Catherine Ryan Howard back at her best! I absolutely loved the premise of this one, where a missing woman's sister puts herself in dangerous situations to try to lure the suspect out of hiding. Howard's writing is as compelling as ever and the twists and turns she writes continue to shock me in the best ways. I highly recommend this for fans of her previous work like The Nothing Man, as well as anyone who wants a sharp, quick read (the length is another thing I loved!)

Catherine Ryan Howard is one of my favourite authors. The Nothing Man is my favourite of hers but having said that must mention that this book is a very close second.

In The Trap, Lucy's sister is missing and has been taken by a serial killer. Despite the odds Lucy is determined to find her sister and puts herself in unsafe situations to do so and it's really terrifying to read.
The book is told from the perspective of the serial killer as well as Lucy's. and I loved that because the author's does a fantastic job.

The ending is superlative and a terrific way to end the book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Any of the author’s books would make a great addition to your Spooktober TBR list!

THE TRAP is inspired by true events that are absolutely spine-chilling! These events occurred around Dublin decades ago and are still unsolved.

This book is right up my alley. But it was extra eerie and disturbing because these women were more than fictional characters. And so was the monster hunting them!

Ms. Howard adds her own twists and red herrings to keep readers confused and dangling from her hook. They are clever and fabulous. I’ve read two other books by the author—REWIND and 56 DAYS. Both had the same creepy and intense atmosphere that kept you flipping pages. If you’re looking for a truly creepy atmosphere, check out the audiobook!

Catherine Ryan Howard has become one of my favorite authors. If you haven’t read her work yet, it’s time!

Sincere thanks to Blackstone Publishing for providing these complimentary ARCs through NetGalley and Libro.fm. As always, all opinions are my own and left voluntarily.

#TheTrap #CatherineRyanHoward #BlackstonePublishing #librofm #netgalley #audiobookreview #justfinished #newrelease #giftedARC #igbookreels #thriller #honestreview #thrillerfriendsunite #mysteryandthrills #thrillerobsessedbookishclub #suspense #mystery #lovetoread #bookworms #lovebooks #lovetoreadbooks #fortheloveofbooks #booknerd #bookreviewer #readaholic

Catherine, you really know how to play with someone's mind...please keep it up...also really loved the mention of your "Nothing Man" in this book.

I originally was thinking this was a 4-star read but then I just couldn't get it out of my head after reading, so totally bumping to 5 stars! I could not put this down, ok well I did once I realize my ipad was out of charge, but I anxiously waited until it was fully charged as I knew I wasn't going to stop until I finished!

Young women in Ireland are vanishing without a trace. Our MC, Lucy's sister, is one of the women that vanished, and she will not stop at anything until she finds her. There are also two more POV's, one from Angela who is trying to pass the PCT test to become part of the actual police force/guard as opposed to a civilian office worker. She gets involved in the cases and we get a good view of the police procedural side of things. And finally, we get a look into the killer's POV as well which was a nice touch. Each POV was super well developed and really enriched the story line. While you think you may have read this type of thriller before, this one takes it to the next level. I didn't have time to try and think thru what was going on as I was too immersed in the plot and characters. And the ending....Super well done. I flipped the page and wanted more, but now that I've thought about it, it was done perfectly.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this awesome advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

I absolutely devoured Catherine Ryan Howard’s 56 DAYs when I read it, consumed by the way she juxtaposed the ominous uncertainty of the pandemic and the dread building in the plot. She is a clever writer who compels the reader to turn the page and THE TRAP very much demonstrates that - but falls short in ways that outweighed how readable it was.

We’re introduced to a young woman desperately searching for her sister more than a year after she disappeared, presumed abducted and murdered. There are other women missing, too - and this part of the plot feels, sadly, all too familiar to us.

Elsewhere we meet another young woman with determination of her own, a civilian working in the Missing Persons Unit trying to become a detective. Her arc in THE TRAP is engaging and really where the book is at its best.

We learn more about each of these women, and yes, we learn about their disappearances.

This is a book about young women, and when it focuses on the intersections of their identities and their shared vulnerabilities and realities, it’s actually quite good.

The disappointing bit is that we also follow the offender. We spend time in his mind, with part of the narrative told through his perspective. As a reader, I did not need to know what this man’s motivations were or what his evolution was. It felt like a dismissal of the women in the book.

I always appreciate Howard’s notes at the end of her books which allow us into her writing process, offering a kind of transparency that is rare. I think the context she provides for this book, describing the impact of historical disappearances of women in Ireland on her as a young woman, is very thoughtful and resonated very much for me. Unfortunately, giving so much voice to the perpetrator of violence against women in the actual took away from that for me.

I know there are readers who are not unsettled by this approach and just love a good thriller and for them, I think this will be an excellent read. For myself, I’d like us to move towards a different kind of storytelling especially when the story is so rooted in reality.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my entirely honest review.

This book was just ok. It had a good concept and was entertaining but nothing special happened to make it stand out.

Saved The Trap for my week off 🥳 Got to read this one by the fire with some popcorn 🍿

I love all of Catherine Ryan Howard’s books but this has to be my second favorite! Right behind The Nothing Man 😱 Let me just say the twists GOT me!

This one has all of my favorite things - including POV from the detective, the MC, and the abductor/villain!
.
.
.
#bookstagram #booklover #thrillerbooks #summerreading #thetrap #thetrapbook #catherineryanhoward

Another excellent thriller from Catherine Ryan Howard. I love the backdrop of Ireland. This one is better than the run-of-the-mill thrillers that seem to get pumped out every day. Told through multiple perspectives, including a murderer, a detective-to-be, and a sister of the deceased, among others, this story covers all view points of a serial killer and those affected. This was the first truly chilling novel I have read in a while. It reminded me of True Detective at times and Silence of the Lambs at others. Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam for the ARC!

The concept of this book held great promise, offering an intriguing premise that piqued my curiosity from the start. The author skillfully wove a narrative that kept me engaged, and the unexpected twist in the plot was a testament to their storytelling prowess.

However, as I delved deeper into the story, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing. While I appreciated the element of surprise, it left me wondering about the purpose or message the author intended to convey. It's as if I was searching for a deeper meaning or a resolution that never quite materialized.

The characters were well-developed, and I could empathize with their struggles and dilemmas. Yet, despite the emotional investment I had in their journeys, I found myself grappling with a sense of dissatisfaction by the end. It's not that I needed a neatly tied-up conclusion, but rather, I yearned for a more profound takeaway or insight.

In retrospect, I realize that my ambivalence towards the book stems from my own expectations and desires as a reader. Perhaps I was seeking a clearer direction or a more defined purpose in the narrative.

Overall, this book is a testament to the author's creativity and ability to craft an engaging story. It may resonate deeply with some readers who appreciate open-ended narratives and unexpected twists. However, for me, it left me questioning what I truly wanted from a reading experience. It's a thought-provoking work that will linger in my mind, even if I'm not entirely sure what to make of it.

I'm always looking for a smart thriller that will fill the Tana French-sized hole in my heart, and this one has the benefit of being both full of twists and set in Ireland, mostly in the Dublin suburbs and exurbs. Lucy's sister Nicki is missing, and she's determined to find her by whatever means necessary, including using herself as bait for a serial abductor. The novel is undercut with the perspective of a man who has been taking women from the side of the road, as well as a woman in mysterious, cooped-up circumstances. It's a lot to unravel, and the ending felt just short of satisfying, but I'm definitely about to line up a bunch of Catherine Ryan. Howard books to read next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the Arc! I am a huge Catherine Ryan Howard fan, and was dying for a chance to read this early!

While many of Ms. Howard's books are more brutal than others in this genre, none are as detailed and disturbing as this one. I understand she was writing on a subject matter that traumatized her as a youth in Ireland, but I don't think I can handle any more of these books. She's such a great writer, but I just can't handle how gruesome they've become.

Thank you to the publishers for this copy of The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard. She’s one of my favorites and she continues to be so with this book!
Catherine is an expert at setting the scene and The Trap was no different. It was a spooky read, perfect for an addition to my Halloween tbr collection.

Well, I guess I can unclench all my body parts now lol
This story focuses on Lucy, a woman desperate to find her missing sister Nicki. Nicki was out drinking with some friends and wandered away, disappearing off the face of the earth. It has been 440 days and Lucy is convinced that Nicki is the victim of a serial killer. In an effort to find the truth, Lucy wanders the streets at night, purposefully putting herself in vulnerable situations in an attempt to lure the killer. A second perspective is from the serial killer, an icky guy who portrays himself as a happily married man and a third perspective comes from Detective Denise and aspiring guard Angela who are trying their best to solve the mystery of 3 missing women.
If the author decides to write another book about Denise and Ashley, I'll definitely read it as I enjoyed reading about these characters and am interested in seeing them solve other crimes.
Overall, this was an intense thriller with some clever twists.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 rounded up for it being based on actual disappearances.

After her sister Nicki goes missing from a bar near their town, Lucy tirelessly searches for her.
When two more women are taken, a task force is finally formed to investigate.

Lucy's life has been on hold, with her spending her evenings walking the streets at night in the hopes of being taken by her sister's kidnapper.

The chapters are told from multiple viewpoints, with unclear narrators at times, but the conclusion is an absolute gut punch that'll stick with me for awhile.

Many thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest feedback.

Well I do love that cover… Here’s the thing- this book started off very strong for me. Then it was just okay throughout the middle, and then the ending made me angry (or perhaps even baffled)! Although, I will say that the ending did have quite the clever twist.

We have several different viewpoints throughout this story. One viewpoint is that of Lucy, who is searching for her sister Nicki who disappeared over 440 days ago. We get to follow Lucy on her frantic search for Nicki, and in doing so find out that there are other missing women involved. After 17 year old Jennifer Gold turns up missing, Operation Tide is formed to help locate these missing women who are all believed to be abducted.

Throughout this story we also hear the viewpoint from the abductor/murderer. That was rather interesting, because going into the mind of a murderer is never dull.

The ending of this story made me very angry due to one of our characters lack of communication and sense of entitlement (cannot say who or what it was because that would be a major spoiler). It also makes you think of how horrible and tragic a situation may be, and that it can end up very differently for some people. Not all is what it appears to be.

As I mentioned above, this story started off strong for me but fizzled somewhere along the way. I did resonate with Lucy early on and even felt as she did- “The world, she’d discovered, just wasn’t designed for people with open wounds. Instead, it seemed packed with the privileged and their petty problems, their shitty attitudes, their blatant ungratefulness.” Yes, even with all I felt for Lucy, she still couldn’t save this book for me unfortunately…

Now I did like this book, I just didn’t love it like I thought I would. I’m seeing some high reviews for this book, so I do recommend reading this as it has something for everyone.

This is another fantastic, chilling, thrilling, pulse-racing race by Catherine Ryan Howard and just as good as 56 Days. I read this in a couple days.

Highly recommended. I cannot wait for her next book.

Thanks to NetGalley, Catherine Ryan Howard and Blackstone Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Already available

I finished this book yesterday and WOW. I've currently chatted with 3 friends who have also finished and NONE OF US agree on what happened with the ending lmao. It's one of those books where you just finish it and stare off into space for 10 minutes trying to figure out wtf you just read. I am happy I read this simply for the fact that now I get to have so much fun chatting about all of our interpretations of the ending! I would recommend!

I am a huge fan of CRH- I’ll read anything she writes! So of course, I was super excited for THE TRAP.

THE TRAP follows Lucy who is trying everything to find her sister, Nikki’s, abductor- even pretending to be stranded to be picked up by this abductor. Nikki is the third woman to vanish, leading the Garda and public to believe they are connected.

Thoughts: I love CRH’s writing style. Although a little confused at first, the story completely pulled me in. I had to know if these cases were all related and what happened to these women! We even get the killer’ POV early on which I love! I really enjoyed the story and the twists involved. However, since CRH is one of my favorite authors, I was expecting a little more. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you @netgalley @blackstonepublishing for my eARC!

This book was a wild ride! It was very twisty and not at all predictable. I wish we would have learned a little more about the “bad guy” and that is the only reason it didn’t get 4 stars from me. Overall, this was a very solid and enjoyable read!