Thank you Atria Books, #partner for the advanced copy of One of the Family in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Atria Books
Published: August 4, 2026
Summary:
The “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…
My thoughts:
I absolutely loved Mark Edward’s last book, The Wasp Trap, so it was a given that I would be requesting this new one…and he once again delivered a clever, addicting read. I read this one in less than 24 hours – once I started it, I had such a hard time putting it down!
I love a story about complicated, messy family dynamics and boy do we have that and more. Add in the isolated setting–a secluded mansion in the Scottish Highlands during the New Year festivities with freezing weather and crazy snowstorms and you have such an atmospheric, chilling backdrop for all that is to come.
As with the previous book, I loved how I felt the tension almost from the get-go. All the characters have something to hide and that makes it difficult to know who to trust. The relationships are complicated, not only between the siblings, but also between the spouses and even the supposed friends. I loved seeing the layers peeled back around each of these relationships, though it only aroused more suspicion as things started happening. And the twists – gosh did they seem to hit at just the right moment and hit hard and keep coming! Each time I thought I might have my pulse on where things stood, something new would happen to shake it all up.
I’m intentionally being vague with the plot, because this one is too good to give any spoilers…you just have to read it for yourself. Just know that it’s fast-paced and totally binge-worth! And I am for sure needing more from this author!
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