A body is found in a gated apartment during lockdown, and investigators discover that the victim has a specific and complex profile. Suddenly, the usual questions become slightly more complicated: who wanted them dead, sure, but who knew exactly who they were? How did they find out? And why has this happened now, during one of the worst disasters in modern history? Like The Nothing Man before it, this is a Saturday-on-the-couch mystery that holds the attention and offers a few solid gasps. The author has a highly readable style and her characters are engaging enough that it's easy to overlook any plot and character curiosities that pop up. The jumping about in time is a bit discombobulating, but it's manageable. Not sure all the beats hit (esp, concerning certain criminal psychologies), but quite a feat to execute a pandemic thriller while we're still in the midst of it and making it entertaining! Loving what this author is attempting and looking forward to more.

While this was a really interesting thought for me, it was honestly challenging reading through the timeline and it just never gripped me the way I wanted it to. Well done especially facing a tough topic right now - covid - but I just didn’t love it. Would still recommend for a different reader!

Nope, this one wasn't for me. Just could not enjoy reading it. Sorry. Two stars for me. I had enough COVID.

Did not finish- I did not enjoy reading about COVID and the premise was too boring. It had potential but it was very confusing at the start and wasn’t worth it to continue reading.

After seeing this book all over the social media and the praises heaped over it, I felt I had to get this book. A suspense set on the backdrop COVID-19 lockdown. Oliver and Ciara had met 56 days ago, not wanting to stay away for the two weeks of initial lockdown, Oliver invited her to live in with him. After 56 days, Detective Sergeant Leah was called to investigate the decomposed body of Oliver.

My first book by Catherine Ryan Howard, I found the prose to be slightly slow and not compelling initially. The to and fro of timeframes was okay, I knew that Oliver was hiding a secret, but only on the latter section of the book did I come to know how huge it was going to be. I found myself gripped more by the investigation and the things that were revealed in it.

There was a repetitiveness in the prose from his version and her version that was totally not interesting. But the ending was unexpected and if the book had been sharper and the lines crisp, it would have made a heck of a thriller.

Catherine Ryan Howard shows what happens when people take advantage of the COVID lockdown:

It starts with yet another fire alarm to an apartment building but ends with a body being discovered in an apartment that has been there for around three weeks. Who is this man? Was he murdered? Or accident? Or Suicide? We need to go back 56 days prior to the start of the lockdown to the pandemic, to figure out all these questions and realize that nothing is as it seems

I think that it was an interesting that Howard decided to feature a book based around COVID, as I’m sure some people will say too soon. But hey if it inspires you to write I say why not and really the pandemic and lockdown did create a setting I had not read in a book before.

I enjoy the books that are on two different timelines as they slowly get closer together. I find, for me, this adds additional mystery to the book as you know how some things are going to end but you do not know how you get there. This was a slow burn of a book, but I found that even though it was a slow one it was able to keep me engaged by constantly changing the time frame that we were reading about.

There are three main POV in this book but I will say that you only really get to know two of the characters fairly well, Oliver and Ciara. I wish there would have been more from Leah, the detective, but I do understand why Howard chose to make Oliver and Ciara the main focus of the book. Speaking of them, you know right off that each is hiding something and really Oliver’s seems to come out of nowhere but Ciara’s I was able to figure out for the most of it out.

Part of the reason I wanted more from Leah’s POV was to see how the investigation unfolded more. I feel like there were many unanswered questions that they would have followed up on.

This is the second book I have read by Howard and I really enjoyed it. It is also completely different from her other book I have read which I appreciate the lack of formula so fa. I look forward to see what Howard comes out with next.

Enjoy!!!

Catherine Ray Howard is an auto buy for me. This book like her other work was addictive, clever and super engaging. Not even the least bit predictable which I love. Highly recommend to all thriller lovers ❤️

This book started out great. I loved the premise of the book. I have thought about how coronavirus affected crime, and I guess I already had a storyline in my mind, and that's why this book did not meet my expectations. The book started out great & it kept things interesting. The book is fast-paced and the plot was interesting at first. But then when the big reveal happened it was underwhelming to say the least. Things were easy to guess.. I just wish the story held tight until the last moment.

Set in Dublin, Ireland between present day and the past two months. Ciara and Oliver meet during their lunch breaks one day and decide to go on a date. Their relationship blossoms quickly with the help of mandatory lockdowns due to Covid and they decide to stay together in his apartment. Oliver has a dark past that leaves him looking over his shoulder and skeptical of everyone. Ciara feels his hesitation to open up and his need to keep secrets and becomes doubtful of him. It turns out, Oliver isn’t the only one with secrets.

In present day, a body is found in a ritzy apartment, decayed beyond recognition. Who is and what happened? 56 Days is a murder mystery with a plot twist I didn’t quite expect. 3.5⭐️ Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for my gifted review copy.

It was pretty good. Would have preferred it more if the pacing was right. But still a good read :)
Solid 3.5 star.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for giving me an opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.

Really couldn't get into this one — it didn't help that I only heard meh or bad reviews. Might give it a try later but in the meantime it's a DNF for me, so sorry to say.

I could not put 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard down! This murder mystery takes place in Ireland during the early, disquieting days of the Covid-19 pandemic. Oliver and Ciara meet in a supermarket during their lunch hour and strike up a conversation about her lunch bag. Before you know it, they are arranging to meet and see a movie. But, are either of them who they say they are? No, dear readers, but the trick is finding out! This novel flashes backwards and forwards, and it is sometimes tricky to figure out what is going on - but it is a great ride, and the setting of the pandemic works very well for this novel. In my opinion, the plot would not have worked without it! I have a love/hate relationship with thrillers - I really enjoy a good one, and 56 Days checked all my boxes. Interesting characters, and viewpoints from multiple people - Oliver, Ciara, and a young police detective. The only irritating character to me was her superior, who kept making sex jokes that would be considered harassment today. Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of the ebook.

What a crazy time where the global pandemic has now hit the plot of books! This was a really good book! I didn't really know what to expect but I'm glad that I picked this one up!

This was my first COVID plot and I was really anxious that I wasn't going to like it but I throughly enjoyed this book. I loved the back and forth between past and present day. I loved the way that the plot and character motives were slowly revealed. I loved that I thought I knew where the story was going but I was surprised several times by different revelations that I hadn't anticipated (which was quite nice.) I highly recommend this book!

I listened to this book on audio and had a difficult time stopping! I love Alana Kerr Collins as a narrator, this is the third audiobook by Catherine Ryan Howard that I've listened to and her Irish accent is perfect for the stories.

Howard has a tendency to write timelines that jump back and forth between past and present and this one is no exception. I was easily able to follow the timeline in this book as the "past" is just 56 days previously, and then there's a timeline in the middle, and then the present day. There are a few twists that I didn't see coming (and a couple that I did, but that's fine). Lots of secrets!

I can't neglect to mention that this book is centered around two people, newly in a relationship, who decide to share an apartment during the initial stages of the Covid-19 lockdown. I recently read another book that was set during the pandemic (False Witness ) and the mentions of the masking and sanitizing really annoyed me because it wasn't really integrated or necessary. In this book, it really didn't bother me because it is a part of the story without being over the top. I know that it's too soon for some people, but for whatever reason, it worked for me in this case.

The overall mystery of what happened to the person found dead at the beginning is creative and very shocking once everything is put together. I feel like Howard is really hitting her stride with her last two books and I look forward to seeing what she comes up with next.

I loved Catherine Ryan Howard's previous book, The Nothing Man, and was so excited to purchase this newest release for the library. A great author that's still under the radar in the US.

This thriller set in quarantine was a totally immersive story that told the story of a new relationship that blossomed and then met a gruesome end under lockdown. This book was impossible to put down- I binged it in a day, unable to wait to hear what would happen next. There were a lot of surprises and twists and I couldn't quite figure out what was going to happen, but thoroughly enjoyed the ride. At first the alternating points of view were a bit repetitive as they showed things from varrying perspectives, but I came to enjoy it and it really made sense as the storylines developed.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

56 Days is set in Ireland the week COVID-19 hit the island.

56 days ago
Ciara meets Oliver in the supermarket. Oliver is tall and handsome and Ciara wants nothing more than continue talking to him.

Oliver for his part can't believe that Ciara is who she says she is. Oliver lives in fear of people finding out about his past. What he did and every time he brings his walls down, something happens that makes his new life disappear right in front of his eyes. This time, this is a new beginning for him, one he doesn't want to lose.

35 days ago
Then the world goes into lockdown due to a pandemic. What better way to find out more about Ciara than to spend time together in the apartment his work is providing. No one will see much of them and they can explore what they are feeling for each other.

Today
A body has been found in Oliver's apartment. Who's the body??

__


I was hooked! Despite the different timelines from past and present and the voices from Ciara, Oliver, and the detective Leah Riordan, it all made perfect sense and my attention never wavered.

56 Days had the right kind of suspense. Do I wish the ending was a little different? Sure but the way it went also works.

The Nothing Man is still in my TBR. I know I have to read it after enjoying 56 Days so much.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Blackstone Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Impressively well-done. I’ll admit going in, I was nervous for this one. We’re still in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, so reading a book that takes us back to the early days of lockdown, I was a bit leery. I think and as long as the reader knows going in that there will certainly be reminders how we all felt in those early days of the pandemic and lock down, and set expectations accordingly, they will go on one thrilling journey, but I think we can all say we are thankful to not have experienced ourselves. Exceptional writing!

A Murder mystery that takes place during the pandemic quarantine sign me up!!
56 days ago- The books takes place in Ireland and we meet Oliver and Ciara! During their lunch break from work they meet each other at the supermarket. Instantly there’s a connection. There’s whispers of covid but it hasn’t hit them yet, they grab drinks and their taking things slow.
35 Days ago- The pandemic is now in Ireland, there’s a full
lockdown fast approaching, mask wearing and everyone is scared. Not wanting to lose what they feel like is something special, Oliver asks Ciara to move in he has a bigger apartment and they feel like why go through this alone. Two weeks no one is allowed outside and all restaurants are closed. Only exception are stores. Still new Oliver and Ciara have a lot to learn about eachother. We begin to wonder who is hiding what from whom. Ciara begins to feel something is off..
Present time - A call has been made there’s a horrible smell, the detectives arrive and there’s a decomposing body in the shower of the apartment Ciara and Oliver were sharing, we’re not told who the victim is. The apartment is wiped down and we begin to wonder whose dead and why?
I loved this concept! We are immediately given the flashbacks of when covid was just happening and how everyone is in a panic. The whole mystery was perfectly written and I highly recommend four stars!