The Retreat by Mark Edwards

The Blurb

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?

About Mark Edwards

I write psychological thrillers. My influences include writers such as Stephen King, Ira Levin, Ruth Rendell, Ian McEwan, Val McDermid and Donna Tartt and movies like Rosemary's Baby, Single White Female, Fatal Attraction and anything in which scary things happen to ordinary people. I love hearing from readers and always respond. I can be contacted in the following ways: Email: markcity@me.com Twitter @mredwards Facebook: www.facebook.com/markedwardsbooks You can download a free box set of 'Short Sharp Shockers' by visiting www.markedwardsauthor.com/free THE MAGPIES (2013) and BECAUSE SHE LOVES ME (2014) topped the Kindle chart in the UK, as did FOLLOW YOU HOME (2015) which also was a top five bestseller in the US, and THE DEVIL'S WORK (2016). My other solo novel is WHAT YOU WISH FOR (2014) and I have one short story, KISSING GAMES, available on Amazon. My new psychological thriller, THE LUCKY ONES, will be published in June 2017. I have co-written six novels with Louise Voss: CATCH YOUR DEATH (2012; a #1 bestseller), KILLING CUPID (2012), ALL FALL DOWN (2013) and FORWARD SLASH (2013). We are now writing a series featuring DI Patrick Lennon. The first two books are FROM THE CRADLE (2014) and THE BLISSFULLY DEAD (2015). In total, I have sold over 2 million copies of my books. After a career that has taken in everything from answering complaint calls for a rail company to teaching English in Japan and being a marketing director, I now write full-time. I live in the West Midlands, England, with my wife, our three children, a ginger cat and a golden retriever.

My Review

The Retreat is about a newly opened writer's retreat above a disused slate mine in North Wales which really helped set the atmosphere and tone of the book. Into the mix throw in a bunch of quirky writers, and I knew the story could have developed in multiple directions. There was folklore and legends, ghosts and boogeymen, the stuff that can regenerate our own childhood fears. Lucas a successful writer, who is grieving from the tragic loss of his girlfriend, has sought the peace and tranquility of a writer's retreat, to work on his next novel. Julia, who has also suffered loss after her husband drowned trying to save her daughter Lily, but has not been able to grieve properly for her husband because his body was discovered, but her daughter's body was never found. Julia believes her daughter must be alive, and Lucas decides to help. This book had everything I like in a thriller with just a touch of the supernatural in it. Great read which I would highly recommend.