Overall I enjoyed this read; it was easy to flip through chapters easy and it kept me interested enough to rush to the end. Read this book over the course of two days, which says something for me as I am usually a slow reader.

Although this book is focused around four missing women, it follows four main narrators: Angela and Denise both Garda connected, the 'kidnapper', and Lucy- a sister of a woman kidnapped. I would not say there was a lot of growth or 'development' from each of the characters, but there was depth and an understanding of how/why they do the things they do, which can be hard to achieve in such a short amount of time.

There are also things Catherine Ryan Howard does well, which is leave easter eggs of things she is interested (i.e. Jurassic Park) and making the reader invested in ~the most annoying characters~. Also the opening chapter of this book already had me screaming!!

Lastly, I enjoyed the underlying theme that the Garda could have utilized their influence for own personal gain, and not necessarily to help the missing women & their families. The way it was done in this book gave it a unique twist and made me critically think if this could/is currently happening across the globe. I am not here to give my opinion on political topics, nor do I necessarily think that was Catherine's purpose, but it was written in a way to entice critical thinking on a topic that is discussed often in the news/around the water cooler.

This book could be hard for some to read, and the trigger warnings are definitely worth reviewing before, but I enjoyed the pace and the overall concept of the book. A great fast read for the Halloween season.

Just as many have said, please read the author's note at the end- it provides so much context to this read!! I am just not knowledgeable enough to even attempt to summarize it here.

*****Spoilers ahead*****
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There were some holes in the plot, like what ever happened to the Caroline/Roland/Tara plot??? That was an interesting change, but it would have been nice to get a paragraph at the end about what happened there!

I will say the plot twist with Nikki was phenomenal!! Who doesn't love a cult "farm"!!!!

What was the point of many Angela fail the PCT, and appearing 'weak'? Hated that.

So do we think Denise catches the bad guy????

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Thank you to Netgallery and Blackstone Publishing for this ARC.

Thank you Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for an eARC in return for an honest review

This is a thriller about Lucy's relentless efforts to fund out what happened to her missing sister Nicki. She will stop at nothing to find the truth.

Are you f'ing kidding me??? The twist of the year has arrived by way of The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard!!! It's easily a 5 star book for me!!

I've read all of her books and have loved them. Thanks for The Nothing Man reference in the book!!! I look forward to the next one.

This book was thoroughly enjoyable. Lucy O’Sullivan is a woman who suspects her sister is one of a few who have been kidnapped. There are lots of twists and turns in this, and I wasn’t expecting the ending at all! I wish there had been a little more information about some of the characters at the end, but overall I really liked this one a lot.

First, thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ARC copy of this one!

I have to say that while this wasn't my favorite book, it was still somewhat enjoyable but on the lower end of the scale.
I just found it to be confusing for the most part. There seems to be multiple stories intertwined that didn't really feel like they connected?
I also felt so bad for the main character, because she searched for so long only for it to be a completely different outcome that you'd expect. Almost like a believability component is missing from this story.

I do think that I preferred the detective in the story to the other characters, but even then it wasn't enough for me to thoroughly enjoy this read :(

Very meh for me, but I hope others enjoy it more!!

Thanks to Blackstone Publishing, the author, Libro.fm, and NetGalley for the free gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was lucky enough to read The Trap on both Kindle and Libro.fm which are audiobooks.

This is one of the more unique thrillers that I have read, and I definitely enjoyed that on audiobook because we got different voice actors for the different characters which is my favorite.

This isn’t a spoiler because it starts off right away but one of the points of view is from the “killer”. Which made the book even creepier and full of suspense.

The ending definitely took me by surprise which means it's an enjoyable thriller, but I wasn’t always dying to repack this book up, so the audiobook helped me finish it.

Ohhh weee, this book is told by three narrators - a sister who is looking for her missing sister, a wanna be detective that works in the police station as a paper pusher and the serial killer himself. 😳 A perfect amount of crazy twist to make Catherine Ryan Howard one of my new favorites. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Set in Ireland, we learn of missing girls. These young ladies are of different backgrounds and as a result there is disparity in the interest of locating their whereabouts by the Garda and people in general. But one of the less notables has something in her favor, a sister who is bent on finding out what happened to her. It has become her obsession with or without the help of the Garda, thus the title. The Trap.
   The Garda are, indeed, involved in the search of these ladies. It includes an odd couple: a family liaison officer and a Garda wannabe who has sharp instincts and thus becomes part of the team.  The wannabe’s main job is to keep her mouth shut which she fails at miserably but often it's to the heart of the matter. She’s a keeper.
Their relationship is a pleasant distraction in the intense storyline.
   The points well made are the sad facts of status: how you present to others and assumptive behavior influences how people both of authority and the everyday soul presuppose how much attention or response you will receive.  In the end the reader also discovers they have made an incorrect assumption as well.
   An excellent mystery with a moral controversy imbedded in it.

The Trap is another smart, compelling thriller from Irish crime writer Catherine Ryan Howard. Inspired by true events, CRH expertly unfolds the story of three missing women, the family and friends desperately searching for them, and the dangerous man who is out hunting for his next victim. It’s a creepy story that kept me guessing until the very end and had me starting back over as soon as I was finished to see the clues I’d missed along the way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for a digital advanced reader copy of this book to review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the eARC! I’ve never read any of Catherine Ryan Howard’s previous and this was such a captivating read that I cannot wait to read more!

The multiple POVs are excellent, particularly the POV of the killer - the dry humor and overall creepy tone are perfection.

The twist left me shocked - I should have seen it coming but it hit me like a truck. I would have liked some more development of the characters and a different ending, but the plot is great and this was such a fun ride!

I thought the opening of this book was SO good! But then it slowed down until about the halfway point before picking back up. I thought it was great that Nicki was so dedicated to finding her sister, but I didn't find her to be a very likable character. I did like Denise and Angela and thought they brought a bit of comic relief in at times.

The POVs from the killer were interesting and, at times, creepy, but I felt like something was missing. Then came the greatest twist, which I never expected! I thought it was brilliantly done! But then came the ending, which left so many unanswered questions.

This is another one that has really good ratings on Goodreads, so I definitely recommend picking it up!

Thank you, @netgalley and @blackstonepublishing for the gifted e-arc of this book.

3.5 rounded

After her sister goes missing, Lucy recklessly wanders the streets where she was last seen hoping to trap whoever has taken Nicki. With others missing as well, the Gardai has set up Operation Tide linking the three missing women, is there a chance they are still alive? Not everything is being told to the missing women’s families and when they learn some breaking information from the news, they are greatly disturbed. What else don’t they know. In a live interview, Lucy takes her recklessness a step further baiting the perp, but has she gone too far this time? This book was cleverly written with some great twists and had me hooked from the first breath taking chapter! Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC of this book,

Catherine Ryan Howard back at her best! I absolutely loved the premise of this one, where a missing woman's sister puts herself in dangerous situations to try to lure the suspect out of hiding. Howard's writing is as compelling as ever and the twists and turns she writes continue to shock me in the best ways. I highly recommend this for fans of her previous work like The Nothing Man, as well as anyone who wants a sharp, quick read (the length is another thing I loved!)

Catherine Ryan Howard is one of my favourite authors. The Nothing Man is my favourite of hers but having said that must mention that this book is a very close second.

In The Trap, Lucy's sister is missing and has been taken by a serial killer. Despite the odds Lucy is determined to find her sister and puts herself in unsafe situations to do so and it's really terrifying to read.
The book is told from the perspective of the serial killer as well as Lucy's. and I loved that because the author's does a fantastic job.

The ending is superlative and a terrific way to end the book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Any of the author’s books would make a great addition to your Spooktober TBR list!

THE TRAP is inspired by true events that are absolutely spine-chilling! These events occurred around Dublin decades ago and are still unsolved.

This book is right up my alley. But it was extra eerie and disturbing because these women were more than fictional characters. And so was the monster hunting them!

Ms. Howard adds her own twists and red herrings to keep readers confused and dangling from her hook. They are clever and fabulous. I’ve read two other books by the author—REWIND and 56 DAYS. Both had the same creepy and intense atmosphere that kept you flipping pages. If you’re looking for a truly creepy atmosphere, check out the audiobook!

Catherine Ryan Howard has become one of my favorite authors. If you haven’t read her work yet, it’s time!

Sincere thanks to Blackstone Publishing for providing these complimentary ARCs through NetGalley and Libro.fm. As always, all opinions are my own and left voluntarily.

#TheTrap #CatherineRyanHoward #BlackstonePublishing #librofm #netgalley #audiobookreview #justfinished #newrelease #giftedARC #igbookreels #thriller #honestreview #thrillerfriendsunite #mysteryandthrills #thrillerobsessedbookishclub #suspense #mystery #lovetoread #bookworms #lovebooks #lovetoreadbooks #fortheloveofbooks #booknerd #bookreviewer #readaholic

Catherine, you really know how to play with someone's mind...please keep it up...also really loved the mention of your "Nothing Man" in this book.

I originally was thinking this was a 4-star read but then I just couldn't get it out of my head after reading, so totally bumping to 5 stars! I could not put this down, ok well I did once I realize my ipad was out of charge, but I anxiously waited until it was fully charged as I knew I wasn't going to stop until I finished!

Young women in Ireland are vanishing without a trace. Our MC, Lucy's sister, is one of the women that vanished, and she will not stop at anything until she finds her. There are also two more POV's, one from Angela who is trying to pass the PCT test to become part of the actual police force/guard as opposed to a civilian office worker. She gets involved in the cases and we get a good view of the police procedural side of things. And finally, we get a look into the killer's POV as well which was a nice touch. Each POV was super well developed and really enriched the story line. While you think you may have read this type of thriller before, this one takes it to the next level. I didn't have time to try and think thru what was going on as I was too immersed in the plot and characters. And the ending....Super well done. I flipped the page and wanted more, but now that I've thought about it, it was done perfectly.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this awesome advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

I absolutely devoured Catherine Ryan Howard’s 56 DAYs when I read it, consumed by the way she juxtaposed the ominous uncertainty of the pandemic and the dread building in the plot. She is a clever writer who compels the reader to turn the page and THE TRAP very much demonstrates that - but falls short in ways that outweighed how readable it was.

We’re introduced to a young woman desperately searching for her sister more than a year after she disappeared, presumed abducted and murdered. There are other women missing, too - and this part of the plot feels, sadly, all too familiar to us.

Elsewhere we meet another young woman with determination of her own, a civilian working in the Missing Persons Unit trying to become a detective. Her arc in THE TRAP is engaging and really where the book is at its best.

We learn more about each of these women, and yes, we learn about their disappearances.

This is a book about young women, and when it focuses on the intersections of their identities and their shared vulnerabilities and realities, it’s actually quite good.

The disappointing bit is that we also follow the offender. We spend time in his mind, with part of the narrative told through his perspective. As a reader, I did not need to know what this man’s motivations were or what his evolution was. It felt like a dismissal of the women in the book.

I always appreciate Howard’s notes at the end of her books which allow us into her writing process, offering a kind of transparency that is rare. I think the context she provides for this book, describing the impact of historical disappearances of women in Ireland on her as a young woman, is very thoughtful and resonated very much for me. Unfortunately, giving so much voice to the perpetrator of violence against women in the actual took away from that for me.

I know there are readers who are not unsettled by this approach and just love a good thriller and for them, I think this will be an excellent read. For myself, I’d like us to move towards a different kind of storytelling especially when the story is so rooted in reality.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my entirely honest review.

This book was just ok. It had a good concept and was entertaining but nothing special happened to make it stand out.

Saved The Trap for my week off 🥳 Got to read this one by the fire with some popcorn 🍿

I love all of Catherine Ryan Howard’s books but this has to be my second favorite! Right behind The Nothing Man 😱 Let me just say the twists GOT me!

This one has all of my favorite things - including POV from the detective, the MC, and the abductor/villain!
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#bookstagram #booklover #thrillerbooks #summerreading #thetrap #thetrapbook #catherineryanhoward

Another excellent thriller from Catherine Ryan Howard. I love the backdrop of Ireland. This one is better than the run-of-the-mill thrillers that seem to get pumped out every day. Told through multiple perspectives, including a murderer, a detective-to-be, and a sister of the deceased, among others, this story covers all view points of a serial killer and those affected. This was the first truly chilling novel I have read in a while. It reminded me of True Detective at times and Silence of the Lambs at others. Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam for the ARC!