I didn’t realize the subject of this story was based on the same events of another book I read about a year ago by a different author. “The Trap” is a heartbreaking fictionalized account of numerous missing women in Ireland. It certainly remains relevant, as many of the cases are still unsolved. It is dark and unpleasant, possible triggers for some sensitive readers. The Gardaí do a poor job of investigating, following up or really even caring about the victims. The family members are forever in limbo. A few of the chapters drug on for me and the flow back and forth between characters was bumpy. It only took a day to read, it’s a relatively short book. Kudos to the author for shining a light on these events. I would read more from this author.
Thanks to NetGalley for the digital advance reader copy of “The Trap” by Catherine Ryan Howard, Blackstone Publishing. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.

This was my first book by Catherine Ryan Howard and it will not be my last. I loved this book from start to finish - each chapter ended on a cliffhanger and kept me wanting to find out what was going to happen next! I really loved the multiple POVs and felt like they really added to the propulsive plot! Can't wait to read more from this prolific and well loved crime writer!

Thank you to Blackstone for letting me read this one early. THE TRAP publishes on August 1.

I devoured this book. I couldn't stop thinking about it whenever life forced me to put it down. I'm a full fledged Catherine Ryan Howard fan now. I loved 56 DAYS and now her newest one goes way up on my list of favorites. Go snag your library holds and preorders of this one now!

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.

I was captivated by Catherine Ryan Howard's latest The Trap from the first page! Three missing women, all with cell phones left behind where they disappeared. The Irish Gardai have assembled a special operations unit to find them.

This novel is from multiple perspectives, and I found that it worked really well. The reader doesn't ever languish in any one perspective too long, and the shorter chapters keep the reader on their toes. The perspectives are really interesting: a missing woman's sister Lucy, the serial killer, a civilian staffer named Angela in the Gardai who wants to be an investigator, and a few others that could potentially spoil the story.

This story, while different from The Nothing Man, seems the closest to that one. It does have a bit of a retro vibe, which I really liked. I was on the edge of my seat and couldn't wait to find out the resolution!

Wow! I literally could not put this book down and finished it in less than 24 hours. Suspense without too much gore. Easter eggs referring to one of her earlier books. And a twist at the end that made me re-read the first chapter to see how in the world I missed it. Four stars simply because of the hard subject matter - young women simply vanishing in and around Dublin. I don't want to say more for fear of spoiling it...

My thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the advanced ecopy of this book - pub date 8/1/23.

Truly a heart pounder of a thriller!! This was fantastic, gripping and a true thriller.

Pick this up ONLY when you have time to binge read it, because you won’t want to stop.

The Trap is a psychological thriller about three missing women in Dublin and those determined to find them.
The pacing is fast and twisty, but it did slow down for me in the first half. Things quickly pick back up, and I found myself immersed and unable to put this book do. A young woman walks along a country road in the middle of the night - she has no phone signal whatsoever, and her stiletto heels are killing her. In the distance she hears a car engine, and all too quickly the car is pulling up alongside her. It’s a male driver - does she get in, can he be trusted? She doesn’t really have a choice, stuck out here in the middle of nowhere……
The storyline follows Operation Tide, and its search for a serial killer. Lucy’s sister Nicki is one of the missing persons believed to have been abducted by the killer, but Lucy has no faith in the investigation and decides to take matters into her own hands. Told from multiple points of view, The Trap takes the reader into some scary places. I felt the only downfall with this one I didn't really connect like i wanted to with some of the characters. It was a wonderful thriller though hands down!

Catherine Ryan Howard’s latest thriller The Trap put me into a “trap” while I was reading it!!!! Based in Ireland, this is based on multiple women who go missing. The killer is actually one of the narrators in the chapters and he goes into detail as to how and why he picks his victims. Very creepy! Catherine is such a great story teller in ALL of her books! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release which is due out August 1, 2023.

The first half of The Trap was intriguing, a woman used herself as bait to catch the person who abducted her sister and other women. Told from multiple points if view, the book starts off strong and then all the tension is gone.

Wow. Catherine Ryan Howard has done it again! From the tense opening chapter to the jaw-dropping finale, this book had me on the edge of my seat. The Trap is clever, unique and expertly plotted with an incredibly original twist that will upend everything you think you know. The multiple POVs were all interesting and had me flying through the pages. I do wish a couple of things had been better wrapped up at the end, but it's still an excellent read. You won't want to miss this one when it comes out on August 1, 2023!

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ARC.

Thanks to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this title prior to publication. Catherine Ryan Howard is one of my favorite writers, so I was really excited to get to read this new book pre-release. I was really intrigued that the story was inspired by her own childhood obsession with missing people in the US as well as Ireland's various missing women when she was young. As usual, I loved the Easter eggs to other books she and others have written, and her characters were compelling. I had trouble with the plotting of this one, and I was stunned at where she ended things (can't say more due to spoilers). Still, it was an entertaining read, and I will still read anything she writes, but this was not my favorite. 3 stars.

I am at a loss for words. This book started off strong and kept me gripped up until the halfway point and then it just... I don't even know what to say.

Positives:
+ Setting is in Ireland
+ Loved reading the characters perspectives including the evil one.
+ Fast paced and short chapters
+ Loved the drama that went on with the detectives and guards.

Negatives:
- The main character is so stupid and unlikeable to the point of unbelievability.
- The rest of the characters weren't that great either and I wish we had a received a perspective from one of the side characters that was part of one of the twists (IYKYK)
- The whole situation with the main characters sister's boyfriend was cringe
- Some of the twists were odd to say the least
- The ending

1.5 Stars rounded to 2

Thank you to Netgallery and Blackstone Publishing for this ARC

Women are going missed all over the Dublin area and Lucy's sister is one of them. She just "vanished into thin air". Lucy is determined to find her but she puts herself at risk by looking.

This book is suspenseful. The author also takes on the fascination with true crime and uses shifting perspectives to change what you think of the characters as the book progresses. I really liked this (although I wasn't always sure who I was reading about) and thought it was pretty brilliant. I liked this one just as much as 56 Days and The Nothing Man (please don't make me choose a favorite!) If you like cat and mouse stories or books by Fiona Barton or Alice Feeney, then this is for you.
Catherine Ryan Howard is one of the smartest mystery writers working today and this one should make her proud.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

I found this book to be so unique!! Getting the perspective of the serial killer allows for great psychological study and discussion. I did not see the plot twists coming and I was completely enthralled with Howard's story telling, she has never failed me. I felt that this was one of her best ones yet and I liked it just as much as The Nothing Man, which is my favorite of hers.

A year ago, Lucy’s sister disappeared with out a trace. After the disappearance of another, younger girl, the authorities become convinced there is a serial killer on the loose. Desperate to find answers, Lucy investigates. Meanwhile, Angela, an aspiring police officer, works with a detective to see if there are other victims.

I thought this had a lot of potential but there were some big misses for me here. First, it might’ve been just my arc version, but there were times where it shifted perspectives without any indication or chapter break. Second, the book ends so abruptly! There is basically no resolution, no epilogue, etc.
*spoiler below*
Finally, the main culprit was just completely random. Like we had never seen this person before, no clues, etc. It just was disappointing to me.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

Wow. I received this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

I’m gobsmacked, jaw to the floor right now.

About 60% in, I thought I knew what was going to happen. Nope. Around 80%, same thing: nope. Even on the last page I was like, “What?!”

Loved this book.

If you’re interested in reading about women who go missing, that are loosely based on real missing women (read the acknowledgments first, like Catherine Ryan Howard does), and you enjoy a fast-paced, multiple POV storyline, this is for you.

I’ve read 56 Days (loved that, too!), and will now look at reading more CRH when I’m in the mood for another great thriller.

Wow. Thank you, NetGalley for the arc, and thank you, Catherine Ryan Howard for writing another truly outstanding book.

I enjoy Catherine Ryan Howard but this wasn’t my favorite. I liked the duel perspective and it did keep me intrigued for a while. I would still read more and I think her fans will enjoy this!

DAMN. THAT WAS INSANE.
This was my second Catherine Ryan Howard book, and it didn't disappoint. I am so thankful to Blackstone Publishing, the lovely author, and Netgalley for allotting me advanced digital and physical access to this twisty tale before The Trap publishes on August 1, 2023.

Lucy is desperately looking for her sister Nicki after she suddenly went missing more than a year ago. In fact, other women have been missing from the Dublin-area as well, and little has been done to locate these ladies. As the families continue to grow agitated with their police force, Lucy takes matters into her own hands to meet with a journalist and broadcast their stories to call attention to the abductor in hopes that the girls are still alive.

At the same time, we get POVs from Denise Pope, a detective on the cases, Angela (whose just a common paper-pusher working at a desk, longing to see some action in her day-to-day career), and even the abductor himself, clueing us in on his methods and his processes for being a sadist.

In true Catherine Ryan Howard nature, you won't know what's going on until you finish the book, and even then you'll probably need to sit for moment to look back on what you've just consumed... Trust me yall, this was an easy 5 star read for me.

After a hair-raising beginning, I had a bit of trouble getting into this novel. I had a problem with believability right from the start.

I enjoyed “56 Hours” but this was a much darker psychological thriller.

Looking back on my review, it was the audiobook that made that title enthralling to me, along with the characters.

From the blurb we already know the following: “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.”

There are three women involved in the hunt to find the missing women and/or the abductor. The group of cases are now being dubbed “Operation Tide”.

*Angela, is a member of the Missing Persons Unit but has set her sights on becoming a Garda. A woman from a charity shop brings in the first piece of physical evidence that will begin to unravel one of the cases. She is thrilled to be invited along on the investigations.

*Denise is the detective working on these cases, which together have been named “Operation Tide.”

*Lucy’s life has been turned upside down since her sister’s disappearance. She will stop at nothing to find closure.
.
*The 4th point of view is that of the killer. This one did make my stomach churn. Another case of a “monster hiding in plain sight”.

The novel is very well written with lots of twists and turns. I just couldn’t connect with any of the characters.

The beginning was very atmospheric and the descriptions of the dark rural night, the rain and the absence of many cars on the road immediately puts the reader on edge.

If you are a fan of this author you will enjoy this novel. Publication date is set for August 1, 2023

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley

A great paced thriller is what I've come to expect from Catherine Ryan Howard. Here we jump between narrators, getting that of a victim's sister, a garda trainee, and our serial abductor to name a few, as the mystery begins to unravel. With the perspective shifts, we often find out more information for the other threads. I found Angela's storyline the most interesting, as we get to interact with the resident badass Denise Pope. There's even a fun meta easter egg about The Nothing Man! If she keeps putting out thrillers like this, she'll be in my top authors for sure.

*Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*