I read one other book by Mark Edwards, Follow You Home, and I knew I was going to love this one. I was really eager to pick this one up and couldn’t put it down. You have a missing child and someone willing to investigate it for the sake of the child’s mom. This is a well written book with a great plot as well as some great plot twists that will have you turning the page wanting more. Mark Edwards does a fantastic job of describing things that make places and situations eerie but definitely fits into the story line.

Having read and enjoyed one of Mark Edwards’ previous novels (The Magpies) I was delighted to be invited to join the blog tour for his latest novel, The Retreat.
A missing child. A desperate mother. And a house full of secrets.
Two years ago, Julia lost her family in a tragic accident. Her husband drowned trying to save their daughter, Lily, in the river near their rural home. But the little girl’s body was never found—and Julia believes Lily is somehow still alive.
Alone and broke, Julia opens her house as a writers’ retreat. One of the first guests is Lucas, a horror novelist, who becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to Lily. But within days of his arrival, the peace of the retreat is shattered by a series of eerie events.
When Lucas’s investigation leads him and Julia into the woods, they discover a dark secret—a secret that someone will do anything to protect…
What really happened that day by the river? Why was Lily never found? And who, or what, is haunting the retreat?
I went into The Retreat expecting a thriller, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that this had darker undertones and an almost horror story vibe, so much so that I wasn’t entirely sure whether the outcome would be supernatural or whether there would be a rational explanation for everything. I won’t spoil it for you, but I thought that this aspect of the novel worked really well, and it added a little something extra to the missing child story, as I found The Retreat to be an extremely creepy novel, and I loved the atmosphere throughout.
The plot was fascinating, and I desperately wanted to know what happened to Lily on that day by the river. The police have all but given up their investigation, convinced that the most obvious answer is the right one and that she drowned, her body swept away by the fast-flowing current. The novel opens with that day by the river before moving forward two years to Lucas’s arrival at the writer’s retreat, and so the reader knows a little more than the characters in the novel, but not much. This was a story that kept me guessing to the very end, and I didn’t even come close to putting together a halfway decent guess as to what had happened.
The Retreat is predominantly narrated by Lucas, with a small number of chapters told from Lily’s perspective in the run up to that fateful day at the river. I thought that this structure worked brilliantly, and whilst Lucas’s investigation continues to result in more questions than it answers, the reader gets a little more insight from the Lily chapters, although the who / what / when / where / how remains elusive until the very end. I have to admit that I didn’t really like Lucas all that much, but this didn’t stop me enjoying the novel at all – the story was plenty to keep me engaged. And I REALLY wanted to know what happened to Lily.
The Retreat is a brilliant thriller with a hint of the supernatural thrown in and is a novel that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend. Just don’t read it in the dark.
The Retreat was published on 10 May by Thomas & Mercer and is available in digital and paperback formats. Many thanks to Gabriella Drinkald for the opportunity to read and review this title ahead of its publication.

What a page turner. Characters were believable, setting scary, and the plot spine tingling creepy. I would highly recommend this book. I for one could not stop reading it and the more pages turned the deeper I fell. I will be reading more of Mark Edwards book and so should you!

When I tweeted my excitement at reading this novel, Mark replied and said he wanted to keep me and other readers up all night. Well, hats off to you sir, you did just that. There will be many many people having read this today on its release date who are looking forward to going to sleep tonight. That’s if the dreams don’t get them that is.

There’s something especially thrilling about a writing retreat going wrong. I’ve come across a few in fiction and delight in meeting the characters, seeing what goes on and Mark Edwards gave me such a gift with this lovely lot! Scarred and weighed down with so many secrets, a missing girl believed to have drowned and a hidden chapel in the woods.

The locations are fictional thank goodness. Imagine if it was a real retreat! either no one would go now or it would be overpopulated by horror writers. The cover of the book is eerie enough but wait till you get inside....

I rubbed my hands with glee with the twists and turns of these urban legends and stories based n myth and in the deep dark woods, anything can happen. Mr Edwards makes sure of that....

I agreed to read The Retreat without knowing much about it based solely on the fact that it was written by Mark Edwards. His book The Magpies was brilliant and since I read it I’ve been wanting to read more of his books.

The Retreat is set in a secluded cottage near a small village in Wales. The owner, Julia, suffered a huge tragedy and has turned her cottage into a writers retreat and author Lucas soon arrives, desperate to get some writing done after producing a best seller but struggling to come up with an idea for his next book. Three other authors are already staying and together they make up a mixed bunch that would never normally be together.

Soon strange things start happening and the visitors aren’t sure what’s going on and why. Lucas has picked up on the sad story behind Julia and is determined to investigate what happened in order to give Julia closure. This quickly gets him into trouble, taking the rest of the visitors with him. The question is who will survive?

I don’t like horror books, I used to but as I’ve grown older I have to admit that I no longer enjoy being scared. The Retreat isn’t really a horror book, but it is definitely spooky and I’m sure that some might find it scary so be warned.

I really liked the first-person account of Lucas’ journey and the story is predominately told by him. The story sucked me right in and kept me hooked and although I thought that the ending was a little bit neat and tidy I enjoyed reading The Retreat.

Thank you to Thomas and Mercer for a copy of The Retreat by Mark Edwards. I was under no obligation to review the book and all thoughts are my own.

The Retreat is the latest release from one of my favourite authors, Mark Edwards, and is available to purchase from 10th May onwards. You can catch my reviews of some of Mark's previous books by clicking the following links (be warned, there may be a spot of fangirling): Follow You Home, The Devil's Work & The Lucky Ones (I have read more than these three, but they were pre-blog so no reviews to share. Shame on me!).

Normally, after finishing one of this author's books, I sit back and think, 'Wow, could that happen to me!?'. I didn't do that this time, which is probably something I should be relieved about. The story felt a little more 'fictional' than others before it, but that's neither here nor there. This is another fantastic addition to Mark Edwards's catalogue of outstanding psychological thrillers. How does he do it?! Time and time again! (Honestly, if you've never read anything by this author then you are seriously missing out!).

You may know me as a die-hard crime fan but I'm also a massive fan of the horror genre and The Retreat is billed as a psychological thriller with a horror twist. If the word 'horror' puts you off then don't fret, it's a not a gruesome, gory slasher fest (which I love, by the way). The horror is provided by a small community's fear of its own fables. A myth handed down through the generations, from parent to trusting, mesmerised child about a witch; the Red Widow. The Retreat shows the reader the terrifying consequences of an urban legend, and the uncomfortable power an adult has over a child's beliefs to tease...and terrify. And ultimately, what terrible damage can be done.

Lucas Radcliffe is our main protagonist and possibly my favourite lead in a book ever. He's a horror writer, recently bereaved after the horrific death of his girlfriend and following his one bestseller is struggling to get anything he's even remotely proud of down on paper. That's why a trip to Nyth Bran, a new writers retreat seems like such a good idea. Particularly as it is just down the road from where he grew up as a child and he knows Beddmawr fairly well. That's where he meets Julia, widowed owner of the writers retreat and mother of missing daughter, Lily. Life hasn't been kind to Julia; her daughter disappeared and was believed to have drowned in the River Dee, her husband leapt in to save his daughter only to drown himself. Julia firmly believes that Lily is still alive and convinces Lucas who sets out on his own mission to find the truth. That's when the strangest things start happening at Nyth Bran and to the residents of Beddmawr...

Most of the chapters in the book are narrated in real time, but every so often the reader gets to hear from Lily before she went missing back in 2014. I thoroughly enjoyed these chapters and marvelled at how well Edwards managed to replicate an 8-year-old girls voice (I have a 7-year-old daughter myself so feel I'm fairly well qualified to comment!).

Would I recommend this book? I would. Read this and every single other book written by Mark Edwards as I can guarantee, you will not be disappointed. If you're looking for a book to make you feel a little on edge, a book to take you to places you never imagined and to witness deeds you never foresaw, then give The Retreat a go. Such a compelling, well-written and accomplished book and one I devoured in just over 24 hours. Mark Edwards remains one of my very favourite authors and can't seem to do anything wrong in my eyes.

Four and a half stars out of five.

I chose to read and review an eARC of The Retreat. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Mark Edwards is fantastic!
I love every book that he writes. His characters are well developed and the story is beautifully thrilling

Happy Publication Day! WOW. Where do I begin? The Retreat is a must buy and must read from me, it has gone straight into my top twenty books of 2018.. A bloody brilliant story that I would recommend to you all. A well deserved five stars. Very Impressed.

I love the cover of this story! If that prologue doesn’t grab the readers attention and pull them in then I don’t know what will! A gripping opening that had me intrigued and hooked until I finished the story. I couldn’t put it down, The Retreat is a sleep stealer of a book. This story is a fast paced thriller which is easy to read and contains short chapters.

The Retreat is chilling, dark and will have the hairs on your arms standing to attention. It will have you looking over your shoulder and on the edge of your seat until you have devoured it. A story that you cannot read alone with the lights off at night! Creepy. This is one writing retreat which you don’t want to be on. A cleverly written story. Is it true what the old tales say? Will the truth be set free? You will have to read on to find out. Brilliant belter of a book, very high expectations for future books after this one.

So did I love this book? I sure did, every chapter of it! Buy it, you won’t be disappointed.

I finished the retreat by Mark Edwards a few hours ago, and I am still trying to digest it. First off, I found the setting and location intriguing. Some of the characters were a little bit over-the-top, but the main characters were interesting and deep. I got a bit bored halfway through, but I am so glad that I stuck with it. The reveals at the end of the book were both exciting and satisfying. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Having read almost all of his work so far. I couldn’t wait to read The Retreat by Mark Edwards! I follow him on Twitter and Facebook and I’ve been excited about this book since he first announced he was writing it. When the synopsis was revealed, I knew this was going to be another brilliant book from Mark Edwards.

As usual, his writing is very good and well paced. There is just so much content there that keeps you constantly guessing how this book would end up. I really enjoyed the build up and the big reveal and couldn’t put it down once the story really started to progress. I was completely thrown by this one and I would never have guessed where it was going. That’s why I love Mark Edwards’ books so much - there are so many clues but so many red herrings thrown in there that the final reveal just feels so rewarding! Very enjoyable and I’ll definitely recommend and read again myself.

4 big stars from me for what I hope will be another Mark Edwards bestseller!

A very big thank you to Mark Edwards, NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Lucas, a horror novel writer, has returned to his hometown in Wales for a little R and R and checks into a writer’s retreat run by Julia. Lucas is soon caught up in Julia’s life and her tragic past. Her husband drowned two years earlier trying to save their daughter Lila. Lila’s body was never found and Julia is convinced that her daughter is alive somewhere. Lucas becomes obsessed with finding out what really happened to Lila, and he and Julia set out to uncover the truth, not knowing someone will do anything to keep that truth from coming to light. Edwards is a consummate thriller writer and his fans will not be disappointed with his newest

Okay .. so this book had all the bells ringing for me when I started reading, for reasons that don't mean anything to other readers I am sure, but made me smile. I have a great-niece called Lilly and her brother is Lucas ... Add in the fact the Private Investigator in this book is from an area of Telford just a couple of miles from where I work and ... well. It amused me.

Those small coincidences aside, I absolutely devoured this book. Totally a one afternoon sitting kind of a read. As soon as I picked it up I knew i was going to have to set aside any other plans (which were in fairness rather limited) and just devote myself to reading as I was hooked from the off. Setting the scene in the most dramatic of ways - the disappearance of young Lily. So small, so innocent, a scene so totally shocking that took me completely unawares that I was compelled to read on to find out what was going on and why.

Cue the main body of the story. Writer Lucas is trying desperately hard to write a follow up to his massively successful novel but struggling to find muse or focus after the loss of his long term partner. Booking himself into a writer's retreat near his hometown, he has no idea of the history of owner Julia, and the tragic story which haunts her. The longer he stays at the retreat, the more he finds out about Julia and her missing daughter, Lily, the more determined he is to help her find peace. As Lucas starts to look into what happened on that fateful day years ago, terrifying things start to happen, not only at the house, but in the neighbouring community, events which put everyone's lives at risk.

Man, oh man, what a story. The whole idea of a missing child is bad enough. Who would abduct a young girl and can she possibly still be alive after all this time? But when you take this most harrowing of circumstances and give it a Mark Edwards twist, you are assured of a read which is not only thrilling but, in this case, totally chilling too. Capturing some of the uncertain and creeping edge which underpinned The Devil's Work, and there is a nod to that book in that Julia used to work as an illustrator for Jackdaw, Mr Edwards has pulled together one hell of a read with an undercurrent of unease from start to finish. Mysterious noise in the walls, spirit guides, unexplained voices singing in an empty bedroom - the atmosphere in this book is eerie to say the least, the mystery compelling.

What I love about Mark Edwards' work is the way he is able to make you so invested in the characters. He has quite the mixture here, beginning with Lucas, damaged by his personal loss and able to easily identify with Julia as a result. He was a character I warmed to immediately, and this is just as well as the  majority of the story is told in first person from his perspective. Julia was harder to get to know but as a quiet character, easy to sympathise with her and her overwhelming sense of loss. The other writers, Karen, Suzi, Max and eventually Ursula make up a real mix of characters, from the slightly odd to the downright rude, but all felt real. Then there are the villagers, all trying to keep their own counsel as secrets from the past do not make for good reading.

There is a sense of the otherworldly about this novel, local superstition and folk-lore informing the story in surprising ways. So many suspects to divert your attention and so many people who had made such grave errors in the past which now begin to impact the present. The pacing of the book was spot on, matching the story with slower periods of reflection contrasting against the high tension, heart thumping moments of peril. Skin crawling characterisations kept me on high alert and as segments of the story moved to Lily's perspective in the months leading up to her disappearance, I could feel myself being drawn deeper and deeper into the story. This was quite probably my favourite book so far by this author. Top stuff combining all the things I like in a story - chills, thrills and a good old-fashioned mystery.

And then that ending ... Just desserts? Quite possibly but not what I was expecting. Bravo sir.

Fantastic book. Real fan of Mark Edwards and this book didn’t disappoint. In depth character development and full of twists

NOTE TO PUBLISHER I am part of the blog tour for this book so will publish my review on my blog on 9th May as part of the tour - here is what I've written ....

I’ve been lucky enough to be one of the very first to read his new book and I’m delighted to report it’s as excellent as his previous work which include his debut The Magpies and the terrifying Follow you Home.
My Review
In his latest psychological thriller Mark draws on his experience as a writer and bases his newest work around a writers retreat in Wales. A book with a small group of authors as many of its main characters makes the keen reader feel instantly at home and that’s how author Lucas feels when he arrives at the writers retreat run by Julia but his peace of mind is soon to be shattered by a plethora of inexplicable and spooky occurrences. As an established horror writer Lucas should be used to strange goings on but a recent tragedy, the death of his girlfriend have left him shaken and mistrustful.
Perhaps this is why he feels drawn to Julia, owner of the old country house she has recently opened the doors of to a host of writers. She too knows the pain of loss, she has never come to terms with the deaths of both her husband and her only daughter Lily. Despite the 2 years have passed since the dreadful accident which took them both from her she is unable to accept that Lily is actually dead, especially since her body was never retrieved from the swollen river which swept her away and in which her father drowned trying to save his daughter.
Rural Wales is brimful of legends and myths which should provide the ideal inspiration for Lucas’ writing be he struggles to find the right words, his writing muse has fled. So he immerses himself in local life and listening to the scary legends which include the Red Widow who steals young children and consumes them.
Hi fellow writers turn out to be a disparate bunch with whom he has less in common than at first he hoped, and he soon becomes enamoured with the beautiful Julia and takes it upon himself to try and help her by secretly investigating the mystery which remains around her lost daughter. With the help of a young private eye he sets out to find what really happened to Lily, hoping to provide closure for Julia, but he opens up a whole can of nasty wriggling worms that twine ever more tightly around him and he ends up making matters between them worse and even putting his own life at risk.
Local residents are deeply superstitious and secretive and he realises more is being concealed than revealed as he doggedly battles on to uncover the mystery around Lilys disappearance and that 35 years earlier of another pre pubescent girl.
It would seem that nobody can be trusted. Nobody is telling the whole truth and it appears that local legends which indicate something supernatural going on seem to have some foundation after all. Despite his sceptiscism, after all as a horror writer he knows things that go bump in the night are firmly made up just to scare people. But when the truth is finally uncovered its far more terrifying than anything he could have dreamt up.

I’ve only read one other Mark Edwards book so I was intrigued enough to give this one a go. Unfortunately though, I didn’t gel with it. Missing child books have been around a lot lately, and I just didn’t get on with this one. Yes, in parts it was atmospheric, and I like Mark’s writing style, but I wasn’t gripped by the plot unfortunately. Fans of the psych chiller genre will love this one, but it wasn’t for me!