I liked this book , it was slow starting out and then picked up. You have to hang in there for a while, but don't give up. The story takes place in a small old town in an old house. The perfect setting. I could feel the desperation of the mother looking for answers. Her anger and actions were very believable. A disturbing ending for me, but it did keep me thinking about it after I finished.

I love this author. He really knows how to write something that gets under your skin. I don’t want to give the plot away but do not hesitate to read this. You won’t be disappointed. And also then go and read his other books!

*Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* First of all, I must start this review by sign-posting the fact that this book has quite a high body count. The novel is deliciously creepy and not for the squeamish. The book centres around successful author, Lucas, who has booked into a writers' retreat in order to get some serious work done. Little does he know that the small town in Wales where he is staying and where he spent his early childhood, is brimming with secrets and intrigue. Fans of Edwards' previous works, such as 'The Magpies' and 'Follow You Home' will not be disappointed with Edwards' latest offering. I was interested that Jackdaw books got a couple of references in the book, which was a tantalising touch. Overall, an excellent, thrilling novel that kept me guessing until the end. I won't be walking in the woods alone after reading this...

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Mark Edwards, Amazon Publishing, and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

In his latest thriller, Mark Edwards adds a degree of the paranormal while also creating a mystery that will keep the reader guessing. Lucas Radcliffe is still riding the wave of his latest bestseller, exploring a number of missing children who were taking by a mysterious beast. Seeking to gather himself as he begins his next piece, Radcliffe makes his way to a writers’ retreat in North Wales. On his way up to the secluded spot, Radcliffe learns more about the local lore and the proprietress’ own personal tragedy; a daughter, Lily, who went missing two years ago and a husband who drowned the same day, looking for her. Radcliffe is curious, though understandably reticent to speak about it when it is introduced to Julia Marsh. Could this story of the Red Widow have any basis in truth or simply be a way the locals keep themselves in check? Radcliffe divulges what he knows to Julia, who is still traumatised by the happenings two years before. Wishing to help, Radcliffe hires his own P.I., hoping to make sense of what he knows. When odd things begin happening inside the retreat, Radcliffe wonders more about the lore, but cannot admit to himself or anyone else that he might be ready to accept it. Julia is convinced that her daughter will be back and must be ready for the inevitable. When people tied to the community begin turned up dead, Radcliffe is convinced that there’s a coverup, both tied to the recent disappearance, but also to the lore that posits the Red Widow will arrive every thirty-five years to take a child as a sacrifice. As panic mounts and a collection of writings reveals many secrets Lucas Radcliffe may have stumbled upon something more captivating than any novel he could wish to create. Edwards is brilliant yet again and delivers a stunning thriller sure to keep the reader hooked through to the final pages.

I have always loved a good Mark Edwards novel, especially as they do not follow too strict a writing path. Edwards is able to breathe chills into his writing while keeping the story plausible and unique from past publications. His creation of Lucas Radcliffe is surely a loose mirroring of himself, an author with a collection of darker ideas. Radcliffe does come across as a little passive in his appearance throughout the piece, but does have a sense of determination, especially when a mystery emerges. He seems eager to help, though it is readily apparent that his literary net is always out, seeking tidbits for another novel that may help him further explore his dark thriller side (like Edwards?). Julia Mars proves to be another strong and alluring character, whose focus on trying to find her daughter trumps everything else. Seeking to protect herself from the outside world, Julia is less a waif than seeking to foster what little strength she has left. The cast of secondary characters are well developed and help to create a curious mystery throughout. Spanning over thirty-five years, the characters have honed their personalities and proved as secretive as they are forthcoming, creating an interesting duality that only the reader is able to see. The story may seem a little silly, paranormal in its delivery, but Edwards does a wonderful job to provide the reader with a mystery and chilling narrative that weaves into many unexpected twists and keeps the story from becoming too predictable. Layering the present narrative with both flashbacks of Lily’s final year before her disappearance and some journal entries back in 1980, Edwards keeps the story fresh and the reader engaged, which allows them to become lost and pleasantly surprised.

Kudos, Mr. Edwards, for delivering yet another powerful piece that thrills and shows just how versatile a writer you have become.

Having previously only read The Magpies by Mark Edwards, I wasn't sure what to expect with this book. I loved The Magpies as it was creepy and kept me hooked all the way through. The Retreat is the same...but better! I read it in one sitting because I was desparate to know what happened - and I wasn't disappointed. The twists that happen were unexpected and the characters made you love them just enough to be engrossed in their lives. The plot was well thought out and I look forward to reading more by Mark Edwards in the future.

I love this author, all his books that i have read, ive enjoyed immensely. Definitely recommend The Retreat, hooked from page one. Dont want to give anything away, so just read it!!!

I have been a fan of Mark Edwards for a while now, and this book is no exception! "The Retreat" combines small-town gossip, intrigue, superstitions, and old secrets into a tense mystery. Why do little girls disappear from this small Welsh village every 35 years? What do the disappearances have to do with a horror writer who has returned to this village of his youth to attend a writers' retreat? Edwards keeps the reader guessing all the way through this fast, exciting story. Another winner from Mark Edwards!

I would like to thank Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Retreat’ written by Mark Edwards in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
Julia, her husband and daughter Lily are out walking when Lily disappears. Thinking she’s fallen into the river her husband jumps in and drowns, but although Lily is presumed to have also drowned her body is never found.
Two years later Julia opens her house, ‘Nyth Bran’ in rural Wales, as a retreat for writers and Lucas writer of horror stories arrives hoping to get inspiration to complete his latest novel. After hearing stories of ‘The Widow’ who locals say appears every thirty-five years and steals a child, he becomes interested in discovering what happened to Lily. Julia is convinced her daughter is still alive, but can Lucas prove otherwise?
‘The Retreat’ is well-written and has an interesting plot but although the ending was dramatic and unexpected I thought it to be rather lightweight with insubstantial characters that I found hard to empathise with. Although it isn’t the best novel I’ve read nor is it the worst and is certainly worth reading.

Well, this is one writers' retreat where I never want to go....LOL.

The Retreat is a creepy suspense novel with multiple twists and turns making it quite enjoyable for this reader.

Julia has opened her home, Nyth Bran as a writers' retreat. Two years ago, her husband drowned and her little girl Lily disappeared. It happened when they were taking a hike as a family. Lily was walking ahead of them. After a few minutes, when neither parent could find her but her favorite toy was spotted in the water, Julia's husband jumps into the river to look for her. Julia saw all this without being able to help since she didn't know how to swim. Later on, her husband's body was recovered but not her daughter's.

"It's like I dived into the river two years ago. And I'm still under the water, holding my breath."


Lucas Radcliffe is a horror writer who's suffering from writer's block. His recent novel Sweatmeat was a great success but to his dismay writing his next book is not coming as easy as he thought. A change in venue and a new ambiance away from the city could be the solution to his problems.

When Lucas learns about Julia's tragedy, he decides to get involved. Julia doesn't think her daughter drowned. She believes someone took her. With this in mind, he decides to hire a private investigator to dig for information into Lily's disappearance. He soon learns about the Red Widow, the legend of a woman who every thirty-five years asks for a girl to be given as a sacrifice to her in order for a child not to be stolen at random. Then, weird and eerie things start happening at Julia's home. Everyone starts thinking that the house might be haunted after all but Lucas doesn't believe in ghosts or legends. The question is....Is he wrong?

I won't say any more because I don't want to spoil it for you. I can say that I thought The Retreat had a strong plot full of suspense and with a diverse set of shady characters. The Retreat also gave us Lucas who was my favorite character. He never gave up and was genuinely worried about Julia. He wanted to bring her closure.

I also can't forget to mention how shocking the ending was. Talk about revenge!

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Thomas and Mercer via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is about a missing child , Her husband died trying to save her but she dissapeared . Why does lily never get found .
Thankyou to Netgallery

Had mixed feelings about this book. I had high expectations. But felt it was more supernatural than the psycological thriller we are used to by the author. This made me mark it down as it really wasn't the story for me.

Firstly, as always, thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me a pre release copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Ok, let's just get this out of the way. I've been a big fan of Mark Edwards' work since I first read The Magpies several years ago. Since then I've read pretty much everything he's written both on his own and with his writing partner, Louise Voss. His work has never failed to impress me.

I'm not going to bang on about the plot on this one - there's plenty of information given in the description of the book.

What I will say is that this novel is most definitely up there among Mark's best work. It's engaging, it makes you want to read more, it makes you think! Do you believe in ghosts and spirits? This might well change your mind. This one will keep you guessing until the very end - I thought for a while I'd had figured it out and it wasn't until the final reveal when I found out whether I was right or wrong. I must also add that if you've never read a Mark Edwards novel before, he doesn't always give his characters a happy ending.

If you only read one psychological thriller this year, make it this one.

“It was raining, little icy needles on the back of my neck, and the river was swollen, foaming like a rabid dog.” -Lucas

I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of Mark Edwards’s book, The Retreat. Horror writer Lucas Radcliffe is staying at a newly formed writer’s retreat, hoping that this fresh venue will jumpstart his imagination as he tries to write his next book. The retreat is owned by Julia, a grieving woman whose husband drowned 2 years ago while trying to save their daughter Lily, who disappeared near the river. Lily’s body was never recovered, and Julia struggles with the lack of closure, not knowing if maybe Lily is somehow still alive.

As the group of writers at the retreat get to know one another, they each become increasingly disturbed by spooky happenings – doors that open during the night, items that disappear, singing that wafts through the halls. They also hear the local folklore about a witch called The Widow, and the line between fiction and reality begins to blur. Lucas is determined to find out what happened to Lily: did she drown, or was she taken by The Widow, and are all the writers now in danger?

The majority of The Retreat is narrated by Lucas, and his vivid and imaginative descriptions are perfect. As a horror writer, everything Lucas experiences is viewed through that lens. Lucas manages not to let his imagination carry him away, but every experience and interaction with other characters is written as though he is writing a horror story, and it works so well!

The Retreat grabbed my attention from the start, and it kept pace all the way to the end. Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received a copy of this book for my honest review. The book synopsis drew me into the book but I had a hard time staying focused . This was not the book for me. I struggled to finish the book, it was okay but not my cup of tea.

I love Mark Edwards books and usually race through them but this one was a bit different. I didn't really fall for the main character, Lucas, as much as I did with say, Jamie in Magpies. In fact, I found Lucas a bit of a sap and the other characters didn't really thrill me much either. For 80% of the book, the plot plodded along nicely enough but just not quick enough for me. It just didn't really feel like much was happening so my interest was lost. Don't get me wrong, Edwards is a wonderful writer and I will always be excited by his books. The remaining 20% was so much more entertaining and I found myself reading a lot quickly - certainly hadn't guessed the twist. I would still recommend this book, it's just a bit of a slow burner - I personally like a lot more going on.

Thank you to NetGallery for my review copy of The Retreat.

Mark Edwards' books keep getting better and better. The Retreat features a haunted house, a whole town with a mysterious secret, missing children, a tormented writer and an adorable cat. As always, the character-building is impecable, the descriptions of the fictional Welsh town and surrounding woods are so atmospheric, that it gives you goosebumps and the twist ending is so unexpected and horrific that it leaves you wanting more. Lucas, a horror author who had a big success and is now battling a bad case of writer's block, goes to a writer's retreat in the hopes that he can complete his new novel. His big success ("Sweetmeat," what a brilliant title) deals with children who are taken by an evil entity. When he finds out that Julia, the owner of the retreat, lost a daughter, he gets obsessed and begins to investigate. I thought that I had figured out what was going to happen but it completely surprised me over and over. An excellent novel!

Another great book from Mark Edwards.
Slightly different again from his previous novels however equally as gripping and left me wondering where it was going.
Really enjoyed the concept and story. As always great characters and easy to read.
Don’t want to give away the story but go read, you won’t forget it!

I am a huge fan of Mark Edwards having read all his previous excellent books including the ones he has co wrote with Louise Voss.So was really looking forward to The Retreat his latest book,unfortunately i don't think it is no where near as good as his previous books it features Julia who has lost her husband who was drowned and daughter Lily who also went missing in the same tragic accident,she opens up a writers retreat and in walks Lucas into her life who takes it upon himself to try and get to the bottom of Lily's disappearance.What follows is a decent enough read but i found the constant mentioning of witches,ghosts and old village curses just not my cup of tea at all,but don't get me wrong it may well appeal to a lot of other readers and it isn't a bad book but in my own opinion because Mark Edwards has set the bar so high with his previous books i was left feeling a little disappointed with The Retreat.Sorry Mark !!

This book was provided to me by NetGalley in turn for a review. Don't want to give a thing away. Read this book. Now!! SO great!

I usually love Mark Edward's work a lot, but this one was on a complete new level! The setting was what fascinated me from the start. It's dark, scary, but you know this is a psychological thriller, not fantasy or horror, so why are there ghosts??
The fist part is slow, but in a good way. I savoured it, reading just a little everyday and thinking about it a lot, then after 50% I just couldn't put it down and read it all in one afternoon!
Like it always is in Edwards' books you will be sure you know what's coming next but really, you don't! So if you like a good mystery and a dark setting, that's simply perfect. I found the ending believable, ok there are a lot of twisted guys there.. but who said it's not plausible?! Anyway I liked it! One of the best books this year! Recommended.