Fantastic 5 star read

I really enjoy Mark Edwards books. I received an Arc from netgalley and couldn't wait to get stuck in and finished in a day. This book keeps you hooked from the start a real page turner. When a group of friends meet up over 20 years later surely there is going to be drama and that is definitely what we get when trying to find out a secret from 1999. I will definitely be recommending this book to readers of the plot thickens book club on facebook and Instagram. This book will have you screaming at the characters as you read with major twists.

A must 5 star read

Brilliant! This is an absolute rollercoaster of a ride! I couldn't put this book down, it was so so good.

In 1999 Will joins a group of other recent graduates to work on a pioneering new dating app for an eccentric professor, until things begin to go wrong. Twenty five years later he receives an invitation to a dinner party to reunite with the old gang. As soon as he arrives he gets a bad feeling and when an unexpected guest turns up it becomes clear that someone is trying to hide what happened all that time ago.

Having recently read a book by Mark Edwards and really enjoying it, as well as being attracted to the storyline and cover of The Wasp Trap, I knew I had to put it to the top of of my TBR. Wow what a story! I could not put this down and was desperately turning the pages, only now I wish I had read slower as I’m gutted its finished. The premise of the story is fascinating, I enjoyed the exploration of psychology that was involved and the multiple interwoven mysteries that were there to be solved.

The story is told in two timeframes which really helps build the backstory, while creating tension and suspense. The author expertly places the twists and turns, with some great surprises a long the way. I found I was constantly second guessing myself. There are a few characters to get your head around but I feel that the characters were developed so well that these all became easy to distinguish between early on in the novel.

The pacing is great and there is a creepy, dark undertone running throughout. I will definitely be recommending this clever, complex mystery and it’s perfect for those looking for an unpredictable, twisty read they won’t be able to put down. This author definitely knows how to write a thriller! I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next and I’ll be revisiting the books I have yet to read by him. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

While I've read a lot of 'reunions with a twisted secret' books over the last few years, this was a strong entry in the sub genre. I read this one in two sittings and found myself keep reading 'just a bit more' to see where it was going.
What made this book stronger than so many others of the reunion theme? Apart from the writing, which was as strong as the author's work always is, I appreciated the fact there was a genuine reason for the flashbacks and that it really tied in with the current day actions - actually wanting to know more about how and why the (slightly) disparate group came together and what it was they were working on. I also enjoyed the fact that everyone had a secret = rather than the typical, 'one of us knows something...but the author is going to drag it out throughout the book'.
I enjoyed this one and will be going back to check out the couple of books I haven't read in the author's strong back catalogue .

Move over magpies, I think I may have a new favourite book. I was hooked from the start. I usually don’t like books that jump back and forth between timelines but this book did it perfectly. Never saw any of the twists coming and there’s more than one. Such an interesting topic.highly recommend Well done Mark

An enjoyable, clever read with lots of plot twists but without getting too confusing. Always enjoy books by this author.

Will has receieved a dinner invitation and will reunite with some college friends he hasn't seen in 25 years..

Of course there is a hidden agenda and a long time secret will cause a death.

This is a pacy pyschological thriller and the author has written a good dramatic tale.

I have read a few of this authors books and they really do not disappoint the reader.

Filled with drama and a few twists this is a book I will happily recommend..

Mark Edwards has always been worth a read, but I feel his last few books have been a step up. Drag you in and don't let go until the end.
Now I personally can't think of anything worse than a reunion with a group of people you haven't seen for over 20 years (there's a reason you haven't seen them).
What do you know? Turns out to be hugely traumatic, but not for the reasons I expected.
Everyone has secrets, everyone lies.
Flashing back and forth between 1999 and present day, we slowly get to the truth of the whole thing.
The action really ramps up at points, as does the tension.
I myself felt like yelling at someone to just come clean!
Great stuff.

Mark Edwards has delivered another fabulous psychological thriller. The book is packed with intriguing characters and twists. The writing style is fast paced and engaging.
I really enjoyed the dark, mysterious element of the book and the ending took me by surprise.

This was fast-paced and exciting. I really enjoyed the dual timeline and it was interesting to discover the characters' secrets in the past and present. I thought the hints to the outcome were dropped cleverly throughout the book, without being too heavy-handed and obvious. I really enjoyed the ending.

I think the only reason I wouldn't rate this book higher was because Mark Edwards only recently released The Psychopath Next Door, which was incredible.

This book has tons of suspense and twists and turns that will have you guessing until the very end. Flashing between 1999 and present day, the reader is taken on a journey to figure out a secret from a night in 1999 when a group of students was working at a professor’s house for the summer to create an online dating website. As a reader, the mysteries that were in both timelines kept me wanting to find out what was going on. The only criticism I have of this book is that at points, there did seem to be a bit much going on and so many characters that it took me a little to keep them all straight. However, all of the characters were developed really well and I was shocked by the end of the book with the reveal of the multiple secrets!

Will be recommending this to everyone I know who enjoy thrillers!

Wow! Yet another fantastic thriller from Mark Edwards. This one was really gripping and unique, and I couldn't put it down. The very first Mystery/Thriller I read was one of Mark Edwards, then I just had to read them all. They just keep getting better and better, thank you!

The Wasp Trap by Mark Edwards

3.5 STARS

The Wasp Trap is a psychological thriller, following two timelines: one set in 1999 and the other in present day. Six ex-students of an acclaimed professor meet for a dinner party with a difference. One of them has a secret, which someone is willing to kill for...

The main character, Will, was a likeable enough narrator; the other characters were a mix of the usual - posh and rich, poor, quirky and a jack-the-lad. Overall, the characters were well written but seemed to lack some depth. The house setting was claustrophobic; the segments set in 1999 added some much needed context to the current drama. However, it did feel like certain parts were more drawn out than was really necessary.

Overall, a worthy addition to the psychological thriller genre and one you'll race through. Thank you to the publishers for the ARC.

Twisting, Immersive..
Twenty five years since Will worked with an eccentric professor of psychology- along with a diverse group of individuals attempting to change the future of online dating - he receives an unexpected invitation to a reunion dinner party. Once at the luxury mansion house, nothing is quite as it seems and as the evening progresses things will become more and more bizarre. Making good use of a dual timeline, this is a pacy and edgy suspenseful thriller with a well drawn cast and a fast moving narrative. Characters are numerous and clues abound as the tale progresses well to its somewhat unexpected denouement. Twisting and immersive.

Usually this author is a hit or miss with me, and this book was a great hit. I read it in one sitting, I could not stop until the end. I loved the twists and the mystery. I didn't see the ending coming.

OH MY GOODNESS! What can I say about The Wasp Trap?

This was a very, very easy 5 stars. I couldn't put it down. I got takeaway for dinner so I didn't have to stop reading!!

The Wasp Trap is a story about a psychopath. But the question is, who is the psychopath? And what do they want?

More than that, it's a story about friendship, betrayal, lies, family, unrequited love and a few other things.

We hear stories about a group of friends from two time periods: 1999, the summer it all went wrong, and 2024, 'now'. But unlike some stories that constantly switch between time periods, this works really well. It switches every few chapters, so there's time in between to understand what's happening.

A married couple invite their old friends to a dinner party, many of them haven't been in touch since 1999. Before too long, they'll all regret having accepted it.

The suspense, creepiness, foreboding and mystery that is weaved throughout this story is pretty incredible. Everything was done SO WELL. There are twists upon twists and if you tell me you saw them coming, I wouldn't believe you!

As I was reading, I kept thinking, 'this is where X book went wrong' or 'if only X book was written like this'... I compared The Wasp Trap to so many stories I'd read lately that simply didn't work for me, and I think I will continue to do so in the future, because it is just SO GOOD.

Mark Edwards knows how to write the perfect crime/mystery/suspense novel and I'd recommend this book to absolutely anyone who's looking for something more.

You won't regret it.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Michael Joseph Penguin and Mark Edwards for the ARC - I feel very privileged.

Thank you Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and Netgalley for this ARC.
As usual a Maine Cooke features in the story!! 🙀
Full of brilliant twists and turns and really different, I really enjoyed this book.
Gasped at times and couldn’t put it down.
Absolutely recommend and when’s the next one!

Let’s just start with… E X Q U I S I T E.

This novel is perfecting, dual timelines, a secret, a reunion, multiple POV’s from full bodied characters, a home invasion, a missing child, unrequited love and a reveal that keeps you tense until the last page. How will I read another novel again? Will I be bored?

Edwards creates tension with ease and leaves the reader anxiously tearing through the pages to find the truth.

I recommend this to any reader that needs a break from the slow burn and the bleakness and wants a white knuckle ride through thriller, mystery, romance, and psychopathy.

Incredible.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC given in return for an honest review.

Theo and Georgina are hosting a twenty-five year reunion dinner, at their fancy house, for those they worked with on an immersive, high-stakes project in 1999 - and haven't seen since. Narrator Will, a fairly unsuccessful writer, finds it all a bit strange, but is mainly focused on seeing Sophie, the love of his life, again for the first time in a quarter century.

It doesn't take long, though, before the evening takes a terrifyingly unexpected turn. Somebody has a secret, held silently since that fateful summer of 1999, and somebody else wants to know what it is, at any cost...

This was an enjoyable read, but there were too many characters - nine people in the house, as well as those others referred to. I found it difficult to keep track of who was who among Will, Sophie, Theo, Georgina, Rohan (I kept forgetting about him), Lily, Finn, Callum, Amber... then there's Eve, Dominic, the professor, Olivia, Mia... It did get easier as the story progressed and I guess wouldn't have worked otherwise.

When the voting started, it kind of reminded me of a more lethal version of The Traitors.

There are plenty of twists and turns, and I definitely didn't see the ending coming, though it did feel somewhat implausible.

Thanks for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy!

Excellent twisty storyline.
Keeps you guessing right to the end.
Thoroughly enjoyable.
Thanks for the opportunity to read and review