Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Sadly this one didn’t work for me. This is the first time I DNF’d a book because I didn’t mix well with the writing. I think the storytelling was mostly good, but the editing really could have used more time. I don’t generally notice things like this but I did to the degree that I can’t finish it.

oh what a tightly woven suspense book!! I can't write anything more than that, because I wouldn't want to give anything away. probably my favorite thriller of 2025.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

It takes a little bit to get going but keep reading. Once things start to roll, the unraveling sucks you in. There are a lot of characters-each with their own relationship to the events of the past. The storyline alternates between the summer of 1999 and present. The intrigue ramps up as each person admits ‘their secret’ and things start to piece together. (3.5/5)
Thank You to NetGalley and Atria Books for the widget -opportunity to read and enjoy this ARC.

This is the kind of book that not only makes for a captivating read but would also translate so well to the screen and you can literally see the visual movie unfold in your head as you read along.

Read it you love high life and death stakes, trapped door / locked room thrillers featuring a group of people who have no choice but to start spilling secrets.

25 years after they had last seen each other, 6 friends reunite to celebrate the life of their professor who has recently passed. But of course, things go horribly wrong when they are held hostage in the Notting Hill home and threatened with their lives if they don’t give up the secrets from 1999 when they were working on a dating app that was based on your psychological profile.

This book was a fast read with short chapters (yay for that!), and there were twists galore! This was a twisty, dark, clever, and suspenseful book. I enjoyed the tension, the dread, the questioning that begins, and the shocking reveal. This was definitely an above average thriller. It’s not a mystery that reveals itself easily; rather, it invites readers to pay attention, to question, and to anticipate.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley.

The Wasp Trap is a fast paced, heart pounding, twisty thrill rode. Cleverly written and full of suspense, I found myself thoroughly entertained with this one. With an unlikeable cast of characters and a satisfying ending, thriller fans will love this one!

**Review to be posted in September - will update links then**

I was in need of a good thriller, and The Wasp Trap really fit the bill for me! I binged it in two sittings and considered it to be a real page-turner.

In 1999 a group of young adults are all brought together to work on a revolutionary (for the time) dating website, but one day the professor leading their work shuts everything down with no explanation. Twenty-five years later we meet up with the characters at a dinner party to honor the professor’s death, but quickly we (and the characters) realize that something more nefarious is afoot.

This is a great locked-room mystery, told in present-day and through flashbacks to 1999. I do wish the 1999 of it all was leaned into a bit more than it was, but it was still a quick, engaging read! I found it to be very fast-paced with enough action to keep me on my toes, despite the twists not being entirely shocking to me (have I read TOO many thrillers??).

If you’re looking for a fun thriller to kick things off this fall, this would be a great place to start - 3.5 solid stars from me. Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Available Sept 16
Thank you Atria Pubishing for this early review copy through NetGalley

The Wasp Trap is about a group of people that worked on a project in '99 that was supposed to revolutionize online dating, but things don't go to plan. In the current day this group has reunited and found themselves caught in a trap. The first half of the book is a bit slower, establishing characters and backstory. The second half is twisty to the max. Once the action gets going it becomes a gripping narrative full of turns that leave you guessing. This book is for fans of mysterious, tension-filled, action-packed who-dun-its.

Video review to come

Unfortunately this book fell flat for me. The plot felt very unrealistic and the twists felt unlikely. The characters were not deep or particularly likeable, and the pacing was slow.

Much like the characters in The Wasp Trap by Mark Edwards, I was a captive audience. Literally. I read this on an airplane to a work conference. The Wasp Trap will come out on September 16, 2025 by Atria Books and it’s a really twisty, turny mystery.

The characters all come together for a dinner party to celebrate the life of the Professor that employed them all in 1999, to build the best dating site ever created. Abruptly, the Professor shut down the project, ordered cabs for them all, and sent them on their way. No stock options, none of the promised wealth.

After the Professor dies, they meet up again at Theo and Georgina’s mansion to get all nostalgic. Except…

There are uninvited guests who turn their past into a deadly game of secrets. Bodies hit the floor, friends turn on each other, and secrets are revealed.

This is a super quick read, fun, and twisted. Coming in September!

Oh, this was a good one! This is a basically a locked room type thriller, with a sort of different take. Twenty-five years ago, a group of co-workers are working on a plan to revolutionize online dating. The project is stopped and all are sent home. They live their lives with varying degrees of success until being summoned to a dinner party. Something isn't quite right, and they realize they are pretty much being held hostage until someone tells the "secret" from the project way back when. They realize their lives are at stake and don't know who to trust. The story alternates between the past and present and each main character has a voice. They are all pretty stock sorts of character types, but I was still invested. Pretty nice twist at the end! I'm definitely putting this author on my radar!


Thank you to #NetGalley, Mark Edwards and Atria Books for this ARC. All opinions are my own!

I will post my review to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Facebook and other retail and social media sites upon publication day of September 16, 2025.

4.5 stars. This is one of the best mystery/thrillers I've read in a long time. I haven't read Edwards before despite his extensive backlist, but I definitely will be checking out more from him in the future. This one draws you in immediately, and the tension remains heightened throughout the book. Fast paced with lots of unexpected twists. I was a bit disappointed with the ending, but it did not take away from the rest of the book at all. I can't wait to read more by Edwards in the future!

I loooooved this book! I enjoy when a book has flashback chapters and chapters from multiple point of views, this book had both of those. I went into this book blind I requested the ARC based solely on the name because what the heck does “ The Wasp Trap” mean?! This book snagged my attention immediately and kept it. I will say I was disappointed when, what I thought was, the twist occurred but kept reading and the real twist happened!!!!! 🤯

Thank you Netgalley and Atria books for allowing me to read this ARC

After 25 years, a group of old coworkers reunites after the death of their mentor. The project that they had built together, an early version of online matchmaking that was promised to lead them all to wealth and fame. It never panned out, and most of the group went on to minimal levels of success in their various fields.

Though the former friends haven't seen one another since the project fell apart, their dinner party is made even more stressful when it becomes evident that they are being held hostage--supposedly for secrets stemming from their summer together all those years before. But who has the secret? Can any of them be trusted, especially after so many years of separation?

The Wasp Trap by Mark Edwards is a slightly different take on the locked-room mystery--though there is violence, the primary "mystery" is who has the secret that their captors are looking for? The pacing is good--the story begins as the primary narrator arrives at the party, and things progress pretty quickly. The rotating timelines work well, and they are told through the eyes of each coworker during their summer together. Unfortunately, The Wasp Trap falls apart when it comes to relating to the characters. They all seem fairly wooden, which makes it difficult to sympathize with their circumstances. Over all, The Wasp Trap will definitely suit the fans of the modern-day locked-room titles, even if it won't necessarily be particularly memorable.

Fast-paced and chilling, this thriller dives into paranoia, secrets, and danger hiding in plain sight. Mark Edwards delivers another tense, addictive read with twists that keep you hooked until the last page.

This had a little bit of dark academia vibes but less literary than favorites like The Secret History. That said, I read this one a few weeks ago and find myself having to look up the plot to remind myself what it was about--so it is not a memorable one for me. Interesting concept and a plot that kept me reading--I finished it quickly but it did not stay in my brain.

What begins as a dinner party amongst old colleagues and friends will quickly take a turn when someone must reveal a secret that has been hidden since 1999. In the summer of 1999 a group of college students were joined together to revolutionize online matchmaking. Before the project launches its brought to a full stop when they are all sent home. Now over two decades later, someone wants to know what they're hiding from that time. Over dinner and drinks the group will be threatened with their death if someone doesn't cough up the truth. Will anyone make it out alive?

This was a fast paced and fun read. Told between alternating timeliness, the group divulges the secrets they've kept hidden all this time. Their lives and lies are more deeply intertwined than they believed. Mark Edward's blends together a plot driven story with characters who are slightly unreliable. Thank you to Netgalley and Atria for the advanced copy of this book.

4 ᯓ★

i had such a fun time reading this one!! Thrillers are a good pallet cleanser and this was so interesting! I think the plot was very unique! I found the whodunnit aspect of the story very compelling. This is one of the few thrillers with plot twists I didn’t see coming!! I personally really liked the dual time lines!! It added a different level of suspense that had me on my toes!

Thank you to NetGalley & Atria Books for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review!!

I really enjoyed this one!

The pacing was a bit slow in some areas but when it picked up and things started happening I was completely hooked and couldn't put the book down. I liked the characters and the twists and generally love a good "locked room" thriller.

Throughout the book I kept changing my mind about what was happening and why, and who was responsible for what. I guessed some twists correctly, but not the biggest twist at the end (although I did come pretty close), so that was a pleasant surprise.

A big thank you to Atria Books for my advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.</i>

3.5 stars rounded up

Fast paced little thriller that I had a lot of fun with!