Six friends, who haven’t seen each other for more than 20 years, have gathered at a posh Notting Hill home to mark the passing of their mentor, Sebastian Marlowe.
It doesn’t take long for their pasts to catch up with them.
Professor Marlowe had hired the group of smart postgraduates in 1999, to help him create an online dating site. Now Theo, a successful businessman, and his wife, Georgina, who teaches yoga, are married. They’re hosting this London reunion/celebration of life.
Will, the narrator, is a struggling writer. He was the “wordsmith” of the group and came up with the site’s clever name: Butterfly.net. Sophie, now a jewelry maker, contributed creative ideas, while Lily is still an uber-techie. Rohan was also business-oriented, but seemed to spend a lot of time watching footie with Sebastian’s nephew, Dominic.
The gathering is mildly uncomfortable from the get-go, but then things really go south. The group has been trapped in the house and their lives are on the line. One of them has a secret that must be revealed to save all their lives—but no one’s talking.
At least at first. In flashbacks to 1999, when they were all working at Marlowe’s country estate, gradually each member of the group reveals something that the rest don’t know. Despite the confessions, the tension ratchets up and blood is shed—before the final, devastating secret becomes known.
The Wasp Trap is a taut psychological thriller with compelling characters and an intriguing plot. Tech infuses the narrative—it is the reason the group got together and the reason they are trapped. Lily developed a test for psychopaths back in the day, which had major repercussions. Now she’s created a lie detector test. Will that save the day for the friends? It looks like it will—until it doesn’t.
At times, The Wasp Trap seemed just a little implausible. But then there was another twist, and I really didn’t care. I was too busy turning the page.
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