Chris Pavone is a master at twisty tales and this one was great. It kept me guessing until the end. Arial Pryce, on a business trip to Lisbon with her new husband, wakes up to an empty room. Where is he? No note, no messages, this is so unlike him. She panics when her search for him fails and heads off to report him missing to the Lisbon police and embassy. Has he been kidnapped? Of course, not all is as it seems. Both Ariel and her husband have secrets in their pasts that will bubble up as she tries to raise a large random.
Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy.

I loved the book, the story was great, the characters were interesting. Very exciting and complicated. Never knew who to trust, as was the problem for the characters too! Police, CIA, embassy, lots of high tech, hard to put down until you really knew what was going on. I enjoyed it and will read more by this author. I recommend this highly.

This book comes at you hot and fast. With a weird sexual thing, that isn't a sexual thing but you aren't sure if it's a sexual thing as the opening scene. I hated it. The opening few pages alone made me want to put down the book and give up. I could possibly stretch and say that pretty much summed up this book.
I felt so lost throughout the plot. So much jumping around and then repeating scenes and information. It became too much. The flashbacks felt forced, they were way too detailed and way too long. They also occurred way too often. I was having a hard time keeping up with the main plot line, so throwing me back in time for no reason was not helpful.
I'm all for a complicated book with a large cast of characters, but this was also 'too much'. The US Embassy, the police, the CIA, the journalist .. honestly, even now I feel lost with how many groups of people were involved. In the end, why do I care about the different groups? Did it even really matter? Were all the groups necessary and did the multiple groups add to the story? From my point of view, no they did not.
The big ending twist revealed itself early in the book for me. So to be proven 'right' was a kind of let down.
The interaction with her child was exhausting and unnatural. I could expand and say all the dialogue was pretty rough.
Overall, I do think this is better than a two star book. I mean, it kept me interested enough to finish it. When it comes to recommend or to not recommend, I have to say... I would not. The plot line is too all over the place to make this a book I could feel good about recommending.

Lots of twists and turns. Fast and enjoyable to read. A few scenes were a bit fantastical but that is expected in a thriller.

I really enjoyed this book. New author to me so nice to discover. Sometimes you read a book and the author's writing style really draws you in. This book did that.

Ariel and her new husband go to Lisbon. John has a business trip and asks her to join him. She leaves her son with her mother and off they go. After a romance filled night, Ariel wakes up the next morning and John is gone. She asks around the hotel and no one saw him leave. She immediately knows something is wrong and goes to the police. Since he hasn't been gone long, she is not taken seriously. Her next stop in the US Embassy where she reports John missing to the consular staff who mentions it to the CIA station chief, who doesn't think it involves them.

Ariel gets access to camera footage where it appears John disappears in a car. Then she gets a ransom demand and that's where this story really gets rolling. She calls her ex-husband and tells him she is going to an unnamed man for the ransom. She threatens him with exposure if he doesn't give her the money. Clues have been dropped to this man's identity and yes, now the CIA is involved.

Following is the ransom payment and a very nice wrap up to John's abduction. Even better is the wrap up with Ariel gets home.

TWO NIGHTS IN LISBON is a very good mystery with a stellar beginning and ending and a middle that feels endless. Author Chris Pavone describes convoluted scenes well, withholding necessary information while adding enough tension to keep the story moving forward. And the framework of the tale is certainly beguiling, a newlywed awakes in a hotel and finds her husband missing, soon a ransom is demanded, and then questions arise and continue to bubble up for everyone, the reader included. A tighter plot would have made this book perfect, but as is, it still is well worth reading. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Twists and turns throughout! Every time I thought I’d figured out what was going on, I was at least partially wrong. A highly entertaining read.

This book started off really strong for me. For the first 75ish pages I could not put it down and just needed to keep reading to see if there would be any little Easter eggs I could pick up on. Then something changed, I can't really put my finger on what it was exactly but I just found myself losing interest. I found the main character was making a lot of choices that I just found super annoying and the ending I seen coming from a mile away. Even the reveal at the end. I will continue to pick up from this author because I definitely see potential

My thanks to #NetGalley for an advance ebook in exchange for an unbiased review.

Ariel Pryce is full of secrets, most of which have their foundation in violence and disappointment. When Two Nights in Lisbon opens, Ariel is in Lisbon with her new, younger husband. She awakens to find him missing so she begins the process of reporting him missing - a process complicated by language difficulties and unfamiliar surroundings. Her fear level about her husband's fate rises quickly and she finds it difficult to convince those in authority that anything is amiss.

Soon readers learn that a secret from Ariel's past, along with the restrictions of a non-disclosure agreement, are forces interfering with her ability to deal with John's kidnapping. Authorities range from local police to embassy officials and CIA operatives and their efforts sometimes overlap even when their information does not.

Ariel's past is subject to exposure; what is never in doubt is that she has a sickly teenage son. For most of this book I didn't understand why she agreed to an unexpected marriage given her family circumstances and her rather solitary lifestyle. Once the truth is revealed I still question why a woman who had sacrificed so much for her child would risk his sense of self. So many times she had been disappointed by the lack of support from those who claimed to love her yet she places her son and possible ramifications to him on a back burner.

Despite my misgivings, Two Nights in Lisbon is a taut, entertaining read.
#NetGalley #TwoNightsinLisbon

On her first morning in Lisbon, Ariel wakes up to find her husband missing. By her second night in Lisbon, she is the central part of an international thriller, followed by the local police and the CIA, and a threat to political stability in her own country.

Get ready for the wild ride that is Two Nights in Lisbon!b Ariel has a lot to hide. There are name changes, a sudden second marriage, hidden recordings, questioned paternity. No wonder she has a suspicious nature, afraid to trust those who want to help her. She’s right. Everyone from her parents, to her husband, to friends has betrayed her in some way. Why should she trust the two local police who can barely speak her language? Or the reporter who tells her he can help? Or the Ambassor’s staff while the CIA agents keep them out of the loop? Secret after secret are revealed while Ariel desperately tries to keep her deepest secrets hidden.

Two Nights in Lisbon is hard to put down. The action is dizzyingly fast paced, the plot complicated and multilayered and the characters convincingly well described. It’s a 5 star read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Farrar, Straus and Giroux and Chris Pavone for this ARC.

Chris Pavone is back and in fine form. Two Nights in Lisbon is a superb read with tight plotting and great characters. A read well worth spending time on.

An American woman must do everything to find her kidnapped husband. There is a lot of suspicion by the international authorities as they don't believe her and it starts to make the ready suspect lies too. The varying timelines made the characters more reliable and made the story twist together better. The big twist at the end was too convenient - the reasoning of it all ??? But I still liked the suspense and the possibility of a happily ever after.

Ariel Pryce wakes up in Lisbon, alone. Her husband is gone—no warning, no note, not answering his phone. Something is wrong.
She starts with hotel security, then the police, then the American embassy, at each confronting questions she can’t fully answer: What exactly is John doing in Lisbon? Why would he drag her along on his business trip? Who would want to harm him? And why does Ariel know so little about her new—much younger—husband?
The clock is ticking. Ariel is increasingly frustrated and desperate, running out of time, and the one person in the world who can help is the one person she least wants to ask.
What a great book!! Absolutely loved, loved, loved it. The weaving in and out throughout the book of the events leading up to the present was fantastic. Ariel was so easy to like and I couldn't help but root for her. A very enthusiastic 5 stars.
Thank you NetGalley for the free preview.

First experience with this author but it won’t be my last. The writing in Two Nights in Lisbon was excellent. Well-developed characters with ample background provided. The twists were on the predictable side but the fast-pace of the book kept me interested from start to finish. I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

Ariel Price wakes up in Lisbon, alone. Her husband is gone―no warning, no note, not answering his phone. Something is wrong. She starts with hotel security, then the police, then the American embassy, at each confronting questions she can’t fully answer: What exactly is John doing in Lisbon? Why would he drag her along on his business trip? Who would want to harm him? And why does Ariel know so little about her new―much younger―husband? The clock is ticking. Ariel is increasingly frustrated and desperate, running out of time, and the one person in the world who can help is the one person she least wants to ask.

I’m a huge fan of face paced thrillers and page turners that keep you up way past your bedtime. Sadly, this was not one of those. Ariel is not only annoying and whiny but she you cannot relate to her character. She thinks every man wants to rape her or is a misogynistic asshole, or both. Seriously? She is so stunning that the guys cannot control themselves around her. Nobody takes her seriously because she is a woman and she believes women are seen as hysterical, nonsensical, unintelligent idiots-- and this is not 1959?!. That is not an exaggeration. This narrative truly exhausted me and resulted in so much eye rolling on my part, because it’s embedded into every aspect of this book.

The story line is convoluted. I got lost keeping track of who worked for the Portuguese police, the CIA and the US Embassy. The flash backs between the two timelines lost the tension build up in the present day, and I honestly found myself not even caring what happened to John. Not once was I invested in the characters. Additionally, the plot was way too drawn out. I was excited by the description of this novel, and it had potential, but it fizzled out for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Two Nights in Lisbon.

I was intrigued by the premise so when my request was approved, I was excited.

I've read previous books by the author before so I knew what to expect.

Good writing. Check.

Plenty of exposition and background. Check check.

Main characters that are not who they appear to be. Check for Ariel. Check for John.

Political and government involvement. Check check.

Bad guys. Check. But not who you might think.

Ariel is not likable or unlikable. I didn't dislike her; I sympathized with her but she didn't come off as warm or friendly.

I do think the author writes female characters better than most male authors, and Ariel came off as a strong, resourceful, street smart individual I could relate to in some ways.

Since I read a lot of books like these, I called the twists before they happened; nothing was a surprise.

The writing is good, but the narrative dragged.

There are a lot of characters; the police, the feds, an annoying reporter, Ariel's son and mother, just to name a few; a lot of flashbacks to the past where Ariel remembers who she used to be when she was Laurel Turner, Ariel's lengthy and tedious process in getting help for her kidnapped husband and how she procures the ransom.

There's no suspense and little action, as events slowly play out and the cops and the CIA try to understand why a nobody would be kidnapped.

I think some readers would enjoy Two Nights in Lisbon, especially if they're a fan of the author.

I did enjoy reading about Lisbon, a city that's on my must-visit list.

When Ariel wakes up in her hotel room in Lisbon and finds her husband missing, it turns out to be a much more serious thing than him just running out for an early coffee. When she gets the call that someone is holding him for ransom, everything changes for Ariel in the blink of an eye. Being in a foreign country, not knowing who to trust, Ariel finds herself fighting to get her husband back—no matter what it costs. I’ve never read anything by this author and wasn’t too sure about this one, but boy—was I WRONG! Fast-paced, interesting, and smart! I couldn’t put it down!

Special Note: Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an hones review.

A Paradox Wrapped In An Enigma

You know the old saying, “Oh what tangled webs we weave…”? Chris Pavone has woven a tale that is hard to put down. Ariel Price is in Lisbon, frantic because her husband, John Jones, disappeared before she woke this morning. The authorities, local police, U.S. Embassy, CIA, won’t help her, saying he hasn’t been gone long and will probably show up soon. When he doesn’t, and a ransom is demanded, the hunt goes into high gear and Ariel is questioned again and again to tell everything about her life, starting with why she changed her name in the past, how long has she known John, why does she have a different last name than her husband, how well does she know him? The questions are endless, questioning her over and over again.

I have to admit, I never imagined the end of this story. The way it was all put together, the scatterbrained throes of Ariel in the aftermath of John’s disappearance were leading me in an opposite direction. If you like a good mystery, Two Nights In Lisbon is a great choice. This is the first book I have read by Chris Pavone and I’m looking forward to exploring his other books.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of The Night Shift.

Two brutal rapes happened years apart, but perpetrated by the same man. Now that man is about to become the Vice President of the United States, how far will his victims go to prevent that from happening? Follow newlywed Ariel Pryce as she wakes up in a Lisbon hotel to find her new husband missing. Determined to find him, she tries every authority she can, only to have suspicion thrown back on her due to her own past. Is John's kidnapping staged? Who stands to gain from his kidnapping? John has secrets in his past as well and now, rather than see him murdered, Ariel must blackmail the man she hates most in the world to secure the ransom money. With levels of police and national security forces trailing her every move, Ariel must find a way to save her husband and escape Portugal to return home to her mother and her son. Page turning excitement, twists and double twists will keep the reader guessing until the very end.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
I didn't love it and I didn't hate it. It moved very slow for me.
I have alot of unanswered questions

You think you know a person .

Ariel Price wakes up in Lisbon, alone. Her husband is gone—no warning, no note, not answering his phone. Something is wrong.

Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone, I enjoyed the plot,
Read it yourself and let us know what you think


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