Another excellent novel by Mark Edwards. This one is not as twisty as previous stories, but the turns are still surprising and the character development very accomplished. After a spat of the worst luck imaginable, Ben Holland's life is starting to turn around. His estranged wife seems to realize what a big mistake she made by leaving him, his son's bullies stopped torturing him, he has exciting new work prospects and he may be on his way to being happy. Or is he being manipulated by a serial killer for his own nefarious purposes? Detective Imogen Evans is trying to find out who murdered three people who died smiling. They all seemed to have unexplainable good luck until they were killed. How does Ben fit into all this? There are three different points of view: Ben's and the killer's chapters are written in the first person, while Imogen and the parts relating to the murder inquiry are in the third. This normally confuses me, but in this case I was so engrossed that it didn't bother me at all. The final chapters were so exciting that I couldn't stop reading. A solid read.

There's one think you can always guarantee with Mark Edward and that's a taut and suspense filled read. The author certainly knows how to write a thrilling psychological thriller and his latest The Lucky Ones is definitely a worthy addition to this authors work.

The author writes about scary things happen to ordinary people, the next door neighbour, the happily married couple, or in this case Single dad Ben Hofland forced to move back to the sleepy village where he grew up following the breakdown of his marriage, but of course nothing is straight forward in The Lucky Ones, with a serial killer who has a unique way of murdering his victims Dead bodies begin to pile up and what follows is an unpredictable and throughly enjoyable read.

The story is told from three POV Detective Imogen Evan's, Ben and from diary entries of the killer, now sometimes this can make all the difference to a read , when done badly it can make a read seem disjointed and I find my interest tends to wane, But fortunately Mark Edwards manages to do go between the three seamlessly, each characters POV adds intrigue to the tale and heightens the overwhelming sense of foreboding. The author has created characters that are both engaging and likeable.

I personally thought The Lucky Ones leaned more to the crime thriller genre but in saying that there were enough psychological elements, paranoia, tension, red herrings to make this an unsettling but compelling read. Craftily plotted Mark Edwards has a real talent for telling a story and keeping the reader guessing right to the very last moments which make his novels a joy to read.

This review maybe altered slightly and edited prior to publication on my blog

The best book I've read this year by far! Mark has such a way with words, he draws you in to the story within the first few lines. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down, every opportunity I got, I was reading it. The Lucky Ones is a fantastic book, I highly recommend it.

This is a book that you slip into without having to re-adjust your expectations. Easy to read, it flows nicely, leading a merry dance across the hills and vales of Shropshire, dropping gentle hints and clues as it goes, while you try to follow sifting the clues as you go, avoiding the dead bodies littering the more obscure bits of the path.
Lovely dad Ben Hofland has returned to the beautiful countryside of his youth with son Ollie, following the break-up of his marriage due to his wife’s infidelity. Ben’s brain is still seared with the image of catching her in flagrante in the marital home.
Ollie, his son, still hopes that their move is temporary and that his mum and dad will reconcile. In the meantime he is miserable at his new school and piling on the pounds as he eats his way to try and find comfort (hint to Ollie – it doesn’t work – trust me, I know).
D.I. Imogen Evans is in sleepy Shropshire because she’s escaping a bad decision she made whilst at the Met. A woman who doesn’t suffer fools gladly, her impulsive tendencies led her to fail to stop a junior officer from doing something very stupid, which resulted in a permanent injury for him and a serious black mark on her career.
Imogen would be hiding in Shropshire if only her bright red hair hadn’t made that impossible.
Meanwhile, Fiona, newly fit after a recent heart transplant, is cycling home through the countryside when she sees a white van blocking the road. Later she is found dead in the ruined priory, a smile on her face and her eyes open. She is the latest victim of a serial killer known as ‘The Viper’.
As Imogen tries to rescue her career and find the link between the killer and his/her victims, Ben and Ollie’s fortunes start to change for the better.
In a compelling and fast paced book, riddled with clues real and false, Edwards has created a thriller that pleases and puzzles in equal measure.
There’s a lovely contrast between the quiet rural idyll of Ironbridge and the number of brutally killed bodies found in the book.
Compulsive and addictive, this is a book I flew through with enjoyment and pleasure.

MY REVIEW

I would like to thank Thomas & Mercer, NetGalley and Mark Edwards for the ARC (advanced reading copy) of "The Lucky Ones" by Mark Edwards for my honest review.

The genres for this book are General Fiction(Adult), Mystery and Thriller, and Suspense.

The characters are described as complicated and complex. Some of the characters are plain and ordinary flawed people with problems. Some of the characters are quirky and seem to be suspect of doing evil things.

I like the way the author provides a unusual and suspenseful story-line. There is a serial killer or killers who equates happiness with death. The killer or killers make sure the victims find happiness in their life, and then these victims are ready to be killed. Most of the victim's that are killed are found smiling. What is the motivation for this murder? Who and why is this happening? How are the victims picked out?

There is constant suspense, action, twists and turns with a surprising ending. I liked that the author resolves the story but leaves the reader with an uncomfortable feeling that this might not be the ending.

I would highly recommend this novel as an intriguing and suspenseful mystery.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Thomas & Mercer for supplying a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book it started out very quickly which got me hooked and turning the pages from page one.

This was a very easy read which I read in just 2 sittings. It was a very complex story peppered with lots of twists The characters were very likeable and it left me wishing that this was not a standalone and we have more books with Detective Imogen Evans to look forward to.

When I thought I had figured out what was happening I was proved very wrong. Very very clever

I would definitely recommend this book.

Thanks to Netgalley for letting me read this book. This is the second Mark Edwards book I've read and really enjoyed it. The storyline grabs you from the first page, easy reading and kept me guessing till the end. Definitely recommend this book and look forward to reading more from this author 👍

Another corker from Mark Edwards!
Initially confusing with what appears to be several lead characters, this book weaves a compelling tale with many possible avenues to explore.

I loved the lead characters of DI Imogen and Ben plus felt the villains were multi layered and complex which was intriguing.
A brilliant premise and an intriguing tale makes this another Can't Put It Down book from Mark Edwards.

A well- deserved 5* from me.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I really liked this author and this was another great book

4.5 stars

Mark Edwards is truly becoming one of my most favorite mystery/suspense authors. Does it help that every book of his that I have opened has been read with my favorite Goodread's buddy Christine? I say yes, I think it does!! :)

If I'm completely honest, I think that if I had read this latest on my own, the rating would most likely not be as high as it is. While this was by far the most ambitious thrillers Edwards has come up with, it is also the one that stretches that line of believe-ability to a point that was hard to ignore this time around. Reading this with my buddy allowed me to address these eye roll moments and move on, spending more time trying to decipher the many clues (or red herrings) and suspects (or are they?) as well as trying to anticipate what was coming next.

And oh how Edwards had us all over the place with this one! It is this element that Edwards really shines and keeps me coming back for more! Whatever will you come up with next?!

With that, I am going to leave you with a link to my buddy Christine's review. It is by far even more enthusiastic than mine, and well worth the visit to read it. Mark Edwards need to hire her for some PR work! ;)

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1970820560

ARC provided by NetGalley

Dear Mr. Edwards,

We meet once again, one year later. Every year you put a book out there for my reading buddy and me, daring us to outsmart you. You do realize we are getting to know you, don’t you? That gave us an advantage. We were up for the challenge, ready for anything you could throw us.

So, I have to admit your prologue is pretty stellar. It is divided into two parts, Ben’s part and a killer’s part. Ooh, double perspectives. Love it, especially when one of them is the baddie. Gives us a better chance to profile this guy, figure out who he is, and why he is the bastard he is. Probably a mistake on your part to give us this break.

Ben is a great guy. If I were into guys, I would wish to have a Ben for myself. Ben is not doing well though. He has an unhappy son Ollie, an estranged wife (foolish woman), and a terminally ill mum. And he has lost his job. You have not been kind to Ben, Mr. Edwards. The baddie seems to have had a crappy start to life, but don’t all the bad guys out there? This baddie is different though, and kudos to you for serving up a very peculiar psychopath. This guy is looking for some personal redemption. He also wants people to be happy and thinks he knows how to make that happen. Oh, and he feels it would be perfect for good, happy people to actually die happy. You are also making us kind of understand him, Mr. Edwards, but really, I kind of resent that. Makes me feel bad about myself, sympathizing with a killer.

Geez, this book is long, but it clips along pretty darn fast. How do you do that? Your shorty chapters help. So do all those bread crumbs, or should I say bread hunks, that you keep dropping. Wow, from nearly the start you were doling out little clues all over the place. In fact two thirds of the way through you were info dumping so fast and furiously, practically in loaves, I wondered what the heck you were saving for the final third of the story. Well, you were just withholding the best for last, weren’t you? I have to say you impressed me with that, Mister. And that plot! Holy moly. It pains me to compliment you too much, I don’t want your head to swell up and explode, but that storyline is as UNIQUE as it gets. Props, Mr. Thriller Writer, MAJOR Props.

Boy, I’m tired though. My buddy and I dissected this story to death. I mean we were working. And thinking and thinking some more. You ruined my week as I was thinking so much I couldn’t think about anything else. It was worth it though. Thanks to my buddy, I kind of guessed the end, sort of, in a way. Well, not really, but I like to think I did better than I did with your last book. OK, fine. I totally didn’t get it, but it wasn’t for the lack of trying. I deserve credit for that. And. It. Was. So. Much. Fun!!!

Now I have to call you out on a few things. You are one of those authors who likes that literary license stuff. You know that drives me nuts. I know a thing or two about medicine. I’ve been around that block. And your method of killing just isn’t something you or I could do at home. It just doesn’t work that slick in real life. Just sayin’. I also know a little math. I was a math major before bailing out when third semester calculus lost touch with the real world. You messed up a few family history numbers, saying one thing, then another, but since that didn’t mess up the plot, I’ll give you that. And another outrageous move, giving a DI a job that she would never have in real life—at least you had the courtesy to write into the script that that was something we should never expect to really happen. Kept you from being called out, didn’t it, Mr. E? Offense is the best defense, right? Don’t think I’m forgetting about the medical thing though. That is a biggie! I could dock your stars for that, but I won’t because of two reasons. First, you threw a big modicum of police procedural in this one—my favorite genre. Much more importantly, you totally entertained me in 10-star grand fashion with The Lucky Ones, so five (seems measly) maximal stars it remains!

Oh phooey, what a letdown. I’m done with you for another year, and you pretty much beat me again with this utterly brilliant piece of work. But as I say, I’m getting to know your MO. And I’m going to get you next year. My buddy and me. Yep, we are. So take your best shot. We’ll be waiting.

Love,
Christine, your forever fan
XOXO

I wish to thank Net Galley and Thomas and Mercer for an advanced copy of The Lucky Ones. The opinions expressed in my review are unbiased and totally mine.

A woman's body was found in the grounds of a ruined priory. Detective Imogen Evans soon realises she's dealing with a serial killer.

Ben Hofland has moved back to the village he grew up in following the breakdown of his marriage. He has custody of his young son, Ollie. For the first time in months, Ben feels lucky. But he is unaware that someone is watching him and Ollie. Is Bens luck about to run out?

Mark Edwards just get better and better. The plot line is quite clever, fast paced and very well written. The characters are mostly likeable but all of them are believable. There are a few twists to keep yo guessing, and guess I did right to the end of the book. I do recommend this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and the author Mark Edwards for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An excellent crime thriller from Mark Edwards. I have been a fan of his books after first reading The Magpies and The Lucky Ones is another amazing book from a very talented author.

Full of mystery and suspense and a gritty page-turning plot that will twist and turn you in every direction to uncover the truth. Detective Imogen Evans leads the investigation in the hunt for the serial killer The Viper, I do hope to read more about her in the near future.
All of the characters are fabulously drawn, I could imagine them in a TV series as they were so well portrayed.
The Lucky Ones kept me guessing literally until the end, it's a completely engaging read with wonderful writing, great characters and story line. Would definitely recommend.

Thank you!

Quite brilliant. Mark Edwards you did it again...
Ben is now a single father, after his marriage to Susan broke down he and his son Ollie moved to beautiful Shropshire, away from the noise of London, Ben thought this would be the best for them both, a new start...
A sadistic killer is watching, he's no rampaging crazy, he has patience and bides his time. Everything must be perfect, and the key to his killings is happiness....
Dark and twisted this book kept me guessing and from chapter to chapter I changed my mind on who the killer was....outstanding

This is an edge of your seat book that you won't be able to put down. Another Mark Edwards triumph. Highly recommended.

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Mark Edwards, and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with a copy of this book, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

Yet another powerful thriller from the mind of Mark Edwards, pulling the reader into the middle of a serial killer's rampage, fuelled by an interesting justification. DI Imogen Evans is on the hunt for the Shropshire Viper, someone who has been injecting victims with morphine. While the investigation intensifies, Evans learns of an odd connection between the three victims; something that could blow the case wide open. Is there a degree of 'luck' or 'happiness' tied to these killings, for both the killer and the victim? In a parallel narrative, Ben Holland has been struggling as a single father, back in the village of his youth. Raising his son, Ollie, and trying to begin divorce proceedings, Ben has been unable to find his niche as he struggled to redefine himself. With the Viper in the area, Ben is forced to confront his estranged wife, Megan, and her new beau, a glitzy television presenter. How will it all play out and does someone have a little 'luck' that they might be able to pass along to Ben, under the right circumstances? In this crime thriller that pulls the readers in many directions, Edwards shows how he has earned the reputation of being a fabulous writer. Perfect for those who want to up their heart rate and ponder where the killer might be lying in wait.

I have always found Mark Edwards to be at the top of his game and this novel only further exemplifies that. Working with this one-off novel, the key is to create characters who are both easy to explore and fast to present their backstories. Pair that with the ever-evolving storyline of a murder investigation and the reader is required to juggle a great deal and keep names straight in short order. Edwards writes in such a way that this is no impediment to the larger narrative and the reader is hooked by everything that is going on. Through the interesting technique of random chapters told through the eyes of the killer, the reader is able to discern a few key elements of the crime and crawl inside to better understand the 'lucky' mindset that might be feeling these murders. With a wonderful mix of short and longer chapters, the reader hangs on every word and utilises the cliffhanger moments to propel themselves towards the end, unsure how they were able to finish so quickly. Once Edwards has the reader in his grasp, there is no letting go, until the final sentence. Even then, there is an eerie quality of 'what if' that keeps the reader pondering. Stellar work by one who has earned the right to call himself great!

Kudos, Mr. Edwards for another wonderful thriller. How you come up with so many wonderful ideas leaves me baffled, but please do not stop. I can see scores of new fans flocking to you once they get their hands on this piece.

This story is centred on a serial killer. This is a serial killer with a difference. This serial killer wants his victims to die happy. In the same village as the serial killings is Ben who has recently split up from his wife is trying to start again in the village he grew up in along with his 11 year old son Ollie. Things aren't going well for Ben, his son is putting on weight and becoming more and more unhappy. He is struggling to find work and is still missing his wife. Things are about to get a lot worse for Ben.

I have read most of Mark Edwards books. There are only two of his books that I haven't read due to the subject matter. The serial killer aspect is something a little different and at the start of this book I thought that this is going to be more of a crime novel but I was mistaken. This is definitely a psychological thriller. I really enjoyed this story and thought it was a little bit different to Mark's other books. The story kept me interested and at no point did I feel bored. I could not read the last quarter of this book quickly enough. Although I didn't guess who the killer was I did guess the twist. My only negative about this book is that I got a bit confused as to the relationship between some of the characters.

I have long been a fan of Mark Edwards work, having first read his books written with Louise Voss, I was keen to see if he could maintain the high standard I had come to expect from his books. I had no worries there, obviously!!

The Lucky Ones continues this high standard in this latest thriller. It's a tricky one to write a review on without giving spoilers so I'm going to keep this short and sweet.

If you have any sense, get comfy, wait for peace and quiet, then prepare to be sat on the edge of your seat while you try and work out the many twists and turns in the frightening thriller.

A definite best seller which will see you literally shouting at some pages (he's behind you!!)

The Lucky Ones is a gripping psychological thriller. The plot has many twists and turns and kept me on the edge of my seat. Reading this book was like being on a roller coaster.

Another cracker! Just love Mark Edwards! Really enjoyed this book even though it was 'creepy!' - in a good way!!