The five million copy bestseller
Mark Edwards writes psychological thrillers about ordinary people who encounter terrifying events. His novels include The Magpies and Here To Stay. The Wasp Trap, his hardcover debut, is coming summer 2025.
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Event announcement. I will be at Imagined Things Bookshop in Harrogate from 11am next Saturday, 19th July, where copies of The Wasp Trap will be in stock 12 days before publication day. Come along, meet me, get a book signed, have a chat, take a selfie… It’s taking place during the Harrogate Crime Festival weekend but you don’t have to be attending the festival to come along to this. It’s free, no booking required. Just turn up! Hope to see some of you there!
Exciting news! The signed US hardcover of The Wasp Trap is available to pre-order now from the Mysterious Bookshop in NYC. Along with the beautiful American edition you get an exclusive bookmark, a gorgeously designed bookplate, membership of my private readers group and - only with this signed edition - a BONUS CHAPTER. These are strictly limited so when they’re gone, that’s it. Also, they deliver worldwide so you don’t have to be in the US to order it.
The bonus chapter features one of the main characters from the novel and was specially written for this edition.
The link is in my bio and stories. Or google Mysterious Bookshop Wasp Trap.
In The Wasp Trap, six old friends reunite at a dinner party in Notting Hill and find themselves having to play a deadly game in which everyone has to reveal their darkest secret - all of which relates back to 1999, when they devised a test to trap a psychopath…
Posting this because I know when they’re no longer available someone will contact me and say ‘Why didn’t you ever mention it?’ But if you want a signed and dedicated first edition of The Wasp Trap with an exclusive bookmark and membership of my Elite Readers Club you need to act like a wasp spying a cake at a picnic and dive-bomb the link in my bio or on my last FB post.
It’s what this account is all about. Cats, books and a daft golden retriever.
Middle pic is an amazing starred review of The Wasp Trap in Library Journal. Well chuffed.
“Edwards deftly builds the novel’s quiet unease, which blooms into a full-blown sense of dread by the end of the story, neatly dispensing a number of jaw-dropping plot twists along the way.”
The Wasp Trap is out THIS MONTH. July 31st to be precise. (Sept 16 in USA/Canada.) It feels like I’ve been thinking and talking about this novel since the dawn of time but it will be worth the wait. Here’s what some very nice authors will great taste said about it. If you’ve preordered it and want to join my elite readers group, email me mark@markedwardsauthor.com for an invite.
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…
Available to preorder wherever you buy your books, ebooks or audiobooks
Dottie says, Remember to drink plenty of water. And be thankful you don’t have a thick fur coat.
The Psychopath Next Door is my fastest- and biggest-selling book since The House Guest in 2020. A big thank you to everyone who has bought it and helped spread the word!
Exciting things seem to be happening every day at the moment. Yesterday I wandered into town and saw this!! Wolverhampton Waterstones have this Wasp Trap display in their window and inside. It looks amazing and I am so grateful to them for being so supportive.
I’ll be doing a free event there on Saturday Aug 2nd, 1-2pm, signing books, chatting, even posing for selfies if that appeals to you! Come along and buy a book. Wolverhampton is very easy to get in and out of 😂 There’s even a cat cafe across the road from the shop!
Anyway, I am giddy with excitement. Just over a month to go until The Wasp Trap 🐝 buzzes into stores.
It’s exactly six months till Christmas - which feels like the perfect day to reveal the cover of my third (!) book of 2025: THE CHRISTMAS MAGPIE.
Noel and Dani have moved into their first house together and are planning to have the perfect Christmas. But when unwanted presents start turning up on their doorstep they wonder if someone is determined to wreck the festivities…
And could it be related to a certain psychopath residing at the local women’s prison?
Published Nov 13 in the UK as a hardback, ebook and audiobook. You can preorder it now using the link in my bio. And tell me what you think of the cover and if you’re excited to read it! @michaeljbooks @madeleinemilburn
Yesterday: DUMBO, Brooklyn Heights, the flea market and the Empire State Building at sunset. It was my daughter’s birthday and it was amazing but we did 23k steps in insane heat and humidity and it’s going to be even hotter here today. The plan: lots of air-conditioned museums before we fly home tonight. I ❤️ NY.
Visited the location of The House Guest in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. This is the place where Adam and Ruth stayed in the book, Eden turning up during a rainstorm and asking to come in…
These dream-come-true moments are coming thick and fast at the moment. Today I visited my new US publisher, Simon & Schuster, for the first time. I remember walking past their office many times in the past, thinking ‘Wouldn’t that be cool?’ And it was amazing. I met my editor, made some videos and signed loads of bookplates for the US hardcover. If you want one you can pre-order now. The link is in my bio and they ship worldwide. It comes with an exclusive bookmark and something else really special which I’ll reveal soon. Link in bio.
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Want to keep up with what Mark's doing, find out what Peggy the Maine Coon has been up to, keep track of the latest special offers and see what Mark is reading or listening to? Head over to Instagram and give @markedwardsauthor a follow.
FREE box set of short stories
Join the Readers Club to download the Mark’s FREE box set of four thrilling stories, plus all the latest news, book releases, special offers and giveaways.
Contact Mark
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Event announcement. I will be at Imagined Things Bookshop in Harrogate from 11am next Saturday, 19th July, where copies of The Wasp Trap will be in stock 12 days before publication day. Come along, meet me, get a book signed, have a chat, take a selfie… It’s taking place during the Harrogate Crime Festival weekend but you don’t have to be attending the festival to come along to this. It’s free, no booking required. Just turn up! Hope to see some of you there! ... See MoreSee Less
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Exciting news! The signed US hardcover of The Wasp Trap is available to pre-order now from the Mysterious Bookshop in NYC. Along with the beautiful American edition you get an exclusive bookmark, a gorgeously designed bookplate, membership of my private readers group and - only with this signed edition - a BONUS CHAPTER. These are strictly limited so when they’re gone, that’s it. Also, they deliver worldwide so you don’t have to be in the US to order it. The bonus chapter was written especially for this edition and features one of the main characters from the book.
In The Wasp Trap, six old friends reunite at a dinner party in Notting Hill and find themselves having to play a deadly game in which everyone has to reveal their darkest secret - all of which relates back to 1999, when they devised a test to trap a psychopath…
To join the private readers group, simply message me after you’ve placed your order.
Link in comments, or google mysterious bookshop wasp trap
Please note: The image that says ‘Please do not read this unless you have already finished the wasp trap’ is a picture of the front of the bonus chapter, which will be sent out when the book is published. ... See MoreSee Less
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This is your final call if you want a signed, dedicated UK copy of The Wasp Trap.
Booka have completely sold out but there a few copies left at The Heath Bookshop. As a reminder, you get a signed, stamped and dedicated first edition, an exclusive bookmark and access to my Elite Readers Club, which is already a thriving community where you can help me with research, get news first and meet other Mark Edwards readers. Just email (mark@markedwardsauthor.com) or message me once you've bought it and I'll add you to the group.
Link in comments. ... See MoreSee Less
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Thrilled to see The Wasp Trap get a starred review in Library Journal.
" What if psychopaths could be identified by filling out a questionnaire? This is the ingenious premise of Edwards’s (The Psychopath Next Door) nail-biting new suspense novel. Twenty-five years ago, Will, Georgina, Theo, Lily, Sophie, and Rohan were chosen by their professor, Sebastian Marlowe, to help him build a dating website. After working together for several months at Marlowe’s country estate, the group was ready to launch the site when Marlowe abruptly pulled the plug on it. Now the six of them are getting together again for the first time in decades, for a dinner party in honor of the late Professor Marlowe. Almost immediately upon arriving at Georgina and Theo’s home in London, the group discover that someone has a very different idea of what is going to happen at that night’s dinner. Edwards deftly builds the novel’s quiet unease, which blooms into a full-blown sense of dread by the end of the story, neatly dispensing a number of jaw-dropping plot twists along the way.
VERDICT Superbly satisfying psychological suspense from an author who isn’t afraid to flirt with the shadowy side of human nature. ... See MoreSee Less
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This event in Nottingham on 29 July has almost sold out (over 100 tickets sold already) so if you want to come along you need to grab yours now. It should be a hugely entertaining, fun event with some amazing authors. TM Logan, KL Slater, Milly Johnson, Cathy Bramley, Lucy Diamond, Isabelle Broom and me. Hardbacks of The Wasp Trap will be on sale. Come along, meet us and have a laugh! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/genre-wars-romance-v-crime-tickets-1336425617999 ... See MoreSee Less
1 CommentsComment on Facebook
The Wasp Trap is out THIS MONTH. July 31st to be precise. (Sept 16 in USA/Canada.) It feels like I’ve been thinking and talking about this novel since the dawn of time but it will be worth the wait. Here’s what some very nice authors will great taste said about it. If you’ve preordered it and want to join my elite readers group, email me mark@markedwardsauthor.com for an invite.
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…
Available to preorder wherever you buy your books, ebooks or audiobooks ... See MoreSee Less
13 CommentsComment on Facebook
Free event. Come and meet me, get a book signed, a selfie, whatever you want (within reason 😂). I’ll be at Wolverhampton Waterstones 1-2pm Sat Aug 2nd. No ticket required, just show up. This is your chance to help me celebrate publication of The Wasp Trap. ... See MoreSee Less
13 CommentsComment on Facebook
Exciting things seem to be happening every day at the moment. Yesterday I wandered into town and saw this!! Wolverhampton Waterstones have this Wasp Trap display in their window and inside. It looks amazing and I am so grateful to them for being so supportive.
I’ll be doing a free event there on Saturday Aug 2nd, 1-2pm, signing books, chatting, even posing for selfies if that appeals to you! Come along and buy a book. Wolverhampton is very easy to get in and out of 😂 There’s even a cat cafe across the road from the shop!
Anyway, I am giddy with excitement. Just over a month to go until The Wasp Trap 🐝 buzzes into stores. ... See MoreSee Less
18 CommentsComment on Facebook
Some answers to FAQs about The Christmas Magpie.
I don’t yet know when it will be published in the US/Canada but hopefully it will be in 2026. You will be able to get UK hardbacks shipped over there this year although I realise that’s not cheap.
The UK paperback will be out Christmas 2026.
It’s in the Magpies series - Lucy is in it - but it can be read as a standalone. Chronologically, it takes place shortly after The Psychopath Next Door but none of the characters from that are in, except Lucy.
It’s a novella so is approximately half the length of a novel, about 200 pages.
The hardcover is going to be small format so it will make a perfect stocking filler.
And you can preorder it wherever you get your books BUT you might want to wait for the signed edition. I need to start practising my Christmas doodle 😂 ... See MoreSee Less
28 CommentsComment on Facebook