I’m delighted to bring you my review of The Retreat by Mark Edwards today. This book released on the 10th of May and is a psychological thriller that I would definitely recommend. I received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley. Below you’ll find the book cover and description, followed by my review.
The Retreat by Mark Edwards
A 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?
From the bestselling author of Follow You Home and The Magpies comes his most terrifying novel yet.
My Review of The Retreat by Mark Edwards
This was my first Mark Edwards book and I absolutely loved it. Wow…from the first page right to the very last, this book captured my full attention and sucked me in. I had thought at around 15% that this book was a little creepy and I wasn’t sure where it was going to go. The writing was flawless though and as I continued the story grew and grew and I had no idea how it was going to end. Lucas and Julia’s characters were great and I loved the chapters we got from Lily’s point of view every so often.
The story revolves around Julia who lost her husband and daughter two years ago. She decided to open a writers’ retreat and this is how we meet Lucas. He’s grieving the death of his girlfriend and is on a deadline to write his next bestseller. There are others at the retreat too, Karen, Max, and Suzi, and soon enough strange and spooky things start happening. When Lucas decides to hire a private detective to help uncover what really happened to Julia’s daughter Lily, things really start to heat up and it seems most of the village is in on it. The finger of suspicion points to one man in particular, but is he really the one to have carried out the deed?
This book takes the reader on one hell of a journey and I wasn’t expecting things to be revealed the way they were. I was on tenterhooks as the story played out, trying to figure out who the murderer was. I really wasn’t expecting things to turn out the way they were. At times I gasped out loud, at times I held my breath, and when I got to end, I didn’t want to close the book. This is a story that devoured me whole and I know I will definitely be reading more of Mark’s work. He sets the scenes beautifully and I felt like I was right there with Lucas as he scoured the woods and tried to unravel the mystery surrounding Lily’s disappearance. Fantastic book that I know will stay with me for quite some time.
The Retreat is available in ebook and paperback from Amazon and all other retailers.
Until next time,
Keep reading and writing,
Amanda
Amanda J Evans is an award-winning Irish author and writing coach. Amanda writes adult romance that often crosses into paranormal and fantasy. Growing up with heroes like Luke Skywalker and Indiana Jones, her stories centre on good versus evil with a splice of love and magic thrown in too. Her books have all won awards and her novella, Hear Me Cry, won the Book of the Year Award at the Dublin Writers Conference 2018. Amanda is also the author of Surviving Suicide: A Memoir from Those Death Left Behind, published in 2012.
