ARC REVIEW: No Place To Run – by Mark Edwards

Title: No Place To Run
Author: Mark Edwards
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
First published: June 21st 2022
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Finished reading: May 6th 2022
Pages: 347

“When you started out with nothing, you were always prepared for your something to be taken from you, and you learned to defend it.”

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

Mark Edwards has quickly turned into one of my favorite thriller authors and I knew that I wanted to read No Place To Run even before I read the blurb. The author has a way of creating an ominous and creepy atmosphere through vivid descriptions that works perfectly for the psychological thriller/horror genre, and I simply couldn’t wait to dive into his newest story for another dose. No Place To Run is the fourth book I’ve read by this author, and it’s the first that didn’t receive an (almost) perfect rating. I’m still surprised myself, but there was just something about this story that sadly failed to hit the mark for me…

There is no doubt about the fact that No Place To Run started out strong. The prologue is pure Mark Edwards; the writing instantly creating suspense while also drawing you in. The first couple of chapters had me fully hooked as well, and I fully expected to enjoy the rest of the story just as much… But somehow I didn’t feel that what came next was as strong as the beginning. I wasn’t expecting the whole cult angle; while interesting, I do think that part of the plot was way too farfetched and especially in the second half. The plot also started to feel more like a cheap action movie with all the violence and gun fights… I don’t mind a dose of action in my thrillers, but I wasn’t sure if I liked how it was incorporated here. Likewise, I felt like the ending was a little too convenient to be credible.

I had mixed thoughts about the characters. I liked that most of them weren’t all good or all bad, as it comes over as more natural and flawed characters are that much more intriguing. The story uses a multiple POV structure, but the plot mainly focuses on Aidan and Shannon. I much preferred Aidan’s POV though; his character is quite easy to connect to and I liked his dynamics with Lana. I wasn’t so sure about Shannon’s POV though. While important to the plot with its inside view and information about the cult, I can’t say that I enjoyed seeing things through her eyes and her chapters started to drag considerably for me.

That said, No Place To Run is by no means a bad read and Mark Edwards writes in a way that makes it very easy to keep turning those pages despite a few slower parts. It just wasn’t of the same high quality I’ve come to expect after reading some of his previous books… The action parts and cult element probably had something to do with it, and the fact that this story lacked the psychological horror vibe he does so well. Still, fans of more action focused thrillers with a doomsday element will probably have a great time with this one.