The Lucky Ones

Another excellent novel by Mark Edwards. This one is not as twisty as previous stories, but the turns are still surprising and the character development very accomplished. After a spat of the worst luck imaginable, Ben Holland's life is starting to turn around. His estranged wife seems to realize what a big mistake she made by leaving him, his son's bullies stopped torturing him, he has exciting new work prospects and he may be on his way to being happy. Or is he being manipulated by a serial killer for his own nefarious purposes? Detective Imogen Evans is trying to find out who murdered three people who died smiling. They all seemed to have unexplainable good luck until they were killed. How does Ben fit into all this? There are three different points of view: Ben's and the killer's chapters are written in the first person, while Imogen and the parts relating to the murder inquiry are in the third. This normally confuses me, but in this case I was so engrossed that it didn't bother me at all. The final chapters were so exciting that I couldn't stop reading. A solid read.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Thomas & Mercer!

I seem to have read little apart from crime thrillers recently, and was beginning to feel a little jaded. The original premise of this book, however, made it a stand-out. The Lucky Ones is a thoroughly good read about a twisted ‘guardian angel’ who leaves his dead victims with smiles on their faces. I enjoyed strong, assertive, gutsy DI Imogen Evans who has washed up in Shropshire and misses the excitement and diversity of London. The story dips into a number of different themes, including the relationship between mother and son, bullying and the dangers of the Internet. Despite covering so much, and all the twists and turns, Mark Edwards keeps the story tight and engrossing. He introduces a string of great characters – both good and bad. Even those with cameo appearances are memorable. Karen Lamb, the pathologist, for example, is a gem. Described as having less charm than some of the murderers Imogen had put away, she doesn’t get on very well with people – not ones who are still breathing, anyway. Recommended.

"She looked like she was smiling. Like she died happy."

A serial killer, dubbed the Shropshire Viper, is terrifying the sleepy towns and villages of Shropshire. His third and latest victim is a woman, found dead in a ruined priory. Like the others, this victim shows no signs of violence and appears to be serene, gazing at the sky... and smiling.

DI Imogen Evans, transferred from the London MET to Shrewsbury to investigate these murders, rushes to the scene with her partner DS Emma Stockwell. But again, with no apparent forensic evidence, leads or clues left by the killer, Imogen has to think outside the box. She needs to dig into the lives of the victims and find some link between them that might lead her to the killer. But what? How does the Viper select his victims? The answer to that question lies buried deep in the warped mind of the killer.

Having just separated from his cheating wife, Ben leaves everything behind him in London and returns to his hometown of Shropshire with his son Ollie. Without a job he's struggling to make ends meet and is finding it difficult to deal with his moody eleven-year-old son. However, all of a sudden his luck turns around. Someone offers him a job and his son seems happier. At last Ben feels lucky. But should he thank his lucky stars for what's happening? Or is something sinister at play here?

In this book the author has come up with a completely new and original concept, a paradox... Lucky, happy murder victims!! What? That's right, but you need to read the book to understand what I mean. I think it's a fantastic idea.

The Lucky Ones is an engrossing, tense, well-written serial killer thriller that kept me on my toes and glued to my kindle. Chapters alternate between the point of view of Imogen and Ben, but we also have the odd chilling one from the pov of the killer as he stalks his next 'lucky' victim.

All characters and dialogue are very realistic. I like Imogen Evans. She's a force to be reckoned with. Through the author's description I could clearly imagine her, attracting glances anywhere she goes thanks to her beautiful, voluminous flame-red hair and bright blue eyes. She's tough and feisty but hides a sad, lonely persona. I wish the author features her again in future books as she would be perfect as central character in a series. I also liked and sympathised with Ben, this exasperated father and cheated husband. I feared for him and Ollie.

The last part, the culmination of a frenetic cat-and-mouse game, had me bite my knuckles. Even though I tried to guess and reason things out, to find out who it might be, I was clueless till the end. I could never have guessed who the killer was and their identity came up as a complete surprise. Well done!

This was my first Mark Edwards read, but it certainly won't be my last and I definitely highly recommend it!

THE LUCKY ONES by author Mark Edwards, is a change from his gritty dark psychological thrillers, to a crime novel/police procedural/ psychological thriller. I feel spoiled have always loved his dark psychological thrillers that screw up your brain, but being the talented writer that he is, he made this combination work. I guess I just favour his dark psychological thrillers.

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.

“Her first serial killer, the man the tabloids called the Shropshire Viper, had struck-a snake, fangs, glistening with venom-for the third time.”

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.

Mark Edwards always makes his characters come alive, and in this novel, I really liked DI Imogen Evans and Ben Hofland and his son Ollie, who have their own baggage and troubled past to overcome.

POV’s alternate between Ben, Imogen, and the killer. I thought I knew where things were headed, but the ending proved me wrong. Pay close attention to the details, and see if you can figure it out. I didn’t…as I was so involved in the characters and following the story.

Highly Recommended!

Many thanks to Mark Edwards, Thomas Mercer and Net Galley for providing a digital ARC for review.

I was disappointed to have been unable to read this until now, but wow! It was totally worth the wait!
Mark Edwards is a natural storyteller. I have loved every one of his books I've read so far and this was no exception.
The Lucky Ones is a psychological thriller, but this serial killer is quite different. He likes to make his victims happy! This makes him even creepier than your average psychopathic murderer. You'll know what I mean if you've read it already. If you haven't, you'll find out. There are some chapters written from the perspective of the killer which really did make my skin crawl.
One of the main characters, Ben, is very likeable. He's recently separated from his wife and has custody of their young son, Ollie. When things finally start to look up for Ben and Ollie, he has no idea of the danger he is facing, until Detective Imogen Evans discovers that he may be the next victim and vows to protect him.
There are so many twists and turns in this story I almost felt exhausted for Imogen and her team, racing against time to find this murderer before anyone else got hurt. There are far too many people who have lost their lives at the hands of this killer already.
It is far from straight forward and although the story unfolds a bit more gradually at first, allowing me to get to know the characters and making me question everything, the pace seriously picks up before long and I couldn't read it fast enough to find out if they got there in time. My heart was beating so fast towards the end. Gripping is an understatement!
Outstanding writing, as always. Brilliant characterisation, clever plot, twists galore, fabulous setting (not far from me). It has everything that makes a great read for me. Even a hint of romance! Just brilliant! I highly recommend and I hope this is might develop into an Imogen Evans series!????

This is a brilliant thriller, told mainly from two different perspectives. On one hand we have the viewpoint of Ben, a soon to be divorced father trying to put his life back together. On the other hand we have a twisted serial killer with a warped philosophical sense of making people happy forever, by ending their lives when they are at their happiest. If he believes someone is a good person, worthy of happiness, they become a target. He skillfully manipulates their lives and the lives of those around them in order to make them happy. Ben, unfortunately is indeed a good man and the killer finds him deserving of happiness.
I was totally immersed in this fast paced story from page one. The action starts right away and never lets up. The suspense was nearly unbearable and made even more so by the fact that I cared about these characters.

I received a complimentary copy for review.

I hate giving out five stars but this one deserved it. I read it in two days and when I finished the last chapter, I felt the exact way I wanted to feel after reading the perfect thriller, happy and a little creeped out.
Let's start with characters. Ben was loveable. The only thing I hated about him is how he blamed himself for his son's mistakes. Yes, he could have been more firm but he was going through a lot, broken. I hated Ollie for sure. He was the idiot of the century and the fact the author washed him clean in the end and blamed it on his 'innocence' made me even more upset. There's a serial killer around and that kid... Okay no spoilers. Yea, I hate Ollie. The detective is smart and I like the way she discovered the motive of the killer. I like the chemistry between the characters, the conversations. I loved the twist in the end, the way I was tricked. It was absolutely brilliant. The author focused and fleshed out the serial killer. I knew about his childhood, his family, and imner his feelings. However, I felt a lack of details about the main characters. A few chapters in the beginning, Ben was a thirty something year old man but a few chapters later, he turned out to be a forty something year old dude. I took away the 'real' feeling of the strory.
Plot: The author tricked me. I really didn't see it coming. The mystery behind the killer unravels slowly and just when I think I got it, I was tricked. But that's okay. I do feel like there could have been more layers to the action but I wasn't bored at all. The killer turned out to be more clever than I thought.

POV and language: It was a mixture between multiple first person and third person omniscient POV. I guess the author didnt want to confuse his readers or wasn't too comfortable writing DI Evans in first person. A unified multiple fisrt person POV would have been fine but what the author did was okay as well. There's a bit of language and sexual content which is perfectly fine with me but everyone has their own taste. The story didn't focus on romance and sex but they are all part of our daily lives. In real life, people curse, have sex, die, find love, and in my opinion, all these should be part of a book that is trying to portray regular lives- except for children s book of course!

Finally, grammar and reading grade:
Honestly, I finished everything in two days. I purchased the book over a month ago but didn't to get to it yet. I'm a serial reader and sometimes it takes me months before I reach to some of my purchases. I speak the American English which should have make the reading- not difficult but a little more time consuming. That wasn't the case. I went through it like a breeze. The only mistake I've noticed is a 'she' used instead of 'they' in the first few chapters. Other than that, the book is clean- or I was too busy with the story to bother with grammar. I think anyone with a passion for thrillers and basic English can read this in week or less.

Well well well. Should I be surprised that this author Mark Edwards has left me gasping for breath at the end of this read? Definitely not! Compared to other books written by Mark Edwards I should have known that I'd be left with the thought "What a fabulous enjoyable read that was!"

Do not read the Letter from Author at the back of the book until you've read the full story. It might give away details that may spoil your enjoyment.

I personally look forward to reading The letter at the back from Mark as he intrigues me on how he comes up with his subject matter.
This sounded like a challenge to him at times working on themes and intricately adding data and making it as factual (even though it's fiction) as possible.

The plot is water tight.
The book is long with short snappy chapters that lead us awe inspiringly into another.

It's told in two parts. It's been very cleverly knitted together where the seams are invisible.

I was glued to this book. And I love how some authors make areas of known parts that are real come to life.
This author does that.

He clearly makes each person in his story become reality to us readers, breathing life bit by bit. I imagine them as empty shells and as we read air gets pumped into them bit by bit as we learn and understand the characters he's created.

A couple of reviewers who have knowledge of certain factual within this book have pointed out some "mistakes" for the majority of us who just enjoy a good plot, excitement and ignore some mistakes will find this an acceptable in the degree of the brilliance of this authors work.

The DI female is a formidable woman.
She's come from a big town to a small village/town that has never seen the likes of what has been happening here, and maybe, will never see again....
But who knows.

We are thrown off the scent a few times and I have to humbly admit to being fooled, I was held out on the climax big time with this one for sure.

The attention to detail was a delight to read and some amusing sentences believe it or not.

Ben was such a lovely person trying to raise Ollie his son the best way he could since his marriage split up.
Not always did it go to plan.

There were several characters in their happy places within this thrilling thriller that gripped me by the throat as much as the Villian gripped Ben by the balls.

An absolutely superb read.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer, Mark Edwards and the Publicist for my copy.

This was definitely a page-turner! I stayed up late last night reading most of this thriller and I have to say, I would have finished it if my eyes had cooperated. You'll read this through three pov's: the "victim", the detective, and the killer. I thought this was a great way to get in the minds of all involved. Instead of "just" seeing where/how the detective was getting along, or "just" what the killer was thinking, or how the victim was living.....you were able to see & understand more from them all. So that was one aspect of this thriller that I very much appreciated. The pacing was good also. I was never bored or wanting the novel to move along faster. I really liked the characters also. Mainly the detective, Imogen Evans, and Ben. I hope to see more of them in the future. The ending was also amazing! I can't say much without spoilers but I found it to be very satisfying.

If your looking for a great thriller to keep you up at night, then look no further than The Lucky Ones! I know I'll be checking out more books by Mark Edwards.

**Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to thank Thomas & Mercer, NetGalley and Mark Edwards for the ARC (advanced reading copy) of "The Lucky Ones" by Mark Edwards for my honest review.

The genres for this book are General Fiction(Adult), Mystery and Thriller, and Suspense.

The characters are described as complicated and complex. Some of the characters are plain and ordinary flawed people with problems. Some of the characters are quirky and seem to be suspect of doing evil things.

I like the way the author provides a unusual and suspenseful story-line. There is a serial killer or killers who equates happiness with death. The killer or killers make sure the victims find happiness in their life, and then these victims are ready to be killed. Most of the victim's that are killed are found smiling. What is the motivation for this murder? Who and why is this happening? How are the victims picked out?

There is constant suspense, action, twists and turns with a surprising ending. I liked that the author resolves the story but leaves the reader with an uncomfortable feeling that this might not be the ending.

I would highly recommend this novel as an intriguing and suspenseful mystery.
the store

I'm officially in awe! The writing style, the mystery, the suspense and the tension all had my guts twisting. It was incredible and well thought out, well researched and put across extremely well. The gore wasn't too much, but enough to make you cringe. The characters were astounding and represented with great detail. No inconsistencies at all and I found that the story ran smoothly.

The twists, turns and horror had me reeling with emotion, it had me sat on the edge of my seat, full of anticipation and the characters had me chuckling in places and made my skin crawl in others.

I certainly didn't see the ending coming, not by a long shot and applaud the author on his incredible ability to keep us readers going to the very end. This book will probably leave me with yet another book hangover, as this author's work often does, and I'll find myself thinking back on it for the weeks to come.

I was hooked from the beginning and honestly can't find a single bad thing to say about it at all.

Looking forward to the future and the next book to be released from this incredible clever author.

Dang! This storyline was pretty good. Brief mentions of sex, but nothing that would turn anyone away. At least, not an adult.

Anyhoo, imagine moving back to your hometown, hoping for a fresh start, thinking you would once again find your happy place, only to find yourself smack dab in the middle of a craycray s__t storm! OY! Well, this is what "The Lucky Ones" delivered in spades.

I empathized with Ollie and Ben. And was horrified when the killer was revealed. I keep second guessing other characters, and I did not pinpoint the real culprit until almost the very end. The darkness of that character's soul, and the soul of his "apprentice", seeped through the pages of this book like a tenacious plague. Ewwww!

I really enjoyed this book, and I look forward to reading more from Mark Edwards.

I've read one other novel by Edwards, 'Follow You Home', and I didn't much care for it. I didn't think I'd find myself reading anything like else by him, but this one was really good. I tend to like novels with a good police detective side story in addition to the main plot and story line. I also like a good serial killer thriller, and I didn't guess who the killer was until much later in the book, so it wasn't easy to figure out. All in all, I gave it 4 stars because of the interesting storyline and premise - a serial killer that doesn't seem to have an obvious type of victim and the victims don't have any connection to one another. Made for a much better book than the first one I read by this author. I'll give another of his novels a chance and see how I like the next one.

I really enjoy reading most of Mark Edwards' books as I find him to be a natural storteller.
"The Lucky Ones" is a psychological thriller, but this serial killer is a bit different. He likes to make his victims happy!
There are so many twists and turns in this story I almost felt exhausted for Imogen and her team. There are already too many people who have lost their lives by this killer and they must stop him before others are killed. A few times I thought it a bit draggy as I think it could have done with fewer pages and curse words, especially when Ben was talking to his son Ollie. Otherwise, a good mystery.

Another winner from Mark Edwards. I've read almost all of his books and I was really pleased when I found out he had written a serial killer book.
The twist got me, the entire time I was trying to figure it out and I wasn't even close. I enjoyed the characters and the scene that was set in an old picturesque part of England. I would certainly recommend it.

***SPOILERS AHEAD***
My one qualm with this book was the awkward and slightly forced way that Imogen and Ben were pushed together. I didn't find it believable.

Well played, Mark Edwards... WELL PLAYED!

There were so many layers to this novel and I loved it, couldn't put it down. However, being that there was SO much unraveling and left to unpack that I lost some key points to the plot. Or at least I felt that I did. I got to the end and had some questions that I think were pretty important to answer. Then again, I made it to the end satisfied and happy! 

Another winner from Mark Edwards. I've read almost all of his books and I was really pleased when I found out he had written a serial killer book.
The twist got me, the entire time I was trying to figure it out and I wasn't even close. I enjoyed the characters and the scene that was set in an old picturesque part of England. I would certainly recommend it.

***SPOILERS AHEAD***
My one qualm with this book was the awkward and slightly forced way that Imogen and Ben were pushed together. I didn't find it believable.

This is definitely a page turner! There are enough twists and turns to keep you engaged and guessing, which isn't always the case with this sort of novel, and the characters are really interesting. I loved Imogen! I'd like to see more from her. Ben and Ollie are quite a pair- their interaction is wonderful. I was surprised at how things worked out. This could have easily gone down the gruesome lane but it doesn't. Edwards has a clear sense of when to stop and when to pull threads. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

A broken man, mourning his shattered marriage, in a sleepy little town.... A sharp detective, recently transferred from London, and a serial killer who kills "the lucky ones". Unexpected twists and turns, amazing descriptions left me feeling like I was living the story with the characters. Well developed, complex characters and plot line kept me guessing, with a surprise ending....for the lucky ones...

This one is loaded with suspense and is a thrilling ride through England. It was quite difficult to pick out the true villain as the author remarkably hides these facts from his readers. I will be reading subsequent stories of his

as a fan of crime fiction and police procedurals, this definitely did not disappoint. It had all the trademark elements that fans of this author look out for, twisted plots, brilliant characters and a real sense of place which all combine to make for a compelling and enjoyable read.

I really enjoyed reading your novel its extremely exciting I really didn't want to put the book down. Trudy Flynn is my sister. She bought me this kindle when I was fighting cancer. My name is Linda Lettau. Anyway I won the battle and, I quite enjoyed a good read. Thank you I'm looking for word to the next exciting novel.

This book held my attention with such force I was very surprised. I had a hard time putting this book down. I kept thinking I knew who the Viper was and then the person I thought was it turned out to be his next victim. Great book. I felt like I was right in the story. I would definitely suggest this to other people.

This was intriguing and hard to guess. So different in having such strange modus operandi. Realistic father and son adjusting to life changing experience. Detectives investigation was kind of slow but the way victims were tagged was very peculiar and strange. Strange how such big crimes took place in small rural area.

I really liked this novel because is full of thrills and twists, although the first chapters are kind of slow storytelling, the rest of the plot is pure excitement. A peaceful english town where nothing happens suddenly turns out to be the crimen scene of a serial killer whose motivation is a new one, truly surprising in the murder mystery genre. A must read for everyone who enjoys mistery thrillers.

Having read a book previously by Mark Edwards and loving it, I was keen to read this one.

Another 5 star book for me, a great thriller with a twist I didn't see coming.

Highly recommended, I can't wait to read more books from this author.

Gripping page turner, many twists and turns keeps you up late at night. Just as I figured out the viper, another twist tells me I was wrong. Ending was great surprise.
This book was free with narration, but the accent of the narrator made it very hard for this not born in U.S. reader.

This was an excellent story! Keeps you on the edge of your seat to the very last page! I'm so happy I came across this author! Every time I finish one of his books, I look for another, and each one is better than the last!

Really enjoyed it! My home town is Shrewsbury in Shropshire so it was wonderful to hear of the places from my childhood and read the description of how beautiful Shropshire is as a county of England. Enjoyed the story too - 'ripping good yarn' as we would say!!

That ending! Ohmygod!
This book was amazing! Mr. Edwards does a fantastic job with the suspense and creepiness. I'm definitely gonna be looking over my shoulder every time I get a streak of really good luck. Lol. Do I really have to wait a year for another book????

Very enjoyable. Captivating from page one. Usually as I read a book I make note of the incongruecies, and wonder if the author lost track of his own story and the editor didn't notice. Mark's books are fluid and there no inconsistencies. I truly appreciate a well written book with exciting story lines.

Really enjoyed the total misinterpretation of Epicurious's thoughts and writings. Nothing like a fanatical over reach of philosophical or religious teachings to make people with hate in their hearts happy.

Another of this author's great thrillers. Good enough for me to buy his subsequent books. And they are usually set in places that I know well from my younger days, so I can appreciate his humor. Easy to read and his words flow well.

Pretty Alfred Hitchcockian for excitement. This was a real roller coaster ride alright. I will be looking for more books by this author Mark Edwards. Characters well developed and story so good. Thanks........

Having read other Mark Edwards books, I knew there would be a twist somewhere. I missed this one until it was upon me. He will teach the others. They then will go forth and become serial killers themselves. Makes me shudder to think.

Even though I figured it out fairly early, it kept me questioning myself. I liked the characters a lot. The story was a bit slow at times, that I lost interest and put the book down for a few days. Once I picked it up again, I finished it in a day.