One year ago Lucy’s sister, Nicki, left her friends at a Dublin pub and vanished into the night. Nobody seemed to care that Nicki went missing until a wealthy debutant is snatched outside of her home in what appears to be a string of connected cases. Lucy, not seeing the results she wants, takes matters into her own hands to catch the man responsible. Angela, a civilian from the Missing Persons Unit, discovers something that could potentially solve the case of the missing women or destroy her dreams of joining the Irish police force. A man who has never been captured for his crimes is about to share all of his secrets with one woman…his latest victim.

The Trap is an exciting new twisty thriller that takes you once again into the mind of a killer. I really enjoy how the reader is given the killer’s perspective (much like her novel The Nothing Man). This story primarily follows Lucy who is searching for his sister. She appears to be a victim in case involving several missing women. About to give up on her search for the killer, a new clue indicates the women might still be alive. Another thing that I found interesting was reading about the authors childhood and how she was inspired for this novel. This was such a quick entertaining read for me…I highly recommend checking out this new twisty thriller.

The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard is a well written mystery thriller!Lucy is searching for answers to the mystery of what happened to her sister Nicki who disappeared after a night out at a pub with her friends.Three women have disappeared in the last three years and Lucy cannot find peace until she finds answers to what caused the disappearance of her sister.Angela wants to be a Garuda-a full fledged policeman.Now she is just a civilian working in the office of missing persons.She wants o sole the case and has some clues.You will not want to stop reading The Trap until you come to the stunning conclusion.This book will be enjoyed by those who love mysteries and thrillers!Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read this ARC of The Trap!.

Thank you Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of Catherine Ryan Howard’s newest thriller! I enjoyed 56 Days so I was excited to pick up The Trap.
After several young women have gone missing, Lucy takes matters into her own hands in an effort to find out the truth about what happened to her sister. Told from alternating points of view, we also hear from the killer himself, which makes for a few hair-raising chapters.
Out August 1st —- be sure to check it out!

The Trap is a great book! I am a huge fan of Catherine's books and was stoked to get approved for an ARC of The Trap. This story was insane and kept me on my toes. I loved the different view points throughout the book, yet you didn't know who the person was from one viewpoint until the end. Highly recommend.

The Trap was so good! I flew through it and couldn’t put it down.
In Ireland, a few women went missing and were believed to have been victims of the same crime due to similar circumstances. The book was in multiple POVs from one of the sisters to a civilian working for the Missing Persons Unit to an unnamed man with a dark secret.
The cases and the family members left behind were intriguing and the man’s POV was captivating and awful at the same time. You’d think with these POVs, we’d have a clear picture of what happened, but there were twists and turns throughout the investigation that were unpredictable and shocking.
I don’t want to spoil anything, but I really loved the way it all came together and the way it ended. I definitely recommend this book and it’s the perfect late summer thriller to stash in your beach bag or curl up with on the couch.

The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard

One year ago, Lucy’s sister went missing. Now three Irish woman are all missing altogether. Convinced, this is the work of a serial killer, Lucy is desperate to do anything to find her sister, even if it means putting herself in direct sight of the serial killer.

I really enjoyed the storyline but felt a little frustrated by the end (no spoilers) but it left me with some questions. The first half of the book felt faster than the second. It follows multiple narrators but mostly Lucky, Angela (Missing Persons Unit within Guard) and the serial killer. It was a unique plot for a thriller, I hope you pick this one up!

If you have a fascination with true crime and serial killer stories this book is for you. I was in the story from the very beginning. You can’t help but sympathize with the main character right away. A woman looking for her sister who has been missing for a year, she is tortured by the unknown, desperate. Wondering if her sister is alive or dead, needing closure and doing anything to get it. You will follow her on her desperate journey to find answers. I was surprised by the perspective of the serial killer. This does not have a happy ending. It is a story that has definitely darkened my mood. It touches on the subject of not all missing women get the same attention from the press or law enforcement. Definitely line up a happy read when your done with this one, it’s dark.

Wow!
This book was AWESOME! Catherine Ryan Howard knows how to write amazing thrillers (The Nothing Man still creeps me out, a year later), so when I got my hands on this ARC I was over the moon.
This is my third book from her and she’s for sure in my must read author list.

I was immediately pulled in, and got an eerie, creeped out feeling from the very start. This book was sooo twisty and I loved the surprised. The theories and guesses were swirling in my head.
There were so many times I felt on edge while reading, and if a thriller can do that…well, then it’s fantastic.
It was so well written and the plot was carefully planned out so there was never a dull moment…and that all makes this one super binge worthy!!!!

Hearing from multiple POVs made this one great and I loved the characters (but you know I actually hated some of them). They were all linked together, yet had such different roles in this story so I loved getting to really dive into their minds.
I thought it was super clever to throw in the serial killers point of view, which was chilling, and also the chapters I really looked forward to.

I thought the ending was brilliant- it left enough room for your mind to run wild and will keep this book in your mind for a long time!

I find it really interesting when we get the killer’s perspective in thrillers. This book down’s try to humanize the person responsible and their POV is interspersed between two other characters we follow along, Angela and Lucy.

Lucy eats and sleeps her sister’s missing person case and spends most of her time dangerously trying to find the person responsible for her disappearance. Multiple women have gone missing now and she becomes increasingly intent on finding out what happened.

Angela is a civilian who wants nothing more than to be on the police force. She becomes instrumental in the investigation into the missing women.

There is a task force in charge of seeking out the missing women but there is a group of people close to the case who feels they are not doing enough. We get so many intersecting characters in this intense story.

I feel like even though there is a lot happening in this story, it has a very character driven plot. You really get involved in the brains of these characters; their day to day lives, how they act, how they think, and i really enjoyed that aspect of this book. This was my first book from this author and I am so intrigued by the writing style.

I was a little underwhelmed by the ending, but it felt realistic in a sense. The human brain is a strange place, with Catherine Ryan Howard showcasing that dry well.

This author has quickly become one of my favorites! I like the character development, and the spooky scenes and all of the books. I feel like this one, has an amazing creepy setting. Unbelievable characters. This is now an auto buy author for me!

This was a solid, reliable thriller read, but it didn't wow me. I was a fan of Catherine Ryan Howard's previous work.

Lucy's sister Nicki went missing a year ago and is presumed to be one of three victims of a serial killer. The local PD has a task force set up, but Lucy doesn't feel they are doing all they can.

The book had a plot twist, and what I would describe as a plot twist within a plot twist, that I can't fully explain without spoilers.

I couldn't decide if everything felt a little disjointed, or if it all fit together too perfectly. It felt a little like I was reading more than one book.

The premise had serious potential, but it fell a little flat, and there were a lot of things that were left unanswered.

This is a tough one to review adequately because of spoilers. I would describe the book as fine, but not memorable.

I will say that I didn't particularly like the main character. She made some incredibly dumb decisions.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review.

The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard is a mystery about missing women that has you guessing right up to the very end. Nicki, Lucy's sister, has been missing and Lucy is obsessed with finding her. She puts herself in dangerous situations hoping to find out what happened to Nicki. This book moves along quickly and had me going back and re-reading the ending to understand exactly what had happened. Read and enjoy!

Outlier 🏝️ 2.5 STARS

I struggled with this one from the beginning..... help!

Operation Tide is investigating the disappearance of three missing women, hoping to find and arrest the killer. Lucy is determined to find her sister, Nicki. She can't wait on the authorities. She decides to go out on a hunt and puts herself in a situation that I found very hard to believe! It was a s-t-r-e-t-c-h to say the least.

This type of story should be fast moving, but was very slow and drawn out for me.The killer pov was beyond creepy (I couldn't help but think of the Gilgo Beach killer that was just caught). It was also very dark, had unlikeable characters that struggled to feel authentic, and had an ending that left me annoyed. Really? The end?

Others have raved about this one, so check out all the reviews! I'm a lonesome outlier and just wasn't a fan of this book. I'll still try again with the author!

FANTASTIC!! BANGER ALERT!! Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a really creepy and totally engrossing psychological mystery thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat to the very end!! This is the first book I have read by Catherine Ryan Howard and it did not disappoint! The suspense, tension, fast pacing, multiple POV's, unique plot, unexpected twists and turns and an amazing ending is what makes this an OUTSTANDING thriller! I was hooked from the very beginning and could not stop reading! I absolutely loved it so much!!♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

The Trap is about missing women in Dublin and the broken-hearted families determined to find them. Lucy will do whatever it takes to find her sister, Nikki, who disappeared over a year ago. Being extremely frustrated with the officials leading the investigation, Lucy decides to take matters into her own hands. YIKES!! 😬 What happens next is terrifying and I found myself screaming, NO!!!! DO NOT GET IN THE CAR!!

The sequence of events were portrayed from three different perspectives: victims, law enforcement and the killer! Yes, we get the chilling privilege of listening to the serial killer describe how he choses his victims and why he does it. I will say that the ending is a bit open-ended. It totally worked for me but some readers might not be satisfied. The epilogue was perfection!

Overall, I was completely captivated from start to finish! Yep, another book to put on my best thriller list for 2023!! Do yourself a favor and read this book because it deserves all the stars!!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is scary and intense, and just what I hoped for when seeing Catherine Ryan Howard had a new novel coming out. I couldn't get through it fast enough, and I am already eagerly anticipating her next book. 5 stars!

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I could not put this down. I needed to understand what happened.

I struggled a bit with the galley copy and it was difficult to keep the points of view straight at times. The twists were incredible and I’m still thinking about the ending.

While this book had a really interesting start, I found myself bored rather quickly. I wouldn't call it a thriller as much as slightly suspenseful. I really wish the story propelled me a little more.

Personal review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Loved the true crime aspect of this novel and Nicki’s character / I read this on a trip to Dublin, which was the perfect read! Although it took me a while to get into, I really enjoyed when I did. This is the story of three missing women in Ireland and the twisted connection, which now seems like a terrifying novel to read on my part! 😂

Synopsis: One year ago, Lucy’s sister, Nicki, left to meet friends at a pub in Dublin and never came home. The third Irish woman to vanish inexplicably in as many years, the agony of not knowing what happened that night has turned Lucy’s life into a waking nightmare. So, she’s going to take matters into her own hands.

Angela works as a civilian paper-pusher in the Missing Persons Unit, but wants nothing more than to be a fully-fledged member of An Garda Síochána, the Irish police force. With the official investigation into the missing women stalled, she begins pulling on a thread that could break the case wide open -- and destroy her chances of ever joining the force.

A nameless man drives through the night, his latest victim in the back seat. He’s going to tell her everything, from the beginning. And soon, she’ll realize: what you don’t know can hurt you …

The Trap follows Lucy, a woman who is haunted by the disappearance of her sister. Her coping mechanism is trolling the streets of Ireland, getting picked up by strangers to try and lure out her sister’s abductor by putting herself in danger. Then there is a determined cop and an even more determined Missing Persons Unit wannabe cop who team up to try and solve the case. And then of course there is the killer. Told through these multiple POVs, a thrilling mystery weaves itself together with some crazy twists and turns. I was so invested in this book, and there is a particularly brutal twist in the last third that I really can’t get over. This book apparently references other Catherine Ryan Howard books, and admittedly I’m late to the party and just started my trek into her backlist with her last book Run Time (which I loved), so I missed the references. But I really like her writing style. I already ordered The Nowhere Man and can’t wait to start my deep dive.

This review will be posted on my instagram closer to the pub date @boozehoundbookclub

I enjoyed the other Catherine Ryan Howard book immensely and was quite excite to jump into The Trap. Sure enough, the story grabbed me immediately and I loved the ride. There were times that I had to work to suspend my disbelief, but because the writing is strong and the story is a quick mover I was able to do so successfully. This is a fun, unique twist on the missing woman thriller and it's worth your time and money to pick up a copy.