My first by this author, but not my last. The retreat will give you a treat, if you love thrilling books, with lots of twists and turns! This book is one that hooks from the first page and then keeps you guessing until the final page! Well worth the read!

Mysterious, griping and soooo creepy. From the first chapter I couldn't think of anything else, just that I need to read it until it's finished. It was really fast pacing, so many things happened in this book, so many revelations. It's very well written, it felt like I was watching a film rather than reading a book. I love Mark Edwards' writing style and he always manages to pull me right into the story, there were parts I was as scared as the writers in their cottage, as skeptical as Lucas over The Widow existence, feeling Julia's grief, the perfect example how book should be written so you can connect to all characters without even trying.

The plot was unique, it wasn't only about disappearance of little girl, there was so much more happening in this village, so many secrets tangled between families, folk story that will make you believe just anything, even if you are not superstitious because some things are just too hard to make up, so they must be true surely?

Getting to ending of the book, I've run out of all possible explanations, I blamed probably everyone by that point and then it all came... Twist after twist, more things coming out, more revelations and I'm not ashamed to admit it, I'm sure I'm not alone but all my suspicions were completely wrong.

Overall feelings now: I'm sad it's over, but I couldn't read it any slower, it would be impossible! If I could, I would give it even 6 stars!

Mark Edwards has done it again and I believe this must be his best novel yet. I still have some of his books to read while I wait for another one to come out, which I hope won't be too long.

3.5 Stars.

Two years ago, Julia's life changed forever. Her husband drowned trying to save their daughters life (they believed their daughter fell in the river when they weren't looking). Now Julia has converted their home into a writer's retreat. She buried her husband two years ago, but her daughter's body was never found. She clings to the belief that her daughter is still alive as her body was never found.

Lucas is one of her first guests at the retreat. He is a horror novelist who becomes intrigued with Julia and her missing daughter. He hires a private investigator to try and help him determine what happened to Julia's daughter and are there any clues which the local police failed to notice.

Soon strange things start occurring at the writer's retreat. Lucas hears rumors that the home is haunted and when he begins to hear singing at night, he wonders if the rumors are true. Other guests notice strange things as well and begin to wonder if they should be afraid of the things that go bump in the night.

This book started strong for me, then I lost a little interest and then things picked up again. So, if you feel a little lag after the first 20 percent of the book, hang in there, things do get interesting! One thing I enjoyed is the fact that I could not figure this book out. Is this a haunted house? Is this a ghost story? Was there a kidnapping? Is Julia crazy? Has the entire town lost their minds over the Urban legend they have been scaring each other and their children with over the years? This book has a creepy vibe and leaves the reader with a lot of questions until the end. I will say that when I read the ending, I thought of a horror film from the early 1990's but I can’t say which one or I will be giving away a major spoiler.

The highlight of this book for me was that I could not figure out what was going one and when I thought I had things figured out close to the ending, the Author threw in a little curve ball to keep things interesting.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 Stars

This nearly got 4 stars but not quite! I love Mark’s books and Follow You Home is still one of my favourite books ever.

So maybe that’s why I couldn’t stretch to more stars on this one, because for me it lacked the suspense of previous books.

The story starts slow, then picks up as more characters and red herrings are added to the mix. The second half is great, I whipped through it but there was something lacking about the ending, a bit disappointing for me so sorry.

An enjoyable read but not as good as others.

Mark Edwards is a great story teller and he has done it again with The Retreat. A retreat for writers to come to to relax and write.. although there is no relaxing at this retreat! A spooky and suspenseful tale that will keep you on your toes and guessing until the end!

Mark is by far my favourite author, I've loved every single one of his books and was definitely not disappointed by the retreat. Absolutely gripping from the first page and a must read!

I’ve read all of Mark Edwards books and this one certainly did not disappoint. I easily got engrossed in the story and found it very fast paced. My only criticism is that the ending is a little far fetched.

Because I'm a huge fan of A) Creepy stories B) Urban Legends and C) Mark Edwards novels, The Retreat was a hit with me that's for sure. Although I'm not heading into any woods for the rest of my life.

Lucas is a horror writer (actually I'd quite like to read the book he wrote that was a bestseller) who heads off to a writing retreat in rural Wales, hoping to finish his difficult next book. What he finds is a widow with a missing presumed drowned daughter, a local urban legend and things that often literally go bump in the night...

The Retreat is creepy and delicious with twists and turns, a dose of Blair Witch, a hit of psychological thriller, plus a dash of edge of the seat action in a descriptively eerie setting. Clever and addictive with a beautifully placed ending - I loved it.

Fuller review on the website nearer publication.

I really enjoyed this book and found it hard to put down. I have never read any of this author's books before,but now I would like to go back and read them. Excellent read.

Mark Edwards never fails me. This book has gone straight into my top three favourites I’ve ever read. The characters are not only realistic but also likeable and relatable. Deliciously creepy!

Wow this book blew my mind it was full on right from the first page and didn’t let up the whole way through. It’s an edge of your seat type book, it’s tense, sad, creepy and dark.

There are a few suspicious characters so I really couldn’t pick what was going to happen, was it an accident or an abduction? Just when I thought I knew who the bad guy was another twist came up leading us in another direction.

This is my first book my Mark Edwards and I loved it, I will definitely be reading more. The book was well written, it really did have my attention right from the first page and spat me out an emotional mess at the end. Wow that ending, just Wow!

I am not going to give away any of the story, I hate spoilers, you can see a synopsis from the publishers below. This book was good, really good and I highly recommend it.

I spent a very late night, not fun on a work night trying to get up the next morning but it was a case of just one more chapter, just one more chapter before I knew it, it was after midnight and I was ¾ of the way through the book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I have no hesitation in giving it 5 stars.

Here is the publishers blurb on the

As always Mark Edwards entertains and leaves the reader wanting more. This book contains everything you can want in a scary novel. However I did find the ending a bit contrived.l. Still a good read for those fans of a Magic Cottage by James Herbert.

I always enjoy Mark Edwards books and this was no exception. I enjoyed the mystery and thought the ending was unexpected but interesting. Good character development and setting of the scene.

Mark Edwards is on my shortlist of authors that I buy or request as soon as I see a new book announcement because they've all been absolute winners. This was another hit out of the park. The Retreat is atmospheric and gripping from the very beginning. There's a constant feeling of dread suffusing the pages, making this one deliciously spooky read. It's thrilling and dark, the characters are a diverse grab bag that keep the story entertaining, and it'll keep you wondering til the very last page.

I want to start off by saying I usually love Mark Edwards books and get very excited when a new one comes out. however, this one seemed more of a supernatural one rather than the psychological thrillers that he usually writes that have me gripped from page 1 but I just found this one very hard to get into, I have given it 3 stars because he is such a good writer just the story was not for me so not the usual 5* review I would give.

The Retreat was the first novel I have read by Mark Edwards and I can definitely say it will not be the last. Right from the beginning I was hooked with this story. It takes place in Wales, which is a bit different setting from most things I have read. The town of Beddmawr to be exact, which is fictional but really hard to tell considering the detail the author put into setting the scene. The story is told mainly from Lucas's viewpoint. He is a horror novelist with one best seller and a severe case of writers block. He decides to return to his hometown and stay at a new writers retreat. That should give him plenty inspiration to get his new novel completed before deadline, no distractions. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't have been more wrong.

Lucas is immediately drawn to Julia, the owner of the retreat. It doesn't take long for Lucas to hear the gossip about Julia, her husband drowning and her child missing. While Lilly's body was never recovered, the superstitious town folk chalk up her disappearance as being the latest victim of the local urban legend, the Red Widow. Lucas though, he doesn't believe for one minute that a supernatural entity is taking these children every 35 years, and he wants to find out exactly what is going on in this town.

All in all, this book moved along rather well. It kept me turning pages, wanting to unravel the mystery of Beddmawr. If you like a good mystery, this book will be a great read.

*thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*

4 stars

Wow! This was SO good! It was a bit different to what I was expecting but it was in no way a let down. This is my second book from this author and it definitely won't be my last. It is an amazing story that held my attention the whole way through. It kept making me wonder what was going on and how it would all end. I cant say much without giving things away but I swear this was worth reading and I'd love to re-read it now that I know the whole story. If the description of this book sounds like one you would enjoy, then you defiantly need to read it!

This was another excellent thriller by this author. It certainly kept you guessing throughout!

This is the first Mark Edwards book I've read and I'll reading more of his books. What a roller coaster of emotions as we follow Luke, a writer looking into the mystery of a missing 8 year old and also getting to read the thoughts of Lily, before she went missing. The action takes place at and near a newly opened writers retreat, owned by Lily's mom. I enjoyed reading things from Lily's viewpoint, knowing her sadness because of her parents failing marriage and her fear of local scary rumors that surround her home.

Luke has trouble making headway with his search for answers due to his hit horror book about missing children.. Still, he doesn't give up despite huge obstacles and suspicions by almost everyone he meets. Lily's mom is sure that Lily is still alive, strange things are happening at the writers retreat, and towns people are acting suspicious. I didn't want to put the book down until I got to the end.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

On the cover we see Lily walking towards the forest. His Mother Julia lost her husband while trying to save little Lily. Two years later, Julia opens a kind of house as a writers retreat. The first to go there is Lucas. Speaking with Julia about the story they will think that she is still alive and that they will discover, they will never have expected this. A good book taking, with endearing characters. Look forward to reading another book by this author.