Review: The Retreat by Mark Edwards

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?

Review

Y’all should just read this book! Yeah, that’s my review! I should just leave it at that, right? Seriously though, this book is awesome and I hope that all fans of thrillers will get a chance to read it.

The story begins with Lucas’ arrival at a writer’s retreat. Lucas has one successful book to his name but is currently struggling to find inspiration for a second book. He hopes that a retreat at a secluded location will help inspire him. Julia is the host of the retreat which is also being attended by three other writers, Karen, Max and Suzi. The vibe of that place is super spooky. The house is huge, old and has some unusual noises that have everyone on edge. In addition, Julia’s daughter, Lily, has been missing for over two years. All these contribute to a very, creepy, atmospheric read.

I couldn’t stop turning pages once I started reading this book. The plot was interesting and it moved at a fast pace. I was curious about Lily’s disappearance. The police believe that she drowned and her mother was certain that she was alive somewhere. I couldn’t decide which version to believe and so I eagerly followed the narrative waiting for the reveal. The story had quite a number of twists. None of which I could have predicted. I can’t even begin to explain the number of times my jaw dropped.

I loved everything about this story. I enjoyed the narrative style where urban legends were integrated into the story hence contributing to the suspense and creepy atmosphere. The Retreat by Mark Edwards is an amazing, descriptive,captivating read. The surprises just kept coming until the end. I can’t wait to read more books by this author.