3). I think I have read all the Pavone books. His first on, the expats, was a cut above the others but his style has matured and they are all very readable. This one is similar in sequence. A long setup, with just enough layers being peeled back to keep you turning pages, then one dramatic turn after another, until you are fairly twisted around and totally understand what is going on. Certainly entertaining stuff.

Mixed feelings about this one. Fast paced, lots of things going on, goes back and forth with like flash back paragraphs in the middle of the chapters. Her feelings about “patriots” really disappointed me and was not necessary to the story line. So many things happened to the main female character, it’s almost a little to much. It was a fast read, pretty easy to follow and has several twists you don’t see coming, even though I was able to figure out the ending earlier on.

Thanks to Netgalley for my advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Two nights in Lisbon is a mystery following Ariel, a woman who has suffered through tough times and solemnly wants to enjoy her honeymoon in Lisbon with her new husband John. But this illusion is shattered by John's sudden disappearance. Worried about her husband's fate, Ariel tries to solve the mystery with the help of the police, but things from her past keep resurfacing and Ariel has to start doubting who truly is the enemy in her story.


This was sadly not one of my favorite reads. The mystery was very slow, there were practically no clues, so that the reader couldn't guess the mystery. The book focussed very much on being a woman in society and whilst that is for sure an important topic and I liked the commentary on it, it got a bit too much at a point, where I couldn't connect the commentary to the story anymore. The ending was great and had some good plot twists, but it wasn't enough to heighten my rating. Every time I put the book down, I didn't feel the urge to pick it back up. That does not mean that the book was bad in any way whatsoever, there was just nothing that pulled me, specifically, in. Nevertheless, I think this book would be enjoyed by many thriller enthusiasts.

Initially I felt that the storyline of a wife missing her spouse could be so very interesting. It just seemed too wooden and flat. I'm sure it's a wonderful book, but I read half of the book and had to put it down.
It just didn't interest me.

Great twists and turns. Kept me interested the entire time. Was sometimes difficult to follow as it would flashback without warning but that is just something that I struggle with. Overall I recommend this book.

I recieved a copy of this book for an honest review. The author certainly builds the suspense of a missing husband the first morning in Lisbon and I give it 3 stars for being very well written, however I have not finished the book and do not expect to do so. I have read 25% and find that slow moving mysteries are just not to my liking. I am sure many readers will thoroughly enjoy the journey.

Ariel Pryce wakes up in her hotel room in Lisbon to find her husband, John Wright, missing. Soon Ariel is in contact with the local police and the American embassy, and even the CIA gets dragged into the case. Although everyone thinks Ariel is overreacting, John has indeed been kidnapped and Ariel must take drastic measures to secure the enormous ransom, triggering some political intrigue at the highest levels of the American government. But is John really who he says he is? Can anyone be trusted, including Ariel?

I thought this international thriller had an interesting premise and a promising start. I really enjoyed the Lisbon setting and the political intrigue. The plot is rather convoluted and the book felt long at close to 450 pages, especially in the flashback-heavy middle section. The structure of short bursts of action constantly interrupted by flashbacks to Ariel’s traumatic past felt jarring and could easily have been avoided. In addition to the choppy plot, the quick jumps between local cops, agents, embassy officials, reporters, and characters from Ariel’s past became distracting and I often found myself losing my concentration. Toward the end, however, the puzzle pieces began to fall into place and the ending had a few clever twists.

I appreciated the well written unreliable characters, the surprising turns in the plot, and the lovely Portuguese setting. Even though I found it a bit lacking, you might enjoy this suspenseful novel, especially if you’re a fan of political and psychological thrillers with an international flavor.

Check content warnings for violence, gaslighting, sexual abuse, and rape.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux, MCD for allowing me to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I seem to be on a kidnap/ransom kick lately with tv programs, so why not enjoy a book in the same vein? This suspenseful page-turner kept me guessing throughout the book. Who is Ariel, really? Why would anyone want to kidnap her husband? I loved the skillful writing and the short chapters. The Lisbon setting drew me in, as well.

I had not read this author before. I will definitely pick up more of his books! Thanks to NetGalley and @fsgbooks for the ARC.

A great premise and an excellent story that moves quickly and has plot twist after plot twist. Ariel Price wakes up in Lisbon, alone, her husband nowhere in sight. Maybe he went foe a run. He didn’t. Maybe he had an early business meeting. He didn’t. Where was he? Was he safe? In a foreign country, how could she find him, and just as important, who could she trust? Friends and enemies aren’t easily determined. Ariel quickly realizes she actually knows very little about her younger husband and even less about why he brought her on this business trip. Confused, disoriented, scared, and frustrated at every turn, she is forced to seek help from the last person on earth she wanted to talk to. An excellent international thriller

DP Lyle, award-winning author of the Jake Longly and Cain/Harper thriller series

Large cast of unlikeable characters but a good mystery that kept me guessing between 2-3 possible scenarios. I enjoyed descriptions of life in Lisbon.
Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley for review.

This is an excellent, well written intelligent thriller. A long story but a lot of wisdom, observations about the world mixed in the story. A strong female lead, whose husband goes missing. A strong female with secrets from her past, a husband with secrets from his past. Politics, fbi, cia and local police, all looking at them with suspicion. My first book from this author but will go back and read his others, was surprised to find out the author was a man since he understood so much about women and power dynamics/sexism.

Ariel, in Lisbon on a business trip with her husband John, awakens to find John gone, and she’s unable to locate him. Two Nights in Lisbon is a wild, thrilling ride that just kept getting better and better as the story unfolds. Relentless suspense, crisp dialogue and twist after twist has you powering through this book. The story is told entirely through the POV of Ariel, a deeply hurt character whose anger is palpable on practically every page. This is a powerful book with a central theme that will anger and shock you as the layers of Ariel’s life are peeled back with each chapter as the storylines merge. One of the best books I’ve read in a while, a no-doubter 5 stars. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher @fsgbooks through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ariel Pryce wakes up in Lisbon, Portugal to find her husband missing. She had accompanied him on a business trip and the two had a steamy tryst just the night before. Ariel tries to reach her husband, but is unsuccessful. So goes to the local police and embassy to try and get help. The authorities don't seem like they take her seriously and I don't blame them. Ariel has little information to share including photos of her husband or details about his work assignment.

Interspersed with her search are hints about Ariel's past. She changed her name over a decade ago and she seems to have secrets to hide. Same with her husband, as we soon find out.

I didn't enjoy this thriller. The premise is intriguing (albeit a little conventional) but the execution fell flat for me. The writing was all over the place. For example, Ariel would be running away from someone she thinks is stalking her and then the next thing we know, there's a flashback of her life as a bookseller. The time/location jumps were jarring. The prose was also not fluid. Ariel, as a protagonist, was also flat and not charismatic. There was nothing about her that made you want to root for her and see her journey to the end.

Perhaps, the writing just didn't suit my taste. But others may enjoy it.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

Good thriller. Slow to start, but gets better. Ariel and John are newly married on a business trip in Lisbon, Portugal. She awakens to find him missing. We slowly learn background on former lives for Ariel that have impacted her. Through twists and turns the mystery is solved. Contemporary themes that need narrative illustrated in stories such as these. Story wasn't a can't "put it down" as suggested by John Grisham though.

"Two Nights in Lisbon" is a solid 4.5 star effort from Chris Pavone. The action is fast paced and the characters are very nicely developed. The plot has just enough twists to keep the reader guessing. As I got near the end of the book, I had decided how the book could end perfectly. And it did!

If you want a good read that can be picked up and put down at multiple points, but one that still calls you to return this is your book. I now plan to go back and read other offerings from Chris Pavone. Very well written!

If you like international thrillers that keep you guessing, this is perfect. It reminded me of The Power Couple but with a completely different approach. I wasn't entirely sure where it was going but as things clicked into place, I thought the narrative was tightly woven.. I've not read this author before but will def pick up other books.

Two Nights In Lisbon by Chris Pavone is a gripping international, psychological thriller. Pavone weaves a compelling story within a story. A definite page turner. The epilogue will take the reader by surprise! Each Pavone book gets better and better!

Two Nights in Lisbon

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was drawn to this book by its enticing description - a story of international intrigue co-mingling with a deeper and more personal mystery.

Ariel Price and her husband John travel to Lisbon for a business trip of his. But their first morning there Ariel awakes go find her husband has vanished. What follows is a combustible exploration of both Ariel & John's lives, from a cast of characters all over the world. The first question is just how far Ariel will go to get her missing husband back safely, and from there the story rapidly spirals outward as new nuggets of information are exposed.

While I felt the story started a bit slowly, about 30 pages in I was hooked. Author Chris Pavone has created a nuanced tale that he exposes in layers, leaving you guessing and then refining those guesses as new information comes to the fore. In fact I still hadn't put the entire picture together by the epilogue! If you like mysteries and suspense, this is the bok for you!

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

Ariel Pryce is in Lisbon, accompanying her husband, John, who has a business meeting in the city. But when she wakes up one morning, John is gone.

When he doesn’t answer his phone, he hasn’t left a note, she is sure something is wrong. Ariel seeks help from hotel security, from the police, from the American embassy. Everyone has questions, but Ariel doesn’t have all the answers.

As time passes, Ariel grows more and more desperate, frustrated by her inability to get the help she needs.

What happened to John Price? Was his disappearance something he’d planned? Or has something happened to him? And how can Ariel get the answers she so desperately needs?

=========

With a strong sense of place, believable, nuanced characters, and a compelling, complex plot, this narrative grabs the reader from the outset. The slow revelation of Ariel’s backstory gives readers a stronger understanding of her resiliency, her determination . . . and her secrecy.

Readers will find this exemplary thriller both engaging and intriguing, with multi-layered, timely sub-plots, deceptions, and secrets. Power, politics, and money all play a part in the telling of the tale.

The plot twists and turns, offering readers surprising revelations as it races along, spinning its web of intrigue. As the unfolding story takes the reader in unforeseen directions, it regularly changes everything they think they know, leading to an unexpected, but satisfying denouement.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Farrar, Straus and Girous, MCD and NetGalley
#TwoNightsinLisbon #NetGalley

5 STARS!

When wanderlust takes over in the midst of a pandemic, there is only one author who can scratch that itch: Chris Pavone. Pavone transports his readers to international locales, deftly bringing you along on a fast-paced tour of European cities. Through rich details about the people, architecture, and culture, Two Nights in Lisbon will have you hopping a cable car, nibbling petiscos, and sprinting down cobbled streets after April Pryce as she tries to track down her husband who has been kidnapped.

After a whirlwind romance, April finds herself alone in Lisbon, Portugal, her new husband seemingly missing. She does what any reasonable person would do: goes to the hotel staff, the local police, the American embassy in an attempt to find her missing husband. But missing changes quickly to kidnapped when April gets a call from a mysterious voice demanding a massive ransom in exchange for John’s safety. She’s forced to ask the one person she’d hoped to never speak to again.

Pavone weaves April’s personal struggle into a deftly crafted political and international thriller. You will race through these pages, cheering for April and all that she’s overcome. I appreciate the delicacy with which the author is able to address difficult topics (TW: rape), not in any way gratuitous. This is a book for readers who love a juicy mystery, excellent character development, and high speed adventures. Huge thanks to Chris Pavone, the publisher, and NetGalley for a digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

#TwoNightsinLisbon #NetGalley