Follow You Home

This started out with a lot of potential, then dropped dramatically. I was drawn in by the mysterious event that occurred and stayed a mystery until about one-third of the way through. After the initial unraveling I figured it out. That was disappointing for me because I never figure it out. Also, there was too much use of the f-word for my liking. I know that it doesn't bother some people, but it bothers me, especially when it is overused. The overall story was good, and mostly well-written.

I was let down because I expected this horror novel to be- you know- scary...I think I would have liked this book more if it were advertised as a crime thriller, because that's really what it is. I judged this book by its cover which was a mistake for sure. The creepy cover does NOT match the story inside. This book was a major let down and I almost didn't finish it.There are many times in the book where Edwards has redundant lines that are in dire need of some editing. Example: "As he stared out of the photo, I stared back. It felt like he was looking right at me. Into me. And as I stared at the photo, I recognized him. I'd seen him before". The writing is this laughable.Other times Edwards tries to have an explanation for every single detail in the plot. To me, this is the easiest way to kill suspense for the reader. An example of this: "I stooped to pick it up. It was an iPhone. That was weird. Laura never had an iPhone. She didn't like Apple products, had lectured me about how their treatment of workers in China was abhorrent. Why did she have one?" Okay okay we get it- the phone you found isn't Laura's. But why drive the point home with Laura not only not owning an iPhone but Laura having strong feelings about NOT having an iPhone. And Edwards does this throughout the book. It made me cringe.Also (this is the main reason I hated this book) Edwards has the last 50 pages or so just being dialogue between the characters explainingEVERYTHING about the plot. He literally has the "bad guy" talk to the protagonists about how he was able to get away with doing his "bad guy" stuff. Cheesy, cheesy, cheesy. I think Edwards constructed a ridiculous (and boring) plot that required too much explanation to be scary.

The concept of the book is self-explanatory in the title. We know something follows them home, but what? I enjoyed so much about the book except I literally almost stopped listening to the book due to the lack of common sense displayed by particularly one of the main characters. If someone breaks into your home or someone steals your keys while you are on vacation, have your locks changed. I realize there was trauma involved, but that makes these paranoid/common sense things even more vital to have displayed in the main character. That aside, I liked the way the book was laid out and the characters developed. Worth reading.

I rarely have time to finish a book. Time is limited, and my attention span even more so. If a book doesn't "wow" me within the first few chapters, I let it drop to the sidelines, at least until I am bored & have time enough to read a few more chapters. This book was so captivating that I felt compelled to submit a review. This was my first read from this author and surely not the last. This book held my interest from the first page through the last. Staying up two nights to read "just one more page". Oh, but just when you think the mystery is over, the ending near & predictable, turn the page and <BAM> the plot twists again. Admittedly, there were times when I found myself holding my breath. Towards the end ( before I realized it wasn't!) I almost missed my subway stop. Riveting, Mr. Edwards unique story- telling style of writing made his characters come alive. I could feel their horror, running through the forest as if I were right there beside them. I absolutely loved this book and have already ordered more of his works. Five stars!

My Review 3.5 Stars Rounded To 4 Stars****POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERTSI finished reading my third book written by Mark Edwards last night. I was first introduced to his works when I read HERE TO STAY {2019] and later THE MAGPIES [2013] in January of last year. I absolutely loved HERE TO STAY and the author had recommended to new readers of his to read THE MAGPIES and FOLLOW YOU HOME next. THE MAGPIES was not in the same league as HERE TO STAY but it was admittedly an impressive psychological thriller for a debut novel from a newcomer. Ironically, I saw an email recently for an online event Edwards is sponsoring which features FOLLOW YOU HOME and it occurred to me that I hadn’t read it yet.It’s an odd thing to say beginning a book review, but I am not sure how I feel about FOLLOW YOU HOME. The novel introduces a likeable-enough thirtyish couple (Daniel and Laura) who are engaged in a sort of trek across Europe to experience a bit of fun and adventure before returning to England to settle down and begin a family. They are depicted as genuinely in love and having lived together for a number of years before this ill-fated trip to Europe. The catalyst for all that follows is that Daniel opted for a pair of seats in lieu of a private locked sleeping compartment. The reader (this one anyway) is quick to criticize this penny-pinching exercise on Daniel’s part, but then upon reflection it really isn’t all that difficult to understand. The pair have been together for years and it isn’t a period in their lives when privacy would have likely been Daniel’s highest priority, albeit in hindsight security should have been. In the event he was frugal by nature I can see his actions as maybe even typical of his character. In any case, I don’t want to blame a rape victim because she was wearing a short shirt and a tight blouse.Then there is the issue of Daniel and Laura meeting the two strangers on the train Ion and Alina. The pair are in their twenties with Ion resembling a gym member with a toned physique and his female companion more punk and Goth than anything else. Again, there is the temptation to think “what idiots” (Daniel and Laura), but still again they are not inherently suspicious people, and it isn’t difficult to see how that the meeting could have come about.Things go “to hell in a hand basket” pretty quickly and it seems before you can blink Daniel, Laura, and their new acquaintance Alina are being rudely booted off the train at an isolated railway station in the middle of nowhere in the blackness of night.The trio are predictably cold and completely unprepared for the unfamiliar surroundings and their collective inability to call for necessary assistance. They begin a trek along the path beside the railroad tracks which is bordered by the woods. It is their hope to reach the nearest town with the aid of Daniel’s small LED flashlight and the intermittent moonlight that pierces the darkness and the gloom. Alina leaves the couple alone to walk a short distance into the woods for a bit of privacy. Daniel and Laura wait for what seems like more than a reasonable amount of time and yet Alina doesn’t return. The couple eventually conclude that something untoward may have occurred and that they have a responsibility to investigate. They travel together through the rough foliage and woodsy terrain deep into the woods before finding one of Alina’s black boots. The couple continue with the lone boot in hand only to late stumble into a large clearing. An ancient appearing house stands alone and ominous in front of them. Daniel and Laura enter the spooky house with trepidation. They leave the premises empty handed, screaming and running like the devil is chasing them.The premise of the novel is based upon what happened to this English couple when they chose to enter this house of horrors in Romania to find their new acquaintance Alina. The answer is a cliffhanger that is only gradually revealed to the reader as the narrative unfolds. The book is indeed “unputdownable” because as you approach the 50% mark in the story, you are no closer to learning what happened in the house of horrors in the woods than you were when Daniel and Laura dashed out of its door screaming. Meanwhile, back in England Daniel is suffering from PTSD, swimming in self-pity, drinking himself to death, and wishing to God he could turn back the hands of time.“If I could turn back the clock . . . Unfortunately, real life has no erase button.”Laura, meanwhile has left Daniel and moved in with a couple of her married friends who are expecting a new baby. She is a certifiable basket-case but denies the need for psychiatric counseling. In fact, she discourages and criticizes Daniel for talking to a therapist about their ordeal in Romania.My curiosity was really piqued about what all could have possibly happened in the house of horrors in the deep woods. That said, at least initially and for the major portion of the book, I was unable to feel any sympathy for the main characters, namely the narrator Daniel and his girlfriend Laura. On a more positive note, the author does an admirable job of doling out bits of the puzzle for the reader to try to work out the mystery as the narrative marches along. New characters are introduced as the mayhem increases and the body count starts to rise. The novel delivers a multi-layered plot line that delves into some of the darkest crevices of human nature. The characters and motives range from garden variety drug smuggling which is motivated by money and greed to more sinister and dark acts of depravity that we associate with sexual predators and sociopaths in our midst. The author tackles some very disturbing material in the book ranging from abduction, torture, repeated rape and murder of multiple female victims to the trafficking and sale of the infants born during their tortured and inhumane captivity.The title of the novel FOLLOW YOU HOME refers to a supernatural entity or the essence of pure evil. Specifically, Laura is convinced that she and Daniel were infected or contaminated by this "evil" which traveled across both time and space to "find" them in England, or essentially “followed” them home. It is obviously up to the reader to decide whether this contention is reality based or rather a concept constructed by Laura’s traumatized psyche. Purportedly she is a normal, caring young woman at the outset, albeit a believer in the supernatural. Personally, I think the age-old question of whether pure evil exists as a singular supernatural entity, or alternatively that it is only the actions of human sociopaths or psychopaths that carry out perverse and incomprehensible acts of cruelty and horror that is our true evil. I said at the start that I am not sure how I feel about this book. It was a page-turner to be sure. My main issues with the novel fall into three categories. The first, I have already addressed, namely that the main protagonists did not elicit sympathy following their trip to Europe. The second problem was credibility obstacles. Examples include, but were not limited to, the implausibility of the traumatized English couple exhibiting such stark paranoia about reporting their experience to the authorities once they were safe back at home in England. In fairness, the author does attempt to explain this matter toward the conclusion of the book, notably Laura’s exertion of influence on Daniel to remain silent on the matter. But that leads to my third issue with the book. I ordinarily enjoy an author’s skilled misdirection and plot twists. A shocking surprise following the big plot twist at the end of a novel is particularly brilliant when it is well executed, AND when it does not ruin the ending of the book for the reader.That said, the author managed to successfully render a sympathetic version of Daniel, but it was late in the game when he finally “grew a spine”. He sought the help of a PI and together the two were exceptional in putting together a truly complex puzzle. Daniel ultimately became calm in the face of chaos and calamity, drawing on his inner strengths of logical and clear thinking. Daniel became cognizant that the chance to redeem himself was at hand and he seized it. He began to view the complicated predicament like looking at it from outside or above, to analyze the puzzles, make pieces fit and to divine the answers with calm logic. Importantly he was able to recognize and acknowledge his own responsibility for the entire murky quagmire that was a freakshow of horror. It is a fact that had Daniel spent the extra money for a private sleeping car that it would have effectively changed his and Laura’s destiny.For me, it finally all came down to the big reveal in the end that the “truth” about the actions taken in the house of horrors had been reversed in Daniel’s revisionist history account. It was Laura, and not Daniel, who had been scared witless and wanted nothing short of to “cut and run” out of the hell that the two of them had inadvertently walked into and witnessed. Her own actions in the face of this horror were a reality that she was unable to accept without essentially disintegrating. That is the reason for her abandonment of Daniel and the real reason that she wanted to keep what happened a sacred secret never to be spoken aloud and never to be shared. I had a problem with this because I kept asking myself if falling to pieces in a life-threatening situation to save yourself was something that would cause an otherwise sane, well-adjusted adult to dissolve into a psychotic state. It is not called “fight, freeze, or flight” for nothing. In the face of this perceived credibility issue, the “plot twist upon a plot twist” delivered by Edwards is followed by a shocking surprise ending, a coup de gras for me. The Apple Phone. Laura has learned that she is pregnant, and she appears to be grasping the notion that she can face what has happened and be reunited with her beloved Daniel. But no happy ending here! Edwards does a fine job executing the big reveals as they come like staccato blasts from an automatic weapon at the conclusion of the book. However, I didn’t like the unhappy ending but more central to the actual criticism is whether I can suspend disbelief that a normal empathetic young woman like Laura is initially portrayed could transform so radically into such a psychological basket case that she would not even blink at committing cold blooded murder. There is the caveat of course, and that is if Laura was right all along, and the very essence of evil DID follow them home, her thoughts and actions no longer her own.

Wow where do I start this book is a fabulous read if you like crime mistery novels. You think i've worked out the plot then there are so many twists and turns it just leads to an intriguing read that you can't put down. I like the way the story unfolded coming back to the present then unravelling what actually happened in the past. I didn't expect it to end how it did clever twist. If it were to be made into a movie it would be a block buster albeit a little gory in places. Ive read a few crime mistery novels lately and I think this one is unique so well described.

A great start, then so unbelievable, a ridiculous plot. Intelligent main character does not change his locks despite his flat being broken into on several occasions. People able to travel at will with no funds and able to easily track down characters in central London. Unbelievable dialogue and characterisation. A garbled last 25% of book - I gritted my teeth to get through to the end. I bought this book because I have read several others by Mark Edwards, but this was a real disappointment.

I am an avid reader and have been from an early age, I picked this book up after a recommendation and I loved it. Some of the reviews here slated it but I love a book that motors on with twists and turns, one that is fast paced and not padded out. This novel had all this and more, books don't have to be politically correct, I love fiction after all I started on The Famous Five and no kids would ever have been allowed to do what they did. This novel was fantastic from the outset, some books take time to get into, not this one. Daniel and Laura board a night train, there they meet another couple, what happens that night has far reaching consequences and is something neither wants to talk about. When they return home they soon realise the nightmare is not over. The book gives and gives bit by bit to a gripping climax and a further twist right at the end. Four and a half stars from me, a brilliant read and an author I will read more of. Books need not be true to life, fiction is just what it says it is and this experienced reminded me why I love reading so much.

OK, so I normally read non fiction, books on war etc being a 37 old male, I love a good horror though too.So after reading the reviews I decided to give this a go.The start was interesting and indeed had you quite hooked, but when they returned home, things became frustrating and annoying tbh, especially their. relationship and the way they couldn't seem to communicate with themselves or others.For that it became a bit of a chore to read the rest.Was the story good, yes!Was it scary? Not remotely.....I'm not going to write what frustrated me about this book, but it did make me annoyed to a degree that I had to make myself finish it!I think the book started REALLY well and it was intriguing and mysterious.I also found the flipping between points in time and chapters a bit frustrating, of course some people love that, but it's not for me!It hasn't put me off the author though and after reading 2 stories on Afghanistan I am now reading "because she loves me" by the same author! Fingers crossed! :-)

I love Mark Edwards' books, both his individually written novels and those co-written with Louise Voss.I liked the fact that this one was initially set in a foreign country because it made the events that followed all the more bone-chillingly terrifying (as well as making the title very apt). The plot was intricately woven, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that I had to put together to make a complete picture. I was constantly questioning how all the characters and stories were connected and revelation after shocking revelation kept me on the edge of my seat. Even after the main plot was over, I was still shocked right up until the last few words. I still feel that Daniel and Laura's story is not over, which is great because the story will remain in my head; I will be thinking every now and then of possible theories of how the rest of their lives will play out after the events in Follow You Home.I would recommend this book - as well as all Edwards' other novels - to those who enjoy mystery thrillers. I am really looking forward to his latest work, The Devil's Work.