The Retreat by Mark Edwards is a thriller with mild horror elements in which a young girl, Lily goes missing and little evidence is left to find her. The story is a little clumpy to start off with, the writing seems to be a little laboured but once we get to the action about a third of the way in, it starts to loosen up and a suspenseful atmosphere is created. Julia the mother of the missing child who has lost her husband in the search for Lily, opens her house as a writers retreat where she has four guests stay. Lucas one of the guests, who has also lost a partner, signs up to complete his novel but has difficulty focusing and insists on trying to help Julia, by finding out what happened to Lily. The plot thickens with historic disappearances and the horror story of the red widow spread by children and parents alike, leading to a lengthy, twisty and yet quite satisfying conclusion. Would recommend.

A slow burn that was absolutely brilliant. I loved everything about it. As a writer myself there was so much I could appreciate here - the differing author personalities, the need to "know" answers, the mystery while still having an entirely plausible (rational) explanation. I did not see the end coming, I'll admit that. Usually I find this type of book very predictable and while I did have part of the answer it was a small part so well done for that ending! I would definitely read more by this author. It made me feel very much at home since I'm from there and could really picture everything. Well described, the theme of the river continuing the whole way through helped bring the book together well.

I could not put this book down. This is my first read by this author and I was blown away. From beginning to end it kept me in suspense and wondering who did it. Kudos to Mark Edwards for a great job.
This ending had more twists an turns than a maze
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good psychological thriller.

Lucas stays at a cottage in Wales where he joins fellow writers for a writing retreat.
Lucas is a horror writer and he’s searching for inspiration for this next best seller.
The other guests at the house are a mixed bag with their own worries and emotional baggage. The host of the retreat centre is Julia. Julia lost her eight year old daughter, two years ago. The girl was presumed to have drowned in the local river, along with her father who dived in trying to save her. The body of the father was found but not that of the daughter, and, against all the evidence, Julia has clung to the belief that her daughter, Lily, is still alive.
Lucas is attracted to Julia and a romance blossoms. He also becomes obsessed with Lily and he hires a private detective to dig around and find out more. He himself begins to question the police findings. He becomes suspicious of several members of the close-knit, local community, of which his own mother and father were a part. Lucas has suffered a loss himself, and this gets thrown into the mix.
Strange things start to happen at the house – noises in the night, sounds of someone coming and going, ghostly singing. A couple of the other guests start cracking up. Lucas doesn’t believe in ghosts but the horror writer in him is hooked on the incidents and he begins to wonder what is real and what is imaginary.
It’s all pretty spooking stuff. I thought the author did the supernatural element extremely well and we see how each guest is weakened by the weird events. (I think that’s all I can say about the story – if you want to find out more you’ll have to read it.)
My favourite parts of the book were the first third, when we are getting to know the group and the villagers, and the middle part where the spooky events really ratchet up.
In summary – this book is a great mystery, supernatural suspense and the author has a lovely, fluid writing style. A highly enjoyable read.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book. This is my honest review.

Y’all should just read this book! Yeah, that’s my review! I should just leave it at that, right? Seriously though, this book is awesome and I hope that all fans of thrillers will get a chance to read it.

The story begins with Lucas’ arrival at a writer’s retreat. Lucas has one successful book to his name but is currently struggling to find inspiration for a second book. He hopes that a retreat at a secluded location will help inspire him. Julia is the host of the retreat which is also being attended by three other writers, Karen, Max and Suzi. The vibe of that place is super spooky. The house is huge, old and has some unusual noises that have everyone on edge. In addition, Julia’s daughter, Lily, has been missing for over two years. All these contribute to a very, creepy, atmospheric read.

I couldn’t stop turning pages once I started reading this book. The plot was interesting and it moved at a fast pace. I was curious about Lily’s disappearance. The police believe that she drowned and her mother was certain that she was alive somewhere. I couldn’t decide which version to believe and so I eagerly followed the narrative waiting for the reveal. The story had quite a number of twists. None of which I could have predicted. I can’t even begin to explain the number of times my jaw dropped.

I loved everything about this story. I enjoyed the narrative style where urban legends were integrated into the story hence contributing to the suspense and creepy atmosphere. The Retreat by Mark Edwards is an amazing, descriptive,captivating read. The surprises just kept coming until the end. I can’t wait to read more books by this author.

I never fail to be impressed by this author. I thought I had it figured out SO many times but I was completely wrong. The story is completely addictive and new! I’ve never read anything like this one. Clever with an amazing twist! So many lies and secrets. You can’t go wrong with this one!

One of the first psychological thrillers I read was by Mark Edwards. I thought it was fantastic and I have since eagerly looked forward to his new releases. This was no exception. I was drawn in immediately and didn’t stop until the end. Folklore, shifty suspects, it has it all

I received an ARC from Net Galley and publisher Thomas & Mercer in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVE Mark Edwards. I don't think I've actually reviewed any of his books properly before but I read through all of them about two summers ago. He is one of the few authors where I have consistently loved everything he's done and The Retreat is no different.

For starters, the setting of this book is amazing. I have actually been on a writer's retreat to Wales before and this book captured the creepy atmosphere brilliantly. I also love the basic idea. The main character is a horror writer (whose biggest book is clearly a homage to It) famous for writing about missing children. He accidentally chooses to stay at a place where the woman who runs the retreat had her child go missing. It provides the opportunity for a lot of great character interaction, as well as a solid reason for him to get invested in the mystery.

Before I get too gushy, this book isn't perfect. The story gets a little convoluted near the end, although I still found the ending satisfying. There's also a recurring thing that Mark Edwards does which is he describes female characters somewhat sexually, even when they're not meant to be love interests. It's very minor in this book but I still noticed it to a degree.

On the whole though, I would still very much recommend this book. It has an exciting story and I could not predict where it was going, which was so refreshing. Even if it got a little convoluted, each new hint to the solution was surprising to me and I could not put it down whilst reading it. There are a lot of genuinely creepy moments in here as well, or little atmospheric things which really strengthen the story. Ultimately this is another great book from Edwards and I highly suggest you pick it up.

Overall Rating: 4/5

This is the first book I've read by Mark Edwards, but I will now definitely be looking at his other works! This was a very enjoyable dark, creepy mystery that had me questioning the motives of all the characters involved and an ending I didn't see coming!

The story is a very cleverly written thriller based around a remote Welsh village. Lucas is an author struggling to write his next book, so heads to ‘The Retreat’ to focus on his writing. He quickly gets involved with the other residents as well as the B and B’s owner. You soon learn the background of the B and B and village in which it’s based, with local folklore and witch’s thrown in for good measure. As the story unfolds you learn more about children who have gone missing and it becomes a bit of a ‘who done it’. The main characters are very likeable and the story is definitely a little creepy.
This is the first Mark Edwards book that I have read, but it certainly won’t be the last. This book has all of the ingredients of a fabulous thriller - It’s fast paced, gripping and totally believable. I enjoyed this book from the first page and found it hard to put down.

I have just finished reading The Retreat. I need a retreat after reading this scary ghost story. The story is about a writer who goes to a writer's retreat to write his next book. There he meets Julie, who husband has died and her daughter has disappeared. 2 years have passed since this happened but Julie refused to believe her daughter is dead. The story takes place in a small town full of myths. The biggest one being the widow, who every 35 years steals and eats a child. Lucas refuses to believe that the widow has taken Lily. He set out to find the truth. I read this book in 2 days, unknown for me. It has a bit of everything, including love. A real 5 star read. I loved It and hope to read more by this writer.

I love a story involving old folk lore and this didn’t disappoint. It’s chilling, creepy and if read late at night and alone may even give you the willies. Highly atmospheric with an old retreat and eerie woodland setting this hooks you in from the first page and like “the widow” doesn’t let you go.

Mark Edwards had had an amazing amount of success with his spectacular, scare your pants off psychological thrillers and The Retreat is another brilliant novel!

The story of a women who after her life falls apart opens up an inn for authors to come and work on their novels, a retreat of sorts, a place to get away so they can work in a peaceful environment. But is it peaceful, or is it haunted, a missing child, mysterious deaths, and thing that go bump in the night... are they dreaming or is it real.

The Retreat is a must read Mark Edwards novel that does not disappoint!

This is my first time reading this author but I think I've found a new favorite! The storytelling was tremendously creepy. I was captivated from page one and couldn't put it down. I had to bargain with my family this weekend to get more time to finish the book as I had to know how it ended! They got more screen time and I was able to get all of the answers. The story was so well written with lots of twists and turns and a few spots where I think I was holding my breathe. I'll be picking up more of his books and letting my reader friends know about this one!

Atmospheric from the first page, Mr Edwards has created a dark and occasionally deeply disturbing book. The characterisation was excellent, thoroughly believable, well drawn people who I felt connected to straight away. A very clever, very intricately woven tale of intrigue, folklore and the issues involved when you live in a small, close knit community. A real page turner. Kudos Mr Edwards.

Julia opens a writing retreat two years after the disappearance of her daughter and the loss of her husband who died diving into the river to try and save Lily who they believed had fallen in after running ahead. Julia is convinced that Lily is still alive somewhere and disagrees with the police who were convinced that she drowned. Lucas one of the guest writers at the retreat decides to try and help Julia find out what happened to her daughter, that is when he hears the legend about the Red Widow...

Mark Edwards is one of my go to authors and I have read every book that he has brought out so far. This book didn’t disappoint. It kept me interested and wanting to read just one more chapter. The story didn’t go in the direction that I thought it would go in. I love that I can still be surprised and not work it out.

Typical story by Mark Edwards although not as creepy as some of his work it is still a fantastic story. I could not put it down as I was enthralled from the beginning. The writers at the retreat were so diverse in character and so some friction was caused. The story unwinds in perfect timing to give the reader just a little bit more information every so often. The idea of the Red Widow that runs throughout seems so real yet bound in urban myth. What is the truth about her! Does she eat children every 35yrs or not?
Loved the ending great job Mark and I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes this genre.

What a great read. Creepy, dark and thrilling, I could not put it down until I knew the truth about the Red Widow.
I am a sucker for books about small town communities full of secrets and lies and this fits the bill nicely.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.
My very first book by this author and I have no words to describe how much I loved it. It was creepy, chilling, thrilling and very suspenseful. I enjoyed it so much. Well written, with likable characters. I highly recommend it.

I’ve read a few of Mark Edwards backlog books. The Retreat is quite a bit different in some ways but super similar as well. I really enjoy his slow build ups. Now I’ll be honest, I struggled with that first 20% of the book. It was a bit slower than I like suspense book to be. But, I get it. Mr. Edwards needed to set the stage, build the characters, and get us right where he wanted us. Once that was set, I felt the build up steadily increasing. My favorite thing about The Retreat is I had no idea what the story was giving me... what it was hinting at. While Mr. Edwards gave me all the puzzle pieces he did not show me a picture to follow. So it took me a while to put everything together. That impressed me. A story that can keep me in the dark nearly the entire time is a talent! I can usually rattle off the ending based on what I would do in the authors place and generally, I’m correct.

Now, I’ve included the synopsis above my review so I’m not going to rewrite it in my own words. However, what I will tell you is that Mr. Edwards sticks to what he’s used to writing but strays a little bit with The Retreat. This book, while he wrote in a similar way, he was still able to give his readers something unique, something original. There was a large cast of characters but they all held their own and made an interesting addition to the story. I found that the closer I got to the ending the quicker my heart was pounding, the quicker I was flying through the pages. Adding in folklore and local myths from the town made the story super creepy and you wondered if there was a paranormal or ghost aspect to this story. I didn’t realize how invested I was until I had 10% left and I was devouring the last of it.

I received an ARC of this book with the hope that I would leave an Unbiased Opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that... my opinions.