A political thriller with so many twists and turns that it kept me guessing until the very end. The book was pretty slow and large sections of backstory could have been edited to improve the pacing. A lot of thrillers have backstory woven into the primary narrative, this book seemed to have a little primary narrative woven into the abundance of backstory. Even so, I enjoyed this book and strongly recommend it.

Thanks to Netgalley and MCD publisher for an advanced reader copy.

Ariel Pryce accompanies her husband of three months, John Wright (ten years her junior) on a business trip to Lisbon. After a couple of days when Ariel wakes up John is not in bed with her, nor is he having breakfast in the hotel dining room. He is also not answering his phone. She talks to hotel security without any success and after a couple of hours goes to the police. Of course they are not interested - he is an adult and has only been ‘missing’, if indeed he is missing, for a few hours. But Ariel is concerned.

That afternoon she goes to the US Embassy. They are equally disinterested. But then Ariel gets the ransom demand - 3 million euros! She doesn’t have that kind of money. CIA Chief of Station Nicole Griffiths gets a little more interested in the couple now, especially when she learns that both Ariel and Nicole have had name changes in their pasts. The police are also questioning Ariel in more detail.

There is only one person she can turn to to get that amount of money and he can provide only 2 million euros. It will have to do. He balks at the request but Ariel reminds him she has a secret recording of their last conversation, years ago, the details of which would certainly damage his burgeoning political career.

This was a really good story. You empathise with Ariel being stuck, alone, in a foreign country where she doesn’t speak the language and doesn’t know if she will ever see her husband again. But - things are not as they seem or not as simple as they should be. A reporter has been sniffing around and he is very close to unearthing Ariel’s secret - a secret she simply cannot divulge. The CIA is also sniffing around and seeing the potential national security implications of this debacle. They definitely want to get to the bottom of things.

The writing was stellar, really crisp and compelling. The characterisations were excellent and the story was very tautly plotted and moved along at a good clip. My only niggle is that the book was a little long. I didn’t mind as I was enjoying it so much but I had to keep reading late into the night. I simply had to finish the book. I will certainly be interested in checking out other books by this author. Many thanks to Netgalley and Farrah, Straus and Giroux for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This novel had an ending that I didn't see coming. I love the characters and the resolution of the storyline.

This book was mostly a thrilling roller coaster ride. My only complaint is that it was on the long side at 448 pages. I loved the European settings, it makes me want to travel to Portugal, although I don’t want to get tangled up with the police there.

Ariel has only been married to John for a year, so when he invites her along on a business trip to Portugal, she takes him up on the offer. She’s reluctant to leave her teenage son with her mom, but the time with John will be good.

Cue the dramatic music, she wakes up the next morning at the hotel and no John! She thinks maybe he’s just gone out for breakfast or a walk, but he never comes back. His phone and passport are still in the room. Where is he?

She starts working her way through proper channels – hotel staff, local police, American embassy – no entity is
that much help, and they doubt her at every step. She can’t really help with why exactly her husband is here in Portugal or who his client is here. Then the ransom request arrives.

There’s only one person Ariel can turn to for the 3-million-euro demand and she vowed never to ask him for anything. There are some tense scenes ahead as she races to get the money and rescue John.

I developed such sympathy for Ariel and really just wanted her to be reunited with her new husband and son. I enjoyed this one and a few twists at the end.

The synopsis sold me right away—a spouse goes missing in a European country and the wife sets off to rescue him?! Sounds like my type of book—and it definitely was!!

This book definitely took me on an adventure from beginning to end. The main character, Ariel, and her husband, John, are vacationing in Lisbon when suddenly things take a turn for the worst. Ariel wakes up to find John missing. With no clues and no leads to go off of, Ariel is determined to do whatever it takes to find her husband and bring him back home. Soon Ariel begins to question if John is really who he thought he was and if she ever really knew her husband at all.

The author did a great job with the alternating POVs and timelines. Slowly the pieces start to come together, and I was able to predict most of the ending, BUT that did not ruin it for me, it was still a great read. You know it's a good thriller when you do not want to put the book down and have the urge to continue flipping through the pages, despite how late at night it is, because you are so utterly invested into the book. That was me with this book.

I will say that going into this I was expecting it to be more mystery and thriller, but it turns out it is more of a political thriller than anything, which I am usually not into. This was a good one and one that I will recommend.

I first learned of Chris Pavone at a book festival where he was being interviewed by one of my favorite authors - Jeffery Deaver. Chris was engaging and the book he was speaking about, The Expats. I bought the book and was excited to dive in, but as it happens, for whatever the reason, I just could not get into The Expats. I am sure it was a great book, as Pavone is a great author, as I discovered after giving him a second chance by reading Two Nights in Lisbon. I had no expectations of this book, given my past experience so I was pleasantly surprised when I was able to quickly get into this novel. Despite some cookie crumbs that the author left, I really did not piece the whole thing together until it was revealed to me in the end. The saga of Ariel Pryce and her husband John was spellbinding from the very beginning. When Ariel finds John gone while they are on a business trip in Lisbon, she immediately goes to the authorities. Ultimately the police, the american embassy and the CIA all became involved, as Ariel will leave no stone unturned to get her husband back, even if she has to turn to the man she loathes the most in all the world, in order to get some help. This novel is hard to put down and easy to be engrossed in for hours. The characters are engaging and well formed. You feel like you really know them as you read this novel, which makes the novel even more engrossing. Will certainly give the rest of Pavone's novels a try, given how good this one was!
Thank you to Netgalley and McMillian publishers for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Ariel Pryce wakes up in Lisbon, alone. Her husband John Wright is gone—no warning, no note, no phone. Something is wrong. She meets with hotel security, the police, and the American embassy. People at each agency question who her husband is and who she is. And who does she know and how far will she go to free the man she thinks she knows?
This novel has so many twists. What I really like is the little clues that kept me guessing about which way the ending would land. I did figure out the ending in advance, but there were still puzzle pieces that kept me wondering - and led me to re-read parts.
There is quite a bit of language and sexual trauma. Also, some parts drag. And the flashbacks and character switches are not always evident, which can be confusing.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and would read more novels by the author.

Slow burn thriller/crime mystery that seemed to burn on forever! This took me awhile to get into and while it did in fact include some very twisty moments and the premise was fantastic, it didn't totally hit the mark for me.

I picked up this book because of the title-Lisbon was one of my favourite cities to visit. I'm so glad I did, this is one of my favourite books this year. The book's ostensibly a thriller-as the summary goes, Ariel wakes up one night to find her husband missing. But all is not as it seems, and you're figuring things out, just as Ariel is-or does she know more than you? While it sticks to the conventions of the thriller, what made this book unique and deeply powerful for me, was his centring the female protagonist, and allowing her to be a fully realised character, and not a competent powerful bad-ass. Ariel is competent at navigating her environment-but in those ways all women are forced to be-constantly aware of your surroundings, always knowing where exits are, avoiding eye contact, smiling just the right amount to not appear stand-offish, and also not appear friendly. Some of the writing was so acute it nearly made me flinch-all women would recognise those exact defensive mechanisms we adopt in every aspect of our daily life-it's so ingrained, we dont even realise we're taking that effort, more's the pity . I'm not a fan of the non-linear narrative, I find it's usually merely a gimmick, but in the hands of a writer as talented as Pavone, it's used to powerful effect in this book, to tell you the story of Ariel till this point, but also move the present day timeline forward. The books devastating in its indictment of how heavily the system is stacked against women, in terms of getting justice for violence-even privileged, well-educated women, while being thoroughly relatable and not at all didactic. Pavone weaves in the present political climate very well into the story-the difficulty of arms of the government functioning independently when you have political appointees willing to bend their use for their advantage, pervasive systemic rot that can slowly erode institutions, and the complications of employees who are trying to do their jobs when that would mean countermanding their superiors' orders. It's a tribute to his skill as a writer that Pavone manages to handle all these weighty topics not just with a deftness of touch, but also writes an absolutely gripping thriller, with fascinating tradecraft while he's at it. I can't recommend this book enough.

Two Nights in Lisbon primarily tells the story of Ariel, a woman visiting Lisbon, Portugal, who wakes up on her first morning in the city to discover that her husband is missing. He has disappeared before she woke up, and is no where to be found. She immediately contacts the police, who really do almost nothing to address her fears, since he has really only been missing a few hours. Despite it being unusual for him, they don't have the same alarmist attitude that she does. She also goes to the US Embassy, and also gets the runaround. As this story evolves, it becomes something much bigger than Ariel (or her husband) expected, and it turns into something much different than the reader also expects.

As stated above, this book was incredibly different than what I thought it was going to be. This story is told from mostly Ariel's point of view, with some sections or chapters told from the POV of law enforcement. This story is told in a series of flashbacks (as well as present day) that go back and forth very quickly. At times, I found this very difficult to follow. The actual story of John's kidnapping appears to be the least of the story, as the layers of Ariel's life peel back and her past is exposed. The story turned out to be a very different one than I expected, and I didn't enjoy this "back and forth" of the dialogue and the time line as much as I could have. The jumps were so sudden, that at times it was difficult to follow who the story was talking about in that moment. While this story had a lot of potential, I thought there was just too much complicated back story and and extremely complicated revenge plot that was difficult to follow. Also, HUGE trigger warnings should be put on this book due to multiple scenes and discussions of sexual assault. I'm not a big "trigger warning" kind of person, but I definitely think that this book would warrant that for continual mention of it throughout the book.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Ariel Pryce was on a trip to Lisbon with her husband, John, when in the morning she discovers that he isn't there. Trying to contact him but having no response she checks with the hotel security then the police and afterwards, the American embassy. No one seems concerned, but she is. And as she continues to search for him, she realizes that she hardly knows her new husband. But Ariel is also worried for she has her own secrets that she doesn't want revealed.
An exciting twisty thriller that goes back and forth between the past and the present, with the CIA, Lisbon police and a determined journalist all working to discover the truth.
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillian for this e-galley of "Two Nights in Lisbon".

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me the Advance Readers Copy(ARC) of this fantastic thriller. This book follows the journey of Ariel who wakes up in Lisbon and finds that her husband is missing. She then inquires about the whereabouts of her husband from the people around her. The story then follows the steps that Ariel takes in such harrowing circumstances with the clock ticking and everything on line.

Although the first few chapters were a little slow, even then the writing style of this book is captivating and makes you keep turning pages. I was pleasantly surprised by the ending of this book as it was completely unpredictable.

This book also reinstates the well-known fact that some emotional scars never heal and that our past always lurks around the corner. Moreover, this book also testifies the fact regarding our interconnected world where the concept of privacy has become a thing of the bygone era. Looking forward to reading other works by this author.

A really good story but the only disappointing thing is the repetitive flashbacks which for me made the story a bit too long - good characters though and and intriguing read

Another great thriller from Chris Pavone! At the start of this novel, Ariel wakes up in her hotel room in Lisbon where she has accompanied her husband of a few months on a business trip, and he is inexplicably missing and can’t be contacted. We then follow her as she searches for him, and as she goes to the local police and the American embassy, we start to see their alternating perspectives as well.

One of the things I enjoyed about this book was the unique pacing, which somehow is a combination of slow burn and non-stop action at the same time. The mystery obviously starts immediately, but you also can tell from the start that there are lots of secrets the characters are keeping which unravel slowly in many layers. It definitely kept me guessing, and avidly turning pages until the end - even though it was a longish book I read it in just two days because I couldn’t put it down!

I have loved all of Chris Pavone’s books - love how they have a sort of retro action/spy/political thriller feel unlike the typical played out domestic thrillers of today, but with great modern elements, and I love how realistically and sensitively he writes female characters.

This was such a fun read! Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux (@fsgbooks #partner) for the opportunity to review this book. I have loved all of Chris Pavone's books, and this was no exception. I love books that keep me guessing while I figure out the mystery, and this one kept me in a state of speculation. Ariel wakes up in Lisbon, and her husband is missing. The book focuses on her search for him and the different obstacles she faces from each person involved with the case. This is the kind of thriller that works for people like me-just the right amount of suspense to keep me turning the pages while not making me dread the possibilities. Read this book when it comes out on May 24, 2022.

Two Nights in Lisbon Chris Pavone is a highly recommended domestic political thriller.

Ariel Pryce is accompanying her husband John Wright on a business trip to Lisbon, so when she wakes up in their hotel room and John is gone, she assumes he is having coffee and will be meeting her for breakfast. Soon it becomes clear that John is gone. He left no note and is not answering his phone. Ariel talks to the hotel staff and then goes to the police, followed by the American Embassy. She is sure something has happened to John. The CIA gets involved; John was in the CIA years ago.

Then Ariel receives a ransom demand for 3 million euros to be delivered within 48 hours for John’s safe release by unknown captors, which just increases the questions investigators have. Why did both Ariel and John change their names years ago? The CIA knows that John changed his name. Why would anyone kidnap John? Ariel is not wealthy, why would someone assume she could come up with a large ransom? Ariel is desperate and knows one man who could come up with the money, but it requires contact with someone from her past that she doesn't want contact with ever again.

There is no question that this is suspenseful, tense, well-written layered thriller that will hold your attention throughout. I was engrossed beginning to end. This is a complicated plot that is structured to allow tension to build and rise incrementally as the timeline clicks down. Between the officials doubting and questioning her motives to the reporter who was given a tip to investigate, readers will also be questioning along with officials, "Why John?" There are clues that will open readers up to speculating the answer to the question, but Pavone has plenty of twists to keep you guessing. Sympathies will be with Ariel as there appears to be no obvious course of action for her to take beyond what she chooses to do.

The narrative alternates between events in the present and flashbacks to Ariels's past. She is a well developed character, but the only one. Two Nights in Lisbon does require you to accept that events have happened in Ariel's past which have shaped and molded her into the person she is today. Occasionally I wanted her to have experienced healing from them and move on rather than dwell on the events, but I also have a lot of sympathy, compassion and understanding for her.

The final denouement was suspected, but still a surprise leading up to an unanticipated final disclosure. Two Nights in Lisbon is a lengthy novel, but it is also quite entertaining.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Macmillian via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, and Amazon.

Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the chance to read an early copy of Two Nights in Lisbon from Chris Pavone. I really enjoyed this book and found it a strong action thriller with depth and some engaging themes on how women are treated/perceived (hysterical, ignored/invalidated). This was an enjoyable slow burn thriller with some good payoffs in the later parts of the plot.

3 Strengths
1. Blend of mystery and action. I found the flashbacks to Ariel's life to be well done, not too cumbersome, and were relevant to helping figuring out the mystery around her missing husband
2. Development of female voice. I appreciated the weaving of themes about how women are treated in society and that added to my personal enjoyment as it made the plot feel relatable and relevant to today.
3. Timeline, I enjoy a book that explores a narrative over a relatively short time frame, I think it can be hard to tell a engaging story within a short time but this book does it well.

at times the pacing is a bit off, it does take time for the action to build (maybe 1/3 in) but it does pick up and I enjoyed how the story unfolded.

2.5 stars

There's nothing awful about this book but nothing great about it either. There are better thrillers out there with similar plotlines that don't have a 480+ page count.

The writing style was not for me. I felt like the entire book was narrated to me instead of feeling like I was inside the characters' head. There are countless narrations and timelines... I cannot emphasize the word "countless" enough. Within any given chapter, we'll bounce from Ariel to the head of Libson intelligence, the Libson police, a "bad guy" in the embassy, etc. All within 1-2 pages. It makes the story very hard to follow when each paragraph is a different character. This also heavily contributed to my feelings of detachment to the story.

In addition to the switching between characters, we also flip in timelines every few paragraphs. There are SO. MANY. FLASHBACKS. Absolutely pointless, and repetitive flashbacks every few pages. I found myself largely skimming the entire middle portion of the book because nothing had happened and I was so sick of the flashbacks every 2 seconds.

This book would benefit from trimming the fat. If we got rid of at least 100 pages, I think the story would be more streamlined and effective. It has some decent twists at the end but most of the twists had been telegraphed for the previous 200 pages OR appeared so quickly, they ended up falling flat.

Decent story-line, flat and whiny characters and an abysmal pace made this one a miss for me.

I wanted to love this book, I really did. I think if the pace had been better I would have been far more invested. It just dragged for me in the beginning which set the tone for the rest, and it is a solid long read to begin with. There were definitely lots of twists and turns keeping me guessing and strong characters. I am thankful for the ARC.

Two Nights In Lisbon is the fifth novel by best-selling American author, Chris Pavone. When Ariel Pryce wakes up alone in a Lisbon hotel on a July Monday morning, she expects to find her (ten years younger) husband of three months in the dining room having breakfast. She doesn’t. John Wright hasn’t been seen by the staff; everything but his phone is still there; the phone goes to voicemail.

When Ariel takes her concern to the local police, they are almost dismissive: he hasn’t been gone long enough for it to be a concern. But they do find her interesting enough to tail. From the smirks the smarmy fellow at the US Embassy gives her it’s clear he is equally indifferent, although he does take some intriguing information about the couple to the CIA Chief of Station down the corridor. An American journalist hanging around the embassy offers help, which Ariel politely declines. No sign of John at the hospitals she contacts.

The hotel’s CCTV shows him leaving early in the morning, not dressed for the client business meetings he has scheduled, and maybe getting into a car. The male cop is still sceptical: Ariel’s ignorance of her husband’s clients doesn’t help. But his female colleague is a little more willing to make an effort. What happens next changes the complexion of his absence, but much more can’t be said without spoilers.

The opening chapters are intriguing enough to draw the reader in, but it’s not until things hot up that Ariel’s steel is revealed. And how! With flashbacks to her recent past, and a bit of action with a tail, Ariel demonstrates just how self-sufficient she can be. And it’s those scenes where she is fending for herself that provide plenty of dark humour.

It’s soon clear that neither Ariel nor John is quite who they seem; nor do all those claiming to want to help find John have entirely benign intentions, but most of them definitely want to know what is behind Ariel’s apparent power over a certain influential figure.

The main narrative is carried by Ariel, but many of the minor characters contribute, and the narrative often switches between them, relying only on context to denote whose perspective is being given. Rather than adding confusion, this seems to give the story an immediacy that keeps the reader engrossed.

While there are hints at espionage and the influence of foreign powers, the apparent immunity to prosecution of privileged white males who indulges in sexual harassment of the worst kind (and who closely resembles a certain president), is central to the story.

Very little suspension of disbelief is required in this tightly plotted story which has plenty of red herrings and enough twists to possibly necessitate a chiropractic consult. Pavone’s latest is definitely a page-turner.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Farrar, Straus & Giroux Head of Zeus/Aries