, edge of your seat stuff. It also leaves the door open for another book. I enjoyed the story which is set in Notting Hill - not your usual place for murder and mayhem. I will look for more my the author.

This is a high concept, high octane thriller by an author at the top of his game. The plot is complex and fiendishly perplexing with twists and turns and kept.me turning pages. I read it in a day. One of the joys of this book was the detail. The prose is rich in quick and astute descriptions of scenes, places and emotions. It felt spot on and the observational skills added to the story.

This is the first book that I’ve read by this author, I enjoying his style of writing and his idea for this book.
I did find the beginning of the book to be a slow burner, but once the drama started, it got very interesting. I enjoyed the characters, the plot and the twists and turns throughout the book.

Another fantastic book from Mark Edwards. It's suspenseful, dark and full of epic twists. The final reveal at the end had my jaw on the floor. A must read in my opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Back in 1999, psychology Professor Sebastian Marlowe has an idea for an innovative dating app. Six university students are handpicked to help him bring this idea to fruition. Close bonds are formed and all is well until the inclusion of a test, known as 'The Wasp Trap', to determine psychopathic tendencies. Without warning or explanation, the project is pulled, with most of the friends going their separate ways. Twenty five years later, following the death of the professor, the friends are invited to a dinner party in a posh London house hosted by two of their ex-colleagues, Georgina and Theo, to celebrate their employer's life. Georgina and Theo appear to be the ideal couple; owners of a delightful house in Notting Hill, two daughters, financially sound, blessed with a loving relationship.

But ....... are any of the friends exactly who they appear? It is soon apparent they each come with their own emotional turmoil. Adding to the intrigue is the appearance of an unknown guest; Finn introduces himself as the professor's assistant. Told from the viewpoint of Will, the one guest who very quickly senses there is something untoward happening, as well as noticing an undercurrent between Finn and the outside caterers, Will's concern deepens as the security system fails, the external doors cannot be unlocked, the WiFi signal goes down. This is a tale of secrets, one more explosive than any of them can ever imagine, and they are all trapped until the final mind blowing secret is revealed.

'The Wasp Trap' is an extremely cleverly written thriller with memorable characters and twists and turns a plenty.. The plot races along and left me breathless with anticipation. There is so much intrigue and numerous red herrings to keep the reader absorbed. Be prepared to be knocked sideways by the final reveal. A fast paced and absorbing page-turner.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for my advanced reader copy in return for my honest and unbiased review.

The premise of this story is clever and there are many curve-balls and twists galore. I definitely could not put the book down and was reading at every opportunity BUT there was something about it that didn't have me completely convinced. Whether it was the psychopathic characters or their methods I am not sure but it didn't have the grip that other books I have read by Mark Edwards have.
Nevertheless, worth reading. 3 1/2 stars for me.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Mark Edwards/Michael Joseph for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

I’ve read three or four books by this author and so was looking forward to sharing this one but ended up,disappointed. I was drawn in at first but it gradually became less believable and also the characters were not particularly nice or even very interesting.
It won’t stop me reading more by Edwards as he is certainly good author.

This is my kind of thriller! Six friends hiding secrets. A locked room. A psychopath test. A game of murder. Yay!

I've always enjoyed a Mark Edwards thriller but this is by far my favourite of his and is sure to be one of my favourite reads this year too!

The Wasp Trap is a unputadownable locked room mystery full of exhilarating tension.

The characters are all very engaging and dynamic, and I enjoyed questioning which of them has something to hide and if the secret is even going to be worth it.

What follows is an exciting game to see who will give in first, with secret passages, acts of deceit, a number of clever twists to keep you eagerly turning the pages.

A must-read for any thriller fan!

I’ve had Mark Edwards books on my bookshelf and kindle for a while and I think this is the first one I’ve read. I was intrigued by the title and premise and it sounded right up my street as I like psychological thrillers and a story with a twist or two. The cover is appealing too and I thought it fitted quite well with the story.

The story is dual timeline, set in the present day, and 25 years earlier, in 1999. In 1999, six graduates are all working for an eccentric psychology professor creating a personality based dating website. In the present day, they’ve mostly lost touch and two of them decide to host a dinner party at their lavish home as a way to reunite and celebrate the life of the professor who recently died.

From the start you feel uneasy and know something is off. One of the guests hears crying when they arrive and then sees and hears someone moving around out of sight. The hosts are evasive. When the situation turns violent, everyone is in fear for their life. Someone has a ‘secret’ from all those years ago.

I found the book readable but I thought it was quite a slow burn and took a while to get going. Most of the story is set in one room of the house. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters either. Towards the end it does pick up but it seemed a little far fetched at times.

The idea for the story was different and there are a few twists and turns but it just didn’t grab me and took me longer than expected to read. Despite this I would still read more from this author. Thanks to Penguin, Michael Joseph UK and NetGalley for an advance copy before publication on 31st July.

This psychological thriller is a breath of fresh air. It’s superbly written and wonderfully original. So, so clever.
Each chapter of this book gives you something new and it is so well paced.
There is absolutely no fluffing out in this book.

The characters are mostly likeable, even though they’re all unreliable. It is more plot based than character-driven, but I found that perfect for the fast-paced nature of the story.

The twists will have your head spinning.
There were times I thought ‘what about’, and then was pleasantly surprised when it was covered.
Everything is tied up perfectly at the end.

This isn’t a gore fest. It’s more suspense than killing spree.
I will be recommending this book to everyone!

A good read with plenty of twists along the way.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

A tightly written and suspenseful tale from Mark Edward’s. A number of friends reunite for a dinner party, having all met as graduated. It’s not quite the cosy reunion you might expect and long hidden rivalries and secrets soon come to the surface.
A great read - loved it

Summer 1999.
Will and five graduates are working for an mad professor. They’re hoping to launch a website which will change online dating forever.
But something happens which will change their lives forever.
25 years later and Will is invited to a dinner to catch up with his friends. However there is another guest and Will feels something isn't right.
What really happened 25 years ago and who knows the real truth.

This is a great psychological thriller.
The story centres around six people who were all working on a project together in 1999 with a Professor of Psychology.
Twenty five years later Georgina invites them to a dinner party.
Most of them have lost touch with each other but Georgina married Theo and they have done really well financially.
Will, Rohan, Sophie and Lily haven’t done quite so well but are keen to catch up and talk about old times.
The dinner party doesn’t go as planned and soon the whole group are asked to hand over their phones and gather in the dining room.
There’s fear and confusion when they are told what is going to happen and the tension starts to mount.
This is a great read with a few twists in store.
Thanks to Michael Joseph Publishers for the opportunity to read this book.

I have enjoyed previous books by Mark Edwards and was looking forward to this one. Sadly, though, I found it a struggle as I didn't like or engage with the characters and my attention kept wandering as the story wasn't gripping me at all. Hopefully, this is just a blip and I shall look forward to the author's next book. This one just didn't gel with me unfortunately. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The main part of this narrative takes place at a contemporary London Dinner Party. The Guests all worked together in the past attempting to formulate the best dating app. One of the group was also testing a means of identifying a psychopath. Everything goes downhill when people start to die at the hands of a couple trying to find out "who has the secret".

The characters must all be in their mid 40's at the time of the dinner party, they haven't seen each for more than 20 years and all profess not to know the secret. I suppose if I liked any of them it would be Will and Sophie and later Mia - the host's daughter.

I think the narrative works in the switching time lines. The "enjoyment" of the book lies in the reveal of the facts over time. Therewere parts which made me feel very uncomfortable and I feel the book edged away from the "thriller" genre almost into "horror" at times.

I think it worked well at building suspense and the feeling of real threat.

This is the second book I have read by this author and I have rated them both well I would read more by him in the future

My thanks to Michael Joseph Penguin Random House and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Wasp Trap’ written by Mark Edwards in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

In 1999 Will and five more undergraduates are working for Professor Sebastian Marlowe on a dating website when one of them, Lily, comes up with an idea to devise a test to identify psychopaths. Twenty-five years later the Professor has died and a dinner is arranged hosted by Theo and Georgina to celebrate his life with all the undergraduates invited. Will is looking forward to meeting up with them again but something doesn’t feel right and he’s positive he heard crying when he entered the house.

I’ve been a fan of Mark Edwards for a long time and have always looked forward to reading his latest thriller so I started ‘The Wasp Trap’ in the expectation of sinking my teeth into another gripping thriller, but unfortunately that hasn’t happened this time. It’s well-written and initially the story was interesting with dual timelines of 1999 and the present, but I didn’t like any of the characters and soon lost interest in them and the plot, eventually giving up on it. My review shouldn’t put anyone off wanting to read this thriller as it’s purely my own opinion and I hope other readers find something in the story that I haven’t.