REVIEW: The Retreat

The Retreat
Author: Mark Edwards

Lucas is a novelist. One of his books actually hit the bestseller list, but now he's struggling to write his next story. An advance has already been paid to him, but he can't seem to find his muse. Knowing he needs to get with it and present a finished manuscript to his agent, he travels to a writer's retreat in Wales where he lived as a child. He believes some peace, quiet and seclusion will help him put words on the page. He discovers that the widow who runs the retreat, Julia, lost a child and her husband in a freak accident three years ago. Julia is convinced her daughter didn't drown in the river like her husband because they never found the body. The longer Lucas stays at the retreat, the more strange things start happening...and the stronger his sense of dread becomes. Lily is not the first child to go missing. And perhaps local folklore and rumors have more truth to them than he would like to believe.

I loved this story! Its spooky and suspenseful vibe definitely kept my attention from beginning to end. The suspense builds slowly, weaving through the tale like morning fog through a forest. Every time I thought I knew what was going on, more details would be revealed making me doubt my theory. Great story!

I listened to the audio book version of this novel. Narrated by Simon Mattacks, the audio is just shy of 9 1/2 hours long. Mattacks reads at a steady pace with good inflection. I have hearing loss but was easily able to hear and understand the entire book.

Mark Edwards is the author of several thrillers including Follow You Home and Magpies. The Retreat is the first book by Edwards that I have read. I enjoyed it so much that I will definitely be reading more of his writing!

**I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book from Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**