The Retreat by Mark Edwards

From Goodreads

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?

From the bestselling author of Follow You Home and The Magpies comes his most terrifying novel yet. 

My thoughts

My thanks to the Publishers via NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review. I gave this a 5 stars or 10/10.

Can I just say that Mark Edwards never fails to deliver a book that draws you in and unsettles you and they are just right up my street. He has a knack of telling a story in a way that almost makes it fit the horror genre, yet it's not aimed at that genre specifically. There is always that underlying layer that just creeps you out and keeps you guessing. You just know that something sinister is going to happen at some point and that's one of the joys of reading his books.

Julia the owner of an old house with history, has had her share of bad luck in life. Following the loss of family members, she is left alone in the house. Deciding to turn the house into a writing retreat, the house is soon full of strangers and it's not long before a series of eerie things begin to happen.

Lucas, is an Author with at least one reasonably successful book behind him, he chances upon the retreat and it's not long before he's aware of  Julia's past. His career as a writer gives him the push to try to find out what's happening and what had happened to Julia in the past.

As Lucas's investigation begins, will he ever find out the truth or will he live to regret ever making the decision to start it.

Just read the book yourself to find out what I'm wittering about. Mark Edwards's books are always well written and I have to admit he's got a fan in me.