An international thriller at its best. A slow burn, intriguing thriller! Dual point of views and timelines. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Two Nights in Lisbon - What a suspenseful ride! This thriller is a page-turner, edge of your seat, kind of book. You need to be focused to read because the story does bounce around, a lot, but well worth the read. I loved how the plot kept the reader guessing and nothing is as it seems. So many books have a disappointing ending, not this one! One of my favorite books this year. Thank you NetGalley for the early copy to read.

The latest book from Chris Pavone follows a woman in Lisbon trying to save her kidnapped husband. I’m a fan of his other books, and this one did not disappoint. The plot kept me engaged and wanting to keep listening. Maybe I just wasn’t paying attention to the details, but I didn’t have it all figured out in the end. The narrator was great, though the book probably could have been about 20% shorter. There are definitely trigger warnings if that’s something important to you. I didn’t find it too hard to follow the dual timelines in the audio, but if that’s a concern, the print or digital version might be a better option.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC of this book in for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

I heard really good things about this book before I got it gifted from @netgalley to read.
There are some trigger warnings, so look for those before reading!
Overall, i did enjoy this book. It was quite lengthy and at times slow paced. But it had twists throughout it and I keep you invested in reading it!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
I found "Two Nights In Lisbon" by
Chris Pavone to be an addictive, intriguing, twisty & well written thriller that pulled me in right away & didn't let me go until its final page.
I would definitely read another book by Mr. Pavone.

Chris Pavone's latest release has a very cheeky premise, but that in no way detracts from the thrills he delivers in this tale of abduction and a race against the clock. I was on the edge of my seat, eager to see how this was going to unfold.

Ariel Pryce wakes alone in a Lisbon hotel room, both a little disheveled from the previous night's amorous fun with her new husband, John. But where is John? It's still early, so it's strange that he's not there in the room, even if he did wake early. Unsettled, Ariel begins her day without him. When John still hasn't joined her for breakfast in the hotel dining room, Ariel's concerns escalate and she begins to ask around. First the hotel staff, then the local police. By mid-morning she's at the embassy. Nobody seems to share her concerns (including me!), but then the ransom demand arrives. OK, now it's serious. This failed actress turned farmer/bookstore owner has to raise 3 million Euros within 48 hours to secure her husband's release. No small feat. And the only person who can help her is the last person in the world she wants to ask.

This was my first experience reading Chris Pavone and I was pleasantly surprised. I'll certainly be checking out his earlier books now. Although the book has a decent pagecount, the time flew as I read twist upon turn. The pacing was perfect and the plot both clever and topical. Highly recommended, although be warned that content includes details of sexual assaults.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: May 24, 2022

TW: rape, statutory rape, victim blaming

Ariel is on a business trip in Lisbon with her new husband, only to find him missing when she wakes up after their first night there. Marketed as a mystery/thriller but more truthfully a look into rape culture and how powerful men rarely face a reckoning. Trigger warning definitely needed as some of the assault scenes are quite detailed. I enjoyed the setting in Portugal but I found myself racing through this just to find out the answers instead of loving it the whole way through.

"The truth has a steep price."

Ariel accompanies her husband John on a business trip to Lisbon, waking up early one morning to find him gone without explanation. She looks to the hotel staff, Lisbon police and the American embassy for help but no one believes her or takes her seriously. At each step along the way, she learns more, leading her to question how well she actually knows her husband. Frustrated and alone, desperate for answers, she turns to the one person who can help but is the last one she wants to ask.

Two Nights in Lisbon addresses the issue of how well we know others, how we see only what people want us to see based on the appearances they present. Obsession with beauty and status takes precedence over logic and reason, often causing us to overlook how people truly are, shifting our perceptions to what we want to see in them.

Truth and lies are intertwined and tied to questions of trust, credibility and control. Money, power and privilege contribute key themes to the story. Action begets change as we assume the role of reconstructing history to establish our own personal narratives, creating identities to reinvent the past.

The author combines multiple timelines with various points of view in an effort to describe the complexities of the background of this story but in doing so, adds too much detail, causing the story to slow along the way. Perspectives changed too often, making it difficult to fully invest in the characters. I also found Ariel to be quite unlikable and I struggled to feel empathy for her until late in her journey.

Despite the length and pacing, the underlying premise had so much potential and sparked my interest with the story offering thoughtful and timely statements on issues relevant to the world we live in today. I would have liked to see enhanced description of the Lisbon setting, however, creating a more atmospheric experience. The last 20% of the book finally picked up speed with twists and turns and an ultimately satisfying ending with all the pieces of the puzzle coming together seamlessly. Overall, I thought this was an excellent story but I would have enjoyed it so much more with a shorter length and more thoroughly developed storyline between changing viewpoints.

"Something you think is entirely yours to control, and you assume that all the choices are up to you, then you learn that you’re wrong. The choices are not yours. Neither is the control."

* 3.5 stars rounded to 3 for Netgalley. *

** Special thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. Quotes subject to change at time of publication. Available May 24, 2022. **

Hmmm, I'm torn on this one. I was into the basic story -- a woman wakes up after the first night on a business trip to Lisbon with her ten-years younger new husband. His is unexpectedly gone, with only his phone missing. She can't get a hold of him, and no one, not the hotel staff, police or American embassy, are concerned by reports of his absence. We learn that both the woman and her husband have secrets in their past. So that's all a great setup and should have kept me racing through the pages to find out what's going on and what's going to happen. BUT.... for a book billed as "two nights" and would presumably race along at breakneck pace (like the TV show "24"), this DRAGS. Partly it's because the book is rather long at 400+ pages, partly because we are given a lot of flashback backstory for the main character, and a lot of rants about various issues that are not necessarily relevant to the plot.

Nothing is what it seems in this taut thriller from author Chris Pavone. 'Two Nights in Lisbon' is sure to entertain if you like twisty thrillers and unique characters and plot twists. Aerial is on an adventure with her new husband John when he disappears one morning after an unforgettable night of love-making. She has accompanied him on a business trip to escape the life she has made on a small rural farm a hundred miles from New York City. She moved there to escape another life, one that the reader glimpses as the story unfolds. Who is John? Why has he disappeared? That is what Aerial needs to find out. She enlists the help of the local police, the American Embassy, and even the CIA on her quest. John is a mystery man and his disappearance and his own backstory are revealed also as the story unfolds. I liked this book. The plot was interesting and I really was almost finished with the book before I realized what was happening. The book is written in layers and sometimes those seemed to lag, but I was glad I stayed with it and enjoyed the author's writing and imaginative twists in the plot. The characters were the interesting part of the book. Aerial takes a while to get to know but as the reader finds out more about her, it seems her mystery deepens even more. John is not really revealed until the book's end but one gets the impression that there is more there than the author reveals. Prepare for a long story, one that is intertwined with each character and world events in a unique setting. Thanks to #NetGalley#TwoNightsinLisbon for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Ariel wakes up in Lisbon and her husband is no where to be found. When she reports him missing to the authorities she realizes she can’t answer most of their questions about him and why he’s in Portugal.

This is a thriller with some weight to it. I was a bit intimidated to pick it up because I’m so used to thin and light thrillers. I was able to get into it immediately. Be aware that it moves at a pretty slow pace. Hints and pieces are dropped throughout the story, but you don’t get a full picture for a while. The entire 432 pages is over two days/nights. If you like slow moving, slow unfolding mysteries and political thrillers, give this one a try.

“She has been silenced by operant conditioning by receiving the same response again and again, like an electro shocked lab rat or a beaten dog. A disbelieved woman.

Two Nights in Lisbon comes out 5/24.

YES!YES! YES! This was a great book. Please write more like this. A smart, sophisticated spy novel. Sped through this novel to the conclusion. HIghly recommended.

I kept picking up this book and putting it down. I liked the premise, But the writing didn’t hold my attention.

The premise of an international kidnapping told in the span of just two days sounded really intriguing, but Two Nights in Lisbon unfortunately fell flat for me. The story itself could have been cut down because many parts reiterated the same information told through the narrator, and then the detectives, and then US embassy staff, etc. The narrator also really irked me. I don't typically have to like a character to enjoy the book, but Ariel was really stiff, overly judgmental, and not at all realistic. The ending of the book also seemed like a stretch, and I couldn't get over all the plot holes.

Many others seem to have enjoyed the book, so I'm likely in the minority with this critical review. I can picture this as an engaging action film, however.

Ariel and John are in Lisbon when he suddenly disappears. In this fast-paced international thriller, we see what see what she will do to find him and unravel the twisty backstory that leads up to this.

This one kept me guessing. I knew there was more than what met the eye when a woman loses her husband in Lisbon. One of the drawbacks of the book is the transitions from the past to the present are clunky and awkward. At times I had to reread the paragraph and realize I was now in the past or present. There are many angles to the story and I will give it to the author, the ending was a surprise and not something I had anticipated.
The book has intrigue, deception, revenge, and resolution.

If you like twisted, intriguing mysterious, this should catch your interest. Lots of interesting character’s, and kept me guessing, as to who were the good guys and who were the baddies!
Chris Pavone is a popular mystery writer and this is another effort that should catch on. It was a little lengthy and could have been shortened, but all in all, an entertaining who done it!
My thanks to NetGalley, Farrar and Giroux for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Ok, I want to start by saying that this was one of those books I enjoyed reading, really enjoyed reading, but there are about a dozen things I could say and discuss that could make me talk myself into a lower rating. So I'll sum it all up with one comment: this could have used one more pass with an editor.

This story follows Ariel through the hardships and trials of navigating police, intelligence agencies, and the press while she works to save her kidnapped husband. This story takes us back in time to see how these two found themselves in this mess and forward to see the fallout from the decisions they make. As with any "thriller," there are twists aplenty; some easily guessed, some not, some downright absurd. All of this is to be expected and I can't fault a thriller author for any of it. The key thing is the pacing of a thriller, and Pavone did a great job keeping me engaged in the story, even through the predictable and ridiculous. For that alone I would recommend this story to anyone looking for a twisty story with modern-day relevance. Please note there is frequent and detailed discussion and on-page depiction of SA throughout the story that may trigger some readers, so proceed with caution. Also proceed with an open mind - the experiences of Ariel and those like her may not be your own, but they are all too common.

**Thank you NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the eARC**

This one wasn't for me. I found it convoluted and longer than necessary. I was skimming sections. Once the mystery of John started unfolding it became slightly predictable. Towards the last part it got substantially better. Then the epilogue ruined it. It didn't feel like everything was resolved and I was disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and MacMillan for my ARC of Two Nights in Lisbon.

When Ariel Price wakes up in Lisbon following a romantic evening with her husband, she’s shocked to find that he isn’t there. She knows that running off without so much as his cell phone is not like him so after a few hours, she goes to the police.

Nothing about her husband’s disappearance is easy and within a couple of days, she’s making international headlines. It turns out that Ariel has some secrets that really shouldn’t have been shared with anyone else. But, is she the bad guy? I’d say absolutely not.

Pavone’s writing style is captivating, thrilling, and creates beautiful imagery for the reader. Having no experience in the setting of Portugal, I thought I’d struggle to immerse in the story. I’m pleased to say that I was SO wrong. I was able to be sucked right in and not turn away until the very last word.

And that TWIST ENDING?? Come on, now. So great.

4 ⭐️