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 out now in the UK, USA and Canada.

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It’s beginning to look a lot like…murder.
The Christmas Magpie is out now in hardback, ebook and audiobook! You can find the hardback at Asda, Waterstones, your local indie or on Amazon, and there’s also an airport-only paperback edition in WHSmith. If you spot it in a shop, please send me a photo or post it and tag me!
In The Christmas Magpie, a nice young couple called Noel and Dani move into their first home together, determined to have the best Christmas ever. But soon strange parcels start arriving on their doorstep, someone appears to be watching them and all the neighbours are acting suspiciously. Meanwhile, at the nearby women’s prison, a certain famous serial killer called Lucy is dreaming of a very dark Christmas…
The Christmas Magpie can be read as a standalone, but features Lucy from the Magpies series. It’s a short, fun festive read that will make a perfect present for yourself or the psychological thriller lover in your life. Grab a mince pie, curl up on the sofa and be very glad you’re not Noel or Dani.
This book is UK/Australia only at the moment, although Booka Books will ship worldwide and they have signed and doodled copies in stock. Link in bio.
All the pre-ordered hardbacks of The Christmas Magpie (out this Thursday 13th) have been signed, doodled, dedicated and stamped at Booka Books and The Heath Bookshop. They will be in the post this week. Both shops have signed stock if you missed out. Links in bio. Go on, tick someone off your Christmas list!
Last chance to order a signed copy of The Christmas Magpie before I go into the shops to sign them. Ten people will win a personal Christmas card from me too. And by pre-ordering from Booka Books or The Heath Bookshop you’re supporting two fantastic independent book shops. Order links in bio. Booka will ship worldwide; Heath is UK only. Thank you!
I’ve had a very pleasant birthday. I’ve done absolutely nothing except open presents and eat my goth cake. A pretty nice way to spend the day.
How would you like me to send you a personalised, handwritten Christmas card? Even better, what if it was a special Christmas Magpie card? Ten people who pre-order the signed hardback of The Christmas Magpie will get one of these. The card will be personally addressed to you and sent out with your book. Five winners will be chosen at random from The Heath Bookshop orders, and five from Booka Books.
To be in with a chance, place your order before midnight on November 5th. If you’ve already pre-ordered the signed hardback you’re already in the draw. A reminder: each hardback pre-ordered from Booka or Heath Bookshop will be signed, dedicated, stamped and will contain a magpie doodle. And ten lucky ones will also get a handwritten card.
Links in bio. This is available worldwide (Booka will ship internationally; Heath is UK only). Please comment to let me know you’ve placed your order.
Yikes! Happy Halloween from me and Scooby-Dooby-Doo! I hope your evening isn’t ruined by any meddling kids and that if you go trick or treating you get lots of Scooby snacks. I promise that my next book won’t be a Shaggy dog story but will be a well-oiled mystery machine with no Scrappy bits. 🎃 👻 🦇
PS Sherlock has made absolutely no effort with his outfit.
Surprise! The ebook of The Christmas Magpie is out now! I believe this is what they call a surprise drop. An early Xmas present. Available wherever you get your ebooks including Kindle and Apple Books. NB this is UK and Australia only. The hardback and audiobook still come out on Nov 13.
If you read an advance copy you can post your review to Amazon now.
‘What a perfect gem of a thriller! Dark, twisted, chilling and utterly unputdownable.’ CLAIRE DOUGLAS
It’s Noel and Dani’s first Christmas in their new home and they want everything to be perfect - lavish presents, a beautiful tree and outdoor decorations to join in with the festivities in this welcoming community.
But they quickly wonder if this street is as perfect as it appears.
First, there are the unwelcome presents left anonymously on their doorstep.
Then they are sure someone is watching them...
And why are the neighbours all obsessed with a notorious killer who is housed at the nearby women’s prison?
After tragedy strikes at a Christmas party, Noel and Dani try to find out who is targeting them – but, in this case, it might be safer not to know . . .
The Wasp Trap is currently in the 2-for-1 deal on Audible. I’ve listened to the audiobook and the performances are fantastic. The writing’s not bad either!
After I launched The Christmas Magpie signed edition yesterday it immediately sold out! But good news: both Booka Books and The Heath Bookshop have reserved more stock so it’s available to order again now. Links in bio and stories.
As a reminder, you get the gorgeous first edition hardback which will be signed, dedicated, stamped and will come with a magpie doodle hand-drawn by me.
If you’ve read The Magpies you will love this because it’s another tale of neighbours from hell featuring Lucy - but it can also be read as a standalone. And it goes without saying that it makes a great Christmas present for the book lover in your life. So go on, tick somebody off your list by grabbing one of these now. Or treat yourself!
But don’t hang around or they might sell out again…
#crimethriller #psychologicalthriller #christmasbooks
The Christmas Magpie signed and dedicated edition is available to order now from Booka Books and The Heath Bookshop! The links are in my bio.
Each one will be signed, dedicated to you or whoever you’re buying it for, ink-stamped to prove it’s one of the special first editions AND each one will also come with a magpie doodle! Please make sure you write your dedication in the box on the order page.
You can order as many as you like because these make perfect Christmas presents (or send the link to whoever buys you gifts!). If you’re outside the UK, Booka will ship internationally.
This is a great chance to get yourself, or a friend, a superb Christmas gift and support independent bookshops at the same time. Ordering from them really does make a difference.
As a reminder, The Christmas Magpie features Lucy Newton and is part of The Magpies series, but if you haven’t read those books it doesn’t matter because it also works as a standalone. It’s the perfect book to curl up with for a few hours over the holiday period and I had enormous fun writing it.
Spotted at Baggeridge Country Park. I wish I knew who the artist was because they are extremely talented. After being stung earlier this year, I also almost stumbled into a wasps’ nest on my dog walk yesterday and my daughter had what was either a hornet or queen wasp in her bedroom yesterday. Fully expecting to be attacked by a flock of magpies next month…
I’m going to be revealing the titles - yes, it has two! - of my next book in my newsletter later today. If you’re not already signed up, follow the link in my bio or google ‘mark edwards newsletter’.
As you can see, Sherlock can barely contain his excitement.
Update: the newsletter has been delayed a few days by technical gremlins. Sherlock will have to stay calm for a little longer.
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It’s beginning to look a lot like…murder.
The Christmas Magpie is out now in hardback, ebook and audiobook! You can find the hardback at Asda, Waterstones, your local indie or on Amazon, and there’s also an airport-only paperback edition in WHSmith. If you spot it in a shop, please send me a photo or post it and tag me!
In The Christmas Magpie, a nice young couple called Noel and Dani move into their first home together, determined to have the best Christmas ever. But soon strange parcels start arriving on their doorstep, someone appears to be watching them and all the neighbours are acting suspiciously. Meanwhile, at the nearby women’s prison, a certain famous serial killer called Lucy is dreaming of a very dark Christmas…
The Christmas Magpie can be read as a standalone, but features Lucy from the Magpies series. It’s a short, fun festive read that will make a perfect present for yourself or the psychological thriller lover in your life. Grab a mince pie, curl up on the sofa and be very glad you’re not Noel or Dani.
This book is UK/Australia only at the moment, although Booka Books will ship worldwide and they have signed and doodled copies in stock. ... See MoreSee Less
13 CommentsComment on Facebook
All the pre-ordered hardbacks of The Christmas Magpie (out this Thursday 13th) have been signed, doodled, dedicated and stamped at Booka Books and The Heath Bookshop. They will be in the post this week. Both shops have signed stock if you missed out. Links in bio. Go on, tick someone off your Christmas list! ... See MoreSee Less
25 CommentsComment on Facebook
Tunbridge Wells tickets are now on sale. 15 December at 7pm, Station Books, which is just around the corner from the train station. This is my only event in the south east this year so come along for what is going to be a very special festive event with prizes! Link for tickets in comments.
UPDATE: This is sold out already. I will let you know if more tickets become available. Thank you to everyone who's bought a ticket so far! ... See MoreSee Less
5 CommentsComment on Facebook
A new interview with me about The Wasp Trap. A quick, 5-minute read in a new Substack newsletter that you might want to sign up to (it’s free) ... See MoreSee Less
An interview with Mark Edwards, author of The Wasp Trap
carnivorouscrimefiction.substack.com
It would be ludicrous to attempt to sum up the plot of Mark Edwards’ innovative, clever and totally compelling thriller, The Wasp Trap. But in a nutshell: The story toggles between past (1999) and p...0 CommentsComment on Facebook
I have such a crazy schedule over the next few weeks that I'm not going to be able to fit in an online launch party for The Christmas Magpie on publication day (Nov 13th). But don't be sad. Instead, I'm going to host a Christmas party here on my FB page in December to look back on my busiest year ever - three books! - and also tell you about what's coming next. So watch this space.
You can also see me live this month in the following places: Stourbridge, Wolverhampton, Bath, Romiley (Greater Manchester) and Tunbridge Wells. All the links and details are on my events page. There will be book signings at all of these - plus lots of festive surprises! Link in comments. ... See MoreSee Less
10 CommentsComment on Facebook
Last call! If you want to pre-order a signed copy of The Christmas Magpie get your orders in now. Don’t forget, ten lucky ones will also get a personal Xmas card from me. Grab one yourself or send the link to whoever buys you gifts. They will be sent out next week so you’ll get it in plenty of time for the big day.
buy.stripe.com/bJe9ATg0Q1WxgRs1Oegbm16 ... See MoreSee Less
6 CommentsComment on Facebook
I’ve had a very pleasant birthday. I’ve done absolutely nothing except open presents and eat my goth cake. A pretty nice way to spend the day. ... See MoreSee Less
192 CommentsComment on Facebook
How would you like me to send you a personalised, handwritten Christmas card? Even better, what if it was a special Christmas Magpie card? Ten people who pre-order the signed hardback of The Christmas Magpie will get one of these. The card will be personally addressed to you and sent out with your book. Five winners will be chosen at random from The Heath Bookshop orders, and five from Booka Books.
To be in with a chance, place your order before midnight on November 5th. If you've already pre-ordered the signed hardback you're already in the draw. A reminder: each hardback pre-ordered from Booka or Heath Bookshop will be signed, dedicated, stamped and will contain a magpie doodle. And ten lucky ones will also get a handwritten card.
Links in comments. This is available worldwide (Booka will ship internationally; Heath is UK only). Please comment to let me know you've placed your order and good luck 😀🎅 ... See MoreSee Less
45 CommentsComment on Facebook
New event details. I'll be at Stourbridge Library at 7pm on Nov 18th talking about The Christmas Magpie, The Wasp Trap and my career in general. I promise to be entertaining. They don't have an online booking system so to book your place call Stourbridge Library on 01384 812945 or email stourbridge.library@gll.org. Alternatively you can call into the library.
Secondly, the Wolverhampton Waterstones event on Nov 22nd has moved to 1.30pm, but I will post more details about that nearer the time.
Happy November! I have several other events this month, including Bath, Romiley and Tunbridge Wells. For full details follow the link in the comments. ... See MoreSee Less
6 CommentsComment on Facebook