
Member Reviews

If you relish twist-rich, atmospheric thrillers in a closed‑room setting, The Wasp Trap delivers thrilling suspense and shocking revelations. It’s a gripping ride—especially when that dinner party kicks off. Just be ready for a slow burn of backstory before the full trap snaps shut.

Another great psychological thriller from Mark Edwards who can relied on to write a great page turner.
This one in set in current day and 1999 when a hand picked team of six young people, Will, Sophie, Lily. Rohan, Georgina and Theo, are working on a special project to write the best dating app. They were hired by Professor Sebastian Marlowe after completing many psychosomatic and similar tests. They are now in Sebastian's house for the summer together with Dominic, Sebastian's nephew, and Eve a local girl who is looking after them as a housekeeper.
In current day, Georgina and Theo are married with two daughters and invite the other four from the original team to a dinner party to commemorate the recent death of Sebastian. Finn is also invited as he was assistant to Sebastian in recent years. Dominic and Eve are not in the current day gathering and bit by bit the reader learns more about what happened in 1999.
The plot is fulls of twists and turns with more and more revelations. Indeed, things get tense and violent as two armed thugs appear on the dinner party scene and attempt to find secrets from 1999. I wasn't too keen on this aspect of the plot as I didn't care for the violence and threats of torture. The plot is very tense and gets a bit frenetic but never dull.

I've read previous books by this author which I've enjoyed but this one didn't match up to those. Revolving around six old friends meeting up to remember their recently deceased ex-Professor, this story initially had promise. While there aren't an awful lot of characters, I did struggle to remember who was who and found myself continually back-paging to jog my memory. I couldn't really connect with any of the characters and didn't find any of them particularly likeable. By half way through, the storyline slowed up and it didn't hold my interest as much. It wasn't very believable and I found it quite confusing at times. Such a shame as I read some really good books by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley for letting me read this as an ARC.
This follows a group of friends who begin working on a dating website back in 1999, but we also find out that they want to try and use the website to see if it can catch psychopaths.
I thought it started off slow, going back and forth with the past and present chapters, but once the reunion dinner party had started, that’s when the story really got going.
It was twisty, atmospheric and intense, and kept me guessing with who had the secret that was sought after.
Highly recommend!

It’s 1999, psychology professor Sebastian Marlowe recruits 6 bright post grads, to create the ultimate online dating site. A delve into the psyche of people to understand their compatibility with another. What if part of this creation a new idea is born. One that tells you if you’re a psychopath… or better still the people that love amongst you is.
They’re so close to the website going live, when Sebastian decides to pull the plug…
25yrs later, honouring the death of the late Sebastian Marlowe, the 6 revolutionaries gather at one of their residences for fine dining and a good old catch up.
After the starters are served, everything turns on its head. One of them has a secret, and they’re on a deadly countdown to reveal it. It’s a classic locked room whodunnit, or in this case; who knows it.
I’ve never read a Mark Edward’s book before, and now I’m thinking I need to do a psyche evaluation, where the hell have I been??
I loved this book, the characters, the pace, the suspense, the constant twists and the fact I thought I had it figured out when I clearly didn’t…
I’m off now to download all his other books!
Really enjoyed this one!!
Thanks Netgalley for my ARC in return for an honest review

A brilliantly written book. I was drawn in from the very beginning and couldn’t put in down. I read it within 24 hours of starting it. A great thriller. It’s my first time reading this author and I will be searching for more.

Another very clever, well written, suspense filled read from the author. Twisty and dark, it is a rollercoaster from start to finish jumping between two time frames. The plotting was friendship, secrets and lies as a group of friends reunite at a party. I couldn't really get invested in the characters due to the slow pace and it's a bit different from the author's usual writing style but it's another very good thriller from an author who never disappoints. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

This was a winding story but by god did it end well & I loved the back story for each character, it was gripping, right to the end. It was a bit long winded but I think it needed to be to get all the back story correct. Parts of it were shocking & parts were sad but it’s a great read, so everyone should get this book.

It’s present day and Will is invited to a dinner party. A dinner party with people he has not seen for 25years. Although apprehensive, he decides to go. What follows is an evening that does not go as anyone was expecting, with flash backs to what happened in 1999 when they all worked together.
Mark Edwards is very clever with how he builds suspense and keeps you guessing, holding out right until the end with some surprises.
Honestly, this was quite a slow burn for me and it seemed quite far fetched and very unlikely how everything all comes together and comes out on this one evening, 25 years later.
I found myself not caring a great deal about any of the characters (except maybe daughter Mia) as they aren’t that well developed. You learn about them during that summer of 1999 and a little about their present, but I wasn’t particularly routing for anyone and just wanted to know what the big secret was.
I’ve loved previous books from this author, but this wasn’t my favourite.
I’m sure others will love this psychological thriller but for me it was a bit drawn out, predictable in places and had characters I just couldn’t feel for.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
This was so freakin’ good.
It flicks between the 90’s and present day where the group have met to celebrate their former professor. Back in the day, they were developing a dating app where they also developed a test to determine if someone is a psychopath.
During the dinner party they’re all locked in together and held hostage until someone confesses their sins from when they were younger.
The book just flows so well and once you start, you just won’t want to stop reading it!
The ending felt a little predictable but overall there were some good twists and surprises in there.

A twisty suspicious thriller that kept me guessing right until the end.
I found this book fast paced and full of suspicion, great ideas and well written characters, all with different personalities and a good chemistry between them.
The story itself was a type of murder mystery but it flipped back and forth to the present and the past as the mystery unraveled, keeping me interested until the unexpected ending.
I will read more from this author.

Well what can be said about this book Mark Edwards has you doubting yourself again he likes to feed you the storyline slowly at the beginning of this book then when he has you hooked he just reels you in with twists that will make you actually shout aww come one or gasping at the twist you just read while asking the book WHAT how the hell did that happen, like I did on a busy aeroplane.
This story is set around 6 friends meeting after a long period of not seeing each other, they come together for a memorial to remember Sebastian a professor type person who one summer has the friends working on a project a dating app, but is the professor even what he seems but what happens in 1999 now has repercussions 25 years later for the friends. As that summer while working on the project things start to turn a little more dark as the story unfolds.
The tale of how the six friends who over the years have got on with their lives and bring their own stories slowly become held captive with no escape or phones or even WiFi signal should have alarms ringing and they become exploited in a sick game by those who have them and it will make you squirm and intrigued because you too will want to know the secret, it has everything in this book with the flashbacks helping to tell the story of what happened in 1999.
Though the twists at the end of this book you will not see coming because once you think that’s it it’s over it’s not and will make you shiver which this author is the king off. The ending of this book is really only the beginning of a whole other chapter.

I’ve read and loved several Mark Edward’s books and was excited to receive a copy of his latest.
I’m sad to say that this one was not for me. It was just too slow and far fetched for me to get engaged in.
Many thanks to #NetGalley for a copy of the book in exchange of an honest review.

“The Wasp Trap” by Mark Edwards is a story which starts in 1999, with six ambitious graduates working under an eccentric professor to develop a revolutionary dating website. Their summer together is intense, full of hope and pressure, but just as they’re about to launch, everything suddenly falls apart—the project abandoned, lives diverging, and secrets buried deep.
Fast forward twenty-five years, and those same six people reunite at a dinner party to honour their recently deceased professor. I was intrigued by the premise—old friends, unresolved issues, secrets lurking beneath the surface—and the atmosphere quickly thickened once the guests arrived. The tension ratcheted up beautifully: phones lost signal, the internet went dead, and suddenly they’re trapped inside with someone hiding on the third floor. Creepy, right?
Mark Edwards is a master of crafting suspense, and this book was no exception. The twists kept coming, and I was genuinely surprised more than once. The way the author weaves the past and present, slowly revealing what really happened during that summer of 1999, created a compelling narrative that kept me flipping pages late into the night. The characters are flawed and human, and I enjoyed trying to piece together who was hiding what.
That said, I did find some parts a little unbelievable—some plot points felt a bit far-fetched. It stretched my suspension of disbelief a bit, but I was willing to go along for the ride because the story was so gripping.
The ending was satisfying overall, with a clever resolution that tied many threads together. However, the final stretch did feel somewhat rushed and a little over-the-top, especially with some of the hidden passageways and secret rooms that seemed more like a plot device than a realistic detail. Still, I appreciated how it all came together, even if a few elements felt a bit contrived.
Overall, “The Wasp Trap” was an engaging, twisty thriller that kept me guessing. While it had some unrealistic moments, the suspense and pacing made up for it. I’d recommend it to anyone who loves a clever page-turner with plenty of surprises—Mark Edwards once again proves he’s a go-to for exciting, well-crafted thrillers.

I really enjoyed this. Very easy to read and keeps you hooked throughout with reveals well paced throughout the length of the story. I always feel that the rating of a psychological thriller hinges on its twist (or lack of) and ending - and The Wasp Trap was really solid in that regard.
It kept me guessing throughout, whilst not feeling too far fetched (like authors sometimes do for the sake of a ‘CRAZY’ twist).
Overall a very enjoyable book and would recommend.

A great story set in the era of the dot com. The reunion of those involved and what went wrong kept me thoroughly engaged. I was determined to give this author another try after I found I did not like his style. I was not not disappointed. The subject matter may not appeal to some readers, Thanks to NetGalley for ARC

Overall I enjoyed this book but it felt a bit far fetched in places. I did like the characters and the switching between two different times.

With a varied pace, this was a book that grew on me. Definitely falling into the psychological drama genre, it’s a slow burn novel with an ending I personally found very satisfying. Great tension building throughout with plenty of morally grey characters. I enjoyed the dual timeline narrative and the slow disclosure of secrets

Mixed opinion about this book. I admit I skipped and skim read parts especially the parts set in the past. It was a bit boring I'm sorry to say and not very believable.

The Wasp Trap combines a gripping and unique plot with well-drawn characters. This story unfolds in two timelines—1999 and 25 years later—creating different layers of suspense that keeps readers hooked from start to finish.
Centred on a group of students recruited by an enigmatic professor to design and build a groundbreaking dating app. The group, each possessing distinct strengths and skills, forms a dynamic team that feels authentic and relatable. The tension within the group, coupled with the professor’s mysterious behaviour, adds layers of intrigue. The night before the dating app is due to launch the professor abandons the project with no reason and tells everyone to go home. The group do not see each other for another 25 years.
The group reunites to commemorate the professor’s passing, a bittersweet occasion that dredges up old memories, unresolved tension, and unanswered questions. It is here that they hope between them to uncover what happened all those years ago.
The dual timelines are seamlessly interwoven, and the transitions between past and present feel natural and unforced. The plot is well crafted, and every detail—from the students’ initial excitement to the mysterious abandonment of the app—serves a purpose in the larger narrative.
With plenty of twists and turn along the way this thriller will not disappoint.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.