WTF! Seriously, W.T.F. This was something else. Whoa. Creepy. Chilling. Twisty.

From award-winning, internationally bestselling crime writer Catherine Ryan Howard comes The Trap: an unsettling mystery inspired by a series of still-unsolved disappearances in Ireland in the 90s, wherein one young woman risks everything to catch a faceless killer.

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 …

This was nuts. Very very very creepy. Extremely disorienting. So many twists that I'm dizzy. I would have liked more closure at the end, but ultimately this was a satisfying read. What an experience!

Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone publishing for the advanced reader copy. The Trap will be available on
August 1, 2023.

This was interesting from a historical standpoint. I can't say this was my favorite from Howard, it was still informative. I missed her seat of the pants thriller parts that I had read in her past novels.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Lucy wants to know what happened to her sister, Niki, and is willing to go to any extreme to find her. Niki was one of several women who has gone missing over the past several months. One woman was only 17 years old, with a mother who has been advocating fiercely for information. The other women were older and thus have had more time to not be perfect, which apparently is something the public needs to care about them.

This was told from multiple points of view—victims, law enforcement, the killer—and it had its moments, but parts were confusing and thus not enjoyable.

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novel, which RELEASES AUGUST 1, 2023.

Holy crow, Catherine Ryan Howard does it again with another whopper of a story! I seriously can’t say enough good things about this book. I promise you readers, whatever you expect the ending to be, it won’t be what you read. What an intense ride, and the twists and turns built up to a pace where I had no idea which direction was up. Even better that the story was loosely inspired by real events. Absolutely fantastic!

Huge thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!

Clever and Captivating

The Trap is a psychological thriller about three missing women in Dublin and those determined to find them.

Lucy will do anything to find her sister, Nicki, who disappeared without a trace a year ago. Angela, a civilian working in the Missing Persons Unit, finds a clue that could help unravel the entire case. A killer shares their story about what drives them to kidnap, abuse, and murder. All three narratives are uniquely tied together. I liked Angela’s character best, but I found the killer’s chapters the most intriguing.

The first chapter ends with a twist that hooked me! I thought this book was going to go in a similar direction to Strange Sally Diamond and The Quiet Tenant, but thankfully it goes in a different direction. Additional twists are woven throughout the narrative. They are clever and surprising and turn the missing girl's trope on its head.

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 down.

The ending is somewhat open-ended. It worked for me, but some readers might not be satisfied. I would have liked more concrete details on the fate of one of the missing girls, but I can use my imagination to fill in the gaps.

There are also some fun moments, especially when one of the narrators references The Nothing Man. This is a dark thriller with some standout twists and turns that sets it apart.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Blackstone in exchange for an honest review.

While this is a well known author, this was my very first read from her and man, am I impressed. This was written so methodically, so intricately that I found myself going back to the beginning to reread the first chapter thinking how unbelievably clever this author is. It's a page turner from the very beginning with disturbing, dark, unsettling moments. Each P.O.V. gives the perfect amount of insight into each character and perspective making it that much more enthralling. This was so perfectly executed, it left me wanting more. I highly recommend this one for all my fellow mystery/thriller readers. Four and a half stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for this ARC.

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, Based on a still-unsolved series of disappearances from the 90s, this gripping thriller is filled with twists and turns, Highly recommended. #TheTrap #NetGalley #SaltMarshAuthors

Safe Girl 101 clearly states that getting into a car with a random man late at night is not okay, but what if you think you have a really good reason?

Lucy’s sister Nicki & two other women in the same general area of Ireland have inexplicably vanished over the course of the past couple years, & not knowing what happened to Nicki has kept Lucy’s life in a strange state of limbo. Lucy can’t take the unanswered questions anymore & is starting to get desperate.

Angela does general administrative duties for the Missing Persons Unit of the Irish police force but has dreams of becoming law enforcement someday. When she starts a line of inquiry that would make the task force responsible for the investigation into the missing women look bad, Angela ends up risking her future career in the hopes of unearthing the truth.

This book also has a third focus: the man driving around looking for women to throw into his car & make disappear. Although his brain wasn’t exactly a comfortable place to be, CRH does a fantastic job of describing his origins & thought process alongside the storylines of Lucy & Angela.

I was SO excited to get an ARC of this book! I’ve read two of CRH’s books in the past & they were both awesome (I own the other four that are currently published & I definitely need to bump them up on my TBR list). I loved the metaphors used (Everest & Jurassic Park) & the references to Dexter & one of her other works (The Nothing Man) were both so fun! I will say that the ending of this story was a bit like a slap to the face because I DID NOT see it coming - I was a little upset at first, but after mulling it over for a bit I’ve come to the conclusion that this author is a genius for writing such a cleverly plotted book & for not giving readers just another missing woman story.

Thank you to NetGalley & Blackstone for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

If you all have been following me, you know I have done nothing short of beg, borrow and/or steal to get a copy of The Trap.

I was two seconds away from a 37 year old tantrum. You know the kind where you roll around on your back kicking and screaming, looking like an upside down cockroach just begging for attention.

Hey look at me Catherine Ryan Howard, super fan over here! Do I have to sell off a damaged piece of my liver for an ARC of my most anticipated book of the year?

And just as I was about to contemplate something highly frowned upon…. I got the email.

The book gods sang, the skies opened on up and my bookish dreams have come true .

I promised the book gods I would hold my tongue and be kind all day if they would just grant me this book…

Looks like I’m in trouble .

Well it’s mine! Mine! All mine! I sang a little tune, I hugged my kindle and I did a couple of awkward spins .

The Trap was everything my little black soul had anticipated it would be and SO much more .

I sure do know how to pick them!

With Howard, every book released some how gets better and better. Not sure how this is possible as I have never rated one less than 5 stars .

Howard is a literary genius who will put you on the ride of your life . Hold on to your seats folks, there’s no way you can prepare for this one .

Teaser :

From award-winning, internationally bestselling crime writer Catherine Ryan Howard comes The Trap: an unsettling mystery inspired by a series of still-unsolved disappearances in Ireland in the 90s, wherein one young woman risks everything to catch a faceless killer.

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 …

I loves 56 Days by this author so I was excited to read an early copy of her newest thriller. Unfortunately this one fell a little flat for me and was slightly slow. It started off super intriguing and fast paced and then it dropped off and it was a struggle to finish. 2.5 stars

The Trap
By Catherine Ryan Howard
Pub Date August 1, 2023
Blackstone
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
* Thriller,mystery
This was a good book! The author was a new one for me. I read this in one setting . It was riveting! I loved the short and captivating chapters, strong heroines, and well executed mystery.
4 stars

Thank you NetGalley for providing me a copy of The Trap. I have been a huge fan of Catherine's books so I couldn't wait to start this one. For this one though I am giving it a 3.5 star rating. I do feel this one had too many POV's going on and was hard to keep track of everyone and I didn't feel any connection with any of the characters unfortunately. Also it was a bit slow in some parts which kept me putting this one down and picking it back up. I really do wish this one could of been better for myself since I have enjoyed her other books but no book is perfect!

3.5 - A solid thriller that kept me guessing and kept me turning the pages—read it in 24 hours. I so enjoy Catherine Ryan Howard’s books and overall this one didn’t disappoint. I don’t know that it will be particularly memorable over time but it delivered exactly what I needed it to in addition to having some well-earned twists. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

The premise of The Trap sound intriguing, and happy I got an ARC. As much as I tried to want to like it, I kept getting the characters confused & there were a lot of unanswered questions for me. I really enjoyed Angela & Denise’s dynamic but everything else was just okay. The killer’s POV was interesting and disturbing (as it’s supposed to be). Also LUCY! NICKI! THE ENDING! Ugh. Definitely not what I expected but not how I wanted it to end.

4.5 stars for Catherine Ryan Howard's next big hit! The Trap is one of the author's best—on par with The Nothing Man. There are multiple POV’s, each one equally enjoyable, although I especially looked forward to the chapters narrated by the kidnapper. The chapters are short and fast-paced, making for a read that can easily be finished in one sitting, and there are lots of original and shocking twists and turns. The ending is abrupt, but fitting, although of course I would've liked more closure. Overall, this is a fabulous read that I highly recommend to all thriller lovers.

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 …


This was my first Catherine Ryan Howard novel and I really enjoyed it! The writing style kept me wanting to read more. I loved the narration from the suspect throughout. It was chilling. Thank you so much NetGalley for the ARC!

I'm new to Catherine Ryan Howard. My first book of hers was Run Time which was fabulous as is The Trap. This is a complex mystery with some really surprising twists and turns! I don't want to give anything away, but I strongly recommend this title!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this digital ARC.

A roller coaster thriller of a ride that will leave you disheveled and satisfied that you read an exciting mystery that has so many twists and turns, brought to you by a fantastic author that brings it out the best.

Lucy’s life was upended when her sister went missing a year ago. Angela wants to be a member of the Gardai, but until she can pass the physical competency test, she is working as a civilian in the Missing Persons Unit. An unnamed man sneaks out at night, looking for opportunities to abduct young women who are alone on the street, and he apparently has a new victim in his backseat.

I was really looking forward to reading this book, but unfortunately most of it fell short of my expectations. I felt like nothing really happened for three-quarters of the book. However (and thankfully!), the ending blew my mind! CRH really brought the twists with this one; too bad it took so long to get to the good parts!

The Trap by Catherine Howard is a mystery thriller. At times the storylines seemed disjointed, but they came together in the end.