Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Today I would like to welcome Catherine Ryan Howard to my autobuy authors list. Her 2020 release, The Nothing Man, was one of my top reads of the year, and 2021’s 56 Days did not disappoint!

The story takes place in Dublin, Ireland and alternates between 56 days ago, when the country’s first confirmed case of COVID-19 arrived, and today, when the country is placed in emergency lockdown. In the ‘Today’ storyline, we know that a decomposing body was found inside an apartment complex, but we don’t know how or why it got there.

Catherine Ryan Howard captures the COVID-19 crisis tastefully and accurately, and her crime scenes descriptions are next level. While I guessed two of the “twists” at the beginning of the book, the entire second half had me surprised and on the edge of my seat. Not too gory but quite unsettling, 56 Days will have you invested in Ciara and Oliver’s new relationship until the very end.

3 stars to this intriguing thriller set during the Covid-19 lockdown in Ireland.

It's obvious from early on that Ciara and Oliver aren't quite who they seem, and the slow reveal of their true intentions towards each other kept me turning the pages. I didn't find the chapters set during the present time with the detectives as interesting.

I'm so happy to say I loved this one!! After loving the authors previous book 'Rewind', I was worried this one wouldn't live up to that one, but I can say I actually enjoyed this one more!

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this one as much as I did, but wow, I couldn't put it down! There were so many twists and turns and I love Catherine Ryan Howard's writing style.

I loved the mystery surrounding Oliver's past and it kept me guessing throughout.

I thought I might struggle with this being centred around the pandemic as we are still currently living through it, but actually I found it comforting in an odd way to read about someone else going through the experiences we have all been through very recently.

I really reccomend this to anyone who loves thrillers, or anyone who just wants a quick  read!

An intriguing thriller set during the early 2020 days of COVID-19 and lockdown.

56 Days Ago - In Ireland, Ciara and Oliver meet when each of them are taking a break from work to grab lunch...Just as COVID-19 reaches Ireland. There seems to be an instant connection.

35 Days Ago - With full lockdown rapidly approaching, Oliver asks Ciara to move in with him...at least for the two weeks where nobody is allowed outside with the exception of grocery shopping, medication pickup, and brief exercise. Ciara agrees...but does she know know Oliver is hiding something about his past?

Present Day - A decomposing body is found in Oliver’s apartment, and nobody else is inhabiting the space. Detectives work hard to determine the cause of death and find out anything they can about the victim.

I was immediately hooked by this story. The writing is top-notch and really pulled me back to the early days of COVID-19: the scary uncertainty, the shockingly quiet streets, non-essential businesses shut down. The mystery element is expertly crafted around the state of the world at that time. I guessed some of the surprises before they were revealed, but happily enjoyed one or two more that I didn’t fully anticipate.

A few minor critiques: The story is told from multiple POV’s that bounce back and forth between timelines. While I normally love that approach, there was a bit of repetitiveness as one character explained a scene that we already read about (with few new revelations). This gimmick isn’t used incessantly, but I noticed it a few times. In addition, the lead-up to the end is a bit long-winded.

Nevertheless, this is an enjoyable and unique thriller that I think many will love. Author Catherine Ryan Howard is a force to be reckoned with in this genre. I read her first four thrillers last year (including the incomparable The Nothing Man), and while 56 Days doesn’t quite achieve the same level of tension, it’s still a worthy and welcome addition to my “finished reading” shelf.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published on: 8/17/21.

Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com

Reading this book was the weirdest feeling ever, because it was set near the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Perhaps one day people will be nostalgic for the times of the pandemic, but personally it was much too soon for me. Fortunately, it was Catherine Ryan Howard so of course I had to read the entire book. Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for my ARC!

This book was about Ciara, a woman who is new to Dublin. She meets Oliver, also new in town, almost immediately before the pandemic begins. After only a few dates, Ciara and Oliver are forced to choose between being stuck alone in their own homes or quarantining together without really knowing the other person. Ciara sees it as an opportunity to get to know Oliver without the pressure of family, and Oliver sees it as his chance to hide what he really is.

Thoughts: I liked the way this book jumped in time from different days in the 56 days and also to the present time. All perspectives were extremely interesting and I loved the slow reveal of information. I loved the main characters, especially the detective in the present time. Howard is the master of leaving a trail of breadcrumbs to the end, so I was happy that I was paying attention. The small details added up to a great finish and I really enjoyed the read.

This book made me feel a lot emotionally, and I think it was really just the reinforced trauma of dealing with the pandemic for the last 13 months. I found myself relating to the characters and laughing about how we only thought this would be two weeks. It made this story hard to read but also a unique and interesting point of view. 4-stars for one of my favorite authors!

Going into this, I wasn’t sure I really wanted to read a book that took place during COVID lockdown. It seems to me that there are about a bajillion wrong ways to do that and very few right ways.

Happily, the author did this right.

Maybe because I’m an American, reading about the lockdowns and how they happened in Ireland was fascinating. Add this to a mix of solid police procedural and interesting domestic thriller, and the author brought us something sharp and different.

Now, fair warning: you’ll find that for a portion of this book, you’ll think you’re dealing with Stupid Main Character Syndrome. No spoilers. I’ll just say that the characters are more complex than you think and the story far more tragic.

This was a good story. The few things that concerned me in the beginning were handled deftly and the author surprised me more than once!

*ARC Provided via Net Galley

I thought I knew exactly where this was going: shy, suggestible girl meets rich, charismatic man; he convinces her to quarantine with him; he gradually controls her; in the end she either breaks free or kills him. Like if 50 Shades of Grey was a thriller.

But that's not what this is at all! I won't spoil anything, but no one is quite what they appear to be. The breadcrumb-trail of plot was really well laid, so that the twists came as a surprise but also felt earned. I haven't read this author before, but I'll read her again now. This was just really good fun.

This is the first book I've read that uses COVID as a plot. And because it takes place in the city that I live, I was worried it would be too meta for me. I also thought it would feel gimmicky reading about something that only just started a year ago and is still ongoing. Like, how can an author write something so quickly and relevant and be good quality?

Well, all of those worries were completely unfounded. This is riveting story of first encounters, hidden secrets, and confined spaces. I really liked the jumps between the past and the present and the way the 56 days unfold. I thought the unravelling of information is done very well and the reveals always kept me on my toes. I also adored the sneaky references to CRH's other book, ‘The Nothing Man.’ And her author's note at the end does a great job at tying everything together - I think many readers will enjoy her take on COVID lockdowns.

So shame on me for initially doubting CRH. She has once again proved why she's one of my favourite crime/mystery authors.

Book Review for 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard
Full review for this title will be posted at: @cattleboobooks on Instagram!

Clara and Oliver begin a relationship just as Covid 19 causes a lockdown in Ireland. Clara is all to eager to accept Oliver’s idea that they move in together for the lockdown, this will be the perfect chance for them to really get to know each other. Oliver wants to be locked down with Clara because he has a secret and he doesn’t want anyone to know who, or where her is. It’s not until lockdown eases that the police find a badly decomposed body in Oliver’s apartment and must piece together what happened. What a great idea for a book! As if Covid 19 and lockdown weren’t scary enough Howard has given us something else to be sacred of!

I loved this thriller set during the Covid pandemic. Ciara and Oliver meet just days before the lockdown begins in Dublin. After a few dates, they decide to move in together. After that, things begin to quickly happen and the thriller begins. A five star read!

I absolutely love this heart pounding thriller. It kept me on the edge of my seat until the end of the book. This one’s a real winner.