One Of The Family
A luxurious Scottish getaway in Applecross turns into a deadly trap when Patrick joins his girlfriend’s wealthy, dysfunctional family for a vacation. The tension centers on Charles, the self-made millionaire patriarch, and his new, much younger fiancée, Jasmine—who bears a haunting resemblance to his late wife. Terrified of losing their inheritance, Charles's adult children are secretly plotting her demise. Caught in a web of greed and resentment, Patrick becomes an accidental witness to a murder scheme. Surrounded by a family of vipers, he must figure out how to survive a vacation where not everyone is meant to make it home.
- Charles - Family patriarch, millionaire, 61
- Jasmine - Charles's wife, 34
- Holly - Charles’s daughter, 36
- Patrick - Holly’s boyfriend, 36
- Lewis - Holly’s brother, 37
- Miranda - Holly’s sister, 39
- Zack - Miranda’s husband
- Morag - Housekeeper, 36
- Avril - Morag’s daughter, 18
- Jimmy - Morag’s brother, deceased
- Brenda - Morag’s mother
- Elizabeth - Holly, Miranda and Lewis’s mother, deceased
- Samir - Creator of Fase, deceased
- Susan - Police constable
- Part One: 2025
- Everyone arrives in Applecross to spend New Year’s Eve together.
- A year ago, a young man named Samir arrived mysteriously and was later found dead from hypothermia.
- Patrick is interested in making a documentary about Samir.
- Jasmine reveals that she and Charles are already married and want to have children right away.
- Everyone in town believes that on New Year’s Eve 2006, Jimmy fell, hit his head, and drowned in the cave.
- Lewis takes Jasmine to see the cave.
- Lewis is found dead in the cave, and Jasmine is missing.
- Part Two
- Patrick tells Charles he suspects Lewis was planning to kill Jasmine.
- 2024: Zack pitches an app called Fase to Charles that lets users scan a person’s photo and pull all information ever posted about them online.
- The app also shows a list of other people who look similar.
- Charles used the app to find Jasmine.
- 2025: Lewis is Avril’s father, but he never wanted to be involved in her life.
- In 2006, Charles planned to build an arts center in Applecross that would bring jobs and money, but he scrapped the project after Elizabeth died.
- Morag calls Zack to warn him that Patrick is asking questions about what happened to Samir.
- Zack shoots Morag and frames Patrick.
- Susan arrests Patrick, but he soon escapes.
- Avril confronts Zack about killing Morag, then shoots him in the shoulder.
- Part Three
- The night Samir died, Avril saw him with Zack. She told Morag, who said they had to keep it secret.
- Samir created Fase with Lewis, but when Zack found out, he convinced Samir to drop Lewis and work with him.
- Samir decided he didn’t like how the app could be used and said he would stop working on it and expose Gravitas on social media.
- Zack lunges at Avril, and she shoots him, killing him.
- Lewis isn’t Avril’s father; Charles is.
- Charles told everyone it was Lewis to protect his own reputation.
- Charles killed Jimmy because he saw him with Morag.
- Patrick finds Jasmine tied up in the basement of the pub.
- Brenda killed Lewis because Morag had been acting upset and said she was scared of the Grants; Brenda assumed it was Lewis, but Morag was actually afraid of Zack.
- Lewis met Jasmine before Charles did, and they planned for her to marry Charles and kill him for his money.
- Jasmine proposes a deal: Charles signs the Applecross house over to Avril, abandons Fase, and divorces Jasmine with a payout; in return, everyone stays silent so Charles and Brenda avoid jail.
- They tell police Zack killed Samir and Morag, and that Charles killed Zack in self-defense, while Lewis’s death was an accident.
- Epilogue, three months later: Miranda tells Patrick she doesn't care about the deal anymore, she wants him to make a documentary so the truth can come out.
Mark Edwards delivers a gripping thriller with One of the Family. From the very first chapter, the story pulled me in and refused to let go.
The narrative is told primarily from Patrick’s point of view, with a few brief but highly effective flashbacks that add layers to the unfolding drama. What makes this book so compelling is how easy it is to sympathize with Patrick. He finds himself abruptly caught up in a completely crazy situation, and as the tension escalates, he is forced to navigate a nightmare where every potential way out seems like a genuinely bad option.
Edwards masterfully balances a heavy dose of mystery and intrigue with a relentlessly fast pace. Just when you think you have a handle on the dynamics at play, the story delivers some fantastic surprise twists that completely shift the ground beneath you. It's a suspenseful, emotionally engaging read that puts its protagonist through the wringer and keeps you guessing until the end. This book is a must read for anyone who loves lots of tension, drama and twists you don't see coming!
- Lewis - Dead - Killed by Brenda
- Morag - Dead - Shot in the chest by Zack
- Zack - Dead - Shot by Avril in self-defense
- Jimmy - Dead - Killed by Charles
- Charles - Alive - Still running Gravitas
- Jasmine - Alive - Returned home to Florida
- Adult-child relationship
- Drugs
- Murder
- Infidelity
Publisher: Atria Books
ISBN: 9781668204801
Publication Date: August 4, 2026
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.
