Lucas, a well known novelist, is surprised that he is struggling with his latest horror novel. He feels devoid of ideas and motivation and he already knows he is well behind schedule. He decides to clear his mind of hustle and bustle of his everyday life and visit a remote Welsh writers retreat, hoping he will respond to the solitude and peace of the stunning scenery, finding the inspiration to unblock his cluttered mind.
There are only four guests resident at the fledgling venture that Julia has recently opened. She needs to have something to concentrate her efforts on. Two years earlier she had lost her husband when he was trying to rescue their daughter Lily who had fallen into the river when they were out walking near their lovely home. Her daughter’s body was never found and Julia still believes in her innermost heart that she is alive, but taken by an unknown person. She had only been out of sight for a few moments when they spotted her cuddly toy floating downstream, a precursor to the tragic drowning.
Lucas is determined to help Julia heal. He secretly hires a private detective, suspecting the locals have closed rank to protect one of their own. It is not the first child to disappear without trace. There are all kinds of myths and legends that the locals believe in, including a flesh-eating Witch who feasts of the bodies of pre pubescent girls. He is obsessed with uncovering the truth but unknowingly he opens a can of worms that leads to an escalation of heinous crimes that put Lucas’s life in grave danger.
'The Retreat' is a fast paced and very exciting novel about superstition, buried and closely guarded secrets and someone who will do anything to keep the events of the past hidden. It is both terrifying and horrific at the same time. The storytelling is superb and electrifying. Mark Edwards has skilfully created a whole range of interesting characters that fit well into his twisty and intricately clever storyline. This novel is an absolute gem that kept me absorbed and interested from the very beginning right up to the very last paragraph. With local folk lore and a tinge of supernatural elements, I never once predicted who the perpetrator of the crime was. The ending was so well thought out and satisfying that I have no hesitation at all in recommending this novel as an excellent read. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas & Mercer through NetGalley in return for an honest review. The opinions expressed are completely my own. It’s a 4.5* review from me.

Thank you to Net Galley, the publishers and Mark Edwards for an ARC copy for an honest review.

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?

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, and becomes involved emotionally with Julia the owner of the Retreat.

From the bestselling author of Follow You Home and The Magpies comes his most terrifying novel yet.

The Retreat is for me a darker, more chilling, more urban psychological thriller than any previous books of Mark Edwards.

A four star book why not a five star, well just a little t00 much urban, too dark, although as always I enjoyed the writing , the tension, the various collection of characters, not sure if I can believe in witches, myths the folk story part of the book.

But the tension and a whole collections of suspects keeps you guessing all the way, right to the end.

Mark Edwards has become a fave of a good friend and myself. So I was super happy to get this one early in exchange for a fair review.
I’m not a plot rehasher, so let me just say-damn!
This book is creepy and keeps you on your toes. I really was not sure at all what was happening, and that’s rare. And I loved it! The suspense, the mind fuckery, the characters, even during the slow parts I was intrigued.
Love it!

WOW! This book was AMAZING!! I enjoyed that Mark Edwards kept the twist and turns going all the way till the end. The whole book i kept having theories of what was going to happen and each time i was proved wrong and that my friends is when you can tell a book will be amazing. I'm not a huge fan of paranormal stuff but this novel threw the "idea" of it in there and had that air of mystery that made you go "WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?" I loved that Mark Edwards got inspiration from real life stories and documentaries he saw, it brought the creep factor to the book. This book was a perfect blend of thriller,mystery,romance, and paranormal. This by far will having you guessing and reading so fast to get to the end so you can finally know what really is going on.

I cant wait to read more by this author. Thanks NetGalley and everyone involved.

My first by this author, but not my last. The retreat will give you a treat, if you love thrilling books, with lots of twists and turns! This book is one that hooks from the first page and then keeps you guessing until the final page! Well worth the read!

Mysterious, griping and soooo creepy. From the first chapter I couldn't think of anything else, just that I need to read it until it's finished. It was really fast pacing, so many things happened in this book, so many revelations. It's very well written, it felt like I was watching a film rather than reading a book. I love Mark Edwards' writing style and he always manages to pull me right into the story, there were parts I was as scared as the writers in their cottage, as skeptical as Lucas over The Widow existence, feeling Julia's grief, the perfect example how book should be written so you can connect to all characters without even trying.

The plot was unique, it wasn't only about disappearance of little girl, there was so much more happening in this village, so many secrets tangled between families, folk story that will make you believe just anything, even if you are not superstitious because some things are just too hard to make up, so they must be true surely?

Getting to ending of the book, I've run out of all possible explanations, I blamed probably everyone by that point and then it all came... Twist after twist, more things coming out, more revelations and I'm not ashamed to admit it, I'm sure I'm not alone but all my suspicions were completely wrong.

Overall feelings now: I'm sad it's over, but I couldn't read it any slower, it would be impossible! If I could, I would give it even 6 stars!

Mark Edwards has done it again and I believe this must be his best novel yet. I still have some of his books to read while I wait for another one to come out, which I hope won't be too long.

3.5 Stars.

Two years ago, Julia's life changed forever. Her husband drowned trying to save their daughters life (they believed their daughter fell in the river when they weren't looking). Now Julia has converted their home into a writer's retreat. She buried her husband two years ago, but her daughter's body was never found. She clings to the belief that her daughter is still alive as her body was never found.

Lucas is one of her first guests at the retreat. He is a horror novelist who becomes intrigued with Julia and her missing daughter. He hires a private investigator to try and help him determine what happened to Julia's daughter and are there any clues which the local police failed to notice.

Soon strange things start occurring at the writer's retreat. Lucas hears rumors that the home is haunted and when he begins to hear singing at night, he wonders if the rumors are true. Other guests notice strange things as well and begin to wonder if they should be afraid of the things that go bump in the night.

This book started strong for me, then I lost a little interest and then things picked up again. So, if you feel a little lag after the first 20 percent of the book, hang in there, things do get interesting! One thing I enjoyed is the fact that I could not figure this book out. Is this a haunted house? Is this a ghost story? Was there a kidnapping? Is Julia crazy? Has the entire town lost their minds over the Urban legend they have been scaring each other and their children with over the years? This book has a creepy vibe and leaves the reader with a lot of questions until the end. I will say that when I read the ending, I thought of a horror film from the early 1990's but I can’t say which one or I will be giving away a major spoiler.

The highlight of this book for me was that I could not figure out what was going one and when I thought I had things figured out close to the ending, the Author threw in a little curve ball to keep things interesting.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 Stars

This nearly got 4 stars but not quite! I love Mark’s books and Follow You Home is still one of my favourite books ever.

So maybe that’s why I couldn’t stretch to more stars on this one, because for me it lacked the suspense of previous books.

The story starts slow, then picks up as more characters and red herrings are added to the mix. The second half is great, I whipped through it but there was something lacking about the ending, a bit disappointing for me so sorry.

An enjoyable read but not as good as others.

Mark Edwards is a great story teller and he has done it again with The Retreat. A retreat for writers to come to to relax and write.. although there is no relaxing at this retreat! A spooky and suspenseful tale that will keep you on your toes and guessing until the end!

Mark is by far my favourite author, I've loved every single one of his books and was definitely not disappointed by the retreat. Absolutely gripping from the first page and a must read!

I’ve read all of Mark Edwards books and this one certainly did not disappoint. I easily got engrossed in the story and found it very fast paced. My only criticism is that the ending is a little far fetched.

Because I'm a huge fan of A) Creepy stories B) Urban Legends and C) Mark Edwards novels, The Retreat was a hit with me that's for sure. Although I'm not heading into any woods for the rest of my life.

Lucas is a horror writer (actually I'd quite like to read the book he wrote that was a bestseller) who heads off to a writing retreat in rural Wales, hoping to finish his difficult next book. What he finds is a widow with a missing presumed drowned daughter, a local urban legend and things that often literally go bump in the night...

The Retreat is creepy and delicious with twists and turns, a dose of Blair Witch, a hit of psychological thriller, plus a dash of edge of the seat action in a descriptively eerie setting. Clever and addictive with a beautifully placed ending - I loved it.

Fuller review on the website nearer publication.

I really enjoyed this book and found it hard to put down. I have never read any of this author's books before,but now I would like to go back and read them. Excellent read.

Mark Edwards never fails me. This book has gone straight into my top three favourites I’ve ever read. The characters are not only realistic but also likeable and relatable. Deliciously creepy!

Wow this book blew my mind it was full on right from the first page and didn’t let up the whole way through. It’s an edge of your seat type book, it’s tense, sad, creepy and dark.

There are a few suspicious characters so I really couldn’t pick what was going to happen, was it an accident or an abduction? Just when I thought I knew who the bad guy was another twist came up leading us in another direction.

This is my first book my Mark Edwards and I loved it, I will definitely be reading more. The book was well written, it really did have my attention right from the first page and spat me out an emotional mess at the end. Wow that ending, just Wow!

I am not going to give away any of the story, I hate spoilers, you can see a synopsis from the publishers below. This book was good, really good and I highly recommend it.

I spent a very late night, not fun on a work night trying to get up the next morning but it was a case of just one more chapter, just one more chapter before I knew it, it was after midnight and I was ¾ of the way through the book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I have no hesitation in giving it 5 stars.

Here is the publishers blurb on the

As always Mark Edwards entertains and leaves the reader wanting more. This book contains everything you can want in a scary novel. However I did find the ending a bit contrived.l. Still a good read for those fans of a Magic Cottage by James Herbert.

I always enjoy Mark Edwards books and this was no exception. I enjoyed the mystery and thought the ending was unexpected but interesting. Good character development and setting of the scene.

Mark Edwards is on my shortlist of authors that I buy or request as soon as I see a new book announcement because they've all been absolute winners. This was another hit out of the park. The Retreat is atmospheric and gripping from the very beginning. There's a constant feeling of dread suffusing the pages, making this one deliciously spooky read. It's thrilling and dark, the characters are a diverse grab bag that keep the story entertaining, and it'll keep you wondering til the very last page.

I want to start off by saying I usually love Mark Edwards books and get very excited when a new one comes out. however, this one seemed more of a supernatural one rather than the psychological thrillers that he usually writes that have me gripped from page 1 but I just found this one very hard to get into, I have given it 3 stars because he is such a good writer just the story was not for me so not the usual 5* review I would give.

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The Retreat / Mark Edwards / Thriller



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.



First I want to say that I love Mark Edwards books. I have yet to read one that I didn’t love and this one is no exception. It’s dark, creepy and makes you wonder how alone you really are in your own home. Unexplained events and every parents nightmare turns this into a story that will have you guessing right up until the last sentence. I even wonder if there could possibly be a sequel, but I suppose that depends on how you look at the ending. Maybe I am just hoping there will be more because I could see this starting into a whole new chapter of fear! This book wasn’t as graphic as some of his books but the story never gave my mind a rest. I was shocked at the ending and in some twisted way could completely understand why it happened. Its like Stockholm syndrome with these characters! This was an ARC read for me so I am not going to go to much into it for fear of spoilers but I would definitely recommend this book to everyone! I give it 5 stars