It may be hard to find a better commentary on Mark. The writer is extremely well-informed and he shares his learning without wasting words. Edwards obviously loves Mark's gospel, taking on all detractors and defending Mark's historicity. In fact he is so zealous about Mark's reliability he seems to show little hesitation about making the other gospels look inferior in comparison.
Some of this one-sided comparison is ok. Many of today's scholars believe Mark is the earliest gospel and the other Synoptic gospels are partially dependent on it for source material. That's alright. But if you read this commentary carefully, soon it might dawn on you that the writer sees the other gospels in a way conservative evangelicals should not.
The problem reaches a climax in Mark 14, the episode of Jesus' arrest where the ear of the high priest's servant was severed. John 18:10 names the attacker as Peter but Edwards considers this to be nothing more than unreliable "later tradition". Let me quote from the commentary (pp 438-439):
"Later tradition identified Peter as the sword-wielding assailant, but this is not as certain as is often assumed, for Mark attributes the deed not to a disciple but "to one of those standing near". This same phrase will appear in vv 69-70, where it obviously does not refer to disciples. It is far more likely that the arrest squad, and not the disciples, were armed with swords. Indeed, if the assailant were a disciple we should expect an arrest to follow. But no arrest follows, which at least suggests that the severed ear fell from the misguided valor of a henchman rather than of a disciple or Peter. Peter, of course, figures prominently in the events of chap. 14 and is likely Mark's source of much of it. If Peter were the assailant, it would be surprising for him to conceal his name here and include it in the much more discriminating denial scene."
With this, not only does the writer make John's account unhistorical but Luke is affected as well. By saying that "It is far more likely that the arrest squad, and not the disciples, were armed with swords", Luke 22:38's account of the disciples being armed with two swords before Gethsemane becomes a "far less likely" record.
Further, in a footnote on pg 438, Edwards writes:
"A comparison of the account of the arrest in the Gospels shows how some details were heightened in the retelling. Mark, the earliest evangelist, says simply that "one of those standing near" drew his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest's servant. Somewhat later Matt 26:51 sharpens the designation to "one of Jesus' companions". Later still, Luke 22:50 identifies the servant's wound as "the right ear"; and near the close of the first century John 18:10 identifies the swordsman as Peter and gives the servant's name as Malchus!"
In Edwards' mind, as time passes the writing of the gospel becomes less historically accurate as human embellishments are woven in.
If you are an evangelical whose faith in the inspiration and infallibilty of Scripture is strong, this book will do you good. Edwards loves and honours our Lord and it's infectious. But if you are currently engaged in a war against doubts about the reliabilty of the Bible, this book can careen you off the precipe.