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.

The Retreat is everything I came here for. Often as suspense grows, so does my anxiety that the author won’t be able to deliver. But Edwards expertly serves not only twists and turns, but surprising reveals that really make sense. If you enjoy dark mysteries and feeling like knowing what happens next is more important than sleep, The Retreat is for you.

*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.

This author is becoming one of my new Favorites. Couldn't put it down!! This book had it all.. i kept trying to figure it out again and again. Keeps you on the edge of your seat wanting more. Great book and would recommend to my friends. Can't wait to read more from this author


Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an Early release copy.

This is an intense read! A page turner from start to finish. I truly enjoy books that keep you guessing and make you think. I found myself at times stopping to think about who, why and where. Though it is a slow read I was still hooked on it. Will recommend this on my blog..

"It was time to go back into the dark."

Truer words have never been spoken! That's how I felt going into this book. When I can finish a novel within 24 hours, you know it's a winner! I blew threw this one everyone! Let me tell you... this one is so full of twists it's like you're on a roller coaster in complete darkness and you don't know which way you're headed. Mark Edwards delivers yet another gripping and chilling novel.

Lucas Radcliffe, a best selling horror novelist, is on a tight deadline, one that is fast approaching. In an attempt to meet this deadline he makes a decision to attend a writers' retreat. Yes, the seclusion and atmosphere should be exactly what he needs to get him back on pace. Only shortly after arriving he learns that the Julia, caregiver and owner of the writer's retreat, Nyth Bran, is also suffering a terrible loss. He learns about her husband who drowned in the local river trying to save their young daughter who they believed fell in, though her body has never been found. Julia believes that her daughter never fell into that river. She believes that her daughter is still alive, that she's out there somewhere and that someone has her.

Lucas, now too distracted to write by what he has learned of Julia's past decides he wants to help and hires a private investigator. Only, he doesn't tell Julia about it because one, he doesn't want to get her hopes up, and two, he's afraid of her reaction. She might not be so understanding of his generosity and mistake his kindness for his own personal gain. It's not far into the investigation and things hit a dead end. Suddenly, Zara, the private investigator says there's nothing else to investigate, and the police have done all they could to locate Lily, and then she too disappears. Lucas becomes unsettled by her disappearance, and suddenly people who have been questioned about Lily's disappearance are turning up dead. Surely this can't be coincidental.

The townspeople believe that Lily was sacrificed to The Red Widow, a witch that eats the souls of young children. An urban legend, no different from Bloody Mary or the Boogey Man, but the problem with small towns, is that there is someone that always believes, and when you believe, fear can be a powerful motivator.

Can I just say, I loved how Mark Edwards included little references to his previous work, such as Jackdaw Books, The Shropshire Viper, and of course the magpies. I also loved how he makes references to some inspiration he's found in previous work, such as The Diary of a Young Girl and The Chronicles of Narnia.

"As we entered the room we saw Karen, leaning into the wardrobe and yelling as if she'd discovered Narnia but the door to the magical kingdom had slammed shut."

It's clear that with this novel he found inspiration in many different pieces of work, which considering he writes psychological thrillers speaks highly about him as an author. I could see the bit of fantasy mixed in, but of course, it overflowed with suspense and mystery.

This was an excellent read with well developed characters, lots of suspense and twists, really, what's not to love? And that ending! Oh my! I highly recommend this to everyone!

I want to thank NetGalley, Amazon Publishing, Thomas & Mercer, and of course, Mark Edwards for allowing me the chance to read this fantastic novel in exchange for my review! I can hardly wait for the next one Mr. Edwards!

P.S. I want to thank my new friend, Victoria, for buddy reading this with me!

A great slow-burning thriller with twists and turns that you'll never see coming!

Julia is a bereft woman who has lost everything of value to her: her husband who tragically drowned in the river and her daughter Lily who disappeared on the same day. The police closed the case long ago despite never having found Lily's body. Everyone in town assumes that she is dead and drowned in the river alongside her father, but that Julia refuses to believe it simply because she's a grieving mother.

Nonetheless, Julia refuses to accept her daughter's death until she sees proof of it. Therefore, her imagination fills the gaps in her mind with all the horrible situations that her child must have experienced. Two years after her world fell apart, she opens a writer's retreat in her home. She allows authors, both prominent and new, to stay with her in order to be able to write their books in peace away from the distractions of larger cities.

Lucas, a bestselling horror novelist, joins a few other authors at the writer's retreat. He grows frustrated with how easily everyone has dismissed Lily's disappearance and decides to take it upon himself to search for answers. By doing this, he has inadvertently uncovered a web of secrets and deception that go further than anything he could have ever imagined. Secrets that someone would kill to remain hidden.

Mark Edwards is a fantastic writer. This novel starts off at a slow and steady pace with plenty of character development and world building right before it begins a rise in anticipation and suspense.

I had many theories as to how this book would end and guess how many of them turned out to be correct? Not a single one lol. Although there was one small part that I was able to predict, it rapidly shifted into something completely out of left field that hadn't even occurred to me. I loved how it kept me on my toes. There were parts of it that had chills climbing up my spine.

This only marks the second book that I've read by Mark Edwards, but it certainly won't be the last! I look forward to reading more of his books!

Special thanks to Thomas & Mercer Publishing and Mark Edwards for approving my request to read the ARC through Netgalley!

We all have fears - often fears that we have clung tightly to from our childhood; some of the fears being mere urban legends told to scare and warn, others built on fact. The Retreat is a lurid, sickly addicting tale - that gets into your spine and spreads a chill throughout your body; leaving you gasping for breath, drowning in words, as your pulled into the pages of the book.

The Retreat, is a tale of Lucy, a child who goes missing - thought to have drowned in the river with her father on a family walk in the woods. However, told by Lucy, in the first chapter of the book - there is always more to a story than what is written. Tales of fokelore and myth add color to the disappearance of Lucy - surrounding a tale of the Widow, who takes children as a payment for her wronged past.

The Retreat, was my first encounter with the author Mark Edwards and I vow this will not be my last. A book that at the last page, leaves you entranced, vindicated and somewhat distributed - The Retreat is a book that deserves more than a mere 5 stars allowed by Goodreads.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC. ❤️

4 and 1 / 2 stars

Lucas, the narrator and horror writer has one very popular novel so far. He is suffering from writers’ block and travels to Wales to seek inspiration. Karen is a middle-aged woman writer who has enjoyed modest success. Max is a famous novelist who is rather stuck on himself and tweets constantly. He also is chasing Suzi. Suzi is a very young almost writer of erotic novels. She is working on her first book with the aid of Max. Julia is both the owner and hostess of the writers’ retreat.

Two years earlier, Julia lost her husband to the River Dee and her daughter Lily went missing. The police think Lily drowned, but her body was never found, unlike Julia’s husband’s body. Alone and broke, she opened the writers’ retreat as a means of income. But perhaps it’s too soon. She is fragile and sad.

Lucas begins experiencing strange things such as hearing a child singing in the night – from behind a door that Julia told him never to enter. Karen has begun to witness occurrences as well. Her sandwich went missing and dead animals show up in her room. The house cat, Chesney, does not hunt.

Lucas decides to hire a private investigator named Zara to look into Lily’s disappearance. When all of the usual channels are exhausted, Zara and Lucas begin to imagine the impossible. Zara interviews a retired librarian who knows more than he is saying. He speaks of the Red Witch who snatches children.

The four writers return home after an evening in the local pub when they can’t find Julia in the house. Lucas finds her in the cottage in the woods. It is Lily’s birthday and Julia has made a cake and taken it there.

When Lucas speaks to his mother via Skype, she tells him about a child that went missing some thirty years earlier in the area. When Lucas tries to call Zara to have her check it out, she does not answer her phone. He leaves a message.

Karen has a meltdown in the middle of the night. She sees and hears things. She leaves for home the next day. Lucas is very worried about Zara not responding to his messages. He gets in his car to go and look for her. When he goes to the place she was staying, the owner tells him that Zara left the day before. When he leaves her a voice mail, Zara responds via text message that she hit a dead end and left. She said not to worry about her fee, and she paid for the hotel herself when Lucas said he would pay. How odd? What is going on? And more news, the elderly librarian man Zara spoke to had died the day before as well.

Following a productive week writing his novel, a new guest showed up at the retreat. Her name is Ursula. She wrote a best-selling novel about her spirit guide. Then Lucas has a visitation in the night. His phone and his favorite pen have gone missing.

Ursula says she saw a little girl outside. She also tells Lucas that she is sorry for his loss. Ursula knows things. Whether she’s read it online or divines it; this is unknown. Julia rushes out of the house. She knows Lily is alive and out there. It turns out to be Megan, Lily’s best friend.

What follows is an exciting chase to discover the truth. Is the house haunted? Does the Red Widow really exist? Is Lily alive? When Lucas and Julia discover secrets about the house, their investigation is set afire. They begin to make connections that the police have missed. A journal is found and it is very revealing.


This book is very well written and plotted. It was a delight to read. The tension began almost immediately and continued throughout the story, increasing as the sightings and eerie noises increase. The story reads linearly, that is to say that one event followed another in pretty much a straight line. I appreciated Mr. Edwards’ word choices. I like Lucas’ character as a struggling writer; it seemed so real. Julia was perfect at the grieving mother. I have taken a recent interest in Wales and its people, so reading a book set in Wales was nice.

I want to thank NetGalley and Amazon Publishing/Thomas & Mercer for forwarding to me a copy of this exciting and wonderful book to read and enjoy.

I really enjoy Mark Edwards books and was delighted to receive a copy of The Retreat. This thriller was full of myths and scary tales told to the local children about a witch they called The Widow. Lucas is a writer that is having problems finishing his latest book. He goes to a writers retreat in Wales to get some peace and quiet to work. Julia who runs the retreat is a widow who's husband drowned trying to save their young daughter but the body of her daughter was never found. Lucas becomes fascinated in this story and decides to look into the mystery. I really enjoyed this book and I am looking forward to reading more of Mark Edwards books. I would like to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am a big fan of Mark Edwards work and jumped at the chance to read his latest novel 'The Retreat'.
Lucas is a horror novelist and when facing writers block decides to stop at a writers retreat. The Retreat was set up two years ago by Julia who 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. When Julia opens her house as a writers’ retreat, one of the first guests is Lucas, 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.
What really happened that day by the river? Why was Lily never found? And who, or what, is haunting the retreat?
Mark Edwards certainly knows how to write very good stories, this book is full of suspense, thrills and I am sure will be a big success.
I would like to thank Net Galley and Thomas and Mercer for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

As a huge Mark Edwards fan I couldn't wait to read this book and I was not disappointed. I read this book in 2 days, I just couldn't put it down and needed to find out what happened next after every page. The setting and themes were perfect and such an unexpected ending. I love reading about urban myths and the one created for this story (whilst echoing the lead characters own horror novel) was terrifying in the best way possible. I will be recommending this book to everyone upon release. I feel this is Mark Edwards best yet!
Thankyou to the publisher for this opportunity.

Fantastic thriller from mark Edwards as always kept me hooked right u to the very end

*4.5 stars

Only my second book by Mark Edwards and I can safely say that he' s quickly becoming a favorite. I struggled to put this book down. It was highly engrossing! This was part mystery, part gothic, and based on urban legends. You know? Like those myths you hear about when your a kid: bloody mary, the boogeyman, etc. This one has the Red Widow. It seems that everyone in this small English town is very superstitious about the Red Widow. When Lily goes missing while out for a walk with her parents, people assume that she was sacrificed to keep the Widow satisfied. Her mother Julia believes that she's still alive and never gives up hope that they will be reunited. When Julia opens up a writers retreat, strange things begin to happen. The occupants begin hearing a child singing, seeing people that aren't there, items going missing, a strange voice telling them they aren't welcome there. Is any of this real or are there other other forces at work? One of the writers, Lucas, starts investigating but inadvertently begins a horrible chain of events. Very well written, to the point where your wondering if the Red Widow truly is real. Mark Edwards truly knows how to write a mystery!

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

n The Retreat, Mark Edwards does not only delve into the thriller genre but also thrusts the right amount of horror into his writing. No chapter goes by without an insanely shuddering scene featured within its pages.

The Retreat follows the story of horror novelist Lucas Radcliffe, who goes back to his childhood hometown- beddmawr, where he plans to settle at a writers' retreat in hopes of getting his dose of inspiration to work on his new novel.
Let me introduce to you the remaining guests of the Retreat:

Karen Holden is a luxurious-looking woman in her fifties who loves cannabis and entertains the reader with the most hilarious conversations. My personal favorite character.

Max Lake is a literary fiction writer. He is almost always found accompanied by another guest...

Suzi Hastings, a young blonde woman who spends her writing time with Max in order to help her work on her own very first novel.

Julia. She's the owner of the house. She's an ex-illustrator for children's books. She is haunted with the guilt and shame provoked by her daunting past- a tragedy that took away her entire family. Her young daughter Lily, had disappeared two years ago and everyone keeps convincing Julia that her daughter is dead. But does she truly believe that?

Things begin to get a whole lot more interesting when- as the author put it, 'strange occurences' start happening inside the house: a voice humming Welsh songs in the middle of the night, echoes of creepy whispers 'you're not welcome here', Lucas' belongings disappearing from his room, doors opening on their own, and more traumatizing events caused by an old scary tale of 'The Red Widow'- a witch who comes back to town every 35 years to claim a child.

And so what begins as a writing opportunity for Lucas turns into a journey of seeking the truth and uncovering the mysteries behind the sinister happenings of the town of Beddmawr.
'Is Julia's daughter Lily dead as everyone claims, or might she still be alive?'
'Is her spirit wandering around the house and haunting the guests of the Retreat?'
'What's exactly in the numberless room and the basement which Julia anxiously keeps off limits?'

I loved how, even when things are finally figured out, some particular characters still had some loose ends to take care of, leading to an insanely suspenseful and deliciously plotted ending.

Brilliantly written, The Retreat represents the spookiest book I've read this year. It's terribly sinister and twisted, and therefore my favorite read of 2018.

The book comes out May the 10th!

***Thank you to Netgalley, Mark Edwards and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with a copy of The Retreat in exchange for an honest and unbiased review***

The Retreat is a spooky, nail biting thriller that will have you hooked, the gripping goes storyline was brilliantly written and what an ending!!!

A brilliantly creepy premise, a perfectly scary setting and just the right amount of twists and turns, not to mention the excellent characters and a nice hint of small town folklore... and the ending was spot on. I predict a(nother) huge hit.