Arc NetGalley review

Was a great book, but for the hype I think it fell just a little short. Towards the end I found it to loos my interest just alittle. Over all recommend and would read again.

"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." from Goodreads

The above quote from the Goodreads description is too perfect not to use for a one sentence summary. I picked up this book almost feeling a bit burnout on reading. I wasn't sure exactly what I was in the mood for but decided to give this one a try. What an unexpected ride this book was! It's a hard book to share my thoughts on mostly because I don't want to spoil a single thing. Let me just say this: I expected a dark, suspenseful read especially after reading and loving The Nothing Man by this author previously. I got exactly that but also so much more. And the ending...I literally almost started the entire book over again so I could look back and see what I may have missed. Wow! It's a slow burn that builds beautifully to an ending I can't seem to stop thinking about. I'm not sure that every reader will love it (again no spoilers) but it really worked for me. This book is smart, suspenseful, and has cemented this author as a must read for me! Catch me working on her backlist from here on out.

Readers who enjoy dark, page turning reads need to pick this book up! I want to say more but less is definitely better so you can enjoy the ride that is this book. And then come back and discuss it with me.

CW- Rape

The Trap by Howard was a great read. I loved the chapters told by the bad guy. The ending though........I just wanted more!

This was a slow burn and the premise was good. The character development could have had more but the atmospheric vibes were good. I would recommend this to anyone who likes a slow burn.

So I always like to review books as soon as I finish them. I like the initial shock factors and sometimes after I think about it too long I start swaying another way and it drives me nuts. Anyway - here I go. I read a lot of reviews on this one and I was HYPED. I was expecting something brand spankin new and something that was going to rip me into pieces between thrill and originality. This. Was. False. I even went back to check if I read the same book that everyone was talking about? Am I crazy or did I get a different lay out with different words and different story because this is not what I read. What I read was something that felt so incomplete. Let’s start with the characters. We have a set up of Lucy who is off looking for her missing sister. Risking her life trying to get some answers. Ok check this one we have set up nicely. We have Chris the boyfriend left behind from said missing sister. Nicki the missing sister. This one for being so bold in our minds didn’t come into fruition until the end and it was a wtf. We get some inner monologue from the monster itself which I’m always a major fan of. We have the missing women bits and pieces but sometimes I felt more about them than little sister Nicki. It just felt all wrong and I can’t nail down the missing link. I just felt like I was given a good story, a good idea, and then it wasn’t made how it should have been made. How should it have been made? Well hell if I know I know I’m no author but this just didn’t feel…accomplished.

Look, I love the originality I really do I know I sound like a sour grape over here. I just was expecting so much and the circle we went around here felt too bare. I didn’t get my heart racing or edge of my seat screams in my brain. I got eye rolls and wanting to punch various fictional characters in the mouth.

For me - which I am the absolute crazy person here it seems - it was a solid 3. It held my interest from the beginning to end. It had some twists and the originality was a bonus.

Thank you Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Pardon me as I retrieve my dropped jaw.

This is set to become my favorite crime fiction novel of the year. I delayed writing this review for so long, and now my mind just keeps urging me to read it repeatedly.

With references to "The Nothing Man" and "The Liar's Girl," the multiple points of view shedding light on different aspects of the case(s), and the killer's internal dialogue, this was an exceptionally suspenseful and skillfully written book.

It's the type of story I'm hesitant to elaborate on, for fear of spoiling its intricate plot and surprises, but I can't praise it enough.

CRH has truly exceeded expectations with this one, and I eagerly anticipate her next work. She's made a remarkable comeback!

The Trap is an enjoyable read, though not as gripping or ultimately satisfying as 56 Days. What worked well for me was the setup and reveal… this was a great example of a well executed “what I thought I was reading wasn’t what I was reading”. All of the clues and hints were there but it’s not something you’d predict. I also found it well paced and an engaging premise. I’m also a sucker for an unsettling ending. HEAs belong in romance, for a thriller or mystery a good dark ending is always welcome. What didn’t work for me: it took some time to be able to track all of the characters… it felt like a lot of people to keep straight and too many POVs at first. Eventually I felt like I could separate everyone, but it felt like it could have been more focused. I also didn’t think Nicki’s attitude was even remotely believable. To be shocked that there was a missing person case for her and to act so blasé about the whole thing and thinking no one would be worried was just bizarre… it felt like we needed a lot more to her story to make this even remotely understandable. I’m a fan of the author and The Trap was fun but not without flaws.

3.5⭐
Genre ~ mystery/thriller, crime fiction
Setting ~ Ireland
Publication date ~ August 1, 2023
Page Count ~ 311 (31 chapters p+e)
Audio length ~ 9 hours 10 minutes
Narrators ~ John Keating, Alana Kerr Collins
POV ~ 1st & 3rd
Featuring ~ serial killer, abductions

Lucy's sister, Nikki, is missing and she's determined to find her. Angela is working in the missing persons unit and is eager to help solve the case.

Does Lucy make some smart decisions? Nope, and you might just yell at her a couple of times. A nice, fast paced, dark and twisty suspenseful read. I quite enjoyed the chapters with the killers POV. Interesting way to end the story, too, not sure I loved that, though.

I was able to listen to an audio copy as well.
Narration notes:
Once I get used to the accents they're fine.

The Trap is the first Catherine Ryan Howard book I've read, and it won't be the last! I've been hearing about her for a couple of years, and now I understand the hype.

The basis for the book is the search for several missing women, and we're along on the roller coaster ride. Told from multiple viewpoints, I loved the structure of the story, and it kept me interested all the way through. There were a couple of side plot lines that were a little unresolved for me, but not so much that it bothered me or disrupted my enjoyment of the story. I wouldn't place this squarely in the thriller category, as the pace was a little slower than that, or in mystery. It's a great psychological crime novel.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #BlackstonePublishing for a free copy of #TheTrap by Catherine Ryan Howard. All opinions are my own.

Another good one from CRH! The book started off a bit slow, but definitely picked up at the end - there were several a-ha moments that definitely surprised me and that I bet any seasoned thriller reader would be hard-pressed to guess. Some minor nitpicks - I feel like Angela’s perspective (the aspiring Gardaí) was a little bland, and may have been more interesting from Denise (the actual Gardaí)’s perspective. There was one minor storyline that really intrigued me but that wasn’t fully resolved.

Overall, this was a pretty quick read and would be enjoyable for anyone who likes Irish thrillers, stories about missing women, and tricksy rotating perspectives.

I read and listened to the audio book of this title. Both were excellent and it's not often you can say that!

First, the narration of this book was EXCELLENT!!! I'm a dedicated fan of Catherine Ryan Howard but I'm not such a fan of audio books, but this one.....they did such a good job that I'm going to see what else they have narrated. Catherine Ryan Howard is an author with mad skills. She manages to write as if the picture in your head is in front of you. I even hear the creepy music just before the bad guy jumps out and grabs his next victim. These missing woman need an investigator who cares and if the police won't provide one, this team of women outside the official investigation will. An absolutely great mystery/ thriller/ police procedural....whatever you want to call it, just read...or listen to it!!!! You'll thank me later.

This started off painfully slow for me...the first half of this book is so slow that I almost didn't finish it...but I'm glad I did. I liked that it was told in multiple POVs (one being the killers). The uneasiness and tension slowly builds and boils over in the second half, and this is when I really became intrigued and invested in the story. This is a very dark and chilling read in the topics it deals with. I liked how it handled the relevant commentary of women who go missing, and how society and the media at times blames the victims. The ending itself was a little too open ended for me and felt a bit implausible but this did not detract from the overall story.

It took me a while to read this book. I started it a few times and put it away. I recently read a review of it in the Times and decided to give it one more chance and I’m glad I did. Once you made it through the first few chapters the different voice, characters etc began to make sense. It was a bit complicated because of the different voices and the story’s construction. Lots of red herrings which is always fun in this type of tale. It’s made me want to look at some other titles by this author.

3.5 stars - I'm a huge Catherine Ryan Howard fan but this one didn't completely work for me. I appear to be an outlier on this one given how my friends seem to have felt. But, there was a sense of disjoint that I felt about it. It was a solid story but I never really connected to it for some reason. I think it was the pacing for me ... it felt like a slow burn which isn't what I usually see with Howard's novel. Some of her trademark pacing (which I LOVE) was missing with this one for me. It just never came together for me, unfortunately. I do love her work and am excited to see what comes next from her.

Special thanks to Blackstone Publishing and author Catherine Ryan Howard for advanced copy for honest review.

Several perspectives going into this story... Lucy, who is looking for her sister that disappeared a year ago and who tries and tries to relive that night and lure in the area killer A detective trying to find all girls that have gone missing. And a deranged killer who takes us through his process on how he gets the girls and the precise details that go into it. With no spoilers, this story takes us on a wild ride and an even crazier ending. I'm pretty good on figuring out who done it, but not with this one. You're 'taken' down one road with the outcome taking a different direction, a U-turn really! 5 Stars high recommend.

What can I say? I love books set in Ireland and I love thrillers. Put your hands together and we got us a pretty good time.⁣
—⁣
The Trap is the latest from 56 Days author Catherine Ryan Howard. It follows multiple perspectives including a nameless serial killer, the sister of one of his victims who was kidnapped, and a woman who volunteers with the police and receives some interesting evidence. ⁣The characters cross paths, of course, but not at all like I thought they would.
—⁣
This is a deeply unsettling, quickly paced, and addictive book with the tension I crave and an excellent twist and ending. I think the author writes contemporary Irish thrillers SO WELL. I will read whatever she writes. The characters were slightly one dimensional but the plot was to me, immaculate, so it almost didn’t matter. ⁣
—⁣
If you enjoy a thriller, give this one a shot!⁣
—⁣
Thanks to @netgalley and @blackstonepublishing for the opportunity to read this.

My goodness what a rollercoaster. There were a few good twists in this one but man did it have a sad ending.

Well, that was a disappointment. I don't know what to say. It was slow and was confusing. I had never read this author and was looking forward to this. I did like that it was set in Ireland, but the characters were meh. There was only one scene that was exciting, but the ending was terrible. There are many good reviews out there for this one so be sure to read those before making the decision to read this one. I would like to try a different one by this author sometime.

4.5 stars.

I read a lot of thrillers, and this one is pretty exceptional. It is my first Catherine Ryan Howard, and definitely will not be my last from this author.

This story revolves around three different perspectives. 1) Lucy, who is the sister of Nicki. Nicki up and vanished without a trace one night after being out to a pub with friends. 2) A police perspective from Angela, desperate to be a part of the Irish Police, who finds herself peripherally involved in the case with a bad ass female detective, Denise. 3) An unnamed dude who is extremely creepy!

I think this was such an incredibly smart story. I was connected to Lucy and Angela as characters so much, and their decisions had me legit yelling at them sometimes but that was all part of the intrigue. The creepy dude's chapters were so menacing but so good, and each one left me wanting to know more about this sick twist. I don't think the ending will be for everyone, but it was for me. I did think the story got a little slow for me in the middle third, but everything else totally makes up for it.

I would definitely recommend reading the author's note at the end as her inspiration was loosely based on a string of real abductions that occurred in Ireland back in the 1990s. I definitely felt the impact that had on them writing this story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an ARC of this in exchange for my honest review!

4-4.5 stars

This was a really suspenseful psychological thriller!

I thought Lucy was such a great character and I admired her determination to find her sister. A year earlier, Nicki had gone missing after a night out with friends at the pub — the third Irish woman to vanish in the past few years — and not knowing what happened to her consumed Lucy’s life to the point of obsession.

I have to admit, I started to question Lucy’s sanity because she purposely put herself in harms way night after night to seek out the truth. But I really enjoyed how the beginning of the story tied into the end; I hadn’t put that together earlier on. And I was so surprised when we finally got some answers because they came straight from the monster himself! It was actually quite unnerving how forthcoming he was, and definitely upped the creep factor.

Overall, I thought this was a great book and definitely recommend it!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing a copy of this book to review.*