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One of the Family
Not yet published
Expected 4 Aug 26The “so clever and fresh” (Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author) author of The Wasp Trap returns with a novel best described as Succession set in the Scottish Highlands where a plot to murder the patriarch’s younger fiancée entangles an innocent outsider in a nest of deadly secrets.
A week in paradise—with the family from hell.
When Patrick is invited by his girlfriend to join her and her family on a luxury holiday in a remote and beautiful part of Scotland, he has no idea that he is about to be plunged into a nightmare of a family, sinister behavior…and a plot to murder the patriarch’s younger fiancée.
Arriving at the house, Patrick meets Holly’s dad, self-made-millionaire Charles, along with her brother Lewis and older sister Miranda. Also on the trip is the widowed Charles’ bride-to-be, Jasmine, who—in her early forties—is around the same age as the three siblings. Lewis and Miranda are horrified by their dad’s impending marriage to this younger woman. Surely, she is just after his money—and is going to steal their inheritance from them. To make things worse, Jasmine is an almost exact doppelganger of their mother before she got sick and died at forty-two.
Patrick finds himself in the middle of this viper’s nest, trying to keep out of the family crosshairs. He starts to suspect that Lewis has dark plans for Jasmine—putting himself in peril as a potential witness who could mess up his scheme. Perhaps more than one person won’t escape this family of snakes…
A week in paradise—with the family from hell.
When Patrick is invited by his girlfriend to join her and her family on a luxury holiday in a remote and beautiful part of Scotland, he has no idea that he is about to be plunged into a nightmare of a family, sinister behavior…and a plot to murder the patriarch’s younger fiancée.
Arriving at the house, Patrick meets Holly’s dad, self-made-millionaire Charles, along with her brother Lewis and older sister Miranda. Also on the trip is the widowed Charles’ bride-to-be, Jasmine, who—in her early forties—is around the same age as the three siblings. Lewis and Miranda are horrified by their dad’s impending marriage to this younger woman. Surely, she is just after his money—and is going to steal their inheritance from them. To make things worse, Jasmine is an almost exact doppelganger of their mother before she got sick and died at forty-two.
Patrick finds himself in the middle of this viper’s nest, trying to keep out of the family crosshairs. He starts to suspect that Lewis has dark plans for Jasmine—putting himself in peril as a potential witness who could mess up his scheme. Perhaps more than one person won’t escape this family of snakes…
336 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication August 4, 2026
About the author
Mark Edwards
35 books6,182 followersMark Edwards writes psychological thrillers in which scary things happen to ordinary people.
He loves hearing from readers and always responds. Mark can be contacted in the following ways:
Email: mark@markedwardsauthor.com
Twitter @mredwards
Facebook/Instagram: @markedwardsauthor
You can download a free box set of 'Short Sharp Shockers' by visiting www.markedwardsauthor.com/free
Mark has sold over 5 million books since his first solo novel, The Magpies, was published in 2013 and has topped the bestseller lists numerous times. His other novels include Follow You Home, Here To Stay and The Psychopath Next Door. He has also published six books co-authored with Louise Voss. His next novel, The Wasp Trap, will be published in the UK/Australia in July 2025 and the US/Canada in September 2025.
Mark lives in the West Midlands, England, with his wife, their three children, two cats and a golden retriever.
He loves hearing from readers and always responds. Mark can be contacted in the following ways:
Email: mark@markedwardsauthor.com
Twitter @mredwards
Facebook/Instagram: @markedwardsauthor
You can download a free box set of 'Short Sharp Shockers' by visiting www.markedwardsauthor.com/free
Mark has sold over 5 million books since his first solo novel, The Magpies, was published in 2013 and has topped the bestseller lists numerous times. His other novels include Follow You Home, Here To Stay and The Psychopath Next Door. He has also published six books co-authored with Louise Voss. His next novel, The Wasp Trap, will be published in the UK/Australia in July 2025 and the US/Canada in September 2025.
Mark lives in the West Midlands, England, with his wife, their three children, two cats and a golden retriever.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 299 reviews
May 30, 2026
Patrick has been invited to spend New Year’s Eve (Hogmanay) at his girlfriend Holly’s holiday mansion, in the Scottish Highlands, in the middle of nowhere. Holly’s dad Charles Grant is a millionaire, owning a computer tech company called Gravitas. This is a first for Patrick, as he’s never met the family before, and Charles is introducing his new fiancée Jasmine to the family. The week long stay is a disaster from start to finish, with missing family members, murder and secrets being revealed.
This was full of twists, turns, and suspense, mixed with freezing weather conditions, blinding snowstorms, and set in an isolated area in the Scottish Highlands, which all added to the reading experience, and which I couldn’t put down. I’ve never read anything by Mark Edwards before, but will definitely be adding more to my reading list.
4 ⭐️
Thanks to Mark Edwards, Penguin, and NetGalley, for providing me with this free ARC, with which I leave a voluntary review.
Available: 18 June 2026
This was full of twists, turns, and suspense, mixed with freezing weather conditions, blinding snowstorms, and set in an isolated area in the Scottish Highlands, which all added to the reading experience, and which I couldn’t put down. I’ve never read anything by Mark Edwards before, but will definitely be adding more to my reading list.
4 ⭐️
Thanks to Mark Edwards, Penguin, and NetGalley, for providing me with this free ARC, with which I leave a voluntary review.
Available: 18 June 2026
Currently Reading
June 20, 2026Here to Stay is what made me love this authors work
I feel like this newest release is going to be so good
Time to devour it!
🤍❤️💙❤️
I feel like this newest release is going to be so good
Time to devour it!
🤍❤️💙❤️
May 8, 2026
One of the Family is an exceptionally intelligent psychological thriller that blends emotional depth with relentless suspense. Mark Edwards delivers a novel that is not only gripping, but psychologically perceptive and thematically layered.
🖤 Atmosphere:
The tension in this book is masterfully sustained from beginning to end. Edwards creates a persistent sense of unease where every interaction feels significant and every revelation subtly shifts the reader’s perception. The atmosphere is claustrophobic, unsettling, and deeply immersive.
🧠 Psychological Depth:
I really loved how grounded the suspense felt in human behavior and family dynamics. The manipulation, emotional conflict, and blurred lines between love, loyalty, and control made this feel much deeper than your average thriller.
📖 The Writing & Pacing:
Mark Edwards has such an addictive writing style. The pacing was incredibly well done, steady, intentional, and constantly building tension without ever feeling rushed. Every chapter revealed just enough to keep me fully invested while still maintaining the mystery and psychological unease.
🎭 The Characters:
The characters felt believable, flawed, and emotionally complex. Nobody felt one dimensional, which made the paranoia and tension even stronger because I genuinely didn’t know who to trust.
📚 Overall:
This was intelligent, unsettling, and ridiculously hard to put down. If you enjoy psychological thrillers filled with tension, layered family dynamics, emotional manipulation, and twists that genuinely keep you engaged, I absolutely recommend this one.
✨ Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
🖤 Atmosphere:
The tension in this book is masterfully sustained from beginning to end. Edwards creates a persistent sense of unease where every interaction feels significant and every revelation subtly shifts the reader’s perception. The atmosphere is claustrophobic, unsettling, and deeply immersive.
🧠 Psychological Depth:
I really loved how grounded the suspense felt in human behavior and family dynamics. The manipulation, emotional conflict, and blurred lines between love, loyalty, and control made this feel much deeper than your average thriller.
📖 The Writing & Pacing:
Mark Edwards has such an addictive writing style. The pacing was incredibly well done, steady, intentional, and constantly building tension without ever feeling rushed. Every chapter revealed just enough to keep me fully invested while still maintaining the mystery and psychological unease.
🎭 The Characters:
The characters felt believable, flawed, and emotionally complex. Nobody felt one dimensional, which made the paranoia and tension even stronger because I genuinely didn’t know who to trust.
📚 Overall:
This was intelligent, unsettling, and ridiculously hard to put down. If you enjoy psychological thrillers filled with tension, layered family dynamics, emotional manipulation, and twists that genuinely keep you engaged, I absolutely recommend this one.
✨ Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 9, 2026
I was sooooo happy to win this on Goodreads!
One of the Family, a mystery/thriller, centers around main character Patrick. Patrick is just a regular city guy who is dating Holly-who just so happens to be from the very wealthy Grant family. He is invited to join her and her family for a holiday at their family’s mansion in the rural Scottish Highlands and his life is changed forever.
I’m not exaggerating when I say One of the Family is full and twists and turns-it is full of secrets, murder, and a lot of family drama. The characters are well-developed (though most are unlikable), and the book’s pacing is fast-paced. I absolutely loved the surprise ending, no spoilers! Highly recommended to fans that like mystery/thriller books.
Thank you to the publisher and Goodreads for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
One of the Family, a mystery/thriller, centers around main character Patrick. Patrick is just a regular city guy who is dating Holly-who just so happens to be from the very wealthy Grant family. He is invited to join her and her family for a holiday at their family’s mansion in the rural Scottish Highlands and his life is changed forever.
I’m not exaggerating when I say One of the Family is full and twists and turns-it is full of secrets, murder, and a lot of family drama. The characters are well-developed (though most are unlikable), and the book’s pacing is fast-paced. I absolutely loved the surprise ending, no spoilers! Highly recommended to fans that like mystery/thriller books.
Thank you to the publisher and Goodreads for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
April 27, 2026
Patrick’s girlfriend Holly invites him to spend New Years at her family’s vacation home in Scotland so that she can introduce him to her family.
What sounds like a relaxing holiday turns into pure hell for Patrick.
He meets Miranda, Holly’s bitchy older sister, her odd and cold husband, Zack, and Holly’s brother, Lewis.
Then Charle’s, Holly’s self-made millionaire father arrives with his new fiance, Jasmine, who happens to be two years younger than Holly.
To make things even more odd, Jasmine looks nearly identical to Elizabeth, Holly’s deceased mother (the term “doppelgänger” was used a few times in the book).
This book felt like what you’d get if you combined Meet The Parents with Succession and thew it into a remote town in Scotland with some frigid and snowy weather.
There are some extremely unlikable characters in this book and screwed up family dynamics that will definitely make your family seem normal at Thanksgiving this year.
Like many thrillers, the last 20% of the book is without a doubt the best part.
As I was reading along I was thinking to myself that it was going to be pretty predictable based on its description (and some parts were), but there were enough twists and surprises towards the end to satisfy my need to be surprised in books like this.
One thing I can tell you is that not everyone who you meet in this book will make it to the end alive.
This was my first book by Mark Edwards and it definitely won’t be my last!
Thanks to Atria Books and Mark Edwards for proving me with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Pub Date: August 4, 2026
What sounds like a relaxing holiday turns into pure hell for Patrick.
He meets Miranda, Holly’s bitchy older sister, her odd and cold husband, Zack, and Holly’s brother, Lewis.
Then Charle’s, Holly’s self-made millionaire father arrives with his new fiance, Jasmine, who happens to be two years younger than Holly.
To make things even more odd, Jasmine looks nearly identical to Elizabeth, Holly’s deceased mother (the term “doppelgänger” was used a few times in the book).
This book felt like what you’d get if you combined Meet The Parents with Succession and thew it into a remote town in Scotland with some frigid and snowy weather.
There are some extremely unlikable characters in this book and screwed up family dynamics that will definitely make your family seem normal at Thanksgiving this year.
Like many thrillers, the last 20% of the book is without a doubt the best part.
As I was reading along I was thinking to myself that it was going to be pretty predictable based on its description (and some parts were), but there were enough twists and surprises towards the end to satisfy my need to be surprised in books like this.
One thing I can tell you is that not everyone who you meet in this book will make it to the end alive.
This was my first book by Mark Edwards and it definitely won’t be my last!
Thanks to Atria Books and Mark Edwards for proving me with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Pub Date: August 4, 2026
February 22, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley for the early copy of One of the Family by Mark Edwards.
This was my first experience reading Mark Edwards, and it certainly won’t be my last. From the very first chapter, the story is saturated with lies, deception, and relentless twists that keep the tension dialled high throughout. Just when I thought I had a handle on where the plot was heading, another turn completely shifted my perspective.
What stood out most was the character development. Edwards crafts a cast that feels layered and unpredictable — I found myself loving, hating, tolerating, and even adoring different characters as they evolved across the narrative. My loyalties constantly shifted, which made the reading experience even more immersive.
A gripping psychological thriller that keeps you guessing until the final pages. Highly recommended for fans of dark domestic suspense
This was my first experience reading Mark Edwards, and it certainly won’t be my last. From the very first chapter, the story is saturated with lies, deception, and relentless twists that keep the tension dialled high throughout. Just when I thought I had a handle on where the plot was heading, another turn completely shifted my perspective.
What stood out most was the character development. Edwards crafts a cast that feels layered and unpredictable — I found myself loving, hating, tolerating, and even adoring different characters as they evolved across the narrative. My loyalties constantly shifted, which made the reading experience even more immersive.
A gripping psychological thriller that keeps you guessing until the final pages. Highly recommended for fans of dark domestic suspense
April 25, 2026
‼️‼️🚨 5 STAR ALERT 🚨 ‼️‼️
📖BOOK REVIEW 📖
Thank you to Atria Books for providing me this gifted ARC! Thank you to NetGalley and author Mark Edwards.
📚Book: One Of The Family
✍🏻Author: Mark Edwards
🌀Genre: Psychological Thriller
📃Pages: 336
One Of The Family by Mark Edwards is a psychological thriller novel.
A week in paradise—with the family from hell. When Patrick is invited by his girlfriend to join her and her family on a luxury holiday in a remote and beautiful part of Scotland, he has no idea that he is about to be plunged into a nightmare of a family, sinister behavior…and a plot to murder the patriarch’s younger fiancée, Jasmine, who—in her thirties—is around the same age as the three siblings. Perhaps more than one person won’t escape this family of snakes…
💜What I Loved:
👀Multiple POV’s
🌪️BIG Twists
⏱️Dual timelines
📕Unputdownable
💨Fast paced
🧐Not predictable
🤪Toxic family
💔What Didn’t Work For Me:
👍🏻 Nothing
📖 Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5)
👩🏼⚖️Final Word:
‼️‼️🚨 5 STAR ALERT 🚨 ‼️‼️
WOW, this book is on 🔥🔥
Do you think you have a toxic family or in-laws⁉️⁉️ Well, I’m pretty sure they are no where close to the toxicity of the Grants!!! I love this book!! It’s fast paced and so twisty, I never saw the twists coming! Those characters… some you love and some you love to hate!! One Of The Family is on my list for one of the best books from 2026!! If you like twisty reads, toxic family drama, secrets, lies and shocking storylines, this book is for you!!!! Bravo 👏🏻 👏🏻👏🏻
📖BOOK REVIEW 📖
Thank you to Atria Books for providing me this gifted ARC! Thank you to NetGalley and author Mark Edwards.
📚Book: One Of The Family
✍🏻Author: Mark Edwards
🌀Genre: Psychological Thriller
📃Pages: 336
One Of The Family by Mark Edwards is a psychological thriller novel.
A week in paradise—with the family from hell. When Patrick is invited by his girlfriend to join her and her family on a luxury holiday in a remote and beautiful part of Scotland, he has no idea that he is about to be plunged into a nightmare of a family, sinister behavior…and a plot to murder the patriarch’s younger fiancée, Jasmine, who—in her thirties—is around the same age as the three siblings. Perhaps more than one person won’t escape this family of snakes…
💜What I Loved:
👀Multiple POV’s
🌪️BIG Twists
⏱️Dual timelines
📕Unputdownable
💨Fast paced
🧐Not predictable
🤪Toxic family
💔What Didn’t Work For Me:
👍🏻 Nothing
📖 Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5)
👩🏼⚖️Final Word:
‼️‼️🚨 5 STAR ALERT 🚨 ‼️‼️
WOW, this book is on 🔥🔥
Do you think you have a toxic family or in-laws⁉️⁉️ Well, I’m pretty sure they are no where close to the toxicity of the Grants!!! I love this book!! It’s fast paced and so twisty, I never saw the twists coming! Those characters… some you love and some you love to hate!! One Of The Family is on my list for one of the best books from 2026!! If you like twisty reads, toxic family drama, secrets, lies and shocking storylines, this book is for you!!!! Bravo 👏🏻 👏🏻👏🏻
Want to Read
April 30, 2026Scottish Highlands, luxury holiday with the girlfriend turns into a week in paradise..but with a family from hell.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books and the author, Mark Edwards for sending me an early ARC.
Publication date: August 4th, 2026
Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books and the author, Mark Edwards for sending me an early ARC.
Publication date: August 4th, 2026
tbr
May 19, 2026Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
April 13, 2026
First of all, thank you to NetGalley for the arc I received in exchange for my review.
This was definitely a fast paced read & I completed this in 3 days. There were a lot of characters to get to grips with & I didn’t feel like I really knew any of them enough, they weren’t described enough or it felt that way to me at least. Patrick is the main character, he heads up to Scotland to meet his girlfriend’s family & that’s where it all begins. There are a few twists & turns but in all honestly it didn’t wow me, it seemed like there was too much going on & I didn’t find the big reveal all that great! I didn’t see the twist at the end from Jasmines character but again that didn’t really wow me. That being said, this was my first read by this author & I would read another one if it came recommended.
This was definitely a fast paced read & I completed this in 3 days. There were a lot of characters to get to grips with & I didn’t feel like I really knew any of them enough, they weren’t described enough or it felt that way to me at least. Patrick is the main character, he heads up to Scotland to meet his girlfriend’s family & that’s where it all begins. There are a few twists & turns but in all honestly it didn’t wow me, it seemed like there was too much going on & I didn’t find the big reveal all that great! I didn’t see the twist at the end from Jasmines character but again that didn’t really wow me. That being said, this was my first read by this author & I would read another one if it came recommended.
May 19, 2026
One of the Family by Mark Edwards follows Patrick as he joins his girlfriend Holly for a New Year’s trip to her wealthy family’s remote Scottish estate. Wanting desperately to make a good impression, he quickly realises the Grant family is full of tension, secrets, and strange behaviour. As the holiday unfolds, the atmosphere becomes increasingly dark and dangerous.
This was an enjoyable domestic thriller with plenty of tension and a very readable writing style. The isolated Scottish setting added a strong sense of unease, and I found myself wanting to keep turning the pages to uncover what was really going on. I especially liked the exploration of toxic family dynamics, power, and trust. The constant suspicion between characters kept the story engaging, and there were enough twists to maintain the suspense throughout.
That said, some parts felt a little predictable, and I guessed a few of the twists before they were revealed. At times, the plot also felt somewhat far-fetched, which pulled me out of the story occasionally and made some of the characters’ decisions harder to believe.
Overall, this was a solid psychological thriller with an addictive atmosphere and plenty of drama, even if it didn’t completely wow me. Fans of twisty family thrillers and locked-room style suspense will likely still find a lot to enjoy here. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was an enjoyable domestic thriller with plenty of tension and a very readable writing style. The isolated Scottish setting added a strong sense of unease, and I found myself wanting to keep turning the pages to uncover what was really going on. I especially liked the exploration of toxic family dynamics, power, and trust. The constant suspicion between characters kept the story engaging, and there were enough twists to maintain the suspense throughout.
That said, some parts felt a little predictable, and I guessed a few of the twists before they were revealed. At times, the plot also felt somewhat far-fetched, which pulled me out of the story occasionally and made some of the characters’ decisions harder to believe.
Overall, this was a solid psychological thriller with an addictive atmosphere and plenty of drama, even if it didn’t completely wow me. Fans of twisty family thrillers and locked-room style suspense will likely still find a lot to enjoy here. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 25, 2026
Thank you Atria and NetGalley for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.
Mark Edwards is an auto-buy author for me and this book is yet another example of why. His writing is so smooth, the words flow in such a way that it's easy to devour it and lose track of time.
As a fan of the TV show Succession, I loved the similar family dynamic playing out in this locked room mystery. I read so many thrillers that it's not as easy to shock me these days. Well these twists sure did! The way everything unfolded at the end was absolute perfection.
I also really enjoyed just how much each character changed and grew (or didn't) throughout the book. Holly, in particular, had so much depth. It would be easy for these characters to fall into stereotypes and they never did. They were all surprising and complicated in the best ways.
As you can see, I truly loved this book and will be pre-ordering so that I can have a physical copy as soon as it's released.
Mark Edwards is an auto-buy author for me and this book is yet another example of why. His writing is so smooth, the words flow in such a way that it's easy to devour it and lose track of time.
As a fan of the TV show Succession, I loved the similar family dynamic playing out in this locked room mystery. I read so many thrillers that it's not as easy to shock me these days. Well these twists sure did! The way everything unfolded at the end was absolute perfection.
I also really enjoyed just how much each character changed and grew (or didn't) throughout the book. Holly, in particular, had so much depth. It would be easy for these characters to fall into stereotypes and they never did. They were all surprising and complicated in the best ways.
As you can see, I truly loved this book and will be pre-ordering so that I can have a physical copy as soon as it's released.
June 14, 2026
When Patrick joins his girlfriend and her wealthy family for a luxury holiday in a remote part of Scotland, he expects an awkward family vacation, not a front row seat to a potential murder plot. As tensions rise within the family over their father's much younger fiancée, Patrick finds himself caught in a web of suspicion, secrets, and dangerous intentions. Trapped in an isolated mansion surrounded by harsh winter weather, he begins to realize that more than one person may have sinister motives. The deeper he gets involved, the more he fears that not everyone will make it out safely.
I really enjoyed this book and it was my first by this author. The isolated mansion setting, winter weather, and atmospheric backdrop created the perfect environment for a suspenseful thriller. I flew through this one because I had to know how everything was going to unfold, and the family drama was just as entertaining as the mystery itself. The twists kept coming and shocked me every time I thought I had things figured out. My only small thing I wish I could change is that I wanted a bit more character development so I could feel more strongly about certain characters. Overall, this was a fun, twisty thriller that kept me hooked from beginning to end.
Thank you to Atria and the author for this gifted copy! This is out August 4, 2026!
I really enjoyed this book and it was my first by this author. The isolated mansion setting, winter weather, and atmospheric backdrop created the perfect environment for a suspenseful thriller. I flew through this one because I had to know how everything was going to unfold, and the family drama was just as entertaining as the mystery itself. The twists kept coming and shocked me every time I thought I had things figured out. My only small thing I wish I could change is that I wanted a bit more character development so I could feel more strongly about certain characters. Overall, this was a fun, twisty thriller that kept me hooked from beginning to end.
Thank you to Atria and the author for this gifted copy! This is out August 4, 2026!
June 18, 2026
I always enjoy a Mark Edwards thriller and his release last year (The Wasp Trap) was one of my favourites last year, so I was very excited for this new one.
Edwards is a fantastic writer. I instantly feel part of the story with a well described setting and strongly developed characters. When I put the book down, I couldn't wait to pick it up again.
I really enjoyed how the story unravelled from Patrick's perspective, not knowing how dark the secrets of the Grant family were, and whether we could trust any of the characters (including his own girlfriend) or if they were all in it together.
That's what you get when you introduce your boyfriend to your toxic family without giving him any context!! A hint or two would have been nice.
The ending certainly takes some turns that I wasn't expecting and there's a lot of great action.
A fast-paced and enjoyable thriller, this will be a great read over the upcoming summer months!
Edwards is a fantastic writer. I instantly feel part of the story with a well described setting and strongly developed characters. When I put the book down, I couldn't wait to pick it up again.
I really enjoyed how the story unravelled from Patrick's perspective, not knowing how dark the secrets of the Grant family were, and whether we could trust any of the characters (including his own girlfriend) or if they were all in it together.
That's what you get when you introduce your boyfriend to your toxic family without giving him any context!! A hint or two would have been nice.
The ending certainly takes some turns that I wasn't expecting and there's a lot of great action.
A fast-paced and enjoyable thriller, this will be a great read over the upcoming summer months!
May 25, 2026
4.5 stars! I genuinely think I found a new favorite thriller author.
If anyone reads this and guesses all the twists, I need your thriller recommendations immediately because there is just no way.
This started off as messy family drama and somehow escalated into psychological suspense, paranoia, and complete chaos in the best way. The limited POV worked SO well because I was constantly trying to figure out what was happening alongside the main character.
At one point I thought I hated the ending…but then it wrapped up perfectly.
Immediately bought another Mark Edwards book after finishing this.
If anyone reads this and guesses all the twists, I need your thriller recommendations immediately because there is just no way.
This started off as messy family drama and somehow escalated into psychological suspense, paranoia, and complete chaos in the best way. The limited POV worked SO well because I was constantly trying to figure out what was happening alongside the main character.
At one point I thought I hated the ending…but then it wrapped up perfectly.
Immediately bought another Mark Edwards book after finishing this.
June 4, 2026
After having read The Wasp Trap last year, I’m beginning to think Mark Edwards might be one of my new go-to authors for a solid locked-room thriller.
Patrick is joining his girlfriend’s very wealthy family for a New Years holiday at their family estate in the Scottish Highlands. Overshadowing the fact that he is meeting the family for the first time, is another newbie —- the father’s new finance that the siblings are less than thrilled about.
Very atmospheric and full of twists and turns, this was a quick and fun read. Thank you Atria and NetGalley for the ARC of One of the Family.
Patrick is joining his girlfriend’s very wealthy family for a New Years holiday at their family estate in the Scottish Highlands. Overshadowing the fact that he is meeting the family for the first time, is another newbie —- the father’s new finance that the siblings are less than thrilled about.
Very atmospheric and full of twists and turns, this was a quick and fun read. Thank you Atria and NetGalley for the ARC of One of the Family.
April 18, 2026
First of all I’d like to thank NetGalley for letting me receive the ARC for this book!
What a wild ride it was, I fully enjoyed this book was such a good read & the twists and turns I didn’t guess at all.
I loved that the whole family was based on lies too!
The characters were very likeable to me & I even liked Charles considering the way he is. It was overall such an easy great read!!
I love marks books, he’s such a brilliant psychological thriller writer and you just know you’ll be in for a great ride! I recommend you pre order this book as you are 100% going to want to read it!!
What a wild ride it was, I fully enjoyed this book was such a good read & the twists and turns I didn’t guess at all.
I loved that the whole family was based on lies too!
The characters were very likeable to me & I even liked Charles considering the way he is. It was overall such an easy great read!!
I love marks books, he’s such a brilliant psychological thriller writer and you just know you’ll be in for a great ride! I recommend you pre order this book as you are 100% going to want to read it!!
June 10, 2026
One Of The Family had a really strong start and I soon found myself drawn into the plot. It appears to be a pacy thriller following Patrick who’s been invited to spend New Year at his girlfriend’s family home in the Scottish highlands. However he’s soon embroiled in family dramas and tension. There’s plenty of twists and suspense but I felt the pace completely dropped off for the second half of the book. Overall I’d rate it 3.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley, Michael Joseph Penguin Random House and the author for the chance to review.
May 6, 2026
Pub Date 4 Aug 2026
Thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was my second Mark Edwards. Going forward, if his books sound interesting, I will continue to pick them up. I have said this before, but I will say it again, I am a sucker for a book set in the UK and/or wintery setting. This book had both.
Given that it is a mystery, I will not say too much. The story was fast-paced, and I felt like there was always something happening. All the characters were unlikeable, but in a fun way. I, from quite early on, sort of knew what was going to happen. However, I did not know how we would get there, and I was surprised by the twists as they came.
Thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was my second Mark Edwards. Going forward, if his books sound interesting, I will continue to pick them up. I have said this before, but I will say it again, I am a sucker for a book set in the UK and/or wintery setting. This book had both.
Given that it is a mystery, I will not say too much. The story was fast-paced, and I felt like there was always something happening. All the characters were unlikeable, but in a fun way. I, from quite early on, sort of knew what was going to happen. However, I did not know how we would get there, and I was surprised by the twists as they came.
June 2, 2026
Thank you so much to Netgalley for giving me this free advance copy, and I’m writing this review honestly and without bias.
An enjoyable 'Locked room' type mystery with a myriad of characters - most of them unlikeable. The setting is great and Mark Edwards captures the essence of a wintertime Highlands very well. It is a bit flat in places but I did like the twist at the end. There are parts that seem a little bit too far fetched and the epilogue was a little underwhelming. Not one of Mark's best but worth the read
June 13, 2026
Mark Edwards does it again.
Tight family drama. Secrets, lies, death. Set in the rural Scottish Highlands, the Grant family are gathered together to celebrate Hogmanay. When Grant Senior brings his new bride-to-be to meet his family for the first time, they are dumbfounded by her resemblance to their late mother. Coincidence, or something more sinister?
Tight family drama. Secrets, lies, death. Set in the rural Scottish Highlands, the Grant family are gathered together to celebrate Hogmanay. When Grant Senior brings his new bride-to-be to meet his family for the first time, they are dumbfounded by her resemblance to their late mother. Coincidence, or something more sinister?
May 7, 2026
This book just cemented Mark Edwards as an auto buy author for me!!!
Similar to his previous works, this one starts out a little slow but then it’s just twist after twist and I promise you’ll be heavy breathing by the time it’s over. Full of unhinged family drama this is perfect for fans of The Hunting Wives of Lucy Foley.
I binged this book and highly recommend
Similar to his previous works, this one starts out a little slow but then it’s just twist after twist and I promise you’ll be heavy breathing by the time it’s over. Full of unhinged family drama this is perfect for fans of The Hunting Wives of Lucy Foley.
I binged this book and highly recommend
May 30, 2026
Totally read this one in less than 24 hours. Mark Edwards knows how to write excellent whodunit stories. While I figured a few things out early, it was still a wild ride to get there. If I read a book in one day, it’s an auto 5-star from me. I think I liked The Wasp Trap more, but this was still so so good.
June 17, 2026
I became a big Mark Edward’s fan after reading his book, The Wasp Trap, last year. I thought nothing could live up to that, but this book did that. I loved the twisted family dynamics along with a murder mystery. It was gripping from the first page until the very end. Will be anticipating more books from him!
June 1, 2026
Loved this and so many good twists
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
****THIS IS AN ADVANCED READING COPY FROM NETGALLEY
RELEASED TO PUBLIC AUGUST 4, 2026:
Patrick has been dating his girlfriend Holly for nine months. Holly Grant comes from an extremely wealthy and powerful family full of all the privileges that most elite families have. He is heading to Scotland, to their extremely remote holiday home, or more like castle in Patrick’s mind and his nerves are frayed. Holly doesn’t speak a lot about her family, at least not in depth. He knows the minimal details about the family. Her father’s company is highly successful and regarded. Her brother Lewis, the only son that Charles and his wife have is more interested in arts and literature than technology and business was a great disappointment when hired to work at the company and was subsequently let go due to making mistakes and not having the passion or enthusiasm necessary to succeed. Miranda is the eldest sister, who by all accounts is the typical eldest, bossy and superior especially since she was the one who was at their mothers bedside the second time her cancer, breast cancer had come back but had spread to the lungs and bones and eventually to her blood until her death. She has a 12 year old son, who was spending the New Year with his father, Miranda’s first husband. Zack, her second husband worked for Charles and seemed to be an an asset to Charles that was indispensable. In fact, he treated Zack like a son more so than he did his actual son Lewis. It was distinctly obvious the dysfunction of the family’s dynamics were quite complex and Patrick was hopeful the week was quick and Charles would like Patrick. He wasn’t expecting him to revere him as he seemed to Zack but he’d be thrilled for a mere acknowledgment of any kind.
The kids were all in their late teens, Holly being the youngest was 17, Lewis was 18 and Miranda was 20 when she passed. The family was meeting at their property they called Applecross, deep into the Scottish Highlands, where their mother had also stayed until her death. The fact the she died in the house wasn’t was concerning to Patrick. What was disconcerting was the family was gathering to meet Charles’ new fiancé, Jasmine whose age was a stark contrast from her fiancées, with Charles being 61 and Jasmine 32. Two years younger than Holly. This, along with the strangeness the newly engaged couple would be sleeping in the same room and bed as the one his previous wife had died in was quite a bit off, Patrick thought. Although, the Grant siblings didn’t seem to be bothered by this fact, they were more concerned about her being from Florida, an American, her age and that they’d never met any of the women they’ve assumed he must’ve had over the years after his wife’s passing yet none of them were ever mentioned and now they’re all gathered for an entire week to meet this Jasmine, his fiancé a woman they’d never even heard of until his big news.
Holly and Patrick were the first to arrive, where they were met by a blood curdling scream from inside the house. Rushing towards the house they find a woman standing by the back door, whom Holly introduced Patrick to as Morag. Patrick had heard of Morag through some of the stories she’d mentioned when speaking about Applecross. He knew Morag was now the housekeeper of Applecross, she had a daughter named Avril and her mother Brenda owned the only pub in the village that served food and drinks. There was no other places for entertainment. No grocery stores or anything of the sort. This was as remote as it got. Morag, once catching her breath claimed she saw a snake, an adder, which was non venomous and blamed the cat, Hamish, which was owned by no one yet all fed him and looked out for him. Patrick figured of the 20 or so year round locals, the cat was faring well. However, he was terrified of snakes! They looked around for it but Morag assumed it had gone back out the door that was still opened.
Miranda and her husband, Zack had just pulled in and while Zack shook Patrick’s hand so hard it physically hurt for quite some time later, Miranda was dismissive and had little interest in Patrick. She told Holly that Lewis wouldn’t be arriving until later on that evening and that their father and his new fiancé wouldn’t be there until the next day. Miranda spoke to her husband with a condescending tone that appeared to their normal exchanges and was deeply annoyed he hadn’t been more forthcoming regarding Jasmine, her physical appearance being a large concern and what had her father been doing Florida to begin with, as Zack had also been there with him she was relentless in her questioning about their visit to Florida. It wasn’t a place their father ever visited nor would he ever vacation in a such a place. Zack would only answer with the same refrain which was he had promised Charles he’d allow him to explain the reasons but there was a very exciting one in which they would all benefit and it was an excellent move for the company and would make them all very wealthy. As if they weren’t already wealthy enough, Patrick once again wondered when was enough for the wealthy. Being from a family who’s family was not remotely wealthy he accepted that he’d never understand this aspect of his girlfriends life.
When a young teenager shows up and asks Morag when she was leaving, she’s introduced as Avril, Morags daughter, whom she obviously had extremely young and stranger still, Avril was inquiring about Lewis’ arrival and when he’d get there. Since no one else seemed to react to the question, Patrick presumed that perhaps Lewis was kind to her and maybe they had a relationship in which this lonely looking girl looked forward to his arrival.
The four of them, Holly, Patrick, Miranda and Zack decide to walk into the village to grab a bite to eat and have some drinks at Brenda’s pub. Again. Patrick noticed the tension between the Grants and the locals, just as he’d felt that Holly and Morag had exchanged pleasantries that were icy and forced. This confused him greatly because Holly had told him that Lewis, Morag, her brother Jimmy and Holly all had spent the entire summer leading up to her mother’s death extremely close to each other and inseparable. Never did she mention a falling out or anything of the sort. He knew he wasn’t imagining things, these locals weren’t fond whatsoever of the Grants and made no bones about it. When Holly introduced Patrick explaining he was a documentarian, she reveals to him that in January, a 19 year old young man had been found dead. He’d been underdressed for the weather, the cause of death was hypothermia and the mysterious nature of the story was that not one local saw him arrive, no one spoke to him or had ever seen him that is until he was found frozen to death. His name was Samir, his parents had filed a missing persons report the week prior, he was said to be an introvert, had no friends in the area, had never been to the area and wasn’t working at the time, there was no reason for him to be there yet he would be the second young man found dead outside the caves. As Patrick was keen to ask more questions, the documentarian in him was alight with interest and curiosity, Holly interrupted and announced it was time to head back to meet Lewis. But, before they leave Brenda tells Patrick that if he were interested in making a documentary or finding out more information about the deaths outside the cave the person he should reach out to is Susan Williams. She was a police officer who lived there but the station was based out of Iverness. In fact, there was no police station where they were. Brenda also leaned in and quietly asked Patrick how well he knew the Grants. He told her not well at all. She warned him to be extremely careful especially of Charles Grant, claiming the very worst thing that had happened to the village was when the lot of the Grants had bought their house and the larger one that Patrick had assumed was abandoned and wasn’t owned by anyone, particularly not the Grants. An uneasy feeling washed over him as Brenda’s warning replayed itself in his mind. He followed Holly out the door to go need Lewis. He had finally arrived at Applecross,
Once introductions were finished, Patrick began to question the family regarding Amir the missing and now dead young man, if they’d known about the story. They all admit to vague recollections of the story. The rest of the evening they started in on the boxes of alcohol Lewis had filled his trunk with and as more of the alcohol was consumed the pettier the siblings got about Jasmine.
The next morning after breakfast the arrival of Charles and Jasmine finally came. Charles circled around the car, opened the door and out stepped Jasmine who was casually dressed, naturally beautiful but there wasn’t anything pretentious about her. She announced she was a hugger and proceeded to hug all of them ignoring or pretending that Miranda wasn’t at all welcoming to Jasmine she stood stock still while being hugged and just as Miranda had basically acted as if Patrick didn’t exist, Charles reacted the very same way to Patrick which was discouraging. Jasmine certainly made up for her fiancée’s indifference and was as warm as she was kind. Zack and Charles were clearly extremely close and you could see the hurt and envy in Lewis. Patrick felt bad for him. Holly and Miranda both instantaneously turned into little girls in their father’s presence and cold as ice towards Jasmine. Jasmine seemed to take it all in stride, Holly and Miranda held back while their father Jasmine Lewis and Zack all went inside. Their faces were red with what seemed like anger and confusion. Holly asked Miranda if she noticed too, was it just her or did Miranda notice too. Patrick had no idea what they were referencing. Miranda announced she was going to kill Zack for saying anything and when Patrick asked what was going on Holly said that Jasmine was the spitting image of their mother a decade before she died. Patrick told them that a lot of people have a type that their attracted to and frustrated Holly yelled he didn’t get it. They were exact replicas of one another. Charles and Jasmine said they were exhausted from their travels and were heading up for a rest and left to their room. The siblings were chaotically speaking over one another and Miranda was livid with Zack who once again claimed Charles wanted to be the one to tell them. Patrick still not believing the dramatic reactions watched as Holly went to find a photo of their mother to prove to him and was shocked to find all their photos were gone of their mother. And Zack apologized again, stating Charles ordered Morag to remove them before they arrived. This incensed the girls even more. Jasmine came back downstairs to let them all know that she understood how hard it must be for them all since she was the only woman they’d been introduced to and also how quickly it had all happened. As she moved her hands while explaining they caught the enormous diamond blinding them and Miranda commented on how large it was. Jasmine blushed and said she told Charles she didn’t need a ring so large and was embarrassed by the size of it and everyone was quiet. Jasmine swore that she deeply loved their father and she wanted more than any thing for them all to get along and learn to love one another. Her only motive was to love Charles and make him happy. And with that she left them as she joined Charles back upstairs.
Exasperated the siblings and Patrick and Zack were left wondering if Jasmine knew how much they said she looked like their mother. After looking in all the drawers Holly finds the photos they were once displayed throughout the house and passed them to Patrick. He is so shocked he has lost his ability to speak. Not only do they appears similar it is as true as they said. Jasmine is 1000% a carbon copy of their mother especially the ones where they are the same age. They say every one has doppelgänger, well Jasmine and their mother might’ve been identical twins if not for their actual age differences and the fact that they weren’t. How had Charles found this woman?? The exact spitting image of his dead wife. The reality of the high strangeness made Patrick’s hair on his body stand up and felt as if the soul of a dead person had just walked over his grave, in fact, he realized it was likely the first Mrs Grant probably had. He is shocked that Zack wouldn’t have said a word to his own wife. How could he not mention something so serious? So odd and surreal? What kind of relationship did those two have? He knew it wasn’t a healthy one, not by a long stretch but this was abjectly bad. His heart hurt for Holly. What she must be going through. And how insane was Charles? How had found this woman, his wife’s twin in the billions of women to choose from, this was the one he’s chosen to marry? The more he was learning of this family, the less he was liking.
They all were wondering the very same thing. Did Jasmine know she was a replica of his last wife? Zack seems to believe she doesn’t. Yet, Patrick isn’t sure about Zack for several reasons, the largest is that this man has no loyalty or respect for his own wife. His priority is undoubtedly to Charles.
Of all the siblings, Lewis is the kindest, most empathetic and compassionate towards Jasmine. For all the contempt and loathing his two sisters have towards her, Lewis doubled down on his inclusion and interest in her. Yet, in the middle of the night when he wakes to her water, he overhears Lewis whispering into his phone promising someone that the deal was almost done and he promised he’d get it done. Is Lewis the kindest? Or is it an act? Patrick’s mind reels with the warning from Brenda, the exchange he overheard earlier from Avril telling Lewis she hated him, the secrets the whole family seems to have together and then those they keep from one another. The missing and found dead man and Brenda’s revelation that he wasn’t the first. The strange mansion that’s falling to ruins they’ve never mentioned to owning. Zack and Charles leaving earlier to sleep at the hunting shack off in the woods under the guise of needing to finish up some work and being able to get a head start on hunting in the morning and stranger still, Morag asking Charles and Zack to take Avril with them to hunt. Telling them she’s a great shot and how she’s been waiting to hunt with them. For all the tension between Morag, Brenda and Avril towards the Grants it was one of the more stranger scenes of the the last few days and with this family and its strangeness that was really saying something. Patrick had never felt so uncomfortable or in danger in his life. He knows it sounds bizarre. He shouldn’t feel danger or unsafe but there was something underlying the surface that was seriously disturbing and he was determined to find out what it was. Regardless of the outcome.
He decides to go find the police woman. Brenda had given him her address. As he’s leaving, Jasmine asks if she can join him for a walk that he’s told her he was taking in hopes the freezing weather would derail her but to no avail. They arrive to her home and Susan is not very forthcoming although she does provide him with Samirs last name and says that the police in Iverness have the case, it isn’t one of her own. Why did Jasmine want to come with him? Does she know more than she’s letting on? Had Charles told her to follow him? As his anxiety and paranoia deepens so does his fear. To make matters worse, he finds out what the other death that Brenda was talking about was her son,Jimmy. In a few days, it will be the 20th anniversary of his death that happened in the cave on the night that Morag, Lewis, Holly and Jimmy all had been in the cave drinking smoking pot and allegedly taking other drugs, Patrick knew Holly had a history with drugs that was serious after her mothers death, she had disappeared for nearly 2 years doing drugs dating addicts becoming an addict and dancing she swears with her clothes on, a bikini bar, although Miranda is quick to allege it was topless but Patrick doesn’t care about her past though he is determined to find out why she’s never mentioned Jimmys death and why her father had held onto to the dilapidated mansion on the other side of their property and what Zack’s exact job is in the tech industry because Patrick finds him unintelligent and a brute who’s love of guns and violence disconcerting. There’s also the several stories of Lewis and his job at Gravitas, the Grants company. To some in the family, Lewis chose to leave to find his own way in art and the areas he was passionate about, to others he was fired for making colossal mistakes and to others he was given a few years of sabbatical to get his art dreams out of system and was to come back and be in charge when Charles retired. The locals feelings about the Grants, the distrust, the dislike and the warnings all compound into Patrick’s yearning to figure out what exactly went down all those years ago and why if Mortag and Brenda despise and distrust the family so much so they continue on with the housekeeping? When Patrick finds out that Lewis is Avril’s father he’s not as much surprised as he os gobsmacked. Lewis’ complete disregard and blatant indifference to her is devastating and the 3k her mother gets a month for housekeeping is a joke when comparing to the wealth the Grants make. There’s more, much more going on and finding out about Avril will be the very tip of the iceberg that will end up with someone being shot right in the heart, the killer of Amir and why he was killed, the potential arrests of several people and the real truth about the Grants, the actual Grant who set all these deaths into motion and Judy how much Patrick’s beloved knew. How does the perpetrators and victims come to a conclusion that is satisfactory for all? Do they rely on the justice system? Or do they inact a system that’s personally justifiable of their own? To figure out all these secrets, all the questions and the answers to these questions is well worth reading this book. WILDLY WORTH THE RIDE!
This is a thrilling riveting hell of ride for those who LIVE for these kind of plot twists that leave you with whiplash and immense respect for the writer and their phenomenal talent in creativity, their superb capabilities as a wordsmith and their innate ability in writing that sets them apart from the rest of their colleagues and peers due to their caliber and brilliance as an author.
As a reader, I am smitten with this author. This is my first time reading the work of such an amazing artist and I’m so excited to read more.
I want to thank #MARKEDWARDS for sharing his extraordinary work of art, #SIMON&SCHUSTER and #ATRIABOOKS for this incredible opportunity to have been chosen to receive this ADVANCED READING COPY from #NETGALLEY because it is my favorite book I’ve read this year and I encourage everyone to get to their nearest local book store when it is released to the public!!
RELEASED TO PUBLIC AUGUST 4, 2026:
Patrick has been dating his girlfriend Holly for nine months. Holly Grant comes from an extremely wealthy and powerful family full of all the privileges that most elite families have. He is heading to Scotland, to their extremely remote holiday home, or more like castle in Patrick’s mind and his nerves are frayed. Holly doesn’t speak a lot about her family, at least not in depth. He knows the minimal details about the family. Her father’s company is highly successful and regarded. Her brother Lewis, the only son that Charles and his wife have is more interested in arts and literature than technology and business was a great disappointment when hired to work at the company and was subsequently let go due to making mistakes and not having the passion or enthusiasm necessary to succeed. Miranda is the eldest sister, who by all accounts is the typical eldest, bossy and superior especially since she was the one who was at their mothers bedside the second time her cancer, breast cancer had come back but had spread to the lungs and bones and eventually to her blood until her death. She has a 12 year old son, who was spending the New Year with his father, Miranda’s first husband. Zack, her second husband worked for Charles and seemed to be an an asset to Charles that was indispensable. In fact, he treated Zack like a son more so than he did his actual son Lewis. It was distinctly obvious the dysfunction of the family’s dynamics were quite complex and Patrick was hopeful the week was quick and Charles would like Patrick. He wasn’t expecting him to revere him as he seemed to Zack but he’d be thrilled for a mere acknowledgment of any kind.
The kids were all in their late teens, Holly being the youngest was 17, Lewis was 18 and Miranda was 20 when she passed. The family was meeting at their property they called Applecross, deep into the Scottish Highlands, where their mother had also stayed until her death. The fact the she died in the house wasn’t was concerning to Patrick. What was disconcerting was the family was gathering to meet Charles’ new fiancé, Jasmine whose age was a stark contrast from her fiancées, with Charles being 61 and Jasmine 32. Two years younger than Holly. This, along with the strangeness the newly engaged couple would be sleeping in the same room and bed as the one his previous wife had died in was quite a bit off, Patrick thought. Although, the Grant siblings didn’t seem to be bothered by this fact, they were more concerned about her being from Florida, an American, her age and that they’d never met any of the women they’ve assumed he must’ve had over the years after his wife’s passing yet none of them were ever mentioned and now they’re all gathered for an entire week to meet this Jasmine, his fiancé a woman they’d never even heard of until his big news.
Holly and Patrick were the first to arrive, where they were met by a blood curdling scream from inside the house. Rushing towards the house they find a woman standing by the back door, whom Holly introduced Patrick to as Morag. Patrick had heard of Morag through some of the stories she’d mentioned when speaking about Applecross. He knew Morag was now the housekeeper of Applecross, she had a daughter named Avril and her mother Brenda owned the only pub in the village that served food and drinks. There was no other places for entertainment. No grocery stores or anything of the sort. This was as remote as it got. Morag, once catching her breath claimed she saw a snake, an adder, which was non venomous and blamed the cat, Hamish, which was owned by no one yet all fed him and looked out for him. Patrick figured of the 20 or so year round locals, the cat was faring well. However, he was terrified of snakes! They looked around for it but Morag assumed it had gone back out the door that was still opened.
Miranda and her husband, Zack had just pulled in and while Zack shook Patrick’s hand so hard it physically hurt for quite some time later, Miranda was dismissive and had little interest in Patrick. She told Holly that Lewis wouldn’t be arriving until later on that evening and that their father and his new fiancé wouldn’t be there until the next day. Miranda spoke to her husband with a condescending tone that appeared to their normal exchanges and was deeply annoyed he hadn’t been more forthcoming regarding Jasmine, her physical appearance being a large concern and what had her father been doing Florida to begin with, as Zack had also been there with him she was relentless in her questioning about their visit to Florida. It wasn’t a place their father ever visited nor would he ever vacation in a such a place. Zack would only answer with the same refrain which was he had promised Charles he’d allow him to explain the reasons but there was a very exciting one in which they would all benefit and it was an excellent move for the company and would make them all very wealthy. As if they weren’t already wealthy enough, Patrick once again wondered when was enough for the wealthy. Being from a family who’s family was not remotely wealthy he accepted that he’d never understand this aspect of his girlfriends life.
When a young teenager shows up and asks Morag when she was leaving, she’s introduced as Avril, Morags daughter, whom she obviously had extremely young and stranger still, Avril was inquiring about Lewis’ arrival and when he’d get there. Since no one else seemed to react to the question, Patrick presumed that perhaps Lewis was kind to her and maybe they had a relationship in which this lonely looking girl looked forward to his arrival.
The four of them, Holly, Patrick, Miranda and Zack decide to walk into the village to grab a bite to eat and have some drinks at Brenda’s pub. Again. Patrick noticed the tension between the Grants and the locals, just as he’d felt that Holly and Morag had exchanged pleasantries that were icy and forced. This confused him greatly because Holly had told him that Lewis, Morag, her brother Jimmy and Holly all had spent the entire summer leading up to her mother’s death extremely close to each other and inseparable. Never did she mention a falling out or anything of the sort. He knew he wasn’t imagining things, these locals weren’t fond whatsoever of the Grants and made no bones about it. When Holly introduced Patrick explaining he was a documentarian, she reveals to him that in January, a 19 year old young man had been found dead. He’d been underdressed for the weather, the cause of death was hypothermia and the mysterious nature of the story was that not one local saw him arrive, no one spoke to him or had ever seen him that is until he was found frozen to death. His name was Samir, his parents had filed a missing persons report the week prior, he was said to be an introvert, had no friends in the area, had never been to the area and wasn’t working at the time, there was no reason for him to be there yet he would be the second young man found dead outside the caves. As Patrick was keen to ask more questions, the documentarian in him was alight with interest and curiosity, Holly interrupted and announced it was time to head back to meet Lewis. But, before they leave Brenda tells Patrick that if he were interested in making a documentary or finding out more information about the deaths outside the cave the person he should reach out to is Susan Williams. She was a police officer who lived there but the station was based out of Iverness. In fact, there was no police station where they were. Brenda also leaned in and quietly asked Patrick how well he knew the Grants. He told her not well at all. She warned him to be extremely careful especially of Charles Grant, claiming the very worst thing that had happened to the village was when the lot of the Grants had bought their house and the larger one that Patrick had assumed was abandoned and wasn’t owned by anyone, particularly not the Grants. An uneasy feeling washed over him as Brenda’s warning replayed itself in his mind. He followed Holly out the door to go need Lewis. He had finally arrived at Applecross,
Once introductions were finished, Patrick began to question the family regarding Amir the missing and now dead young man, if they’d known about the story. They all admit to vague recollections of the story. The rest of the evening they started in on the boxes of alcohol Lewis had filled his trunk with and as more of the alcohol was consumed the pettier the siblings got about Jasmine.
The next morning after breakfast the arrival of Charles and Jasmine finally came. Charles circled around the car, opened the door and out stepped Jasmine who was casually dressed, naturally beautiful but there wasn’t anything pretentious about her. She announced she was a hugger and proceeded to hug all of them ignoring or pretending that Miranda wasn’t at all welcoming to Jasmine she stood stock still while being hugged and just as Miranda had basically acted as if Patrick didn’t exist, Charles reacted the very same way to Patrick which was discouraging. Jasmine certainly made up for her fiancée’s indifference and was as warm as she was kind. Zack and Charles were clearly extremely close and you could see the hurt and envy in Lewis. Patrick felt bad for him. Holly and Miranda both instantaneously turned into little girls in their father’s presence and cold as ice towards Jasmine. Jasmine seemed to take it all in stride, Holly and Miranda held back while their father Jasmine Lewis and Zack all went inside. Their faces were red with what seemed like anger and confusion. Holly asked Miranda if she noticed too, was it just her or did Miranda notice too. Patrick had no idea what they were referencing. Miranda announced she was going to kill Zack for saying anything and when Patrick asked what was going on Holly said that Jasmine was the spitting image of their mother a decade before she died. Patrick told them that a lot of people have a type that their attracted to and frustrated Holly yelled he didn’t get it. They were exact replicas of one another. Charles and Jasmine said they were exhausted from their travels and were heading up for a rest and left to their room. The siblings were chaotically speaking over one another and Miranda was livid with Zack who once again claimed Charles wanted to be the one to tell them. Patrick still not believing the dramatic reactions watched as Holly went to find a photo of their mother to prove to him and was shocked to find all their photos were gone of their mother. And Zack apologized again, stating Charles ordered Morag to remove them before they arrived. This incensed the girls even more. Jasmine came back downstairs to let them all know that she understood how hard it must be for them all since she was the only woman they’d been introduced to and also how quickly it had all happened. As she moved her hands while explaining they caught the enormous diamond blinding them and Miranda commented on how large it was. Jasmine blushed and said she told Charles she didn’t need a ring so large and was embarrassed by the size of it and everyone was quiet. Jasmine swore that she deeply loved their father and she wanted more than any thing for them all to get along and learn to love one another. Her only motive was to love Charles and make him happy. And with that she left them as she joined Charles back upstairs.
Exasperated the siblings and Patrick and Zack were left wondering if Jasmine knew how much they said she looked like their mother. After looking in all the drawers Holly finds the photos they were once displayed throughout the house and passed them to Patrick. He is so shocked he has lost his ability to speak. Not only do they appears similar it is as true as they said. Jasmine is 1000% a carbon copy of their mother especially the ones where they are the same age. They say every one has doppelgänger, well Jasmine and their mother might’ve been identical twins if not for their actual age differences and the fact that they weren’t. How had Charles found this woman?? The exact spitting image of his dead wife. The reality of the high strangeness made Patrick’s hair on his body stand up and felt as if the soul of a dead person had just walked over his grave, in fact, he realized it was likely the first Mrs Grant probably had. He is shocked that Zack wouldn’t have said a word to his own wife. How could he not mention something so serious? So odd and surreal? What kind of relationship did those two have? He knew it wasn’t a healthy one, not by a long stretch but this was abjectly bad. His heart hurt for Holly. What she must be going through. And how insane was Charles? How had found this woman, his wife’s twin in the billions of women to choose from, this was the one he’s chosen to marry? The more he was learning of this family, the less he was liking.
They all were wondering the very same thing. Did Jasmine know she was a replica of his last wife? Zack seems to believe she doesn’t. Yet, Patrick isn’t sure about Zack for several reasons, the largest is that this man has no loyalty or respect for his own wife. His priority is undoubtedly to Charles.
Of all the siblings, Lewis is the kindest, most empathetic and compassionate towards Jasmine. For all the contempt and loathing his two sisters have towards her, Lewis doubled down on his inclusion and interest in her. Yet, in the middle of the night when he wakes to her water, he overhears Lewis whispering into his phone promising someone that the deal was almost done and he promised he’d get it done. Is Lewis the kindest? Or is it an act? Patrick’s mind reels with the warning from Brenda, the exchange he overheard earlier from Avril telling Lewis she hated him, the secrets the whole family seems to have together and then those they keep from one another. The missing and found dead man and Brenda’s revelation that he wasn’t the first. The strange mansion that’s falling to ruins they’ve never mentioned to owning. Zack and Charles leaving earlier to sleep at the hunting shack off in the woods under the guise of needing to finish up some work and being able to get a head start on hunting in the morning and stranger still, Morag asking Charles and Zack to take Avril with them to hunt. Telling them she’s a great shot and how she’s been waiting to hunt with them. For all the tension between Morag, Brenda and Avril towards the Grants it was one of the more stranger scenes of the the last few days and with this family and its strangeness that was really saying something. Patrick had never felt so uncomfortable or in danger in his life. He knows it sounds bizarre. He shouldn’t feel danger or unsafe but there was something underlying the surface that was seriously disturbing and he was determined to find out what it was. Regardless of the outcome.
He decides to go find the police woman. Brenda had given him her address. As he’s leaving, Jasmine asks if she can join him for a walk that he’s told her he was taking in hopes the freezing weather would derail her but to no avail. They arrive to her home and Susan is not very forthcoming although she does provide him with Samirs last name and says that the police in Iverness have the case, it isn’t one of her own. Why did Jasmine want to come with him? Does she know more than she’s letting on? Had Charles told her to follow him? As his anxiety and paranoia deepens so does his fear. To make matters worse, he finds out what the other death that Brenda was talking about was her son,Jimmy. In a few days, it will be the 20th anniversary of his death that happened in the cave on the night that Morag, Lewis, Holly and Jimmy all had been in the cave drinking smoking pot and allegedly taking other drugs, Patrick knew Holly had a history with drugs that was serious after her mothers death, she had disappeared for nearly 2 years doing drugs dating addicts becoming an addict and dancing she swears with her clothes on, a bikini bar, although Miranda is quick to allege it was topless but Patrick doesn’t care about her past though he is determined to find out why she’s never mentioned Jimmys death and why her father had held onto to the dilapidated mansion on the other side of their property and what Zack’s exact job is in the tech industry because Patrick finds him unintelligent and a brute who’s love of guns and violence disconcerting. There’s also the several stories of Lewis and his job at Gravitas, the Grants company. To some in the family, Lewis chose to leave to find his own way in art and the areas he was passionate about, to others he was fired for making colossal mistakes and to others he was given a few years of sabbatical to get his art dreams out of system and was to come back and be in charge when Charles retired. The locals feelings about the Grants, the distrust, the dislike and the warnings all compound into Patrick’s yearning to figure out what exactly went down all those years ago and why if Mortag and Brenda despise and distrust the family so much so they continue on with the housekeeping? When Patrick finds out that Lewis is Avril’s father he’s not as much surprised as he os gobsmacked. Lewis’ complete disregard and blatant indifference to her is devastating and the 3k her mother gets a month for housekeeping is a joke when comparing to the wealth the Grants make. There’s more, much more going on and finding out about Avril will be the very tip of the iceberg that will end up with someone being shot right in the heart, the killer of Amir and why he was killed, the potential arrests of several people and the real truth about the Grants, the actual Grant who set all these deaths into motion and Judy how much Patrick’s beloved knew. How does the perpetrators and victims come to a conclusion that is satisfactory for all? Do they rely on the justice system? Or do they inact a system that’s personally justifiable of their own? To figure out all these secrets, all the questions and the answers to these questions is well worth reading this book. WILDLY WORTH THE RIDE!
This is a thrilling riveting hell of ride for those who LIVE for these kind of plot twists that leave you with whiplash and immense respect for the writer and their phenomenal talent in creativity, their superb capabilities as a wordsmith and their innate ability in writing that sets them apart from the rest of their colleagues and peers due to their caliber and brilliance as an author.
As a reader, I am smitten with this author. This is my first time reading the work of such an amazing artist and I’m so excited to read more.
I want to thank #MARKEDWARDS for sharing his extraordinary work of art, #SIMON&SCHUSTER and #ATRIABOOKS for this incredible opportunity to have been chosen to receive this ADVANCED READING COPY from #NETGALLEY because it is my favorite book I’ve read this year and I encourage everyone to get to their nearest local book store when it is released to the public!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Mark Edwards, Penguin Random House Canada, and Atria Books for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.
Mark Edwards continues to prove why he remains one of the most dependable voices in modern psychological suspense. Every new release promises a tightly woven thriller filled with secrets, deception, and unexpected twists, and this latest novel delivers all of that and more. Set against the breathtaking yet isolating backdrop of the Scottish Highlands, Edwards crafts a story that is as atmospheric as it is relentlessly entertaining.
Patrick expects a memorable holiday when he accompanies his girlfriend to her family’s luxurious Highland estate. Nervous but eager to make a good impression, he soon discovers that the Grant family is anything but welcoming. Long-buried resentments, simmering rivalries, and uncomfortable truths begin surfacing almost immediately. At the center of the dysfunction is family patriarch Charles Grant, a wealthy tech entrepreneur preparing to marry Jasmine, a woman not only significantly younger than him but one who bears an unsettling resemblance to his late wife. What begins as an awkward family gathering quickly spirals into something far darker when a body is discovered and questions begin mounting from every direction.
Edwards excels at creating a vivid sense of place throughout the novel. The Scottish Highlands emerge as more than a setting; they become a character in their own right. The remote landscape, harsh weather, and feeling of isolation contribute enormously to the mounting tension, creating an atmosphere that feels both beautiful and threatening. The setting perfectly complements a story where danger seems to lurk around every corner.
One of the novel’s greatest strengths lies in its characters. Edwards populates the story with a fascinating cast of flawed, complex individuals whose secrets and motivations continually shift the reader’s perceptions. Patrick serves as an effective outsider, allowing readers to navigate the Grant family’s increasingly tangled web of lies and betrayals. The Grant siblings are particularly well developed, each bringing distinct personalities, agendas, and emotional baggage that add richness to the narrative.
The pacing is superb throughout. Short, engaging chapters build momentum steadily, with each revelation raising the stakes and pushing the story forward. Edwards demonstrates a keen understanding of suspense, knowing exactly when to unveil key information and when to withhold it. The result is a novel that keeps readers invested from beginning to end, constantly encouraging just one more chapter.
What begins as a family drama evolves into a layered thriller filled with shocking revelations, dangerous secrets, and mounting tension. Edwards carefully balances mystery, psychological intrigue, and survival elements, ensuring the story never loses its grip. The deeper the reader ventures into the Grant family’s history, the more compelling the narrative becomes.
With its compelling premise, memorable setting, well-crafted characters, and expertly controlled pacing, this is another impressive addition to Mark Edwards’ body of work. Fans of atmospheric thrillers packed with family secrets and unexpected twists will find plenty to enjoy here. Edwards once again demonstrates why he remains an author readers can trust to deliver a thoroughly satisfying and highly entertaining thriller.
Kudos, Mr. Edwards, for reminding me how great a family I actually have, bumps and all!
Love/hate the review?
An ever-growing collection of others appears at: http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Mark Edwards continues to prove why he remains one of the most dependable voices in modern psychological suspense. Every new release promises a tightly woven thriller filled with secrets, deception, and unexpected twists, and this latest novel delivers all of that and more. Set against the breathtaking yet isolating backdrop of the Scottish Highlands, Edwards crafts a story that is as atmospheric as it is relentlessly entertaining.
Patrick expects a memorable holiday when he accompanies his girlfriend to her family’s luxurious Highland estate. Nervous but eager to make a good impression, he soon discovers that the Grant family is anything but welcoming. Long-buried resentments, simmering rivalries, and uncomfortable truths begin surfacing almost immediately. At the center of the dysfunction is family patriarch Charles Grant, a wealthy tech entrepreneur preparing to marry Jasmine, a woman not only significantly younger than him but one who bears an unsettling resemblance to his late wife. What begins as an awkward family gathering quickly spirals into something far darker when a body is discovered and questions begin mounting from every direction.
Edwards excels at creating a vivid sense of place throughout the novel. The Scottish Highlands emerge as more than a setting; they become a character in their own right. The remote landscape, harsh weather, and feeling of isolation contribute enormously to the mounting tension, creating an atmosphere that feels both beautiful and threatening. The setting perfectly complements a story where danger seems to lurk around every corner.
One of the novel’s greatest strengths lies in its characters. Edwards populates the story with a fascinating cast of flawed, complex individuals whose secrets and motivations continually shift the reader’s perceptions. Patrick serves as an effective outsider, allowing readers to navigate the Grant family’s increasingly tangled web of lies and betrayals. The Grant siblings are particularly well developed, each bringing distinct personalities, agendas, and emotional baggage that add richness to the narrative.
The pacing is superb throughout. Short, engaging chapters build momentum steadily, with each revelation raising the stakes and pushing the story forward. Edwards demonstrates a keen understanding of suspense, knowing exactly when to unveil key information and when to withhold it. The result is a novel that keeps readers invested from beginning to end, constantly encouraging just one more chapter.
What begins as a family drama evolves into a layered thriller filled with shocking revelations, dangerous secrets, and mounting tension. Edwards carefully balances mystery, psychological intrigue, and survival elements, ensuring the story never loses its grip. The deeper the reader ventures into the Grant family’s history, the more compelling the narrative becomes.
With its compelling premise, memorable setting, well-crafted characters, and expertly controlled pacing, this is another impressive addition to Mark Edwards’ body of work. Fans of atmospheric thrillers packed with family secrets and unexpected twists will find plenty to enjoy here. Edwards once again demonstrates why he remains an author readers can trust to deliver a thoroughly satisfying and highly entertaining thriller.
Kudos, Mr. Edwards, for reminding me how great a family I actually have, bumps and all!
Love/hate the review?
An ever-growing collection of others appears at: http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This was such a gripping, addictive read with creepy vibes!
Patrick has travelled to a remote part of Scotland with his girlfriend of 9 months to meet her family for the first time, on a trip where the rest of the family will also be meeting their dad's new girlfriend for the first time too. The stakes are already high when the siblings immediately start arguing, but not in a fun sibling rivalry kind of way. Then their father (a tech mogul) and his girlfriend arrive, and she turns out to be the same age as them and also the spitting image of their mother at the age she died from cancer. Patrick quickly realises he's caught up in a family of snakes, all sniping at one another, and things start to get really dangerous.
This book was such a creepy mood read for a thriller! “Are you scared?” was a brilliant opening line. Even though it’s asked of the character, with no other context, you as the reader feel as though you’re being asked…with the undertone being that you should be. And I was. It really set the tone for a deeply unsettling, claustrophobic narrative that I genuinely couldn't put down - I read it in one sitting.
The pacing was very good. You start off feeling unsettled and that feeling creeps up on you. Each chapter throws more mystery and more drama at you, and the complex characters are constantly adding to that. Some were distinctly unlikeable, and others had you on your toes all the time. When you've read a few psychological thrillers, you start to get a feeling for who's going to be the bad guy, but this one had me second guessing constantly - and I love that. It was unpredictable in the best way, although it did all get very chaotic as it came together at the end and I had to keep my wits about me while reading to make sure I was understanding all the different strings of story coming together!
The only negative to the book was that I didn't click all that well with Patrick, whose perspective the majority of the book was told from. His character seemed a bit flat at times, more of an observer than getting really involved in what was going on around him. To be fair, it was a totally weird environment right from the beginning so in his shoes, I would have sat back and watched it play around me, but I felt like there might be more of a reveal that he was potentially holding back something which didn't come. I think I just wanted more insight from him into the fact that everything going on around him was really quite strange.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publishers for an ARC of this book.
Patrick has travelled to a remote part of Scotland with his girlfriend of 9 months to meet her family for the first time, on a trip where the rest of the family will also be meeting their dad's new girlfriend for the first time too. The stakes are already high when the siblings immediately start arguing, but not in a fun sibling rivalry kind of way. Then their father (a tech mogul) and his girlfriend arrive, and she turns out to be the same age as them and also the spitting image of their mother at the age she died from cancer. Patrick quickly realises he's caught up in a family of snakes, all sniping at one another, and things start to get really dangerous.
This book was such a creepy mood read for a thriller! “Are you scared?” was a brilliant opening line. Even though it’s asked of the character, with no other context, you as the reader feel as though you’re being asked…with the undertone being that you should be. And I was. It really set the tone for a deeply unsettling, claustrophobic narrative that I genuinely couldn't put down - I read it in one sitting.
The pacing was very good. You start off feeling unsettled and that feeling creeps up on you. Each chapter throws more mystery and more drama at you, and the complex characters are constantly adding to that. Some were distinctly unlikeable, and others had you on your toes all the time. When you've read a few psychological thrillers, you start to get a feeling for who's going to be the bad guy, but this one had me second guessing constantly - and I love that. It was unpredictable in the best way, although it did all get very chaotic as it came together at the end and I had to keep my wits about me while reading to make sure I was understanding all the different strings of story coming together!
The only negative to the book was that I didn't click all that well with Patrick, whose perspective the majority of the book was told from. His character seemed a bit flat at times, more of an observer than getting really involved in what was going on around him. To be fair, it was a totally weird environment right from the beginning so in his shoes, I would have sat back and watched it play around me, but I felt like there might be more of a reveal that he was potentially holding back something which didn't come. I think I just wanted more insight from him into the fact that everything going on around him was really quite strange.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publishers for an ARC of this book.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
📚✨ One of the Family by Mark Edwards
Thank you to Atria Books for the ARC! 💛
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 stars
Rich people behaving badly? ✔️
A remote Scottish estate cut off by snowstorms? ✔️
A family that absolutely cannot stand each other? ✔️
Yeah, this was a lot of fun. 😅
One of the Family feels a bit like Succession crashed headfirst into a psychological thriller. Patrick thinks he's simply joining his girlfriend Holly's wealthy family for a luxury vacation in the Scottish Highlands. Instead, he walks straight into a nest of secrets, manipulation, inheritance drama, and what may be a murder plot.
From the moment Patrick arrives, the tension is immediate. Holly's father Charles is preparing to marry Jasmine, a much younger woman who just happens to look remarkably like his late wife. Unsurprisingly, Charles's adult children are not thrilled about the situation, and the family dynamic quickly becomes a toxic, fascinating mess.
The setting was one of my favorite parts of the book. The isolated estate, freezing weather, and relentless snowstorms create a wonderfully claustrophobic atmosphere where nobody can really escape each other. The Scottish Highlands almost become a character themselves, adding an extra layer of dread to everything unfolding.
I also loved that I never fully trusted anyone. Every character seemed to have secrets, hidden motives, or questionable intentions. Even when I thought I had things figured out, another twist would come along and make me second-guess everything.
Most of the characters are deeply unlikable, but honestly, that's part of the fun. Watching this family tear itself apart was wildly entertaining. 🍿
✨ What I loved:
❄️ The isolated Scottish Highlands setting
❄️ Twisty family drama
❄️ Constant tension and suspicion
❄️ Fast pacing that kept me hooked
❄️ A cast of flawed, messy characters
✨ What didn't work quite as well:
⚠️ Some twists required a little suspension of disbelief
⚠️ A few characters felt more interesting than others
⚠️ The family dysfunction occasionally bordered on over-the-top
Overall, One of the Family is a compulsively readable thriller packed with secrets, betrayal, greed, and enough family drama to fuel several reality TV seasons. It kept me guessing, kept me entertained, and made me very glad I wasn't vacationing with the Grant family. 😂
If you enjoy locked-room style tension, dysfunctional wealthy families, and psychological thrillers filled with twists, this is definitely worth picking up. ❄️🏔️🔪
Thank you to Atria Books for the ARC! 💛
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 stars
Rich people behaving badly? ✔️
A remote Scottish estate cut off by snowstorms? ✔️
A family that absolutely cannot stand each other? ✔️
Yeah, this was a lot of fun. 😅
One of the Family feels a bit like Succession crashed headfirst into a psychological thriller. Patrick thinks he's simply joining his girlfriend Holly's wealthy family for a luxury vacation in the Scottish Highlands. Instead, he walks straight into a nest of secrets, manipulation, inheritance drama, and what may be a murder plot.
From the moment Patrick arrives, the tension is immediate. Holly's father Charles is preparing to marry Jasmine, a much younger woman who just happens to look remarkably like his late wife. Unsurprisingly, Charles's adult children are not thrilled about the situation, and the family dynamic quickly becomes a toxic, fascinating mess.
The setting was one of my favorite parts of the book. The isolated estate, freezing weather, and relentless snowstorms create a wonderfully claustrophobic atmosphere where nobody can really escape each other. The Scottish Highlands almost become a character themselves, adding an extra layer of dread to everything unfolding.
I also loved that I never fully trusted anyone. Every character seemed to have secrets, hidden motives, or questionable intentions. Even when I thought I had things figured out, another twist would come along and make me second-guess everything.
Most of the characters are deeply unlikable, but honestly, that's part of the fun. Watching this family tear itself apart was wildly entertaining. 🍿
✨ What I loved:
❄️ The isolated Scottish Highlands setting
❄️ Twisty family drama
❄️ Constant tension and suspicion
❄️ Fast pacing that kept me hooked
❄️ A cast of flawed, messy characters
✨ What didn't work quite as well:
⚠️ Some twists required a little suspension of disbelief
⚠️ A few characters felt more interesting than others
⚠️ The family dysfunction occasionally bordered on over-the-top
Overall, One of the Family is a compulsively readable thriller packed with secrets, betrayal, greed, and enough family drama to fuel several reality TV seasons. It kept me guessing, kept me entertained, and made me very glad I wasn't vacationing with the Grant family. 😂
If you enjoy locked-room style tension, dysfunctional wealthy families, and psychological thrillers filled with twists, this is definitely worth picking up. ❄️🏔️🔪
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I was delighted to be able to get an advanced copy of “One Of The Family” by my favourite author, Mark Edwards. I’ve often said that whenever I start reading a book by Mark, I wonder what situation is he going to drop me in this time. While there are always characters at the centre of the story rather than making you, the reader, the protagonist, he has this knack of making the situations, at least at the start of the story, seem so relatable. And that’s often what makes them so tense and engaging. This one was no different – this was classic Mark and I would say that it’s one of my favourites by him.
The setting is Scotland and primarily around Hogmanay. While I read the book in late February, I don’t think the season you read it will particularly matter – though I can imagine reading it during a cold winter with snow falling outside could add something to the experience.
The protagonist is a man travelling with his girlfriend to meet the family for the first time. All quite relatable. That’s the Mark-Edwards-trap. You can relate to the situation. Some/much/all of what follows, I hope, is less relatable. I won’t say more on the actual story as I don’t want to ruin it for you. But let’s just say that death, as is often the case in such books, is not far away.
There were a few lines that paricularly stood out for me. I really like the following one which helps show the connection between the protagonist and his girlfriend,
'I had begun to experience something that had only happened once or twice before. The sensation of meeting a kindred spirit. We liked the same music and books and food. Hated the same things, too – from virtue-signalling to the word ‘nom’ – and agreed about politics.'
I also like this one,
'She had an energy – an optimism – that was infectious and that made me think that yes, if I worked hard I could achieve anything.'
I think being able to have at least one such a person in your life is really important. I also found the following relatable in some ways – or at least what I have strived for in my non-fiction writing,
'You have ambition. But you’re motivated by something pure, aren’t you? By wanting to know the truth.'
Finally, I really loved the following description of a site that plays a key role in the story,
'There was something mesmerizing about it, despite its simplicity. Or perhaps because of its simplicity.'
As noted above, I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it.
See also https://hoodcp.wordpress.com/2026/03/...
The setting is Scotland and primarily around Hogmanay. While I read the book in late February, I don’t think the season you read it will particularly matter – though I can imagine reading it during a cold winter with snow falling outside could add something to the experience.
The protagonist is a man travelling with his girlfriend to meet the family for the first time. All quite relatable. That’s the Mark-Edwards-trap. You can relate to the situation. Some/much/all of what follows, I hope, is less relatable. I won’t say more on the actual story as I don’t want to ruin it for you. But let’s just say that death, as is often the case in such books, is not far away.
There were a few lines that paricularly stood out for me. I really like the following one which helps show the connection between the protagonist and his girlfriend,
'I had begun to experience something that had only happened once or twice before. The sensation of meeting a kindred spirit. We liked the same music and books and food. Hated the same things, too – from virtue-signalling to the word ‘nom’ – and agreed about politics.'
I also like this one,
'She had an energy – an optimism – that was infectious and that made me think that yes, if I worked hard I could achieve anything.'
I think being able to have at least one such a person in your life is really important. I also found the following relatable in some ways – or at least what I have strived for in my non-fiction writing,
'You have ambition. But you’re motivated by something pure, aren’t you? By wanting to know the truth.'
Finally, I really loved the following description of a site that plays a key role in the story,
'There was something mesmerizing about it, despite its simplicity. Or perhaps because of its simplicity.'
As noted above, I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it.
See also https://hoodcp.wordpress.com/2026/03/...
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