Mark Edwards knows how to write a good thriller and The Wasp Trap is yet another piece of brillance! He's come a long way since The Magpies (one of my all time faves) and this is yet another shocking and punchy thriller that left me wanting more. Taut and twisty, but nuanced too, I loved it.

Mark Edwards is the gift that keeps on giving.
I thought that his last book was his best, but with this latest read his gone up another level yet again.
His ability to make you totally invested in both the good and the not so good characters is second to none,you find yourself liking not only the good ones but rather taking to the baddies as well.
I enjoyed the dual timelines, taking us back to 1999 and to the present day and the twists along the way.
This has it all mystery,intrigue tragedy, and buried secrets galore with an ending that surprised me not once but twice.
It is an excellent psychological thriller that I HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
Secrets,secrets, secrets, how quickly will you tell me yours?
Thanks to Netgalley and Michael Joseph Penguin RandomHouseuk for the Arc.

I hadn’t read any books by Mark Edwards before, but after reading The Wasp Trap that will change!

This was one heck of a rollercoaster ride of a thriller. It was fast paced with lots of twists and turns.

It centres on the summer of 1999 where six graduates: Will, Susanna, Theo, Georgina, Rohan, Lily work on a dating website over a summer for an eccentric professor.

The story moves between a reunion dinner party twenty-five years later and the events of that summer in 1999.

The tension builds slowly and I loved the initially awkwardness of the dinner party - six people who haven’t stayed in touch coming together twenty-years later for a reunion dinner. From there the tension builds and builds…..

I can’t wait to read more books by Mark Edwards!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House, for making this e-ARC available to me in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I really wanted to love this as it sounded great.
It was a very up and down book for me, sometimes it really held my interest and then at times I just lost it.
I found that there just seemed to be so many secrets, quite a few characters to try and keep track of, that it just felt a bit too much at times.
Having said that, there were times when I felt the book really picked up and I just couldn’t put it down.
There was a few surprises along the way but I did see the ending coming on this one.

Wowee what a gripping read!! Dragged me in and then kept me gripped turning pages until late into the night. Full of suspense and twists you won't see coming with a real sting in the tail at the end. Well done Mark on another fabulous read!!

I have read some 5 star books already this year but this is among the best. I was blown away by it.

A group who spent one summer together over 20 years ago working for an eccentric psychology professon is brought back together after his death. They attend a dinner party but will they all get to leave?

The story hooked me immediately, there were so many twists and turns and red herrings and surprises. I did not want it to end but I was really happy with the ending. The author left no string untied.

A truly excellent read

OMG this new book from @markedwardsauthor which will be published on 31 July is absolutely compelling! I read it in a couple of days!

Mark is one of my must buy, must read authors so I was delighted to be able to read this one early via @netgalley. Thank you NetGalley 👍

A reunion of 6 people who used to work together on a start up company (building the perfect dating website) in the late 90s during the dot com era.

This book has everything; a reunion, a missing daughter, flashbacks, conflicting loyalties, a crush, unwelcome guests, buried secrets, a cat (if you know Mark you won’t find this a surprise!) and loads of tension. The dinner party reminded me a bit of an Agatha Christie novel as secrets are revealed.

Mark builds the tension effortlessly and I liked the way you get a more rounded impression of the characters from the flashbacks.

Expect this book to be taken away on holiday and appear on many a sun lounger throughout the world this summer.

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.

Another absolutely brilliant read from Mark Edwards. The writing, the descriptions, the suspense and not a meal invite I would want to accept.

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!