How do you escape a trap that you didn’t know you walked into?

The Wasp Trap is a closed room mystery at heart, but with an interesting twist that isn’t typical of this genre. Six friends get together for a dinner party after not seeing each other for twenty-five years. But the dinner party quickly becomes something far more sinister as a deadly game begins that forces them all to admit their deepest secrets to survive. These secrets are centered around their time together in1999 when they worked on a new dating site that used science to find your perfect match.

What I liked about the book is that the secrets weren’t simply told in the story, but shown as flashbacks in what became a two timeline story. The characters are very well developed as you try to figure out who has the secret that has them trapped and will hopefully help them survive the dinner party.

Full of twists and turns, I was unable to figure out the ending and constantly was surprised by things that happened. I will definitely read more books by Mark Edwards! If you enjoy closed room mysteries, this one should be added to your TBR.

4.5 stars, rounded to 5.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a solid thriller that sucked me in immediately! This was my kindle read on vacation and I was lured in by the dual timelines (one of them in the 90s❤️) and a group reunion where secrets from the past are spilled. I love a good long held secret, and everyone has one here! And even better, there’s a current day mystery that grows in intensity throughout the novel. The characters are diverse and fascinating if not quite relatable. This one is definitely worth the read!

Six friends reunite for a dinner after their mentor from 25 years ago passes. Back then they were working on a project that inexplicably gets shut down and the six friends are shooed away to their homes and they lose touch. Along with the nostalgia, there are still a lot of questions about what happened back then and they may not be prepared for all the answers.

I absolutely devoured this book! It’s a locked room thriller about a group of 6 college friends who reunite twenty years later. They gather for a dinner party after the passing of a professor they spent a summer working for, which of course turned out to be a formative experience for all of them.

There are two timelines, the current timeline and flashbacks to that summer 20 years ago, which is of course directly related to the reason they are locked together in the current timeline. There are also different points of view, which I thought really added to the intrigue. The tension is palpable and there are a few twists I didn’t see coming. I thought this was really well done, so you should grab a copy on September 16 when it’s published, or pre-order your copy! You don’t even have to trust me—check out the blurb on the cover from Lisa Jewell, one of the thriller queens!

As one who is not a fan of locked room mysteries and feels they are overdone, The Wasp Trap was one of the most well-done locked rooms I’ve read.

Once I started, I couldn’t get enough. It was such a well-rounded book. There were so many layers and so much tension, you could cut it with a knife. The twists kept me guessing and that ending! I thought I had it all figured out, apparently not. Highly recommend if you’re looking for a bingeble thriller!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

3.5 stars! I really did not get into it until halfway through the book, then I could not put it down.

Imagine going to a dinner party with friends/colleagues you haven't seen in 20 years, and you are reuniting because of the death of your past professor? This novel goes back and forth between 1999 when a group of 6 (much younger at the time) people worked with their professor on a dating website (not your typical one) and to present day. It is a bit of a thriller but seemed pretty unrealistic to me and out there. I think many will love this, just wasn't sure my cup of tea.

This story was wild! It truly was an extremely satisfying thriller! I did feel that there was a lot going on at times with character backstories and other explanations, but the ending was superb! And that epilogue?! Perfection. An outstanding way to wrap up the story. I definitely recommend this one as a fall thriller to pick up!

Thanks for the review copy. This book is very clever. This is one I did not want to put down. I look forward for other Edward’s books.

Wow, what a page turner! This thriller is told in dual timelines, with lots of little twists & secrets revealed along the way. I’m glad it was a quick read because I simply could not put it down!! Many thanks to the publisher for offering me the ARC through NetGalley.

As a fan of Mark Edwards, I was thrilled to get my hands on an advance copy of his latest thriller, and it did not disappoint! True to his signature style, the story is packed with suspense, sharp twists, and a creeping sense of unease that builds with every chapter. The locked-room mystery element adds a claustrophobic edge, making you feel as trapped as the characters themselves. I especially loved the flashbacks to 1999. They were seamlessly woven in, revealing just the right amount of backstory without giving away too much. This is a masterclass in psychological suspense that will keep you guessing right up to the final chapter.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced reader copy of this book.

THIS WAS AWESOME. super fun and twisty story, with flashbacks mixed in with modern day, and also various narrators. I thought this was very well done, and it gave me Knives Out vibes in all the best ways.

I read this in the span of two days because I couldn't put it down, so do with that what you will.

If you love stories of academics with shifty pasts and a questionable professor who they all love a little too much, this is for you.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Mark Edwards and Atria Books for this digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A dinner party in a fancy Notting Hill townhouse quickly turns into a nightmare when six old friends find themselves trapped and forced to reveal their darkest secrets or face deadly consequences. What starts as a reunion to honor their late professor, who once brought them together to create a love-matching website, spirals into a tense game tied to a tragic summer from their past. The story flips between then and now, unraveling secrets, betrayals, and a chilling mystery. Fast-paced, twisty, and full of drama, The Wasp Trap is perfect for fans of Lucy Foley and Alice Feeney. Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this wild ride early!

Rating: 3.25/5 stars

Edwards' twisty thriller follows a group of 6 "friends"/former colleagues reuniting during at a dinner that is serving as a sort of 'memorial' for their deceased professor. Professor Marlowe had recruited them to work as a team to develop a revolutionary dating app/website using more sophisticated psychometrics and testing data than the modern 'swiping' apps and superficial self-written bios. It never officially launched, and the group all went their separate ways, never interacting for the 25 years between that summer and the current reunion. At the dinner, things quickly turn violent as the group is held at gunpoint and forced to play a game as their 'captors'/holders try to force out a specific secret about what really happened that summer. Secrets, lies, and twists are all folded into this quick-paced thriller as the group tries to figure out how they will survive this "game" - because if they don't reveal their secrets (and find the 'right' secret, at that), it will cost them their lives. More than that, it will be THEM who chooses which of their former friends/colleagues will die.

I think that this is going to be a favorite for a lot of readers! There were many aspects of this book that I enjoyed. It was very fast paced and had short chapters that made it easy to continually say 'just one more chapter.' While most of the story is told from one character's point of view, there are chapters that go back in time and a few that take on other characters' perspectives, which were fun and made the reading experience more interesting. The plot itself was intriguing and I didn't predict most of the reveals (though I had predictions!). The sheer number of twists and unexpected secrets that totally took me by surprise was incredibly impressive to me and is definitely a reason I will look out for more of Edwards' books.

There were a few things that didn't work for me. Though the pacing of the story was fast, I actually found that it was a struggle for me to initially get into until the 'action' really picked up (once the 'game' started and the threat/stakes were established). I also didn't feel particularly connected to the characters or events as the story went on, partly because the plot and details seemed to become too knotted for me. After finishing the book, I even went back for a while and took notes, trying to piece together the timeline, but there were some timelines/details that I still couldn't get to match and confirm the final 'explanation[s],' which frustrated me. My only other struggle was that, during the beginning of the story, the 'clues' seemed a bit too overstated by the main character (for the reader); while there was 'showing' the small details and suspicious clues that something is off, it was undermined the repetitive, overt 'telling' that just didn't work for me.

That said, I think that so many people will love this! Again, I appreciated how unpredictable the twists were, the secrets that were revealed, and the unique structures of the various chapters. I would definitely recommend this to someone who loves thrillers with twist after twist where things might still seem a little puzzling at the end!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
*As per publisher preferences, my review will be posted on Goodreads, Instagram, and Amazon on the publication date.

This was a great book. Never read Mark Edwards, but now I’m going to! The story had a bit of a slower start maybe because I went in with different expectations than the story initially laid out. The characters of this novel were all great and I enjoyed the dual timeline that fed into the storyline. While I kind of was ableto guess the ending, it still had a couple of unpredictable twists. A great psychological thriller, give it a try!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC. Six friends from college get together for the first time in 25 years. They were involved in a hush-hush project that was to launch a new kind of dating website. However on the side, the coder was also working on a website that can grade how much of a psychopath you are. When the professor abruptly shuts down the project, the ones involved scattered. Now, all at a dinner party after the professor's passing, the questions are asked but only by the man holding the gun. Fast read! #TheWaspTrap #MarkEdwards #AtriaBooks #Sept2025

what a great read! i haven't read anything by this author before and this was a pleasant surprise. i loved the writing and characters. the plot was intriguing and addictive. really fantastic read for the summer

I just finished reading The Wasp Trap, my second Mark Edwards thriller, and wow it absolutely lived up to the hype! This time-jumping thriller swept me through a tense dinner‑party nightmare and a mysterious 1999 experiment that resurfaces in chilling ways.

This isn’t your average mystery, Edwards knows exactly how to pull the rug out. Just when I thought I had it all figured out… nope, twist after twist kept me turning pages long after bedtime.
And yes, the final reveal absolutely stung, in the best way.🐝🔥

This was such a fun, binge‑able read…exactly what I want when I pick up a thriller. It is twisty, addictive, and explosive in all the right ways. If you’re looking for a smart, page‑turning mystery with a deliciously dark edge, The Wasp Trap is a no‑brainer.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Look out for it soon!
UK\Australia July 31st 2025
US/Canada September 2025

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Atria books-Simon and Schuster for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Well if you are ever invited to a dinner party with people you haven't seen in over 20 years, make sure you are not holding on to any secrets from the past. This was quite a ride. I loved the duo timelines between 1999 and the present. As a millennial, it would have been nice to have more of those chapters. But regardless this story did a great job keeping me turning the pages. Every time I thought I had the twist figured out, something new would happen and then I was back to square one.

Overall I enjoyed it but I did feel the story was a little too long and some parts were unnecessary to the story. I also wasn't able to connect to the characters as much as I would have liked. I still think this is worth picking up and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

The Wasp Trap is a well written dual narrative suspense novel. With the modern storyline set at a tense dinner party, history and connections are questioned as characters learn more about each other. Personally, I would have enjoyed larger portions on the 1999 timeline as I was intrigued by the work being done by the characters on the two algorithms. But that being said, the twists were unpredictable for me personally and I enjoyed how the narrative played out.

Dinner party with a twist! Wow, this book had me flipping pages late into the night. Multiple twists had me hooked and wanting to see what happened next! I loved the dual timeline that gave me some insight into things that happened in the past. I also really love how the name of the book was integrated into the story. I think the characters were well written and they all had so many secrets! This is the kind of psychological thriller I really enjoy - if you like Ruth Ware or John Marrs, or psychological thrillers in general, I think you will really enjoy this one! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This one really makes you think!! Imagine creating a dating match that is based on psych testing. This book makes a normal person rethink their own level of crazy lol! Perfect for a horror fan or a thriller conseuir