Pavone’s latest international thriller is an exercise in misdirection, sort of like a game of three-card-monte where, as you are guessing which shell the marble is under, a confederate from the crowd is picking your pocket. That is to say that Pavone leads you by nose down the garden path making you think the novel is about one thing when – and he gives you all the clues – it is actually about something completely different.

The story opens with a shocking tale out of your worst nightmares. You are in a foreign city – let’s say Lisbon, Portugal, on vacation or on a business trip with your spouse – you go to bed, you wake up, and they have vanished. You know immediately something is off. This is not how they act. This is not what they do. But, the hotel staff, the local police, and the American Embassy all are united in not taking you seriously. After all, it has only been a few hours. Anyone could take a walk or disappear briefly and not mean anything. You are just a hysterical nut to them, particularly if you are a loud demanding American. It is a situation that anyone could find leads to panic and turmoil.

From there, the story probably would take us in one of two directions. The protagonist all alone without resources with barely competent language skills sets off on her own to find her husband no matter what it takes. For some people, these situations are just when they rise to the occasion. It could also be the lead-in to a connection with a team of ex- Seal Team Six operatives who find the missing husband with all-out explosion of action and competence.

Pavone, however, does not take the story in either of these directions. Rather, he tells a far more complicated story, leaving the reader and the local officials and the embassy staff puzzled as to what is really going on and where all this is going. Can they trust this nutty woman or she is off her rocker? There are quite a number of flashbacks which take Ariel back to prior years and, at first these seem to intrude in the story and just be in the way, but they will all make sense as you come to the conclusion and all the puzzle pieces fit together.

Two Nights in Lisbon is a quick read for a reader with a desire to figure out what is really going on – quick enough for this reader to finish in one night. Nevertheless, it is more of a domestic political thriller than a black ops international operation.

Once you start this book, you won't be able to put it down. A kidnapping in Lisbon, a distraught wife, layers and levels of police and agents, secrets, and lies. What's not to like?

Thank you, NetGalley for this book in exchange for my review. I enjoyed this one quite a bit. This book was a fast-paced thriller that can easily be read in one sitting! An interesting storyline with plenty of plot twists and an overall entertaining read.

This is a good book, though I found the story to be a bit long that caused it to drag a bit at times. Ariel Pryce is in Lisbon with her husband John, he's a consultant and on a business trip to meet with a client. Ariel wakes the next morning to find John gone, no note and she can't reach him on his cell phone. She becomes concerned and goes to the police, who think it's too soon to worry, to the US Embassy and who are sympathetic but also think it's too soon. She undertakes to investigate on her own, discovering from hotel security footage that John had left the hotel and got into a car, though the footage does not show the type of car or the plate number. Ariel is a very insistent person, returning again to the police and embassy who both eventually get involved. One issue I had with the way the story is told was the way the backstory was told, you would be in the middle of reading a section on something that was currently happening an in the next sentence you would be reading about something that happened in the past, I found it at times a bit confusing. However, the backstory was about Ariel's history, how she was an aspiring actress, how she eventually married a very wealthy man, summered in the Hampton's, had the world at her disposal, until she attended a party at the house of another very wealthy man, a very close friend of her husband, what happened to her during that party was the driving factor for her divorcing her husband and moving to a small farm near a small town. The backstory and and present come together in a very good ending, if you can stick out some of the slower parts you will be rewarded in the end. Thanks to #Netgalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux, MCD for the ARC.

3,5/5

Ariel Pryce, a newly married woman in her mid-forties, wakes up in her hotel room in Lisbon only to find her husband, John Wright missing with no note or clue as to where he might have gone. John was on a work trip to Lisbon and Ariel had accompanied him with plans to spend some quality time together. They’ve known each other for barely a year and we assume that this is their first trip together. Ariel approaches the hotel staff who have no information on her husband’s whereabouts. When she contacts local law enforcement they are skeptical since her husband has been missing for a only a few hours, which isn't long enough to warrant police intervention. Frustrated by the lack of interest shown by the police, Ariel approaches the US Embassy who are not of much help either. As the story progresses, we see the police and the Embassy getting involved in the investigation with an ambitious reporter and the CIA also entering the mix. It appears to everyone that either Ariel truly does not know much about her husband’s work, background or the details of his trip to Lisbon or that she is hiding something and knows more than she is letting on. When Ariel receives a ransom demand for an exorbitant sum of money, she is compelled to turn to a person from her past - a person who is powerful and potentially dangerous.

Ariel, for her part, is not without secrets of her own. In flashbacks, we get to know Ariel’s backstory – the events leading to her divorcing her ex-husband and leaving behind a glamorous and affluent lifestyle in New York City only to move to a farm in a quiet part of the state with her son. Is John’s disappearance somehow linked to Ariel’s past? Is there more to John than meets the eye? Who can Ariel trust to help her in her efforts to bring her husband back safe and sound? Should Ariel fear for her life?

The story begins well and Ariel’s frustration and desperation to find her missing husband is well portrayed. As we get to know more about her, you cannot help sympathize with what she has gone through in the past. The increasing interest and involvement of the police, Consular Services and CIA is left mostly unexplained in the first half of the novel so much so that it seems unrealistic. The “political” element of the thriller is introduced in the latter half of the story and adds significantly to the suspense and overall atmosphere of the novel.

Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone is stretched over 400+ pages. While I enjoyed the plot and structure of the novel, the sheer length of the book tested my patience. The pace slows down considerably after an amazing start and I found myself losing interest long before the story finally picks up again. I struggled to push through. This is a well-written thriller that has enough twists and turns to keep you engaged and guessing till the end but only if you don’t give up before the first half. While I eventually did enjoy the story and was surprised by the ending, I feel it should have been more compact and less repetitive in certain parts, which would have rendered it the fast-paced and tightly woven thriller this was meant to be.

Thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux, MCD for the digital review copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

I think this is my favorite of Chris Pavone's so far. The story moved quickly and the Lisbon setting was fun.

This is a terrific mystery, a strong, smart female character, complex contemporary issues, international intrigue, keep me turning the pages and being astounded how good a writer Pavone continues to be. His first book, "The Expats" I loved reading, and he continues to write nuanced characters, well-thought plots and always a good surprise ending. Pavone captures the sights and ambience of Lisbon perfectly, the dangers of aggressive power politics playing out in NYC, the Hamptons and rural America. A good book club choice.

Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone
This is Mr. Pavone’s 5th book and for me it is like returning to an old friend. Although each book is quite different, they all have many twists and turns which by the end make sense. In this case Ariel Pryce wakes up to find her new husband John Wright gone from their hotel and in a panic believes the worst. She goes to the Lisbon police who although sympathetic or perhaps fearful of a crazy American lady listen, but there is not much they can do when he has been gone for less than 2 hrs. She then tries the US embassy and they too do not seem concerned except. Neither she or John are now living under new names. What gives? Who really are they?
And so it goes, the story includes Fletcher the goat who Laura takes legally with the help of her local drunken but alert lawyer friend in some small town along the Hudson Valley, a drug snorting American journalist in Lisbon trying to sniff out this story and Charlie Wolfe, the boss of her first husband Bucky who raped her 14 years ago and now is about to go before Congress for hearings prior to becoming Vice President of the United States. So, was there a rape, a kidnapping and ransom paid? NDA’s and John’s sister who now lives in Morocco. Are the Russians somehow involved?
The book is very evenly paced and I did not guess the ending but it fits. It is well worth a read.

Newlyweds on a business trip. And then one morning the wife noticed her husband did not come home from a quick morning outing. In a foreign country she waits a couple hours before she goes to the embassy to ask for help. Yet they are hesitant to offer help. Why is she asking for it? Shouldn’t he be back soon? Shouldn’t she know more about her husband? She’s a older woman married to a younger man - is she the one to blame? This book definitely has a ton of twists and turns that will have you guessing until the end but was so predictable and definitely a couple chapters too long. But overall well written and good concept. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone

Ariel Pryce goes to Lisbon with her husband John White who has a business meeting there. Their first day there they do touristy things with segues, have a romantic dinner, and return to their hotel. The next morning Ariel wakes up and her husband is gone and he his not answering his phone. She alerts the hotel and asks them to help. She goes to the Lisbon police who say she is overreacting and is raising alerts too soon. She goes to the embassy, who also believe that she is panicking too soon. When the hotel housekeeper finds a note that had fallen under the other side of the bed and the authorities say “We told you so” until she receives a burner phone from a helmeted motorcycle rider. When the phone rings and tells her that her husband has been kidnapped and to not involve the police or the embassy, she does the best she can. She is used to people not believing her and people letting her down, from her mother, her father, her first husband, and so many others.

Two nights in Lisbon is a cat and mouse game with international elements and US National security implications. The question is who is the cat and who is the mouse? The Lisbon Police, the Embassy officials, the CIA, the person Ariel turns to in order to obtain the millions demanded for the ransom, Ariel, John all have stakes in outcome. Possibly even spies for Russia or China. Who is pulling the string and who is playing whom?
The story is told with occasional flashbacks to Ariel’s life with her first husband, a wealthy new yorker, and her uneasy role as a member of the “ladies who lunch” bunch and then a little later, after that marriage ended, as a small bookstore / coffee shop owner living on a farm with her son, dogs and a goat.

All the twists and turn, guesses and theories will keep you turning the pages to the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley, Chris Pavone, MCDbooks -fsgbooks for the opportunity to read this book in advance in return for an unbiased review.

Chris Pavone can tell a story! No spoilers here so the reader follows Ariel Pryce (whose name has been changed) as she wakes up in Lisbon after a night in a hotel with her new husband to find him gone. After several attempts to find him, she seeks help from the local police who are are less than excited about tracking down this husband who has been missing for a few hours. Getting no help from the police, she tries the U.S. Embassy and doesn't get much help there.

That afternoon, she receives a ransom note, demanding $3M for the safe return of her husband. Initially, she tries one source only to be turned away, leaving only one person she knows who has the money and the motivation to help and she makes the call from a secure line in the Embassy. While Ariel races against the clock to get the money over the Fourth of July holiday, the local police and the Embassy staff are both suspicious and hesitant to be unhelpful.

Meanwhile, Ariel admits that she doesn't really know that much about her new husband or why he is in Lisbon other than to see a client. She isn't sure who the client is and the police are inclined to believe that Ariel is being set up by the husband. Slowly the true motive behind this rather contrived disappearance becomes clear and we learn some things both about Ariel's husband and why she changed her name and moved from a glamorous life on the Upper East Side of New York to a farm in the woods. It's a good tale as only Chris Pavone can tell it. Highly Recommended.

I don't feel like I can give an objective feedback due to the fact that I mostly had to force myself to read. I liked the premise but the author's execution of the plot and his writing style were just not it for me. I was mostly desinterested and not even fazed at most of the events that took place.

I'm not a stranger to the thriller and mystery genre but I do have to say that this specific story just didn't vibe with me personally. I can see how people who are more familiar with the genre might be able to enjoy it a lot more but it just wasn't really for me

3 stars

Having loved the previous espionage novels by Chris Pavone, I was super excited to read this title, and I was not disappointed! The seamless storyline and the protagonist I was routing for made for a compelling read!

Around 6 years ago I was working one block away from the city I was living in's public library, and I wandered over during a lunch break. I wasn't a big reader but felt like finding something to read, and I picked up a book called The Travelers. And I loved it. I went back 24 hours later and checked out anything else I could by the new-to-me author, and just like that I'd read The Expats and The Accident, and have been eagerly awaiting any book that Pavone releases.
The best way for me to describe all of his books is 'fast-paced, international thrillers', and Two Nights in Lisbon was no exception. As American-born Ariel works to secure a ransom to free her husband from kidnappers in Lisbon, it's quite clear that neither Ariel, nor her husband, are who they say they are, and no one, from the police in Lisbon, to the American embassy, the CIA and the journalists poking around, can be trusted.
This one unravels fast, moving the characters around like a swift game of chess that you can't look away from. I can't recommend this fun one enough!

Ariel accompanies her husband, John, to Lisbon on his business trip. She wakes one morning to find he is gone and has no idea where he is. He hasn't left a note and he had given no inclination that he would be leaving early to meet his client. Where is John?
She starts out by asking the hotel staff and then convinced that something dreadful has happened to him she contacts the police and the American Embassy. She is right, something dreadful has happened to John - he has been kidnapped and I will leave it there so I don't give too much away.
I enjoyed this very much and even stayed up late to finish it. However, I thought that the epilogue was unnecessary and the end of the last chapter would have made a better ending.
This book is a strong four and a half for me and would have been a five had it not been for the epilogue.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Shortly before all the Covid madness began, I spent several amazing days in Lisbon. That, and the fact that I really loved The Expats by Chris Pavone, drew me to his new book TWO NIGHTS IN LISBON. Like all of Pavone’s books this domestic thriller involves a woman at the heart of a mystery she desperately needs to solve. Ariel Price wakes up in a Lisbon hotel to find that her relatively new husband has vanished. It’s not long before a ransom demand appears, but why? None of it makes sense, not to Ariel, not to the police, not to the embassy, but is that even true? Everyone seems to be holding back pieces, no one wants to show their hand. Why?

Two Nights in Lisbon was a fun fast thriller. I enjoyed trying to make sense of what was happening and what was really behind it. I thought there were a couple moves that were a little iffy, and I did guess the twist, but still enjoyed seeing how Pavone put it all together. He’s a writer that really writes women well and I appreciate that. All you mystery/thriller fans need to get in line for this one!

Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone is a fast-paced thriller I devoured in one sitting. The main protagonist, Ariel races to find out what happened (and then to find) her husband, So many twists and turns!! Highly recommend!

Given to me as a free read copy for an unbiased fair review. Thank you.

I wanted to like this book so much.
I wanted to rave about its plot and how immersed into the story I was.
Sadly, I can’t say it was an enjoyable read.
It starts off with a brilliant premise.
“Woman goes to Lisbon with her husband and in the morning he’s gone. Without a trace and no one wants to help her. She tries to involve local police and FBI in the search, but everyone has secrets and her secret might be discovered!”
Sounds great doesn’t it!? However the reality is, that the story is a slow burn rather than fast paced. In introducing the characters and their back stories, the reader gets lost in a text that is detailed and very descriptive. It detracts from the plot considerably and leaves the reader removed from the central investigation. There is a lack of adrenaline in this book, which is a shame.
There are various parts of the plot that should tie up nicely but I got bored with the sons health issues and the back and forth storytelling. It was hard to keep the storyline straight in your head.
Those who are triggered by accounts of sexual assault, should consider if they want to read this book. It is an uncomfortable account. I am a fan of political thrillers such as Brad Meltzer and James Patterson/ Richard North Patterson, I expected a fast paced thriller that I couldn’t put down. Sadly it wasn’t the case. I put this down a lot and every time I did it was harder to get back into. I’m sorry to say.
On a positive note, the author could write a travel book on Lisbon because his narratives and descriptions of Lisbon life are so beautifully written- that you feel like you are there. Definitely somewhere I’d like to visit! Let’s hope my husband doesn’t go missing!
Great ideas lost in execution by a clearly talented writer. Thank you for the read sorry I couldn’t be more positive.

Too many words, too slow, too strange main character and plot, too boring. But it is readable, just a waste of MY time.

I received an advanced reader copy of “Two Nights in Lisbon” through Net Galley to read and review..
Ariel Price wakes up morning to another bright sunshine filled day in Lisbon to find her husband , John, gone. No note , no phone message - just gone. He was planning to meet some people to discuss some business, but not until later in the day. After an hour of questioning the hotel staff if John had been seen at breakfast or in the lobby, Ariel goes to the police , who are skeptical . After all, her husband has been gone only for a few hours. She goes to the Embassy: ditto. But both the police and the Embassy staff suspect that there is more Ariel is hiding than she admits.
There is, but it takes a long time for the reader to be let in on the story. Knowing that’s Mr Pavone writes espionage novels, the reader can surmise that John and Ariel are spies of some sort, but for the first half of the book it is hard to tell what is going on. Using timeline flashbacks we learn something about Ariel’s history and also learn that she knows very little about John’s. No one seems to a feel pressing need to open up the pace of things, including the author
The digressions of time and place meant it tell us more of Ariel’s past slow down the pace of an already slow paced book. There is much mental musing, social and society disparagement and general angst- making. Perhaps I have been reading too many action laden secret agent thrillers to have the patience for a grand literary spy epic. I just could not stay involved with the book . I would read a few chapters, get bored and lay it aside to read something else. Honestly, I slogged to the end out of a sense that Of a promised review..
I was disappointed in the book. I enjoyed the author’s first book and had hopes for this one. Of course, this is just one opinion. Read and decide for yourself.



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