Just the right amount of creepy, this would be an amazing story to curl up and immerse yourself into, a perfect one-sitting read. It is dark and atmospheric, chilling and absorbing. It gets a bit wild and hard to believe at times, but it's so well-crafted that I didn't mind. Mark Edwards has mentioned that he drew inspiration from his little girl returning from school and sharing that her classmates were talking about the old "Bloody Mary" tale. Most of us heard variations of that story when we were young, and this book reminds us of that slightly excited, nervous, and just a little afraid feeling we had.

Julia lost her whole family in one day. Her husband drowned as he tried to save their daughter Lily, while Julia could only watch helplessly from the shore because she cannot swim. While his body was recovered, they never found her daughter... and she believes she's still out there somewhere, alive and waiting to be found. Perhaps she was taken by a stranger, swallowed into the woods before her parents could notice and they just assumed she'd fallen into the water. With no proof either way, she seems doomed to never know.

Two years later, she has opened her home to writers who seek a peaceful retreat to work on their craft. One of them is Lucas, who is here for inspiration. His previous work was a horror novel, and it was very successful. Now he's experiencing a bit of writer's block. He's unaware of Julia's past, and she's clearly unaware of his, as his first book dealt with missing children. Lucas immediately feels a sort of connection with Julia when he finds out about her tragic past, as he's experienced devastating loss of his own. He quickly becomes a bit obsessed with finding answers for her. If Lily didn't drown, where is she? Could she still be alive? Or is she still in the river? As the writers at the retreat get to know each other, some strange things begin to happen around the house and in the woods... is he getting too close to the truth?

I received a copy of this book from Net Galley and Thomas & Mercer, thank you! My review is honest and unbiased.

What’s not to love about a story set in a writers’ retreat in Wales? Sounds idyllic, doesn’t it? Except in Mark Edwards’ story, The Retreat, something’s not quite right. What are the strange sounds the guests hear? Figments of their imaginations, or something more sinister? And there’s something eerie and mysterious about the woods that surround it as well.

I was very quickly caught up in this story which slowly revealed itself to be a clever blend of mystery, folklore and thriller. Horror writer Lucas comes to stay at the retreat to rediscover his voice and inspiration. The beautiful owner, Julia, has recently suffered a double tragedy – her daughter went missing, presumed drowned, and her husband drowned in the river trying to save her.

Even though the pace, especially during the first half, is mostly gentle, this book is seriously gripping. I loved the effortless use of the English language. There was a touch of everything in this multi-layered tale: superstition, folklore and legend; grief; romance; murder; and an intriguing back story about a tragedy that happened many years before. The story gets more and more chilling as it unfolds – and this has to be the best epilogue I’ve read for a long time! I was nowhere near guessing the outcome, and most of what happened took me completely by surprise.

A great, if a little slow to get going, thriller. Fab concept and great characters. A well thoguht out plot, and a real kick a#s ending!

What a great read this was. I found right from the opening pages I was reading in anticipation of something happening. What a spooky little read this was, I really did think something was going to jump out of my kindle at some point.

This is easily one of those books that once you start, you know you are rarely going to be putting it down until it's finished. I managed to read the first 60% of the book while I was being a good girl and resting. Unfortunately the school decides it has to close and i'm expected to go collect my child, or i'd probably have gotten it finished that afternoon. It really does become difficult to put down. I felt it was quite a different read for me, but different not in a bad way.

I liked the characters in this book I thought they all went well together to help build the story. I especially liked Lucas, he seemed a determined character once he got something in his head, he had to act on it.
The plot was brilliantly done, Lucas has gone to a writing retreat. A beautiful relaxing getaway at this retreat in Wales. It is to help him focus and concentrate on writing his latest book. Nyth Bran seems like the perfect place for this. Only the perfect place to relax is certainly not what it turns out to be.
The Retreat is run by Julia, who is widowed after her husband dies 2 years ago, her daughter also went missing at the same time. Convince she is still alive Julia clutches at anything that will get her answers.
Lucas becomes very distracted while at the Retreat, and is interested in the tale of how Julia's daughter went missing. There seem to be some odd goings on at the Retreat and it's not the quiet chilled out place he was expecting.
Things are happening in this old house, and no one seems to have any answers as to why.

What a fantastic edge of your seat, hold your breath read this was. I found at times I really was holding my breath, it gets creepy in parts and as I said earlier i really did think something might just jump out at me. It's not a super scary book, so please don't let me put you off reading it. It has a great story line with a slightly spooky element.
​Well worth reading.

4.5*

Gosh, but, this is so good!

Creepy ghostlike happenings at a writers retreat in deepest darkest Wales. The owner is a lady whose husband recently drowned and whose young daughter disappeared on the same day.

The lead character, Lucas, is a horror novelist (whose books sound amazing) visiting the retreat whilst wrestling his own personal demons.

I’ve read Mark Edwards’ previous work and this doesn’t disappoint.

The storyline is so gripping and well written and the characters at the retreat offer other mysterious happenings, all of which made for a book I could not stop reading, fabulous!

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Thomas Mercer for the opportunity to preview this book.

When Lucas, writer of a best selling horror novel, books into a Writer's Retreat near his old childhood home in Wales he doesn't expect to walk into what could be the set for one of his own books. He just wants to immerse himself in writing his next book and making his publisher's deadline. Instead he not only finds himself investigating the recent disappearance of a child but also uncovering secrets about another child who disappeared 35 years ago, when he and his family still lived in the area.

As well as being a psychological thriller, this is quite dark and creepy with elements of horror. As a writer of Horror stories, Lucas should know better than to go traipsing off into the dark woods where the Red Widow is said to lie in wait for stray children, but he keeps doing it and bad things happen. An excellent gothic tale weaving old folklore, ghosts and legends into modern events for a spine-tingling story.

Very good, with some great characters who have some interesting pasts and current lives, enjoyed the writing style with the past and present chapters.

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.3.5*

An atmospheric creepy story set in Wales. Lucas an author has lost his writing mojo and goes to stay at a newly opened writers retreat in a fictitious town set in North Wales.

Julia is the owner of the retreat, a young widow who lost her husband and daughter in a tragic accident. Lucas is one of four authors staying there.

Immediately there are strange happenings, a young girl's voice singing in Welsh, food going missing, ghost like appearances in the bedrooms. This book did have a supernatural feel to it which I am not a fan of but it did enough to keep me interested without me having to roll my eyes and suspend belief.

The ending was a little predictable and a bit schmalzy for my taste but overall a good story.

I have been obsessed lately with thriller suspense books. I was really excited to read this one. It sounded really good and creepy. I enjoyed this book. This was the first book I have read from this author and I do plan on reading more. I really enjoyed the creep factor and the anxiety of this read.

A horror writer, Lucas, decides to spend some time at a writing retreat. He is currently in a writer's block kind of way and he needs a little peace and quiet. Once he is at the writer's retreat he finds the owner has recently (in the last two years) lost a little girl in the forest. He finds the details frightening close to his book and he feels he must solve the case. He likes Julia, the owner of the retreat, and he feels for her. He wants to find out what happened to this little girl. Soon it is discovered that there is something really off that happens in this town and everyone blames it on the Red Widow, but it seems the entire town or someone who gets around wants to keep it all under wraps.



This book was pretty good. I found it slow in parts and the mystery, well at least part of the mystery was a little to easy to figure out but for the most part, it was good. I found an amazing creepiness in the tone and in the setting it really helped set the entire book up for what I wanted.

I think the only issue I really had with this book was lack of connection to the characters. I didn't dislike the characters. I just wasn't emotionally attached. I did like their role int he story and I liked their backgrounds. Something just stopped me from really connecting. There were a lot of characters to keep up with. There were only two major characters, Julia and Lucas, but there were a ton of other characters. The story is told in 3rd person and switches a lot. So I had a hard time keeping up and I think that hindered my connection level. But the connection wasn't bad, just not as much as I like.

I did like the story and the plotline. I feel it played out very well, and even though I was able to guess some parts, I was still shocked by some reveals. There was a lot going on. There was the past story of Lucas, the stories of others in the writers retreat, stories of the townspeople, and of course Julia's story. It was a lot to keep up with and I feel there were some filler parts but all in all. The story was good. The ending was quite a shocker and I feel that this story isn't over even though it is.

I think the best part for me was the feel of the book. Total creepville and that is what I was in the mood for. SO it was a good read for me.



I really enjoyed this book and it did its job well in the creepy and crawly department.

The Retreat is a heart pounding roller coaster thriller mystery that needs to be read. The book centers around Julia, a woman who lost her husband trying to save their daughter's life when she fell into a river when they weren't looking. When the book opens, Julia is just opening her home to guests as a peaceful retreat from the norm. Soon, however, strange things begin to happen. The book has many characters and things get a little confusing (or they did for me, at least) but once things straighten out and real connections are established with the characters and the plot, its smooth sailing. Excellent blend of psychological thriller and creepy supernatural mystery. I definitely loved it!!

Enjoyed this one to a point. Interesting story that gets a little to surreal towards the end.

Lucas, a writer of horror stories decides to return to his childhood hometown in Wales, to a writers retreat to try and work on his new book.
What he finds is a story that he could easily have written himself and he is drawn into the mystery and becomes obsessed with finding out what has happened at this retreat house.

The owner Julia is a young widow. Her husband drowned two years ago while out walking with her and their young daughter Lily who apparently was swept into the river first and her husband lost his life trying to save her.

Julia though is convinced that Lily is alive. She has kept her room as it was and will do anything to find her. She’s an emotional wreck, barely able to function. Mark becomes sucked into the mystery of whether Lily did drown or may actually still be alive and missing. So much so that he hires a private detective to see what she can uncover about the case and the small town itself.

When fellow writers at the retreat start to hear singing from the walls in the house and strange noises it seems like the house may be haunted. A local folklore tale of a Red Widow in the woods snatching a child to eat every few decades is taken a little too seriously by most of the locals and, although Lucas has no belief whatsoever in ghosts or Red Widows or anything supernatural, the more he investigates the more it seems there may be supernatural elements at play. A few of the locals certainly believe 100% in this old tale and are swamped with fear.

I certainly enjoyed this one overall. The tone of the book is very appealing and the undercurrent of “something bad” lurking just off the page is brilliantly and atmosphericly written. Whether that something bad is supernatural or natural, well the reader is kept guessing for large parts of the book.
The belief that something supernatural is occurring in this small town proves to be the most potent force. Whether there is or isn’t is secondary.

I enjoyed the first half of the book more than the second if I’m honest. The set up is intriguing and the whole thing is very nicely paced and the use of flashback very effectively used. As Lucas delves deeper into the goings on you become more hooked on the story as you wait to see what the hell is going on in this town.

As the curtain of the mystery is slowly drawn back in the second half, I found myself a little disappointed. A complicated and slightly convoluted set of reveals certainly left me underwhelmed and a little more deatached from the book and the characters than I had been in the first half. The final few pages I found fairly annoying and a cheesy end. Predictable and not at all chilling, just a little silly.

Despite my misgivings about how this book did eventually play out, I did quite enjoy it. It’s my first Mark Edwards read but there was enough in it to make me want to read more by this author.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer and Mark Edwards for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book.

When Lucas Radcliffe, a horror writer down with writer's block and the pressure to submit a new book to his editor, joins a writer's retreat in a small town near the woods where he used to grow up, he didn't expect to meet a beautiful mansion owner with a dark past. In this thrilling novel, he discovers what Julia, the owner of the retreat has been living with in the past, and tries to find out the explanation behind her daughter's disappearance several years ago.

I started reading this book not expecting anything and not knowing much about where the story will take me. It definitely took me to places I did not expect, but definitely in a good way. This novel is not just a mystery novel. It has many different elements combined: a little bit of horror and suspense, mystery, family drama, ghosty-supernatural-y elements, psychological thriller, and action. If this doesn't sound like your kind of book, don't bother picking it up. Granted, this is quite a long read. Reading it in my Kindle, I have no idea how long this book is, but I definitely took my time reading it. But the plot is constantly moving - though sometimes in a more slower pace - and something always happens after something else, and Edwards just keeps you guessing and wondering all the way. Plot-wise, I thoroughly enjoyed the entire mystery and how everything unravels in the end. I wasn't a huge fan of the relationship between the characters, or the romance, but when it comes to business (aka crime solving), and creativity (that ending!), this book nails it.

The main character Lucas is sort of your typical white male, middle-aged protagonist with a (mostly) kind heart and good intentions, slightly smart enough to figure things out but sometimes acts a little too impulsively. I enjoy his point of view, his past and his thoughts, his feelings and observations. I also enjoyed reading about Julia, though she's more of a well-written character in my opinion, personally I wouldn't be friends with her in real life, but I thought in the book she was a great character. Other than that I have nothing much to say about the other characters, they are all great contributors to the story and the flow of the book, and it's nice to have a likeable protagonist that doesn't annoy you too much.

I also really enjoyed the writing style in this book. I've never read anything by Mark Edwards, nor have I ever actually heard of him before, but I enjoyed his rather long narrative but not too descriptive writing, and how he describes action-packed scenes or more slow-moving ones. He's great at capturing the moment and the feel of the moment, especially in emotional and interesting scenes.

Overall, with a great mystery and premise and interesting characters, added with the great resolution in the end and the pleasant writing style, The Retreat is never a boring read, and would make a great thriller novel to read in the winter days.

Mark Edwards deserves to be more widely read and this might be the book that helps to propel that to happen. Early buzz has been very strong and the creepy cover alone is going to draw readers in to his brand of darkness. As a paperback original, this one is tailor-made for summer – easy to pack for vacation and affordable for the budget.

Loved this book.....I am biased I love all Mark Edwards book, just not enough hours in the day to sit and read.....
Great story, loved the characters the flow of the book, easy to keep up with, easy to follow......Lots of suspense, lots of twists and turns....
Recommend this book.

This was a damn good spooky story! Lucas, a horror novelist goes away to a writers retreat in hopes of finishing his latest book and becomes enthralled with Julia, the owner of the house whose husband drowned on the property the same day her daughter went missing. Lucas is determined to help Julia find out if in fact her daughter is missing or has died. Strange happenings both in and out of the house begin to interfere with the investigation and add to the overall creepiness of the story. Great ending too!

5 Glorious Stars!

Dear Mr. Edwards,

It’s that time of year again—“Mark Edwards buddy read with my friend Jan” time. You don’t know how much we plot and prepare for this annual affair. Our goal of course is to beat you at your own game. After
another year of practice with other people’s books, we felt ready to take you down this time.

Hmmm…a disappearing kid plot. We’ve read plenty of these, Mr. Edwards. We are feeling pretty darn confident here. Oh! It’s taking place at a writer’s retreat in an old house in the North Wales countryside. OK, a point for you. This is a refreshing setting. Very refreshing.

Score for us on the characters. Pretty daring of you to have only a finite number of characters in this story. Did you not realize that gives heavy odds in our favor of determining who took the little girl? I wouldn’t think a seasoned author like you would make a mistake like that. Go us!

Geez, you are trying to rattle us with the ambience, I see. Did you have to give that isolated house voices and make it the setting for a myriad of other strange and totally creepy incidents? And those woods harboring that witch. Not to mention all that stuff happening in the dark. I wouldn’t have touched this book if I knew you were going to make it so freaking sinister, Mr. E. You are just trying to shake us up so we can’t think here. I’m charging you with a foul.

With such a small cast of characters everyone gets plenty of airtime. You do earn a credit for this as it kept us off the flow-busting Search Button. BUT, the more we saw of these people, the more complex all the relationships seemed to get, and it was darn hard to say who was trustable here. You really took up a lot of our time making us try to figure out who was telling the truth and who wasn’t. For gosh sakes, you just couldn’t make it clear who the good guys were and who were the nasties, could you? We went back and forth on these people so many times we felt like human boomerangs. Can’t you write a straightforward character, Mr. Edwards? Demerit!

I must give you props though for that labyrinth of a plot. Holy cow, that was a twister. You insisted on making us pay attention right from the get go. I never saw such a pileup of “bread crumbs” all mixed in with those little red herrings you love so much. It seems every couple of pages there was something to dwell over and wonder if it was relevant or not. Let me just say that skimmers need not apply for this book. And that ending. Wowzers, man! Really though there were two endings. Double Wowzers. That first one sent real live chills up my spine. A thousand mega kudos for that, Mr. Edwards!!! And how about that info dump over the last 20% or so of the book. Boy, that was like Christmas morning getting all those dazzling reveals. So yeah, OK, you are a clever one, you are. I’ll give you that.

It pains me to give you two points in a row, but that little maybe, maybe not romance plotette was really well done and incredibly realistic. And subtle, just the way I like it. You must have cheated and had a high level psychiatrist write that part for you. Come on, ‘fess up, Mister. Darn good stuff.

Now let’s get to the good part. I guessed the baddie. Yes sir, I guessed the baddie. Sort of. I suppose I have to admit I had every single character on my list at one time or another so I reckon I was automatically going to win this point. But who cares. I can cheat if I want, right? I’m taking the score.

Oh, you get a final point for sneaking in little references to a couple of your previous books. That was fun. We’re sharing the glory though as we picked them up.

Darn. We’re done. And it’s going to be ANOTHER year before you can write another one. Gosh, I’m old. Can’t you write faster, Mr. Edwards? Maybe if you go out to that retreat in the countryside of North Wales, you could get some tips on how to write faster. Just don’t get sidetracked out there….

Love eternally,

Your fan,

Christine

I’ve always thought of a writer’s retreat as a serene oasis in the middle of nowhere where authors sit quietly tapping away on laptop keyboards, sipping whiskey on the rocks and thoughtfully rubbing their chins occasionally. Mark Edwards has created a decidedly unrelaxing destination in his small town in Wales, the setting for this particular retreat.

Two years ago Julia lost her family in a dreadful accident. Her husband drowned trying to save their daughter Lily in a river. Even after all this time Lily’s body has never been found and Julia still carries a spark of hope that somewhere Lily is still alive. Needing to make ends meet she decides to turn her remote country house into a writer’s retreat. The remote location is beautiful and she hopes it will prove inspiring.

One of her first guests is Lucas, a horror writer. A tragedy in his personal life has left him struggling with his latest book. Up against a deadline from his publisher it is time for him to leave London and find the book inside him that he is struggling to get to grips with.

When Lucas learns about Julia’s past he becomes obsessed with Lily and the search to find out what really happened to her. In the dark woods by the house he discovers a deadly secret, one beyond even his ghoulish imagination.

A superb mix of urban legends, folklore and the supernatural fuel this fascinating and engaging thriller. Another masterpiece from Edwards and one that you won’t be able to put down once you start reading.

Supplied by Net Galley and Thomas & Mercer in exchange for an honest review.

UK Publication date: May 10 2018. 356 pages.

#TheRetreat #NetGalley

This is the first book by this author I have read and after reading The Retreat it wont be my last.
The author's storytelling was fantastic, it was a story that captivated me from the first page and kept me turning the pages to find out what would happen next.
I did think it was going to have a supernatural element, but it was just folklore/legends that people believed in. I kept thinking I had the story figured out, I knew who had taken Lily. But I was wrong, the author kept throwing a curve ball and every chance he had.
I really enjoyed the description that went into the surrounding area, I could clearly picture the place in my head and it made the story more interesting to read. There was this atmosphere that the author created with this book, somehow the story came across as dark and oppressive. I can't quite put my finger on what it was I just know that it worked fantastically with the story.
The story lost a bit of a it's mojo in the middle, but soon picked back up.
I really liked Julia's character she was a women that had lost her husband and daughter. She was just trying to get through life and come to terms what had happened to her daughter. She never believed the police when they said she had drowned in the lake.
I found Lucas hard to connect to, he wasn't a bad character but he was just a plain ordinary guy.

I enjoyed the book but I wasn’t thrilled with the ending.

Julia’s daughter went missing and her husband drowned in the river trying to save/find their daughter. Julia is unable to move on from the incident, and turns her home into a writers’ retreat. Lucas, a horror writer, returns to his old town in Wales and stays at the retreat in hopes to finish his book. Strange things start happening in the retreat after his arrival. He is determined to find out what happened to Lily.

The book started off interesting, with a eerie feeling that I was in for a thrilling and scary ride. I wanted to know what happened to Lily and what could be a realistic reason for what is happening in the retreat and the town. I was disappointed towards the end. The book talks a lot about folklores, myths and the supernatural, all of which I don’t believe in or care for. There was too much going on in the end and I wish it was an ending I would’ve been able to figure out.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of the book, in exchange for a honest, unbiased review.

Mark Edwards is back again and his latest novel, The Retreat, does not disappoint! If you like his other books, you do NOT want to miss this one!

The Retreat is everything a spooky, haunting, psychological thriller aught to be... plus a touch of the supernatural! You will not want to put this down. The creepy townsfolk and their stories will give you goosebumps with their urban legends as you follow along with Lucas trying to figure out what happened to a missing girl- did she drown? Was she kidnapped? Does her ghost haunt her former home? Is her disappearance somehow related to a case about a missing girl from 35 years ago? And does the Red Widow really exist? You will have yourself questioning everything and everyone.

Special thanks for to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and OF COURSE, Mark Edwards for this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.