I am a huge fan of Mark Edwards so was delighted to receive an arc of this one. I have to admit it took a bit of getting into and I wasn't as keen on it as I have been on his other books. I enjoyed the duel time line and most of the twists, especially those towards the end. I think it was maybe the subject matter I wasn't keen on, the tech stuff that went right over my head! But I did enjoy the book and will always try books by this author.

This is my first Mark Edwards book and it certainly won’t be my last! I loved it! It was fast paced and kept me guessing until right towards the end. I like how each new secret was revealed bit by bit building the overall picture and the jumps between past and present worked really well.
Love a book with a twist at the end!!

Twisty and turny and kept you guessing until the end. Although at times I did find it hard to follow.

Mark Edwards is one of my favourite authors and this was the eleventh book I've read by him. Although I've loved all of them I think this is one of my favourites. I loved the claustrophobic locked room premise where the 6 friends from 25 years ago are re- united and forced to unveil secrets from their pasts. The plot really kept me turning the pages and I didn't guess the twists at all.
I enjoyed the dual time line between past and present and loved getting to know more about each of the central characters.
If you love a dark, fast paced psychological thriller I would highly recommend this!

Another riviting read from Mark Edwards. Told in two timelines five friends reunite after twenty-five years but not all goes to plan. Once again Mark's plotting is first class with a goid cast of characters. The twists and turns will keep you reading and there's a twist at the end I wasn't expecting. Thanks to Penquin Random House UK and Netgalley for this review copy.

This book is amazing and I want to give it more than five stars! It’s twisty and really pulls you right in and as for the ending, that I just didn’t expect at all.
Set between the present day and 1999 when a group of graduates are hired by Sebastian, and brought to his country house to develop a cutting edge dating app. They are a small group of six, who along with Sebastian and his nephew Dominic are the only ones living there engrossed in the project. Eve arrives daily to cook and clean.
Whilst building the app, Lily starts on her own project to impress Sebastian, who was a psychology professor, an app to identify psychopaths The Wasp Trap, so called as the dating app is Butterfly Net.
The app is finished and they have a party to celebrate, the next morning Sebastian closes everything down and send them all home.
25 years later Georgina and Theo invite the others to a memorial dinner for Sebastian. It is a dinner they won’t forget.
An amazing book I couldn’t put down, my thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc.

I really enjoyed this once I had got into it. What a ‘colourful’ range of characters, and an excellent storyline. It leaves you guessing at every stage trying to work out who will be next. It was a well crafted plot, and after its name a sting in the tail. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Back in the summer of 1999 Will and five other university graduates were invited to work on a project for psychology professor Sebastian Marlowe at his home, Thornwood House where they were going to create a website that would change the face of online dating and he dubbed them his 'Revolutionaries', but none of them were prepared for the events that took place. Fast forward twenty five years and Will has been invited to a dinner party, to celebrate the life of the professor who has recently passed away and it's an opportunity to see the others after all this time. As soon as he arrives at Theo and Georgina's house in Notting Hill something seems odd, there's a guest there called Finn who nobody has met before and Will is certain that the hosts are hiding something. As the night progresses, events take a turn and the secrets of that summer are exposed.

The Wasp Trap is the new thriller from this author, told from Will's perspective and set in a dual timeline going back and forth between 1999 and the present day. This is a fast paced and very cleverly crafted story which, in true Edwards style, has you on the edge of your seat and second guessing throughout. The six friends, all intriguing characters in their own way, haven't seen each other since they left Thornwood House and have all moved on with their lives, some faring better than others, but it's the secrets of that summer that someone at the party is desperate to uncover and that's what turns this story into the dark, tension filled game of cat and mouse that threatens the lives of all involved. As with all his previous books, Mark Edwards knows how to weave a web of the most unexpected twists that keep his readers coming back for more and I loved it.

I'd like to thank Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

At the end of the 1990's a group of post grad students get together at the home of Sebastian, an eccentric psychology professor. They are going to change the face of on-line dating. Will feels a bit out of his depth as he is the wordsmith and he feels tongue tied. The project ends rather abruptly in tragedy and with a feeling of something left undone.

Fast forward twenty five years. The group have not been in touch except for Georgina and Theo who are married with two daughters. They host a dinner party for the group to remember Sebastian who has recently died. From the start things seem strange. There is an extra gust. The high tech house seems to have more than a few glitches and the wi-fi/phone signal is unobtainable. Then the group are told that someone has a secret and if they don't tell it people will die.

The story goes back to that Summer and to the present. It would seem everyone has something they'd rather not let others know about. The claustrophobic atmosphere ramps up the suspense and keeps the reader hooked until late into the night. A great read. Thanks Netgalley & te publisher for letting me read & review this book.

The Wasp Trap is a gripping, twist-filled thriller that pulls you in from page one. Mark Edwards expertly weaves a dual timeline-flipping between a group of idealistic grads in 1999 and a tense, locked-room dinner party 25 years later.

Secrets, buried guilt, and simmering resentment all bubble to the surface, keeping you hooked with every chapter.

The characters are well-drawn, the pacing tight, and while the ending was a little far fetched it doesn’t take away from the thrill. A smart, satisfying read.

Unfortunately, The Wasp Trap didn’t work for me.
The pacing was too slow to maintain my interest, and I found the characters difficult to relate to. Without this investment, I realised I didn’t much care what the secret was or how things would unfold.

Sadly this was a DNF for me but it’s clear from other readers’ reviews that I am in the minority. I feel that this was a great premise that didn’t quite land for me but I’m glad others have enjoyed it.

A clever book, with interesting dynamics between the characters and a chain of twists that will make your head spin.

The concept of the book is quite simple. A group of old friends coming together after 25 years, one if them has a secret and someone will go to great lengths to find out what it is and who is hiding it. The execution is very good. What starts like a benign reunion ends up being the night of nightmares.

I loved the character development and dynamics. Having lived an intense summer together in their youth, their relationships are quite intense and complicated even after many years without seeing each other. This really plays an important role in the development of the story, as old rivalries and infatuations resurface.

The twists in the last thrid of the book were just insane. So many that I barely had the chance to get my head around one before the next was thrown in the mix. Maybe because of that I felt a bit confused towards the end and I felt like I didn't get the chance to fully savour each revelation.

Nonetheless, this is an excellent thriller I will definitely recommend!

BOOK REVIEW ✨️📚

The Wasp Trap by Mark Edwards is a story that plays out in real time, which i really enjoyed. The reader gets to find out the secrets and lies at the same time as the characters do and boy does this create such a feeling of suspense and dread!

The story follows a group of old colleagues who have all been invited to a reunion, none of them have seen eachother in 25 years.

Will, our MMC, walks into the lavish house for the party and immediately feels weird and off about it. What he and the other guests thought was going to be a nice catch up with old friends, quickly turns into a locked room hostage situation where secrets are spilled, lies unravel and no one is safe.

As the story builds we get multiple perspectives which just add to the juicyness of the plot. This is such a suspensful story and it felt so fast paced.

This is an action driven, suspense and drama filled story, definitely recommend to all thriller lovers, especially those who like locked rooms and forced close proximity story lines!

Thanks to @netgalley and @markedwardsauthor for my ARC digital copy.

4⭐️

does Mark Edwards know how to write perfection in his genre? yes yes yes again and over again. hes also one of the cleverest ive come across with it.
once you open this book you will not want to stop. and nor should you because this book deserves all our time. this book is smart and has so many layers to it with the best amount of tension just mount up your experience.
the story is about 6 friends who back in the 90s were students who worked on a dating app with their professor. but things took a dark turn and suddenly the work was halted.
now decades later the 6 friends get an invitation to a dinner party to honour their recently deceased professor.
times have moved on and all the characters bring new baggage to the table now. and as they all gather their isnt just their own to deal with. things feel off. things feel strange and not everyone is giving off good vibes.
and ten it happens. trapped. and forced to admit a secret that goes right back to the olden days of their friendship. none of them will be leaving until the secret is out.
tensions pick up. none knows who to trust. everyone starts feeling frayed and paranoid.
who is keeping THE secret and just what must it be if it looks like their lives will depend on it!?
i really enjoyed how we learn of the characters now, but also are taken to the past to pin the points together.
as a character they try to figure things out and as a reader you are doing the same. trying to pick up on anything you can. but Mark is too clever for all of us and will only show if and when he wants to. and boy does he then show it. in the most delicious and tied in a magical thriller bow ending.

I actually enjoyed this book, despite the fact that the majority of the characters were vile human being.

The “Revolutionaries” were employed by Sebastian Marlowe, a professor, in 1999 when he wanted to revolutionise the online dating game. They all lived with him whilst they got the app ready to go live when suddenly one day they were all told to go home.

Some 25 years later, after the death of Sebastian Marlowe, they were all invited to a dinner party in his honour.

The story from here takes a turn which I will not talk about as that would be a spoiler. Suffice to say it was gripping, plenty of red herrings and lots of secrets

Well worth a read

This wasn't my favourite Mark Edwards book Im afraid, I don't know if it was just me or the time I was reading it but i couldnt really get to grips with the characters or the plot. I will save my copy though and maybe try again in the future as I know I have enjoyed his books in the past.

An Instant Favourite
From the very first chapter, I knew this book was a five-star read for me, and it absolutely delivered!

A Fresh Take
The story had a familiar feel, but its plot was truly unique and distinctive. I wouldn't be surprised if this one became a film; it's definitely a strong candidate.

Deeply Developed Characters
The characters were all carefully built with incredible depth. Seriously, they had a lot of depth!

A Challenging Read (in a Good Way)
Usually, I can easily imagine myself as a character in a story, but not with this one. That's probably a good thing, though, as it kept me on my toes. I didn't even come close to guessing the ending, which was a real surprise.

What an author! I need to read more of Mark Edwards' books.

This was a very mixed bag for me with quite a slow start then I became interested in the dynamics of the reunion dinner party and spilling of secrets. Sadly it then became so unbelievable I found it difficult to get to the end.
Thank you to netgalley and Michael Joseph for an advance copy of this book.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3

This book is dark, suspenseful and oh so clever! There was so much going on at all times and it really kept you on your toes. I loved the flocking between timelines and characters and found it really added to the story. A brilliant read!

📚The wasp trap - Mark Edwards. 📚

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Release date - 31st July 2025!

Firstly thank you to @netgalley for a ARC of this one!

Blurb - Summer 1999. Will joins five other idealistic graduates working for an eccentric psychology professor. They’re going to launch a website to change online dating forever.

No-one expects it to end in tragedy.

Twenty-five years later, Will gets an invitation: a dinner party. A chance to see the old gang again.

But as soon as he arrives, something doesn’t seem right.

There’s an unexpected guest. The hosts are clearly keeping a secret. And on the way in, Will is sure he heard crying.

Everyone has something to hide about what really happened that summer.

But only one of them is willing to kill to find the truth…

Thoughts 💭- I found this book and storyline gripping and addictive. But that being said I wasn’t that fond of the characters 😂🫣 the book held tension from the off. The duel timezone definitely helps build this even more! The book I felt wasn’t predictable and took twists I didn’t expect.

One I would recommend to my thriller lover followers

#netgalley #bookreviewer #arcreview #arcreader #bookblogger #booksbooksbooks #thewasptrap #markedwards #thrillerbooks