I really enjoyed this thriller. It was refreshing to read something that kept me guessing! I liked the narrator a lot … found the book to be very cleverly funny in places, and always interesting! Well done! Solid read I will happily recommend to my patrons.

Thanks to NetGalley & MacMillan Audio for providing an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've been meaning to read Chris Pavone for awhile now; I like spy stories as much as the next person, and I'd heard good things. This one isn't exactly a spy story, although spies figure into it heavily, as do cops, reporters, embassies, you get the idea. It's about Americans in Lisbon, ostensibly on vacation (for her) and a business trip (for him). I've accompanied my own husband on trips like this, so it's definitely relatable; I sincerely hope my sweetie never gets kidnapped during a short stay in a foreign country.

Ariel is newly married to John, he of the weekend business trip in Lisbon. Ariel is in her middle forties and John is maybe a decade her junior, but they are both attractive people and have been married just a few months. They've known each other not quite a year, but still, Ariel knows something is terribly wrong when she wakes up in their hotel room and John is gone. She staves off her panic until several hours have gone by, but later that morning she visits the police, then the American Embassy, looking for help in finding her husband, after she has exhausted the resources of the hotel staff.

Other reviews have mentioned the length of the book; it's long, that's true. Four hundred-something pages, and I'll admit that it's a bit verbose, sure, but January LaVoy, the voice actor, is no slouch, and she makes the time pass easily. She does a nice job (to my untrained ears, anyway) with Portuguese accents, male timbre, even a slightly grating Southern accent and a teenaged whine. I never had any issues telling one voice from another, which is a triumph for any voice actor, as far as I'm concerned.

Soon, the CIA is involved, after the Embassy rep brings the tale of the possible kidnapping to them. Ariel wanders around Lisbon, and is followed, by cops, by CIA. There is much doubt on behalf of the parties involved, mostly because she reported the disappearance so early in the day, and because she is older than her husband. He was accosted by a woman who claimed to recognize him under another name in a local restaurant; maybe he's holed up with her somewhere? But Ariel knows better. It's not long before an anonymous motorcyclist roars up to her and hands her a burner phone, connected to a person asking for 3 million euros for John's return.

Ariel is a single mom with a run-down farm and a struggling independent bookstore; she doesn't have 3 million euros. She calls her ex-husband, Bucky, who she hasn't spoken to in 14 years. Bucky has money, but not 3M, so Ariel is forced to go back to a time when she was called Laurel, drove a new Range Rover, and "did lunch" with other similar women. Gradually, Pavone reveals Ariel's past, the trauma that led her to abandon that life, jump-cutting between current-day Lisbon and the Long Island of 15 years prior. Ariel contacts a man from that past, and extorts him into wiring her the money. There is a protracted depiction of emails from expensive lawyers, funds coming in from a corporation to cover the request, the vagaries of trying to move big money in a hurry over 4th of July holidays, NDAs and how they generally work. Eventually we arrive at the point where Ariel gives over the money (after working to lose the CIA tail) and gets John returned.

But we're not done yet! Lots more happens, and I guess at this point I did start wondering when we were going to be done. Pavone continually reveals more and more about the man who wired the 3 million (which ends up being 2 million bc of bank holiday issues) and how his past intersects with Ariel/Laurel's, but at this point there aren't many surprises except for the way it went down, and exactly how inextricable is Ariel's life and the life of her family from this man?

Pavone attempts to show a picture of a woman who has been objectified by men her entire life, and I suppose he succeeds, up to a certain point. It does seem like he did his homework wrt how *some* women act in the aftermath of assault/trauma. He does an OK job, but it's still evident that this is a female character written by a man, which is not such a big deal except that it feels like he's really trying to draw an accurate portrait of a woman in the aftermath of trauma. I'm probably being nitpicky, but for a "barnburner" thriller, there's a lot of quiet moments where this woman is examining her feelings around being female in the world. I'm not sure if this is a departure for Pavone or business as usual. It makes for a different sort of heroine (although I suspect that the actual heroine is supposed to be the principled female CIA operative working the case as it heats up).

Not bad, but I'm not in any big hurry to read the back catalog.

This thriller begins with an American couple visiting Lisbon, Portugal and jaunts across different timelines through flashbacks. Ariel Price wakes up to an empty Lisbon hotel room and her husband is missing with no explanation. It was quite an intriguing premise and started off strong, but in the middle slowed down quite a bit. There were a lot of moving parts that didn't seem cohesive, almost like it was at least two different books meshed together. It all came together in the end, but I think it could have been so much stronger if the story was more focused. It was entertaining nonetheless and I enjoyed it for the most part.

This story starts with the main character, Ariel, waking up in Lisbon to find that her husband is missing! With every second that passes, she becomes more and more worried and begins to question everything she knows...and doesn't know about her husband.

I don't want to say too much and give anything away, but I will say that this one surprised me! It was a fun and relatively fast-paced international/political suspense/mystery.

I was able to listen to the audio version thanks to Macmillan Audio and the narrator, January LaVoy did a wonderful job with this one, as she always does! This will be available for purchase on May 24th!

CW: Please be aware that there is a lot of discussion of sexual assault.

Thank you macmillan audio and NetGalley for the audio ARC.
I just finished Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone and it was a fun one if you're in the mood for a fast paced read. There are multiple timelines and POVs and lots of twists to keep you guessing!
I've read other books by the author so I went in expecting mostly a fast adventure. What I found instead was that the author has clearly given a lot of thought to how women feel in certain situations and how politics and trauma can impact a persons life. The narration on this one was also excellent and it was so easy to follow even with the changing POV. This will make a great summer read!

"Two Nights in Lisbon" is exactly the kind of thrill ride we have come to expect from Chris Pavone! It is a fast-paced, heart-pounding adventure through an evocative European locale and I loved every minute. The crux of the story is the abduction of an American businessman on a hot July day in Lisbon, and his wife's relentless pestering of the local police and the American Embassy to find him safely. Her efforts to ensure his safe return--including the acquisition of the two million euro ransom--drive the first 2/3 of the book, and this tale is intertwined with that of her past, which has a great deal of relevance to the present story. But every character is suspicious of everyone else, and you will be too. Filled with exhilarating twists and turns, you will constantly wonder who is telling the truth and who is lying...and why. The audiobook is fabulous; this is a highly recommended, five star thriller. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC!

I loved this book so much I obtained the audiobook for a road trip. It was perfect! January LaVoy's voice was stupendous and kept the pace moving without detracting from the story. Listening to this book enabled me to hear more of the underlying philosophy of this author - he has a way of creating tension but adding humor. Chris is also truly one of those rare male authors that can capture the lives of women.

Ariel Price can't find her husband. She has accompanied him on a work trip to Lisbon, and awakens in the hostel confused and lost. She doesn't speak the language, she doesn't know anyone, she isn't even sure if he's missing - but he's gone without a note or a sign.

Thus starts a massively exciting tale. as Ariel single handedly handles the police, the kidnappers, the CIA and much more. This is the kind of twisty story that is believable yet out of this world. If you want to stay up all night tonight, grab the audiobook for Two Nights In Lisbon. #TwoNightsInLisbon! #netgalley #netgalleyreads
#Macmillanaudio,

This was really good. I've read enough thrillers that I can usually guess what's happening or the plot is way too Byzantine, but this one worked really well.

Review copy provided by publisher.

I was granted access to the audio version of Chris Pavone’s “Two Nights in Lisbon” from Macmillan Audio, and I thank them for the courtesy. The novel was deeply disappointing, but I persevered to finish it at hopes that some miracle would make it better. Sadly, after 14 hours and 31 minutes invested, my hopes were dashed.

With its flashbacks, heavy-handed twists and obvious plot holes, there was little actual suspense. Our heroine has suffered so greatly at the hands of all the evil men and jealous women in her circles, and has finally decided to get woke, demonstrate some agency and get some real revenge. . . all without, virtuously, breaking the requirements of her non-disclosure agreement. It all fell very flat and I found that none of the characters were remotely believable.

I will watch for further stories from Mr. Pavone, but this one was a non-starter for me.
2 stars

Absolutely amazing. There may have been a slight excess of paranoia but maybe not. I loved the ending.
I really enjoyed the two Kate Moore books starting with The Expats. The next two books were not quite as good in my opinion. This one really blows all the others out of the water. Read it.
January Lavoy was excellent as always.

I only made it about 8 chapters in. The main character keeps analyzing everyone she meets, and seems to think herself very knowledgeable about figuring out people. Yet she marries someone after three months who gives her a sleeping pill and walks out of her life unexplainable? I didn’t have a lot of sympathy for a woman that stupid and couldnt continue.

Ariel doesn’t travel often, but her new husband asks her to accompany him on a business trip to Lisbon and she agrees. When she wakes up alone, she immediately feels like something’s wrong. Her husband has been kidnapped and she’ll do anything to get him back.
This was a fast paced thriller and the author did a great job writing timeline jumps and alternating POVs. There were a lot of twists that kept me guessing, but the way the big one was presented is a bit of a head scratcher. I enjoyed this international thriller regardless and how it wrapped up. It’s perfect beach reading so be sure and add it to your summer list.
•
•
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Two Nights in Lisbon - 3.5 stars

I listened to the audiobook of Chris Pavone's thriller, Two Nights in Lisbon, which I found to have a great storyline. I just feel that it needed a bit of organization. There were plenty of interesting twists and turns which kept me intrigued enough to finish the book, even though several times I was lost as to whether I was in the present with Ariel and John or that the author had just segued into the facts of Ariel's prior life with Bucky, her first husband, fourteen years prior.

January LaVoy, the narrator, did a great job of narrating. I did get frustrated when her tone didn't change at all while jumping back and forth between the two timelines of Ariel's two marriages, although it was the writer who controlled the segue.

Pavone wrote a good thriller that often had me holding my breath. Unfortunately, as I was waiting to see what was around the corner, the storyline would revert to Ariel's thoughts from fourteen years prior. These anti-climactic episodes happened several times just as I was on the edge of my seat and caused frustration. I found it took away from the excitement of the novel.

All in all, Pavone wrote a good book that could have been a great book. It won't stop me from reading his prior books as I've read that he has written some good ones.
A 4 star that could have been a 5.

Thanks to #NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and the author for the opportunity to listen to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this book really about only two nights in Lisbon?

The book dragged so much that it felt more like two years in Lisbon.

I selected this audiobook because I am almost always a fan of "spouse goes missing" books.

In addition, the audiobook was read by January Lavoy, one of my favorite female narrators. Usually, I could listen to January Lavoy read the phonebook but not so with this book.

The book's premise was ultra-compelling: Newlyweds Ariel and John are honeymooning in Lisbon and John suddenly disappears. Ariel and John both have backstories and secrets.

Unfortunately, even with a super-talented narrator and an intriguing premise, this book fell flat.

First and foremost, the author's text was tedious, repetitious, and all over the place.

The author's attempt to reveal Ariel's backstory slowed down the pace of a plotline that was already very, very, very slow burn.

This 15-hour audiobook easily could have been a 9-hour audiobook, and I am being kind.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

2 stars rounded up.

Thank you Netgalley for this audio edition of Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone.

This is a great international suspense/mystery/slow burn unfolding novel. It's fast and slow in it's pace and unfolding. Kind of a category of it's own? But I really enjoyed it!

When Ariel wakes up in Portugal, her new husband John is gone without a trace. No notice or warning. Through anonymous messaging she learns that he has been abducted with a steep ransom for his return. Desperate to get him back, she goes to the police, as well as people from her past in order to get John back. But why was he abducted in the first place?

This is a novel that goes DEEP. If you find yourself lost from time to time, that's actually by design, don't get discouraged. I was so pleasantly surprised through the whole novel. I loved the glamour of being in a foreign country, the intriguing characters, the suspense of the rescue, and the slow unpeeling of all the layers of the past. Great novel!

3.5-4 stars. I am a bit torn about this one. I REALLY liked the overall plot and was quickly sucked into the suspense. That said, at over 14 hours, it is a bit of a commitment to get through, and I think it could have been a bit more concisely told. In fact, given that it is meant to be a "quick paced" suspenseful read, this would actually enhance the "quickness" of the paceness. Also, you have to wait until the LAST chapter to really understand the whole concept, which was a little disappointing. I had a figured out a few of the twists, but I did enjoy the final one. Overall, I think that this is still a worthwhile listen/read.

A dual review: I read this one and alternated with the audiobook, ultimately, preferring and finishing, in print.

A bit of a slow start, this mystery quickly speeds up the plot adding many elements to the point of muddling the waters a bit too much. But, a satisfying resolve.

My favorite Pavone remains The Expats, but a fun read.