Intriguing, may be a little slow but the end surprised me!
Thank to Netgalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux, MCD for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Two Nights in Lisbon is the latest political thriller from Chris Pavone. One morning in Lisbon Ariel Pryce's husband left his hotel and didn't come back. After only a couple of hours of not being reached Ariel goes to both the local police and the US Consulate but neither seem to be able to help but both are now very suspicious. Later that day Ariel is stopped on the street and handed a disposable phone and gets a ransom request, 3 million euros. How is Ariel going to get that kind of money. It looks like she will have to contact someone very powerful from her past in order to get her husband back.

This is an enjoyable story with lots of twists and turns that any suspense fan would like.

I’d visited Lisbon so that was one of the attractions of this book as well as the description of it. An American woman’s husband disappears and she searches for him. I found the book jumped around a lot sometimes interrupting the flow of the narrative at crucial points to flash back to provide background. It tended to slow things down too much. The plot wasn’t altogether convincing but there’ were some good bits where the action got exciting. Could have done with more like that. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

Ariel Price woke up in Lisbon and her husband John was nowhere to be found. John traveled for business frequently, but this was the first time that Ariel traveled with him. Why did she wake up alone? Apparently John did not take a lot with him so Ariel doubts his sudden disappearance is work-related.

Ariel and John are relative newlyweds. In fact, they live mostly apart due to John's work, so after going to the Lisbon police Ariel was not able to provide a lot of answers about John regarding his type of work, or where he could possibly be.

Drama involving the father of Ariel's teen son comes into play when a ransom demand for John is made. Ariel's life comes full circle when she is forced to approach her son's father while she hopes to satisfy whoever apparently kidnapped John so that she can get him back alive.

In this intriguing read, Ariel is in a race against time doing whatever she can to get John back. However, secrets begin unraveling, albeit at somewhat of a slower pace in this book, all while proving that sometimes we don't even know those who should be closest to us.

Many thanks to MCD and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Ariel Pryce wakes up in Lisbon, alone. Her husband is gone. No note. Nothing. His phone goes straight to voicemail.

The Lisbon cops can’t help her. The US Embassy is not really interested. The ransom demand is more money than she can raise.

This smart, intricate novel proves that there are many forms of justice, and that karma can indeed be a bitch. Recommended. #TwoNightsInLisbon #NetGalley #SaltMarshAuthors

Slow at times and at times annoying knowing a man wrote this and the main character is a woman. I actually rolled my eyes a couple of times because women don't feel and say that stuff. The suspense was real, I felt it and the twists and turns were excellent.
Bravo!

I was excited to read this just days before my trip to Lisbon. I enjoy the genre and if I can learn something while reading that is even better. I did not learn much about Lisbon but there were some references to locations and things I learned while there.
The story is a twisting thriller of 'what is really going on' type genre. I enjoyed the book, having only read one other from the author. I thought some of the interrogation by the foreign interviewers was a little far-fetched within the timeline of the story, it was necessary for the story. I would recommend it if you like twisty not quite sure what the end will be kind of stories.

Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux/MCD on May 24, 2022

Before she changed her name, Laurel Turner was raped at a party hosted by her rapist, who was both a well-known businessman and her wealthy husband’s business partner. Years later, he became a powerful politician. As we have learned from #MeToo, powerful men have a long history of sexually abusing women without consequence.

After dumping her unsupportive husband, Laurel changed her name to Ariel Pryce and bought a bookstore in a small town where she raised her son. She eventually married John Wright, a younger man who earned a good living doing something related to finance.

The story begins in Lisbon. Wright is there on a business trip and has taken Ariel with him, something he never did before. He goes out for coffee in the morning while Ariel is still sleeping and is kidnapped as he leaves the hotel. When she discovers he is missing, Ariel spends a frantic day talking to the police and the American Embassy, where she attracts the attention of the CIA. Ariel receives a ransom demand for more money than she has, forcing her to seek help from the one person she never wanted to see again — a person who is forced to help because Ariel is positioned to ruin his life if he doesn’t.

Nobody is quite sure whether to believe Ariel, as kidnappings in Lisbon are rare and Wright does not seem like an obvious kidnap victim. The CIA doesn’t know what to make of Wright’s sister, who recently traveled to Lisbon from her home in Morocco. The reader will probably be equally puzzled by events that don’t quite add up. That’s part of the fun in a novel that invites the reader to guess the truth about the characters’ motivations.

While the novel’s focus is on Ariel, other notable characters include Lisbon police officers, a CIA agent in Lisbon who keeps an eye on potential threats to national security, a lawyer pal of Ariel, and a newspaper reporter. Ariel is the only character who is presented in full, but characterization of supporting players is adequate for a plot-driven novel.

The story explores a couple of social issues, particularly the use of nondisclosure agreements to conceal evidence of sexual abuse. The tendency of the public to judge others based on evidence-free media posts — and their feeling of entitlement to confront those they judge — is a lesser theme, but one that is certainly timely.

A reader might guess the truth behind Wright’s kidnapping, or at least some of it, but a substantial part of the ending is likely to come as a surprise. Chris Pavone develops the clever plot with skill, keeps the first two-thirds of the story in rapid motion, and conveys Ariel’s sense of anxous urgency as she deals with characters from whom she needs help. Pavone also conveys the consequences of the kidnapping plot on Ariel’s life, creating sympathy and support for Ariel that extends beyond her victimization. The novel loses some energy in its later stages, but Ariel’s ability to take charge of her life makes it easy to cheer for her until the story reaches its satisfying conclusion.

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This one was a little slow moving for me and took me a bit for me to really connect with the characters, but once I did, I powered through the book quickly!

I read all the hype surrounding this book and it did not disappoint. I was hooked from the very beginning. Such a great story.

I absolutely loved this book!! It was such a fun surprise! It was so twisty and it was so fun to see what happened around each corner and guess how it was going to end. My only complaints are that it was very long.. and yes by the end I was like okay, the details were important. But I really wish it would’ve been under 400 pages. And I feel like I still have a couple questions at the end, one that doesn’t make much difference in the book but one I’m curious about. And the other I just had a question on the ending. But otherwise really fun suspense book!

Wow, just wow! This is an explosive, wickedly smart, and superbly crafted thriller. The current drama is set in Lisbon (one of my favorite cities) with tentacles reaching back to current day U.S. and many years ago…that’s all I’ll say. John Wright is on a business trip in Lisbon and his wife Ariel Pryce has accompanied him. When she wakes up in the morning, John is not beside her. Nobody has seen him and no one knows where he is. Ariel quizzes the hotel staff, reports his disappearance to the Lisbon police, and informs the U.S. embassy - asking them to help find him. Each group is skeptical - how could someone just disappear, besides it’s only been a few hours since Ariel woke up and found him gone, he’ll be back soon. But Ariel knows something is wrong…I was hooked right away with the first chapter and the adrenalin didn’t let up until the last page. Multilayered and shifting back and forth in time, incidents, and conversations, this is a brilliantly well-orchestrated book. I love how Pavone drops a couple of crumbs and then pivots to another scene giving the reader half a second to ponder “what was that?” but then having to swiftly attend to the next juicy bit. All the characters in the book were so well created. Ariel is real and relatable - is she just an overly worried newly wed, a bit naive and hoodwinked by her younger husband? Is she hiding something? The mysterious John Wright - how much does Ariel know about him? How well does she know him? And the Portuguese cops and U.S. embassy “staff” - all with unique characteristics and descriptions you felt you knew them. I so enjoyed this international thriller, which had a great sense of place - I felt I was in Lisbon with Ariel moving through the streets of the city and trying her best to communicate while not speaking the language. For those who like to read books set around the world, this would be a great book to check off Lisbon, Portugal for setting. It’s not often that I totally agree with a blurb marketing a book, but in this case, I’d say it couldn’t have been better stated: “With sparkling prose and razor-sharp insights, bestselling author Chris Pavone delivers a stunning and sophisticated international thriller that will linger long after the surprising final page.” I’ve read one other book by the author, which was just an “okay” read for me. I wasn’t interested in delving into another Pavone book until a couple of GR friends whose opinions I respect gave it good reviews, and I’m glad I did! I’d rate this book excellent and highly recommend it. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I did like this story but felt as if the plot had been used before. This was a good quick summer read. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance read.

Ariel Pryce wakes up in Lisbon to find her husband gone from their hotel room. They are there for a business trip for her husband but she knows no details about the client he's there to see. There is no note left for her and after a few hours, she attempts to report him missing to the local police. They are less than helpful. She keeps pursuing until the police agree that he is missing, possibly kidnapped.

When a ransom note is received, events are put into place for Ariel to try to get her husband back. There are red herrings thrown in to keep you guessing.

Overall, a very good and entertaining book.

3.5 stars rounded up. Two Nights in Lisbon is a page-turner, and exactly what I was looking for when I picked it up. Perfect summer beach read, fast paced, easy and fun. There were a few sections that could be cut to keep it moving faster, but overall, I was thoroughly entertained and looked forward to when I could get back to the book!

Ariel Pryce accompanies her new husband John Wright on a business trip to Lisbon, Portugal. When she wakes up in the morning in their hotel room, John is gone. He has simply vanished. Initially, the authorities don’t take his disappearance too seriously. Convinced her husband has been kidnapped, Ariel eventually gets the attention of the local police and the American Embassy. When Ariel receives a demand for 3 million euros for ransom, the situation gets very tense, and the CIA gets involved. Who is John Wright and why would someone kidnap him? It doesn’t take long for the CIA to figure out that John is not who he says he is. And it appears that Ariel is also hiding things. With time running out, Ariel is forced to turn to the absolutely last person she ever wanted to speak to again, but he is the only one who has the money she needs to save her husband.

𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝗯𝗼𝗻 starts as a traditional missing/kidnapped husband thriller but the plot gets complicated and evolves into tense political intrigue. Author Chris Pavone’s book starts strong and held my interest throughout. In addition to rooting for Ariel, a strong character, I particularly liked Pete Wagstaff, the American reporter working in Lisbon who is determined to uncover who is behind the kidnapping and the identity of the person who gave Ariel the ransom money. If he is correct, he’s on the verge of a huge story. I recommend checking out this twisty, smart, engaging book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this early copy to review.

The story line was a little frustrating but in the end I did enjoy the story.

Thank you to to the publisher for the ARC. While I loved the authors’s previous book, The Expats, I did not enjoy this. It was way too long, and for a thriller, really nothing happened. There was a lot of running through Portugal with very little pay off. Plus I hated the main character.

I received a free copy of Two Nights in Lisbon from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Although this is a thrilling premise, I stopped reading at 25%. Although it wasn't for me, it might be great for you.

4 Solid Kept Me Wanting To Know If I Was Right Stars
* * * * Spoiler Free- A VERY Quick Review
This was a fast read, liked the moments, and it introduced me to a new author.
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Just Starting So Far A Page-Turner...