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Synopsis:
It was the happiest day of her life. Little did she know it was also the last.

When a woman’s body is found in the grounds of a ruined priory, Detective Imogen Evans realises she is dealing with a serial killer—a killer whose victims appear to die in a state of bliss, eyes open, smiles forever frozen on their faces.

A few miles away, single dad Ben Hofland believes his fortunes are changing at last. Forced to move back to the sleepy village where he grew up following the breakdown of his marriage, Ben finally finds work. What’s more, the bullies who have been terrorising his son, Ollie, disappear. For the first time in months, Ben feels lucky.

But he is unaware that someone is watching him and Ollie. Someone who wants nothing but happiness for Ben.

Happiness…and death.

The Lucky Ones is the terrifying new thriller from the #1 Kindle bestselling author of Follow You Home and The Devil’s Work.

About the Author: Mark Edwards

 

Mark Edwards writes psychological thrillers in which scary things happen to ordinary people, and is inspired by writers such as Stephen King, Ira Levin, Ruth Rendell and Linwood Barclay.

He is the author of four #1 bestsellers: Follow You Home (a finalist in the Goodreads Choice Awards 2015), The Magpies, Because She Loves Me, and The Devil’s Work, along with What You Wish For and six novels co-written with Louise Voss. All of his books are inspired by real-life experiences.

Originally from the south coast of England, Mark now lives in the West Midlands with his wife, their three children, a ginger cat, and a golden retriever.

Review:

Having read one of Mark Edward’s books before, I knew going in that I would be saddled with certain expectations, which is why sometimes reading a new writer for the very first time comes with its advantages.

Regardless, the writing in “The Lucky Ones” was tight and fluid in just the right spots, very exacting and engrossing, while also maintaining the same level of psycho-analytic intrigue and nerve-wracking plot twists as the last work I read from him. This work, in particular, stood out to me because of the fascinating way that Mark sketched the bond between a father and son, especially in the tumult of the dissolution of his marriage. This bond is pivotal to the novel’s suspenseful drive;since without this key familial bond, this novel’s even deeper explorations on far more loftier ideas like the very idea of fate, and how the abstract notions of good and evil factors into this seemingly arbitrary construct, would feel hollow to readers.

Much like some of the most superb thrillers out there, laden with psychical treasures, “The Lucky Ones” explores so many questions without providing cogent answers; these questions range from more immediate things, closer to the actual text, as “Why are certain personalities more interesting to the mind of a depraved serial killer than others?” to even more deeper explorations into the more complicated (and loaded) question of “Is fate merely a construct, fabricated by the stronger, asserting force of an unseen individual with subversive sociopathic tendencies, sometimes formally recognize, and mostly never identified?”  (For me, the novel Gormenghast comes to mind.)

There are a myriad number of other  questions explored in this chilling novel. In terms of shortcomings, the only weakness that really stands out to me is some weak development with the main romantic relationship, which is a bond that is integral to the novel, just as much as the father/son bond at the core of the novel. This does slightly detract from the overall cohesiveness of the novel, but not enough to rob yourself of the sheer enjoyment that awaits anyone brave enough to read this psychologically deep, semi-frightening, well-written thriller novel from a very skilled writer; one who continues to write thriller novels with just enough macabre elements to unnerve you, as well as a strong side of humanity to allow you to read with your sanity intact.