Addictive, eery, and seemingly prepped for a screen adaptation! While I love anything Howard writes, I especially appreciated the reveal near the conclusion of this novel - it provided both a twist and surprising emotional depth.

Honestly, it’s been five days since I read this and I barely remember any of it. Which is such a stark contrast to Howard’s other books which I can recall for years. I dont know if I am entering a slump or this was just so confusing with all the characters and changing POVs. I’ll definitely try Howard again, but slightly disappointed with this one.

I really enjoyed 56 Days and looked forward to reading this one, but it wasn't what I had hoped for. It started slow, slow enough I almost said no, but I was glad it picked up and got excited again.

Main characters to follow are the missing women, a sister who won't give up looking, a woman who wants to be a Garda and is helping on this case and a man who seems to be driving around confessing to whoever is in his back seat and must be his latest victim.

Of course everything is not clear cut and there are some twists that make it more interesting, but not interesting enough for more than 3 stars to me. Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy. I offer my completely voluntary honest opinion

Thank you to NetGalley, Catherine Ryan Howard and Blackstone Publishing for the free e-book I’m exchange for an honest review.

This definitely isn’t my favourite Howard novel; I was left wanting more. I can’t even tell you what I didn’t love about it really. I just had high expectations since her other novels were five star reads for me. It’s definitely has a great premise and I loved the writing but just not for me.

The Trap is another psychological crime fiction stunner from Cathrine Ryan Howard!

It is a bone chilling, terrifying and altogether haunting hunt for a serial killer told from the perspectives of multiple people close to the case. The finale sequence was action packed and wildly twisty, so I don’t trust myself to say too much, but believe me, you NEED to read this!

★ ★ ★ ★ //5
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐩
by Catherine Ryan Howard

THOUGHTS:

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for giving me the opportunity to read an e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I am an absolute SUCKER for psychological thrillers and this one had me biting nails. I became so obsessed in my reading that I lost track of time until I was done, did I breathe…here and there, did I blink…I’m not even sure. This book was fantastic! It had all the tropes that run my life from multiple POV, suspense, twisty turns && you throw in the serial killer POV. FABULOUS! CREEPTASTIC. Catherines writing is perfection!! You follow a the story about women who are missing in Dublin and you get the POV from all different directions. This book is on my top of the year for sure. That epilogue to you guys!! I don’t want to go too much into detail but this is a must read if these tropes are your thing. This book will blow your mind.

You HAVE to read this book if you love :

- Multiple POV
- Psychological Thrillers
- Serial Killers
- True Crime

You HAVE to have this book on your TBR.

Narrated from multiple perspectives, the most captivating being the serial killer's, THE TRAP evoked a similar atmosphere to The Nothing Man (Which I thoroughly enjoyed). THE TRAP unfolds at a relatively sluggish pace, making it feel slower than anticipated. Typically, I devour this author's novels in no time, but this one took a few days to complete.

THE TRAP showcases the author's talent for generating suspense, a quality that had potentially waned in recent works, thus making it a worthwhile read. I think people who loved her earlier works will really enjoy this new one. I had the opportunity to experience the audiobook version as well, and while I found the male narrator's voice unappealing, the female narrator was excellent. The twisted ending was absolutely thrilling and has lingered in my thoughts long after finishing the book.

The Trap- ⭐️⭐️⭐️- this one I almost DNFed but the ending was really good. Interesting idea and I loved being in the mind of the killer. But there are parts of this book particularly with the missing sister that will make your blood boil. Again I can’t really say much more without giving away the big twists that you won’t see coming but it was not my favorite of hers!

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for my copy of The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard.

Well, that's a very slow paced story. And for anyone who knows me, they know I rarely enjoy anything slow. This is one of those scenarios. I found myself getting bored but I trudged on as I am still curious on what happened to the missing girls and who is the culprit in all of this. Glad to report that we do find out the answers on those but what the actual frick? It could have not ended in a cliff hanger like that? I was already disappointed with where it was going but that sealed the deal for me with my rating.

I wanted to like this, I really did. But it's not just for me.

I am a fan of Catherine Ryan Howard and have really enjoyed her thrillers, particularly The Liar’s Girl and The Nothing Man. However, for some reason, this novel fell somewhat flat for me. The premise is an interesting one: women have been disappearing and the sister of one of them is determined to find out what happened, so much so that she sets herself up as bait to try to help catch the perpetrator. There were many characters to keep track of, and I felt that this read as a true crime synopsis instead of a novel. It was also pretty slow moving at times, which is quite different from the other books by Howard that I have read. All in all, however, it was a good read, and I look forward to reading more by Howard.

I love a great thriller so I knew I had to read this one.

Although I felt that there was "fluff" in the book that wasn't necessary, and almost felt like filler at times, I still enjoyed the read, and would definitely add this to my bookshelf.

Wow…this was a thrilling ride. Twists, turns, and an ending that was so unexpected. I loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Trap is the latest release from beloved Irish author, Catherine Ryan Howard. I was so excited for this novel and happily, ended up really enjoying it. Admittedly, I did reread about 40% of it, due to slight confusion with perspective shifts, but I was definitely invested in the story nevertheless.

The Trap is inspired by the real-life cases of missing women in Ireland in the late 1980s-early 1990s. If you are curious about these events, prior to picking up the novel, I would recommend a google search for Ireland's Vanishing Triangle. Additionally, if you do decide to pick this one up, which I absolutely recommend if you are a fan of Crime Fiction, be sure to read the Author's Note at the end where she discusses her motivations for writing this story.

The Trap is told via a few different perspectives. I enjoyed them all and felt each of the main characters brought some intrigue and feeling to the table. I particularly enjoyed that we got the perspective of the criminal. That was disturbing.

One of the perspectives is Lucy, whose sister, Nicki, has been missing for a year; disappearing after a night out with friends. I felt like Lucy really took center stage in bringing all aspects of this story together. We also get the perspective of a woman working in a civilian capacity for the police force investigating the disappearances, and as mentioned above, the baddie.

It does shift a lot and if you aren't paying close enough attention, to people mentioned, as well as the timeline, it can be easy for it to get a little muddled. I came to a point, about 65% of the way through, where there was a reveal and I was like, who is this person?

Needless to say, I learned my lesson and went back and reread. It certainly made that reveal much more impactful and honestly, I was enjoying it so much that I didn't mind at all. It helped to reiterate the facts of the story for me and I am glad I took the time to do that.

This is only the second book I have read from this author, but I am excited to read more. Incidentally, the other was Run Time, which I thought was so good. I feel like Ryan Howard has a knack for examining the darker side of humanity with her stories and that's what I am here for when I pick up a book. I love the atmosphere she creates as well. Her stories definitely have ominous vibes.

This got me in the end. I loved how it sort of flipped the script on how I was expecting it to end. I thought it was so well-plotted, particularly in that regard.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Blackstone Publishing, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I think a lot of Thriller Readers are going to really enjoy this. I'm definitely going to start exploring some of Catherine Ryan Howard's backlist. I think we are going to have a long and beautiful friendship...

The Trap was my second Catherine Ryan Howard book, and it didn't disappoint. I was hooked in right from the very intense first chapter!

Lucy is desperate to find her sister Nicki who’s been missing for over a year. Little has been done to locate her or the other missing women from the Dublin area. She engages in some very high risk behavior in her search for information. She then decides to meet with a journalist who convinces her to be interviewed by a top tv reporter and gives a shockingly truthful but brazen interview & that ends up drawing the killer closer…just as she intended to do.

There are multiple POV’s. The most unsettling is from the killer himself. My favorite was from Angela, who works with law enforcement & is trying to become a Gaurd.

This book kept me captivated from beginning to end. I could hardly put it down. I will definitely be reaching for more from this author in the near future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the advanced copy of this book.

Ohhhh! Loved this one! So well written with amazing twists and a haunting ending.

Pros:
The three different points of view including the "bad guy"
Short chapters
Fast-paced, didn't want to put this one down
a well-developed mystery
strong main character

Negatives:
An open-ending

Well worth the read. A great, twisty thriller!

Catherine Ryan Howard's "The Trap" is a masterfully crafted mystery that will leave you on the edge of your seat from the very first page. With an intricate plot inspired by real-life unsolved disappearances in 1990s Ireland, this internationally bestselling crime novel is a thrilling journey into the depths of suspense and intrigue.

Told from multiple points of view, The Trap explores the circumstances of three missing women in Dublin and the people who are resolved to find them and/or decipher the mystery of their disappearance. There is Lucy, the sister of Nikki, who had gone missing the year before and whose life is on hold, unraveling with the unknowing. There is Angela, a civilian working in the Missing Persons Unit who hasn't yet passed her physical but is determined to prove her worth, and, unexpectedly, the killer himself, who shares their history of urges and crimes. Though I found the premise and the individual stories intriguing, as the story unfolded and the twists were revealed, it felt like the story fell apart with the decisions and behaviors of the characters not making much sense at all. I had a lot of fun with and quite enjoyed Run Time and 56 Days by this same author, but I'm not so much a fan of this title.

This is what good thrillers are made of: short chapters, just enough characters to throw you off but not too many that you can’t keep track, multiple POVs, and of course….missing girls.
The Trap is nothing less than a fun to read, entertaining thriller! It’s suspenseful and engaging and just an overall well done suspense novel. I also like that the author based on some real life unsolved missing persons cases. Make sure to read the author’s note!

The Trap is a gripping thriller novel loosely based on still-unsolved disappearances in Ireland in the 90s. It mainly follows Lucy, the sister of one of the missing girls, Angela, a civilian working in the Missing Persons’ Unit, and the kidnapper himself.

I was absolutely hooked on this book just from reading the synopsis, and then once I started the book I couldn’t put it down. It is such a fast paced read with short chapters that keep you invested, and I will recommend this book to everyone who loves thrillers. I love that it’s loosely based on actual events and the author has a love of true crime that is part of the reason she writes, to give a solution to what she sees in the papers. I highly, highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a gripping thriller and is a fan of true crime!

4.5 stars
Catherine Ryan Howard has done it again! This was a well crafted mystery/crime novel. Women are disappearing. What’s going on? I loved the Easter eggs from her previous books! I don’t want to say too much as there are some jaw dropping twists in this book that are best experiencing without spoilers. My only comment is that having the same narrator throughout made the plot a bit more difficult to follow. I do love Aoife though!
*Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the advance review copy