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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It’s 1999 and a group of strangers are gathered together to work on a new dating website. Sebastian Marlowe, a psychology professor and the project’s lead, is planning something spectacular, something to shake up the world of online dating. The groundwork is a little monotonous, a little mundane, so the graduates start to work on a side project dubbed ‘The Wasp Trap’. An algorithm to discover whether you are a psychopath. Imagine the possibilities. Imagine the potential carnage. They’re so close to having a working model, but before the results can be revealed, tragedy strikes the group. The website never sees the light of day. Now, twenty-five years later, the group have gathered over dinner to mourn Sebastian’s death. But on arrival at Theo and Georgina’s house, Will feels a strange sense of unease. There’s a stranger in their midst who claims to be Sebastian’s research assistant. But he doesn’t seem to know anything about Sebastian or his work. Who is the stranger? And what really happened that fateful summer? Everyone at the dinner has a devastating secret. And someone is ready to kill for the truth…
The Wasp Trap is a cracking locked-room reunion thriller with bucketloads of suspense. There is a lot happening in this book, along with a fairly large cast of characters. But it was easy to follow the complex, dual timeline plot and keep track of the well-drawn characters. I quite liked Will, our main protagonist. There aren’t many characters to root for in this particular book, so I was a little surprised to find myself warming to him. He felt like a normal, believable chap. Thrown into a terrifying, unpredictable situation. He shows courage at times, cowardice at others. The other characters are all very well drawn, and they all really added something important to the storyline.
Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. The Wasp Trap is a thrilling, gripping tale where things go from zero (lovely evening out, nice dinner with ex-colleagues) to one-hundred (absolutely everything else that happens in this book!) for the characters in a split second. It’s fascinating to see how quickly things escalate for the group. I very much enjoyed the dual timeline aspect, seeing the group as they were back in 1999, against their more modern personas. There are a number of secrets within the group which the reader does get to discover as the plot marches on. Some of the secrets are corkers, others…less shocking. But there is an external pressure on proceedings which really ramps up the tension, adding to the intrigue and ladling in lots of lovely suspense. All in all, The Wasp Trap is a well-written, intriguing thriller that held my attention from start to finish. The psychological aspect of this one is strong, and I was intrigued to see in what direction the author would take the story. A tense, highly readable and engaging suspense novel. I look forward to more from Mark Edwards soon. Recommended.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.75
I have spent a couple of days thinking about this book and what I wanted to rate it as I have been undecided! I opted to listen to this in audio as I had initially received this as an ARC but did not manage to read it in time (and added to the fact that @netgalley had yet MORE formatting issues they choose to ignore!).
Onto the book, it had really good premise and I did enjoy the storyline a lot! The reason that it came to a 3.75 rating, is because the whole "fast paced" storyline started at around the 30% mark and literally continued until the epilogue on the premise of "a secret" no-one knew about! There were so many parts that had me feeling like this was so good and it is definitely not going to take away from the fact that I will be trying other Mark Edwards books (especially as all his others are on KU, except this one!) Overall, good book with good intentions, just a little strung out in terms of the plot! 🥰
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Six former friends are invited to a dinner 25 years after they parted company. Some are successful, some less so but their hosts, a wealthy couple, are hiding a big secret, their daughter has gone missing. The gathering takes an unusual turn when the caterers start wielding guns and asking about secrets relating to the time the group were last together. As the body count rises, who is really holding a secret?
This is the sort of book that will sell really well and is not really the sort of book I would normally choose. However during my holidays I like a little light, escapist reading and this fits the bill. The storyline is ridiculous, caterers turned home invaders, shooting people at will whilst demanding an unknown secret. However it is very twisty and clever, linking the dual timelines well.
This is the sort of book that will sell really well and is not really the sort of book I would normally choose. However during my holidays I like a little light, escapist reading and this fits the bill. The storyline is ridiculous, caterers turned home invaders, shooting people at will whilst demanding an unknown secret. However it is very twisty and clever, linking the dual timelines well.
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Another great book by Mr Edwards!
I loved the premise of this book, with the flashbacks to the summer of 1999 where we got to know our characters, back to the present and the almost immediately unsettling atmosphere Will found himself walking into. I loved how many twists and misdirects were spread throughout the story, constantly keeping me guessing as to what would happen, who had the secret, what the secret was and who (if anyone) would make it out alive!
Such a tense book that kept me hooked from the start, definitely recommend this to anyone who loves a thriller!
I always love the epilogues too that make you just wonder that bit more about what might happen next! So fun and a last bit of intrigue to the books!
I loved the premise of this book, with the flashbacks to the summer of 1999 where we got to know our characters, back to the present and the almost immediately unsettling atmosphere Will found himself walking into. I loved how many twists and misdirects were spread throughout the story, constantly keeping me guessing as to what would happen, who had the secret, what the secret was and who (if anyone) would make it out alive!
Such a tense book that kept me hooked from the start, definitely recommend this to anyone who loves a thriller!
I always love the epilogues too that make you just wonder that bit more about what might happen next! So fun and a last bit of intrigue to the books!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Make sure when you pick this up to read you have the day free, because once you start it you won’t be able to put it down! The story has timelines of 1999 and present day which I really enjoyed and I thought were well done. I was kept on the edge of my seat with how the atmosphere and tension throughout. I loved all the twists, some of them really took me by surprise. One of the reasons I read it so quickly was due to getting so engaged in Mark’s writing and the need to know what happens next. I can’t wait to read more from Mark.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
The Wasp Trap
This thriller had me hooked from the beginning ! I thoroughly enjoyed the way the author had you suspecting every single character.
During a dinner party, friends are forced to reveal who has the secret ? I can admit I continuously guessed the wrong person.
This jumps between the past and present in a way that doesn’t feel jarring, and keeps you hooked . I yelled at my Kindle because I was too invested in what was happening then it would go to a different timeline. Author did a great job of keeping me hooked.