Shortly after COVID-19 arrives in Ireland, detectives are called to the scene of a gruesome crime scene at a Dublin apartment complex. Ciara and Oliver we’re the “meet cute” couple who were occupying the apartment in an attempt to stay together while following the government’s quarantine guidelines. What happened in that apartment during the 56 days they were together that led to the grizzly death of one of them?

I couldn’t put 56 Days down once I started it. This was probably one of the most chilling psychological thrillers that I have read in a very long time. I would recommend it to everyone who likes the genre.

I discovered Catherine Ryan Howard’s writing during the lockdown for the pandemic. I spent the next few months devouring everything she’d written.

So when I saw that she had a new title forthcoming, I couldn’t wait to read it.

Then I discovered that it was set during the pandemic and I thought “not yet.” Everything still felt too fresh. But tonight I picked it up…and devoured it in one sitting.

To say too much about it would give all the twists and turns away. While I’d been worried about reading a novel set during the longest months of my life, the concept genuinely worked. Without it, it would have lacked all believability. It was claustrophobic and twisty and really, really entertaining.

I really wasn’t sure how CRH would top herself after “The Nothing Man,” but “56 Days” managed to. I can’t wait to suggest this title to others.

The first mystery I’ve read which includes Covid, and it’s a good suspenseful read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.

"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."

WOW! My jaw is still on the floor.

Who here remembers meeting someone for the very first time. Its heart wrenching, its exciting, you want to spend every waking minute with them. Now, throw covid into the mix. What could go wrong?

Catherine Ryan Howard did an incredible job taking us all on a ride of our lives. This story was engaging and I COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves the gut wrenching anxiety feeling while reading a thriller.

Here come the covid books! Certainly timely, but not necessarily well done. Personally felt this wasn’t up to Howard’s usual standards.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the digital advanced reader's copy.

Ciara and Oliver meet in Dublin just weeks before the 2020 COVID lockdown. In order to be able to see each other during the lockdown, they decide to move in together temporarily.

56 days later, a body is found in the apartment they shared.

What?!?

What an attention-grabbing premise!

Howard does a great job moving through the time-jumping plot, propelling the reader toward the twisty, tragic ending.

Ciara and Oliver are fascinating characters with secrets on top of secrets.

When their final secrets are revealed, they're much darker than I expected for what I thought was a simple summer thriller. Be prepared that this novel moves into some inexplicable and dire places.

I found the story of Ciara and Oliver compelling and the best part of the story.

I was less intrigued by the police investigation. I understand why this portion of the story was necessary, as you need a point-of-view from the present day, and neither Ciara nor Oliver can provide that without revealing important plot points. However, I never felt particularly interested in either of the detectives, Lee or Karl, and I was always skimming those sections so that I could move back to Ciara and Oliver.

Again, I know that point-of-view was necessary for the plot, but it didn't particularly interest me, and it took me away from what I really cared about - the relationship of Ciara and Oliver.

All-in-all, this is a solid thriller.

The setting in Dublin with the background of the early days of the pandemic is unsettling, and the story leans into the confusion and fear of that time period.

Great read for thriller and mystery fans.

*language, violence, sexual situations

Since in real life COVID-19 is still our reality, there were moments when the setting very much felt too soon. But then again, reflecting back on the surreal early days of the pandemic is a little irresistible.

56 DAYS is a thriller that takes place in Ireland during the start of COVID-19/lockdown.

Oliver and Ciara meet right as the pandemic begins. In order to get to know one another better, they decide to quarantine together. But how well can you know someone you just met?

The story is told from multiple POVs and jumps to different timelines of before, during and after lockdown. And while I love this concept in thrillers, certain parts of this book were too repetitive.

The writing was excellent and this book will definitely stand out against other thrillers. It unravels in a unique way but I would have been happy with a bit more suspense. It takes you right back to the beginning of COVID when things were so scary and uncertain. I thought I knew exactly how this would end. I was wrong! I definitely recommend.

thank you @blackstonepublishing & @netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review (pub date 8/17/21)

What a scary mystery filled with twists! I really enjoyed both main characters and I was so surprised at each turn of events! It was like I haven’t read a mystery before.. This author knows what she’s doing for sure!

Yaaassss! First Covid mystery for me. I love that this will be a great historical document at some point. Perfectly captured the escalating threat of Covid and the feelings as two weeks became over a year. On the mystery side, very food twists and turns. A fun ride and one I stayed up well past my bedtime to finish!

Just as Covid-19 quarantine begins in Dublin, Ciara and Oliver are beginning their relationship. They have some things in common - new to Dublin, new employee at their jobs, with no family or friends in town. Without risking their relationship, Ciara moves into his apartment. All is good though there’s some weird signs and strange behaviors that Ciara doesn’t pickup on and vice versa. It’s a bit slow in the middle, but it picks up with a twist I wasn’t expecting! Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for a gifted copy. This is my honest review.

Wow, wow, wow, wow! Mind blowing good! So well written, with character development done so well, you cannot help but completely emerged in the story! Unique, fast paced, and absolutely unputdownable! Full of suspense, twist and turns, spine tingling chills, thrills, and gasp worthy shocks! This is one of those books that’s so good it’s hard to review, but should absolutely not be missed by any thriller fans! It’s dark, disturbing, and just plain good! Grab today, clear schedules, and prepare for one heck of a hangover! Highly, highly, highly recommend!

3.5 STARS

My head is still spinning a little after the jumping timelines!

Different time periods within 56 days as well as the present day are presented in alternating chapters.

Quite a bit of back and forth, a tangled web emerges, until the big reveal emerged as I turned the last page.

Oliver and Ciara barely know each other, but decide to spend the next two weeks in Covid lockdown together.

They know virtually nothing about each other.

What could possibly go wrong?

I enjoyed the way the story unraveled in such a unique, puzzling way. However, the repetitiveness of certain parts frustrated me and I think it was too long (like 100 pages). I'd say it is still quite a curious page turner with a unexpected ending! Got me!

FRESH and FRIGHTENING!

Take a moment to REALLY remember what it feels like when you finally meet someone that you think could be “the one”....those early days when you can’t stand to be apart...when you are hoping that every “ping” on your cell phone is from THAT person.

Now think about FEELING this way about someone you met just TWO weeks before a once-in-a-lifetime global pandemic forces the World to go into lockdown.

This is a story about two people who were forced to make a decision without precedent.

How they come to this decision is shared from EACH of their perspectives, which results in some repetition in a few chapters, but it isn’t written that way for the book’s entirety.

Both had just relocated to Dublin, and barely knew their new co-workers. Neither had family close by.

Very alone in a scary, new reality, they choose to “shelter in place” together so they can still see each other, but to not tell anyone, because they KNEW what kind of “push back” would be received...

Now, one of them is dead and nobody is looking.

Gillian Fannin from #4 has called in a “smell” coming from #1, just three doors down the hall.

And, now DI Leah Riordan and DS Karl Connolly have been called to figure out what has happened between the couple who met just 56 DAYS ago....

I don’t think that author Catherine Ryan Howard ever imagined that when this very CREEPY idea of hers, written during lockdown, would be released as her next book, that we would still be dealing with this virus, and yet, here we are!

But, set your Covid-19 fatigue aside and embrace this EXTRA layer of fear, because this author knows how to write books which are engaging from start to finish, and she hasn’t let me down yet!

And, if you haven’t yet read “The Nothing Man” (my favorite-who gets a mention in this book) do so while you are waiting for the August 17th (2021) release of this one!

Thank You to Blackstone Publishing for the gifted copy provided through NetGalley! It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

The COVID books are coming! The COVID books are coming!

While riding out the COVID lockdowns of 2020, bestselling author Catherine Ryan Howard rolled up her (pajama) sleeves and said LET’S DO THIS. She had an idea for a story about a new couple locked down together in Dublin, “for whom the strange, isolating circumstances of this new and uncertain world was just the opportunity they were waiting for.”

The end result was 56 Days, a captivating thriller with great characters that kept me on my toes. Oliver clearly has a past he’s trying to keep hidden, so although he seems like a very likeable fellow readers aren’t sure if he’s the hero or villain of the story. Ciara, his girlfriend of only a few weeks, agrees to shelter in place with him though she perpetually second guesses her decisions. Wouldn’t you wonder what type of weirdo you were living with?

Heck, DIDN’T you wonder what type of weirdos you were living with last year?

Since in real life COVID-19 is still our reality and not even 56 days behind us yet, there were moments when the setting very much felt too soon. But then again, reflecting back on the surreal early days of the pandemic is a little irresistible. We were all in it together, which makes it easy to relate to Ollie and Ciara.

56 Days had twists and turns that I did not see coming, and it might have been a 5-star read had the back-and-forth timeline not felt so repetitive in some places. But if you’re up for a stroll down COVID lane, this is a thrilling place to start.

My thanks to the author and Blackstone Publishing for my gifted copy to review via NetGalley. 56 Days is slated for US publication in August.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Today I would like to welcome Catherine Ryan Howard to my autobuy authors list. Her 2020 release, The Nothing Man, was one of my top reads of the year, and 2021’s 56 Days did not disappoint!

The story takes place in Dublin, Ireland and alternates between 56 days ago, when the country’s first confirmed case of COVID-19 arrived, and today, when the country is placed in emergency lockdown. In the ‘Today’ storyline, we know that a decomposing body was found inside an apartment complex, but we don’t know how or why it got there.

Catherine Ryan Howard captures the COVID-19 crisis tastefully and accurately, and her crime scenes descriptions are next level. While I guessed two of the “twists” at the beginning of the book, the entire second half had me surprised and on the edge of my seat. Not too gory but quite unsettling, 56 Days will have you invested in Ciara and Oliver’s new relationship until the very end.

3 stars to this intriguing thriller set during the Covid-19 lockdown in Ireland.

It's obvious from early on that Ciara and Oliver aren't quite who they seem, and the slow reveal of their true intentions towards each other kept me turning the pages. I didn't find the chapters set during the present time with the detectives as interesting.

I'm so happy to say I loved this one!! After loving the authors previous book 'Rewind', I was worried this one wouldn't live up to that one, but I can say I actually enjoyed this one more!

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this one as much as I did, but wow, I couldn't put it down! There were so many twists and turns and I love Catherine Ryan Howard's writing style.

I loved the mystery surrounding Oliver's past and it kept me guessing throughout.

I thought I might struggle with this being centred around the pandemic as we are still currently living through it, but actually I found it comforting in an odd way to read about someone else going through the experiences we have all been through very recently.

I really reccomend this to anyone who loves thrillers, or anyone who just wants a quick  read!

An intriguing thriller set during the early 2020 days of COVID-19 and lockdown.

56 Days Ago - In Ireland, Ciara and Oliver meet when each of them are taking a break from work to grab lunch...Just as COVID-19 reaches Ireland. There seems to be an instant connection.

35 Days Ago - With full lockdown rapidly approaching, Oliver asks Ciara to move in with him...at least for the two weeks where nobody is allowed outside with the exception of grocery shopping, medication pickup, and brief exercise. Ciara agrees...but does she know know Oliver is hiding something about his past?

Present Day - A decomposing body is found in Oliver’s apartment, and nobody else is inhabiting the space. Detectives work hard to determine the cause of death and find out anything they can about the victim.

I was immediately hooked by this story. The writing is top-notch and really pulled me back to the early days of COVID-19: the scary uncertainty, the shockingly quiet streets, non-essential businesses shut down. The mystery element is expertly crafted around the state of the world at that time. I guessed some of the surprises before they were revealed, but happily enjoyed one or two more that I didn’t fully anticipate.

A few minor critiques: The story is told from multiple POV’s that bounce back and forth between timelines. While I normally love that approach, there was a bit of repetitiveness as one character explained a scene that we already read about (with few new revelations). This gimmick isn’t used incessantly, but I noticed it a few times. In addition, the lead-up to the end is a bit long-winded.

Nevertheless, this is an enjoyable and unique thriller that I think many will love. Author Catherine Ryan Howard is a force to be reckoned with in this genre. I read her first four thrillers last year (including the incomparable The Nothing Man), and while 56 Days doesn’t quite achieve the same level of tension, it’s still a worthy and welcome addition to my “finished reading” shelf.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published on: 8/17/21.

Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com

Reading this book was the weirdest feeling ever, because it was set near the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Perhaps one day people will be nostalgic for the times of the pandemic, but personally it was much too soon for me. Fortunately, it was Catherine Ryan Howard so of course I had to read the entire book. Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for my ARC!

This book was about Ciara, a woman who is new to Dublin. She meets Oliver, also new in town, almost immediately before the pandemic begins. After only a few dates, Ciara and Oliver are forced to choose between being stuck alone in their own homes or quarantining together without really knowing the other person. Ciara sees it as an opportunity to get to know Oliver without the pressure of family, and Oliver sees it as his chance to hide what he really is.

Thoughts: I liked the way this book jumped in time from different days in the 56 days and also to the present time. All perspectives were extremely interesting and I loved the slow reveal of information. I loved the main characters, especially the detective in the present time. Howard is the master of leaving a trail of breadcrumbs to the end, so I was happy that I was paying attention. The small details added up to a great finish and I really enjoyed the read.

This book made me feel a lot emotionally, and I think it was really just the reinforced trauma of dealing with the pandemic for the last 13 months. I found myself relating to the characters and laughing about how we only thought this would be two weeks. It made this story hard to read but also a unique and interesting point of view. 4-stars for one of my favorite authors!