The Wasp Trap starts with an eerie kind of elegance—six old friends reunited in a lavish London home, reminiscing about the summer of 1999 when they helped build an online dating site based on psychological profiling. But beneath the nostalgia is a pulsing dread. Because this isn’t just a dinner. It’s a trap.

Told in alternating timelines between 1999 and 2024, this twisty thriller slowly tightens its grip. What began as a memory-lane gathering turns deadly when the guests are forced to either reveal their darkest secrets—or risk being eliminated one by one. The real kicker? The tool they once created to find love may have also been used to identify and isolate psychopaths.

This book delivers on every level. It’s sharply written, with a smooth dual-timeline structure that never feels jarring. The characters are all vibrant and distinct. Just when you think you’ve pegged the villain, the story pivots, leaving you breathless and second-guessing everything.

What I loved most is how Mark Edwards weaves suspense with psychology. This isn’t just a whodunit.

The final chapters and that epilogue? Cold. Brilliant. Unshakable.

If you like books with dinner party tension, moral ambiguity, and layers of creeping dread—this is your next obsession. #atriabooks #markedwards #thewasptrap

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this ARC

Mark Edwards is easily becoming one of my favorite authors and this book is another example why! This is a gripping story full of twists and turns. I read it in a day and couldn't put it down

(3.5 rated up) This is an extremely readable psychological thriller with a decent-sized ensemble and a split timeline that focuses on a group of former co-workers reuniting after the death of their former professor/employer. As per usual, the group is filed with largely unlikable people, all hiding secrets, with someone also wanting revenge for an act that was committed the summer this group spent together. Of course, as is the case with every thriller/mystery, the “events” that went down 25 years ago are nearly constantly alluded to, but given no explanations or answers until later in the novel. The book stays mostly in the head of one character, with a few exceptions, and I can’t expand on that without risking spoilers. I did like the twists this one took and I liked the ending as well. I burned through this really quickly - it’s extremely easy to read and a good addition to the psychological thriller canon.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“The Wasp Trap” by Mark Edwards is a locked-room psychological thriller that blends past and present secrets, a chilling dinner party, and a twisted game of survival. With dual timelines—one set in the present and the other flashing back to 1999—it unravels the mystery behind a once-promising research project gone horribly wrong and the long-buried truths that come to light when its former participants reunite.

The book follows Will, a writer who was once part of a close-knit group of university students working on a revolutionary online dating project and a controversial "psychopath test" under the guidance of an acclaimed professor. Now, twenty-five years later, Will and his former colleagues are invited to a lavish dinner party at the home of two ex-classmates. But as the night unfolds, it becomes clear that someone has orchestrated this reunion for far more sinister reasons. Secrets from their past begin to resurface—secrets that someone is willing to kill for.

At its core, “The Wasp Trap” thrives on suspense. Edwards plants subtle hints early on, creating an atmosphere of unease that steadily intensifies. The mystery surrounding the research project’s sudden shutdown and the tragic death of the professor’s nephew keeps the reader intrigued. While the concept of old friends harboring dark secrets isn't groundbreaking, the addition of the psychopath test and its implications add a fresh layer to the story. However, I did feel that this aspect wasn’t explored deeply enough, and the mystery itself could have used a stronger hook. Some of the drama was pretty melodramatic, which made me lose some interest as the story progressed.

The pacing didn’t really help as the plot was initially slow with the dinner party setup taking time to gain momentum, but once the twists begin, they come hard and fast. Around the 75% mark, an unexpected revelation shifts everything, making it impossible to put the book down. The ending, while shocking, is well-executed, tying up loose ends while leaving a chilling final note—especially regarding Georgina’s daughter, Mia.

Character-wise, Will serves as a functional but somewhat bland narrator, with his long-standing obsession with Sophie feeling a bit tedious. The rest of the ensemble cast is a mix of intriguing and forgettable personalities, with Lily standing out as the most compelling due to her hidden motives. Some of the criminals’ actions stretch believability, and a few plot points, particularly the Olivia subplot, feel forced. Still, the book’s claustrophobic setting and slow-burning tension make up for these shortcomings.

While “The Wasp Trap” does require some suspension of disbelief—especially in terms of the characters’ reactions to certain events—Edwards delivers a gripping, twist-filled ride that fans of psychological thrillers will enjoy. The epilogue, in particular, leaves a lasting impression, ensuring that you will be thinking about this book long after you’ve turned the final page.

This story is a slow burner that gets better as it goes on. A group of six former co-workers from their post-university days gather to celebrate their ex-boss who recently passed away. They haven’t seen each other in 25 years and are looking forward to reminiscing. But not everyone looks back on that time fondly and it soon becomes clear that there was an ulterior motive to this celebration. One that might keep everyone from making it out alive.

The friends become trapped in the large tech-equipped house that’s locked down so that no one can physically leave or get a phone signal to call for help. What is it that the perpetrators are after? A secret from 25 years ago – but they won’t say what it is about, only that they’ll know the correct secret when they hear it. So you would think under the threat of violence that everyone would spill at once, right? But no, they don’t. Until the first person dies. The secrets get more serious as they are revealed, but each time you think it will be THE secret, it’s not.

The plot thickens and you realize that some terrible things happened to these terrible people and you wouldn’t believe where it leads! It’s more crazy and twisted than expected and I wasn’t able to tear myself away! Just be prepared, as there is a LOT of discourse regarding psychopathy and how to determine who is one or could be one and how to keep them from being the worst version of themselves. And ultimately, are they even the most dangerous people or is it the ones you never expect?

The Wasp Trap is a fast paced and diabolically clever with twists and turns that you wont see coming.

Expect the unexpected with Mark Edwards: I do but I am always taken off guard.

The Wasp Trap is a locked door mystery full of secrets and lies, deception and so much more.

It is told in a dual time line with the past being in 1999 when the characters all meet up for the first time when they take a job to help a professor develop a web site for online dating.

The project did not end well or on the best of terms.

Flash to the present and six of the friends are back for a reunion at the home of Theo and Geraldine.

It will be a reunion that they will never forget .

Someone is keeping a secret and in order to survive the secret must be revealed.

Mark Edwards takes the reader on a tense journey full of twists and turns, red herrings and an ending that is unforgettable.

Thats all I am willing to say in order not to give too much away.

Be prepared it is almost impossible to put The Wasp Trap down.

I hated the book to end .

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the privilege of reading and reviewing The Wasp Trap.

#TheWaspTrap #NetGalley
One of it's kind. 5 ⭐
Mark Edwards delivers another gripping psychological thriller with The Wasp Trap, a dark, twisty tale of secrets, deception, and deadly consequences. Blending a locked-room mystery with a psychological game of survival, this novel is a must-read for fans of Lucy Foley and Alice Feeney. Six friends gather in a stunning Notting Hill townhouse to honor their late mentor, a professor who brought them together in 1999 to develop a revolutionary dating website based on psychological profiling. What begins as a night of reminiscing soon turns sinister when they receive an unsettling ultimatum: confess their darkest secrets or eliminate each other—one by one. As the night unfolds, it becomes clear that their predicament is linked to the past. The professor’s love questionnaire, originally designed for matchmaking, was secretly repurposed into The Wasp Trap—a tool for identifying psychopaths. What happened during that fateful summer in 1999? And is one of them a killer hiding in plain sight? Toggling between past and present, the novel unravels layers of betrayal, paranoia, and shocking truths, leading to a chilling conclusion.
Likes :-
1 Intriguing Premise: A dinner party that turns into a deadly psychological game? The setup is instantly compelling, reminiscent of The Guest List and The Hunting Party.
2 Dual Timelines Done Right: The story moves seamlessly between past and present, keeping readers hooked as they piece together how past events fuel the current nightmare.
3 Unpredictable Twists: Mark Edwards masterfully builds suspense, keeping readers second-guessing motives, alliances, and the true nature of The Wasp Trap.
4 Atmospheric and Tense: The Notting Hill setting adds a layer of sophistication, but the tension inside the townhouse is suffocating, making for a claustrophobic and gripping read.
Dislikes :- None.
Overall :- The Wasp Trap is a chilling, cleverly constructed thriller packed with secrets, betrayals, and psychological mind games. If you love locked-room mysteries and stories about dark pasts coming back to haunt people, this book is for you. A perfect blend of suspense and paranoia, it keeps you guessing until the very last page.
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for giving me an advance copy.

WOW!! This sensational, locked-room thriller was one wild and crazy ride! I could NOT put it down and binge read it in less than a day. With an ensemble cast of questionable characters at a dinner party that quickly spiraled into a sick, twisted game, I knew that I was in for lots of fun and excitement. And Edwards did not disappoint! He NEVER disappoints! This story is told in a dual timeline, switching between past and present POVs. We are provided multiple mysteries from both times that are significant to the plot. The whole psychopath aspect was extremely interesting. There were so many secrets and lies, but I still was not prepared for the unexpected turn this story took. There were a few jaw-dropping, epic reveals that I never foresaw coming. What a fantastic story! I loved every minute of this book and cannot wait for Edwards' next adventure! I highly recommend this one! It's a MUST READ for thriller fans!

Note: Congratulations to Mark Edwards on The Wasp Trap being his first book to be published in the US by a traditional publisher! What a well-deserved achievement!!

Huge thanks to Atria Books for granting me early digital access via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!