The Wasp Trap by Mark Edwards

✴✴✴ Publication date 31-July-2025 ✴✴✴

Description from Goodreads:

"Summer 1999. Will joins five other idealistic graduates working for an eccentric psychology professor. They’re going to launch a website to change online dating forever.

No-one expects it to end in tragedy.

Twenty-five years later, Will gets an invitation: a dinner party. A chance to see the old gang again.

But as soon as he arrives, something doesn’t seem right.

There’s an unexpected guest. The hosts are clearly keeping a secret. And on the way in, Will is sure he heard crying.

Everyone has something to hide about what really happened that summer.

But only one of them is willing to kill to find the truth…"

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This intriguing story is set now and in 1999.  In 1999, six graduates were working with an eccentric professor on a project for a new dating website. Fast forward 25 years and the professor has passed away.  To commemorate this, two of the graduates decide to reunite the six at a dinner party.

From the start, there is definitely an unsettling vibe. One guest hears what sounds like crying upon arrival, then catches glimpses and sounds of someone moving around just out of sight and who is the stranger that says they are connected to the professor but his story just doesn't add up. The hosts are noticeably cagey, which only adds to the tension. Things escalate, turning violent, and suddenly, everyone's fighting for their lives. It all points back to a secret from 1999 when the project was shut down suddenly but what is it and who holds it?

Whilst I enjoyed it by the end, it was a slow burn for me and it took a while for me to get into it.  I liked the twists, the characters were interesting and well developed and the story was complex and intriguing and whilst it pushed the boundaries of plausibility at times, I still enjoyed it.

I haven't read anything by Mark Edwards before but I enjoyed his writing style and the complex story he created so will look out for more from him in the future.

Many thanks to the author, Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this intriguing book.

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Two Kinds of Stranger (Eddie Flynn #9) by Steve Cavanagh

🌟🌟🌟 Publication date 31-July-2025 🌟🌟🌟

Description from Goodreads:

"SHE HELPED A PERFECT A STRANGER. SHE DIDN'T KNOW HE WAS THE PERFECT KILLER...

Ellie Parker had everything.

Perfect husband. Perfect apartment. Perfect friends and the perfect job.

As an internet celebrity - famed for her random acts of kindness - everyone knew it.

So when a betrayal causes her to lose it all, millions of people are watching.

But even at her lowest, Ellie will always help someone in need.

Which makes her the perfect target for a sadistic game.

Because as she soon learns, you can never trust a stranger - and a seemingly random encounter plunges her into a nightmare worse than she ever imagined.

The only person she can turn to is conman turned trial lawyer Eddie Flynn, who must take on a case where nothing is what it seems. With the most cruelly ingenious mind manipulating events from the shadows, everyone is in danger - including Eddie and his family."

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Wow ... just wow!!!  One of the best books I've read this year and one I can't recommend highly enough and even though this is number 9 in the series, don't let that put you off because you can absolutely read and enjoy this delight as a standalone but I would recommend you go back and read the rest, you won't be disappointed.

I am a fan of Mr Cavanagh's incarnation of Eddie Flynn having read a few of his previous outings but, I have to say, this is the best one I have read so far - an absolute peach of a story that had me on tenterhooks and devouring the pages as quick as my little eyes could manage.

With excellent characters, fantastic story and side story, perfect pace, the right amount of twists and thrills, I have no hesitation in recommending this to anyone who loves a great thriller.

What are you waiting for?  Go get it!

Thanks to the author, Headline and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this, a fantastic addition to this brilliant series.

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The Hanging Dolls (Zoe Storm #1) by Ruhi Choudhary

✴✴ Publication date:  30-July-2025 ✴✴

Description from Goodreads:

"The little girl’s body rests gently against the trunk of an old fir tree, her small hands laid delicately in her lap. From the day she became a Special Agent, Zoe Storm vowed to seek justice for the innocent. And for this little angel, her promise burns brighter than ever.

When the body of young Lily Baker is found in the sprawling woods behind the close-knit town of Harborwood, Washington, Special Agent Zoe Storm and her partner Dr Aiden Wesley rush to the scene. Nearby, three symbolic nooses hang from a branch and Zoe feels certain that it’s a warning that two more lives will be taken.

Witnesses spotted Lily talking to an unknown man, and she was given candy shortly before she disappeared. Then, another girl vanishes from her bed in the middle of the night. The only link between the girls is that they were from broken homes. Did the killer promise them safety?

With time running out, Zoe uncovers a cryptic note with a clue pointing to the name of the next child and an abandoned greenhouse on the outskirts of town. Zoe knows the killer has set a trap for her. But with two lives hanging in the balance, she will do everything to bring her home."

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I have never read anything by Ruhi Choudhary before but the title of this book grabbed my attention straight away; the cover, not so much but you know the old saying "don't judge a book by its cover."

This is a pretty good introduction to a new series.  I find the first book is not usually the best as the scene, characters and back story is being set down and I felt this was the case with this book and it made it a little slow at times.  This, along with the multiple strands of the story dealing with the abduction, Zoe's past, flashbacks and misdirection did, for me, make it hard going at times.

The story is told from multiple points of view with flashbacks from Zoe's past which were a story in themselves.   The characters are really interesting and I am looking forward to getting to know Zoe some more and I’m definitely looking forward to future instalments exploring her past.  The writing style was easy to read, the main story was intriguing and the ending was a bit of a shocker and I love it when that happens. 

Overall, whilst it might not have been the best book I have read this year, it has certainly made me look forward to the next in the series if only to get to know what happened to Rachel. 

Thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts on this the first in a new series.

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Beneath These Walls by Shade Owens [Audiobook]

Description from Goodreads:

"Six months ago, my husband tried to kill me.

Now, my sons and I are living in an old Victorian house passed down to me by my uncle. The house may be big, but the town is small... it's safe, which is something I haven't felt in a very long time. And best of all, it's very far away from my ex.

As soon as we move in, however, I discover that this house has an eerie reputation. Rumor has it my uncle was a mysterious man accused of atrocious things, which is drawing a lot of unwanted attention our way.

And the last thing we need is attention; we need to stay invisible if we want to stay alive.

But how can we remain invisible when things keep happening in this house? Strange things. Horrific things that has the whole town watching. Maybe even him. We were supposed to be safe here, but it's becoming glaringly apparent to me that we're in real danger.

Then I remind I'm a mother.

And a mother will do anything to protect her children."

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I have read/listened to a couple of Shade Owens' books before and enjoyed them and whilst this wasn't as good as the others, it still kept me engaged.

Alice/Emma have managed to escape her controlling and abusive husband with her two boys and is living in a large house she inherited from her uncle however, she doesn't feel safe and is paranoid and terrified that her husband will, eventually, find her.  This, together with a horrifying discovery in the basement and of mysterious handwritten notes left in the kitchen does nothing to ease Alice/Emma's fears.

Told at a steady pace and with flash backs into Alice/Emma's past, this is a tense listen.  The narrator did a great job of capturing the tension and whilst I did find Alice/Emma to be a little annoying at times and overly suspicious of everybody and everything, overall, it was a decent story that I enjoyed.

Many thanks to the author, Red Raven Publishing and NetGalley for enabling me to listen and share my thoughts of this intriguing audio book.

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Love, Mom by Iliana Xander

Description from Goodreads:

"A best-selling author. A mother. A murderer…

Mackenzie Casper is a brilliant student. But she is best known for her mother, a best-selling author whose dark, twisted thrillers have a dedicated worldwide fanbase.

When her mother dies in an accident, fans across the world are left grieving, and the investigators are asking: Was that really an accident?

The day of the memorial service, Mackenzie gets the first mysterious envelope, signed,

From #1 fan. XOXO

Inside are the pages of her mother’s diary that start with the lines:

Want to know a secret?

Love, Mom.

What Mackenzie reads leaves her in shock.

But then comes the second letter.

And the third...

Mackenzie starts her own investigation and stumbles upon secrets that her family has lived with for years.

Quickly, she realizes that her mother's path to stardom was etched with sinister lies that might have caught up with her.

Sometimes fame is worth a murder. Or worse.

Soon, Mackenzie will come to find out that there are worse things than murder…"

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This is one of those books that you will either love or hate; me?  I didn't love it and I didn't hate it but I did find it enthralling.

This is a hard book to review as it did take me a while to get into it but once I was used to the writing style, I became totally invested in the story and desperately wanted to find out who was sending the letters.

The story cleverly unfolds through dual perspectives and multiple timelines, slowly revealing a family falling apart under the weight of trauma, secrets, and lies. While I did see a couple of twists coming, others completely caught me off guard. 

Whilst this book might not be everyone's cup of tea, I really enjoyed it and many thanks to the author, Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this intriguing and enthralling book.

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