Wow was this a crazy ride. I was so hesitant about reading a book that uses covid as a plot. There were times it was hard to read, especially the beginning. But what’s scarier than something that scared and scares you on a personal level!? Ciara was an amazing MC. Oliver was so dark and twisty and mysterious. The detectives POV was hilarious. Talking about throwing away your sourdough starter killed me! Their chapters were definitely my favorite. I recommend this one! And if you’re hesitant about reading about covid, it’s worth the wait.

56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard is a very highly recommended murder mystery set in Ireland during the 2020 lockdown.

What would you do if you started a new relationship and the attraction was mutual. You both think this new relationship has potential - and then the whole world shuts down. Should you shelter together during the lock down? This is the story of Ciara and Oliver, who met in a grocery store fifty-six days ago. Their first date is the week COVID-19 reaches Irish shores. Thirty-five days later they learn the country is shutting down and they decide to live together in Oliver's larger apartment. Today a decomposing body has been found in Oliver's apartment. Now the police need to uncover what happened.

The writing and the pacing are excellent. I was totally engrossed in this story start to finish. Enjoying a lock down story this much surprised me, but it's the layers and depth to the narrative that set this apart as an outstanding novel. Both Oliver and Ciara have secrets and things they are hiding from each other. They are attracted to each other, but are also questioning everything the other person is doing or thinking. Adding to the tension is the fact that we know the police Detectives Lee Riordan and Karl Connolly are investigating a body found in an apartment.

The narrative jumps between the points-of -view of Ciara, Oliver, and Lee and in doing so it also jumps between time periods. The revelations slowly build up a complete picture of everything that happened. The tension builds and the questions escalate while the story is mesmerizing and admirable. Ciara and Oliver are both realistic, interesting characters and you will like them. They like each other and have made this surprising decision, and it makes sense. Certainly their relationship will flourish without outside tensions. But we know something is going to happen once the detectives begin investigating a body found in an apartment. What could have gone wrong?

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Blackstone Publishing.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, and submitted to Amazon.

Happy I was giving the chance to read 56 Days. I enjoyed it and many parts stod out more tham others. A 3 star read for me.

56 Days ago Oliver and Ciara meet at a grocery store and bond over their shared love of the NASA program. At the same time word is spreading about a flu-like illness making its way towards Ireland. Within a few weeks Oliver suggests to Ciara that she move in with him during the lockdown so they can see how they fare together. Now a body is decomposing in the same apartment and police are trying to figure out if a crime has occurred or if it was just a horrible accident.

This one was a page-turner folks! I write notes as I read and so many times I was writing my theories in and questioning everything that was going on. The dialogue was really well done and all the characters were suspicious. Even the banter between the two detectives was funny and felt real.

I really loved how the author slowly meted out bits of the backstory and ultimately the why of the event. It was a particularly eerie story as it had some similarities to a case we had in British Columbia several years ago.

My only minor gripe was that some of the scenes in which we revisit a time from a different perspective had too much repetition but my gripe is small compared to how much I enjoyed the book overall.

Catherine Ryan Howard is a new to me author but one I will seek out in the future. Thank you to @netgalley and @blackstonepublishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. 56 Days publishes August 17, 2021.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by Catherine Ryan Howard - 5 stars!

56 days ago - Ciara and Oliver meet in a grocery store just as Covid-19 becomes a threat to Ireland. 35 days ago - Ciara and Oliver decide to move into his apartment when the 2-week lockdown hits so that they can explore their relationship in a bubble. Today - a deceased body is found in Oliver's apartment.

Enough said! I absolutely love a cleverly-told, original tale and loved the way the author told this story. We get multiple timelines and get to see things unfold from both Ciara's and Oliver's POV. Both of them are keeping big secrets. Adding the initial horror of Covid-19 just adds to the tension - we all remember wiping down our groceries and being scared of everything (not sure that's still in the past but still!). Highly recommended!

I was a bit hesitant to go into this book since it's about COVID and we're still dealing with it...maybe a little bit too raw? It ended up not being an issue since COVID wasn't really talked about much explicitly. It's more focused on just being stuck in a quarantine together--which could be literally about any global disaster. That said, the story did keep me hooked, but it felt like there were a lot of other places this story could have gone that would have been more fulfilling. I blew through the book because it really did suck me in but I found myself just disappointed at the end.

Some people say it’s too soon to set a thriller to take place across the backdrop of COVID-19 lockdowns, but I’m not that person.

In 56 days, Howard has written a thriller tale that spans multiple timelines and points of view in a way that isn’t confusing or annoying.

This bingeable thriller has all the COVID lockdown references to make it authentic and is a clever use of building proximity and suspense. Set in Dublin, this thriller gives us two characters that are hiding something, one that ends up dead and two detectives trying to figure out if it was an accident or foul play.

This was a delightful way to spend an afternoon.

Triggers: Bullying, Murder of a child, Juvenile Delinquency, Suicide

I need to go find some of the author’s backlist books now.

Oliver & Ciara meet at the supermarket before covid begins changing the world around them. They are dating and getting to know each other and the pandemic hits. They make the decision to move in with each other with covid hitting Ireland. Fast forward to the now, a decomposing host is found at Oliver’s apartment. What happened between them dating to get to this?

This one took me some time to get into! It bumped a lot back and forth between present, past, and different points of view. Once the story picked up for me it was addicting and I thought I had it figured out but I didn’t! This one has a good story line and was very well done for a book involving the pandemic! I recommend you pick this one up if you’re looking for a thriller that will keep you guessing till the end! Thank you @blackstonepublishing and @netgalley for the advanced reader copy! This one hits bookstores August 17th!

56 days ago, Ciara and Oliver met in a supermarket queue. Their tentative dalliance is interrupted when lockdown hits, and they decide to move in together rather than having to stop seeing each other. But they've barely begun dating. Do they really know each other at all??

Today, detectives are investigating a dead body found in Oliver's apartment...

This is one of the first true covid-era stories - certainly the first one I've read. At times I felt like it painted a picture a bit over explained for those who have lived through it, but somehow not explained enough for anyone who hasn't. It kind of assumes knowledge of the covid virus and situation, and yet describes repeatedly what it feels like to be plunged into a city-stopping lockdown. I admit to wondering, at times, who exactly the intended reader was? Those of us who were there, or future people who weren't? Maybe I'm overthinking this a bit.

The story moves back and forth in time, and sometimes shows scenes from different perspectives, so that truths are hidden and revealed. Sometimes I found the time jumps a little confusing - 56 days ago, then today, then 53 days so, then back to 54 days ago etc... I felt like I needed to write down a timeline. However, I do see how this was done to reveal little bits of information and perspectives, to keep the reader on their toes.

I went into this story pretty much completely blind, and I think that's the best way to do it. Although it felt a little slow to get started, there was twist after turn towards the end. I found the ending pretty satisfying.

Overall, I did enjoy this read. It was fairly clever and I was taken by surprise more than once. If you can handle reading about the covid world while in the depths of the covid world, there's a decent story here.

This was a bit of a slow burn thriller that took a while to build up the pace, but fortunately not at the cost of the suspence. I was hooked early on, especially with as the book moved back and forth between how two strangers meet and eventually move in together and the present-day investigation of why one of them is now dead. I worried that the COVID-19 backdrop would be too fresh in my mind as a reader or feel too overplayed, but I actually think the author did an amazing job. The unease and worry of the pandemic really lent to the tone of the book and also provided an excellent backdrop for the plot to unfold. There were certainly some twists I didn't expect that came out in the latter half of the book.

I think the only thing that I would have enjoyed more is better overall pacing. It was a slow read then it was entirely explosive at the end. I usually like a bit more balance. But overall, this was an excellent thriller that is worth the time, and reading a book that actually involved the current pandemic was super unique and felt like it could actually happen in real life!

Its so weird to read a book about what really is going on in our world and how it actually is a real thing, COVID-19. How did we ever think we would be in a real pandemic and not just read about it in a book thinking that would never happen in real life, well it is. I love Catherine's books so I definitely was curious to see where this one was going to go. I had a love/hate relationship with this one. I wanted to know what was going to happen and who the dead body was of. The characters Ciara and Oliver somewhat annoyed me throughout the book and some parts felt repetitive but I was definitely invested in this story. I thought the past and present parts of the book too were good, it made the story flow well and the use of three different characters flowed well too. Overall pretty good book, the ending could of been a bit better but still good book.. I give it a 3.5 stars.

REVIEW

56 Days
- Catherine Ryan Howard

Releasing 17 August

Rating - 4.5/5

SYNOPSIS

No one knew they'd moved in together. Now one of them is dead. Could this be the perfect murder?

56 DAYS AGO - Ciara and Oliver meet in a supermarket queue in Dublin the same week Covid-19 reaches Irish shores.

35 DAYS AGO - When lockdown threatens to keep them apart, Oliver suggests that Ciara move in with him. She sees a unique opportunity for a new relationship to flourish without the pressure of scrutiny of family and friends. He sees it as an opportunity to hide who - and what - he really is.

TODAY - Detectives arrive at Oliver's apartment to discover a decomposing body inside.

Will they be able to determine what really happened, or has lockdown provided someone with the opportunity to commit the perfect crime?

➖➖➖

What a great read! I loved every single page of this mystery. Not only because it takes me right back to the recent first weeks of this neverending pandemic (and it’s my first Covid themed novel), but also the moorish mystery plot. Twist and turns, jumping from point of views and across the timeline, puzzle pieces connecting piece by timely piece. I never saw the finale coming. Brilliantly plotted.

I can see many contemporary mystery lovers raving about this book - it has all the necessary ingredients to entertain, intrigue and surprise.

Highly recommend this one! Thanks @netgalley for sending me this ARC in return for my honest (and rave) review.

@cathryanhoward 👌🏻

#56days #56daysbook #Mysterybook #mystery #Bookstagram #Bookstagrammer #BookReviews #arc #BookstagramAustralia #Bibliophile #Bookworm #CatherineRyanHoward #blackstonepublishing #BookstagramCommunity #Booknerd #Reading #Fiction #BrisbaneBooks #BooksToRead #BookObsessed #BookLover #LoveToRead #BookClub #NowReading

This is the first Covid novel I’ve read, and Catherine Ryan Howard uses lockdown as a great literary and mystery device. Two people (who have just started dating) enter lockdown together. Only one will leave alive.

The novel jumps between perspectives and time frames until you get the broader picture. This was sometimes jarring and frustrating (especially when you had to read through the same scene from a different perspective), but on the whole 56 Days is a twisty, well written, fast paced mystery/ thriller. The irony is not lost on me that I read this through my 3rd lockdown (everyone in my household got out alive though - despite homeschooling 😏).

Wow! What a crazy wild ride. Lots of events in the plot that I wasn't expecting. I liked it overall and would recommend to fans who love mystery/detective/thrillers.

After reading 56 Days, all I can say is “wow!” If you’re looking for a twisted, suspenseful read, this is your book! The plot, characters, & shocking ending are amazing!

This was one heck of a read! So many new contexts, and the first book (I've read) written around the Coronavirus Pandemic.

Set in Dublin, Ireland, Ciara meets a good-looking stranger, but is their meeting a coincidence? Ciara gets to know Oliver more and more, but the pandemic is on the verge of exploding. Once stay at home orders take place, Oliver asks Ciara if she will stay with him. With a small apartment, and no other friends/family in the area, why not?

Move to the current time, and we have a dead body that's been decomposing for at least two weeks. The descriptions here were not for the faint of heart!

Make sure you keep up with the chapter titles. This makes it easier to understand what is going on. Not often you have to do this, but it's pertinent for this read.

I am usually not the type of reader that tries to figure out what is going to happen in mysteries/thrillers. I tend to read these like any other novel so I don't come up with something crazy and spoil how I feel about the ending. Let me tell you that my brain was moving throughout this read. I had so many different scenarios running around that I was surprised that not one of them was actually how the book ended. There are some great twists in this read which made it hard to put down. I read this in 2 days!

Definitely recommend this to fans of the author, thrillers, and those who are looking for some real-life reading. This is in-your-face about COVID-19, so be warned if that is a trigger.

Two people cross paths, both with mysterious backgrounds, lockdown together during COVID. Could this be the perfect setup for murder? YES according to the novel 56 Days!

The story is told from alternating timelines starting 56 days ago to present day, alternating back and forth with multiple narrators - detectives, Oliver and Ciara. Suspense builds and secrets are spilled as the reader discovers Oliver and Ciara backgrounds. WOW blind blown didn't see the big reveal coming, as I followed the path the book was truly leading me.

56 Days plays on COVID fears, adding an extra layer of fright. This is a captivating thriller with twists, turns and murder.

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the complimentary copy.

Wow, this book is thrilling for me! This book is set during the Covid-19 pandemic, and at first I thought I'll get disturbed/uncomfortable reading this book (especially during times like these) but apparently I'm fine😅 This book is quite thrilling, and has a medium paced. The writing is good. I kept turning the pages but I'm anxious about the ending (which is a good sign for thrillers). Recommended for thriller readers who loves to read thrillers/mystery books with a medium paced. But please warning that this book contains Covid-19 stuff and is Covid backgrounded, so if you're not comfortable with Covid-19 or anything about it, it's better for you to be careful. Trigger warnings : Covid-19 stuff/Covid settings.

What a pleasant surprise this book was!
At first I was like, as I am sure would be many people, do we really already need a book about this madness we are still living in?
But I guess we do!
The pandemic situation is done so nicely and subtle, without pushing too much, right at the perfect places for the plot.
The way POV's are changing is dynamic and always leaves you with a question what happens next?
The plot itself was unpredictable in many ways (which I did not expect would be so many little twists), but it managed to surprise me every time and I would have never guessed it myself.
It really is a memorable book of the world we are living in, but also by its perfect ending (so happy with that part!).

I was a little nervous going into this book that it would bring up a lot of anxiety because #covidlit but what I found was a story that pulled me in and kept me guessing until the very end.