The Retreat by Mark Edwards

Author : Mark Edwards
Title : The Retreat
Pages : 356
Publisher : Thomas & Mercer / Amazon Publishing
Publication date : May 10, 2018

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?

I have finally discovered Mark Edwards and all I can say is WOW!

The Retreat had me utterly in its clutches from the very first page. It’s almost like the opening scene of a scary movie somehow. A seemingly innocent drive through the glorious Welsh countryside and yet straight away, I couldn’t shake the feeling something utterly creepy was just around the corner. The setting oozes atmosphere in a haunting sort of way.

Lucas is an author who heads to a writer’s retreat in Wales, hoping to finally find the inspiration to finish his second novel. The owner of the retreat, Julia, lost her family. Her husband drowned trying to save their daughter. But the little girl’s body was never found and Julia is convinced her daughter is still alive. And then strange things start to happen.

Mark Edwards is a new to me author. I know, shame on me. I picked up The Retreat after seeing a lot of buzz around from my fellow bloggers and the fear of missing out was becoming increasingly tough to beat. Now I’m left to wonder why I’ve not read any of this author’s books before because if this is anything to go buy then, yes, I have most definitely been missing out!

The Retreat had me glued to the pages from beginning to end. This is a brilliantly absorbing and compelling story. Yes, it’s slightly creepy but it’s also a bit sad at times when it plays into the topic of local superstition and the stuff of myths and scary stories. I had no idea whatsoever where things were heading. It’s a quite unpredictable journey but I thoroughly enjoyed every single second of it. I’m purposefully leaving my review on the vague side because I don’t want to ruin the sheer fun of it for everyone.

This is going straight onto my list of books of the year and I quite happily recommend it as a total must-read! A delicious psychological thriller with a difference and I will undoubtedly make the time to read more books by Mark Edwards in future.

My thanks to the publisher for my review copy, which I received via Netgalley.

The Retreat is available to buy!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Goodreads