3.5 ⭐

I'm not exactly sure how I felt about this book. The author's intent was spot on and there were enough twists to keep me engaged.

Still, I felt like something was missing the whole time I was reading it. At the very end, I figured out what it was that was bugging me the whole time (it's a spoiler so I won't tell it here). That explained a lot, but it's still a fact I went through the entire thing feeling something was off, and that prevented me from fully sinking in.

Still, this wasn't a bad thriller by all means. People who love stories about serial killers (which I don't) will I think like it even more. But do check the trigger warnings first.

Out of all the books I read by Catherine Ryan Howard, this was my least favorite, but that says more about how much I liked the other ones. And as with the others, I listened to The Trap as an audiobook, which is my preferred way to consume this type of stories.

A huge thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an audio arc of The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard in exchange for my honest review.

Clearly this was not the book to listen too. I was not engaged enough to even know what was going on throughout this book. It wasn’t captivating or suspenseful enough to want to keep reading. I finished it and loved the narrator’s voice, but that was probably the only thing that kept me reading.

Publication Date: August 1, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Trap
Catherine Ryan Howard
Lucy’s life has become a never-awaking nightmare. Her sister Nicki disappeared a year ago. At least three women are missing; their families are living the torturous nightmare of not knowing whether they are dead or alive. Lucy is not willing to give up, she is determined to find her sister or at least help trap whoever took her. She walks the streets in darkness hoping to catch the attention of the abductor.
Lucy receives a message from Jack Keane, a True Crime Expert journalist; he tells her she has not been told all the truth.
The first missing woman was Tana Meehan, she was separated from her abusive husband. Niki Sullivan disappeared after leaving a pub where she visited with friends. Jennifer Gold was a mere 17 years old when she vanished, she was walking her dog. Walter returned home without her.
Angela works in the office of the Missing Person Unit; she wants to be a member of the Irish police. She failed her first test but hopes her second attempt will go better. She has an inkling of an idea that could solve the case but to do so could destroy any chance of her making the force. An employee from a Charity Shop brings some evidence in to the Missing Persons Unit; Angela finds herself working closely with Denise Pope the Family Liaison Officer.
This tale is told from several points of view including the abductor nicknamed the Phantom. He shares how he chooses the women he takes. His point of view is the most absorbing. I didn’t have strong feelings for Lucy however I liked Angela. The characters could have been better developed but this tale works well despite that flaw. This is a fast-paced thriller. The author had my attention from the first chapter. There are twists and turns throughout this tale. Kudos to author Catherine Ryan Howard.
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a review copy. My reviews are my unbiased opinions.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this in exchange for an honest review.

It honestly took me a little while to get into (it may have had something to do with the different narrator’s voices). The murderer/kidnapper’s voice threw me a little bit & made it hard to follow.

At the same time though, what I loved most was “getting inside the killer’s mind”. It was neat to hear his POV & voice explaining his every thought & move.

Overall-glad I listened to it, but definitely enjoyed 56 Days more.

Told from multiple points of view, The Trap takes the reader into some scary places, but sadly I couldn’t connect with any of the characters, and also found it slow going at times. I really thought I would love this one, and it started off really well, but for me, not one of the author’s better books.

Would you risk your life to catch your sisters killer? Lucy does just that in Catherine Ryan Howard’s novel The Trap. I listened to this book on audio, and while I did not love the narrator, I did enjoy the story. It was fast paced and twisty from start to finish. I have seen mixed emotions about the open-ended ending. I was personally not a huge fan of this, but I think it could work for others. I found The Trap to be uniquely thrilling with an ending that will have you wanting more. Thank you Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing Audio for this ALC!

Instagram: @ziggys_reads

Many thanks to Blackstone Publishing, NetGalley, and Catherine Ryan Howard for this advanced copy of the book!

The storyline centers on several missing women, an all too familiar occurrence in our present day, and serves as the subject of many true crime shows. The story focused on Lucy, whose sister went missing. I admired Lucy’s tenacity in seeking out what happened to her sister. The story was told from multiple points of view, which wasn't horrible; however, the story started capturing my attention, then by the middle, it began to slow, then somewhat picked back up at the end. While I love the premise of the storyline, I was underwhelmed by the flow of the story and the characters. I didn't feel a strong connection to them. I would still recommend this book to those who are into true crime-type stories and who don't mind a little slow burn now and then throughout the book.

Thank you @netgalley and @blackstonepublishing for this advance audiobook.
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Catherine Ryan Howard is a favorite thriller author. Her latest was a suspenseful, binge worthy listen on audio. I especially loved the multiple narrators and their Irish accents. There was one twist that just drove me nuts, and I know the ending was controversial among many readers but it didn’t bother me given how the twist played out. A creepy thriller perfect for Halloween season.

Thank you Netgalley, Catherine Ryan Howard, and Backstone Pub Audiobooks for the audiobook! This was a wild ride. I just couldn’t get enough of it. I felt the grief and the turmoil and that twist at the end!!! I honestly need to know more!! That ending had my mouth hanging open!

Thanks, NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing, for the Advanced Listening Copy.

This was such a smart thriller! What I loved: The violence was completely “off camera,” but the tension and pacing were perfect. There was a police procedural, insight into the mind of a psychopath, flawed characters that you could pull for, and surprising twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. All that in just 283 pages!

Synopsis: “One year ago, Lucy’s sister disappeared, and not knowing what happened that night turned her life into a waking nightmare, so she takes matters into her own hands.

Angela works as a civilian in the Missing Persons Unit but wants to join the Irish police force. With the official investigation into the missing women stalled, she pulls on a thread that could break the case wide open.

A nameless man drives through the night, his latest victim in the back seat. He’s going to tell her everything from the beginning.”

The audiobook was well delivered with two narrators (and glorious accents). Keating was creepy as the “nameless man’s” POV, and Collins perfectly captured Lucy and (my favorite character, hoping to see her in future books) Angela.

I immediately downloaded Howard’s previous books, THE NOTHING MAN and DISTRESS SIGNALS, from Audible (free from their “Plus Catalog”). I would have started reading them, but I am committed to #ARCTober with #readspinrepeatbookclub, so I’m only reading advanced copies from publishers this month (trying to catch up! This one was published in August, and I’m just getting to it now.)

What an interesting premise for a book. I really liked the cyclical nature of this plot/timeline. It really added a sense of anxiety and dread to the overall atmosphere of the novel. At times it was a bit confusing, but it came together well. Getting the perspective of the antagonist also added a level of depth and interest to this novel. Oftentimes we don't get a fully developed narrative from the anatgonist's point of view. Though it does nothing to change how the reader feels about him, it was still interesting. I do hate stories that have no clear resolution, and I didn't really appreciate that here, but I get it - it somewhat echoes what the main character has gone through concerning finding out what happened to her sister. As an ALC I loved hearing this in the way it was written and the pronunciations of the words and places.

I read quite a few thrillers, so I’m always on the look for new ones. Hoping to find something different to engage me. This one had a cool premise to start and I was interested, but quickly lost it. I enjoyed the flipping POV with the killer but I just didn’t care about any of the other characters. I kept finding myself zoning out and having to come back. Maybe part was the narrator. I just didn’t feel like I was in the story at all.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me access to this audiobook!

I really enjoyed 56 days (though I can never remember the number correctly) and was excited to see another mystery-thriller by this author. The characters were, as always, well crafted and nuanced, and the narrators portrayed them so well. The twists were are times shocking and sometimes more of a head-scratcher trying to see how it actually fits in. I’m not sure if it was my fault for listening to the last hour and a half while at work, but I found myself getting lost in the final twists and failing to keep track of when/who things are happening to. The ending was a bit of a gut punch for me as I did not anticipate that the title could have multiple meanings. The author’s note at the end saved this from being a 3 star for me after how I felt about the ending.

Overall, this really kept me invested and even listened to the last hour while at work because I had to know the ending.

• ᴀᴜᴅɪᴏʙᴏᴏᴋ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ •

ᴛʜɪs ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴡᴀs ᴀ ᴡɪʟᴅ ʀɪᴅᴇ! ғʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ᴊᴜᴍᴘ ɪ ᴡᴀs ɪɴᴠᴇsᴛᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴏʀʏ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴘᴜᴛ ɪᴛ ᴅᴏᴡɴ. ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ᴍᴜʟᴛɪᴘʟᴇ ᴘᴏᴠs ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴀᴘᴘʀᴇᴄɪᴀᴛᴇ ᴡʜᴇɴ ʙᴏᴏᴋs ᴀʀᴇ ɴᴀʀʀᴀᴛᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴅɪғғᴇʀᴇɴᴛ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇʟᴘ ғᴜʟʟʏ ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴢᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ sᴘᴇᴀᴋɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ. ʙᴏᴛʜ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ ᴀᴄᴛᴏʀs ʜᴀᴅ ᴀɴ ᴀᴄᴄᴇɴᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɢᴀᴠᴇ ɪᴛ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴏғ ᴀɴ ᴀᴜᴛʜᴇɴᴛɪᴄ ғᴇᴇʟ sɪɴᴄᴇ ᴛʜɪs ᴛᴀᴋᴇs ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ ɪɴ ɪʀᴇʟᴀɴᴅ.

ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴡɪsᴛs ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴡᴇʀᴇ sᴏ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ sᴇᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ. ɪ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ʀᴇ-ʟɪsᴛᴇɴᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ɪ ᴡᴀs sᴏ ɪɴ ᴀᴡᴇ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ’s ɴᴏᴛᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴀ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ ᴛᴏᴜᴄʜ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅ ᴛᴏᴏ! ɪ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ’s ᴛᴇʟʟ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ɪɴsᴘɪʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ.

ʟᴀsᴛʟʏ, ɪ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴ ᴀɴ ᴀᴍᴀᴢɪɴɢ ᴘʜʀᴀsᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴛʜᴀᴛ sᴛᴜᴄᴋ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍᴇ - “ɢᴏʟᴅɪʟᴏᴄᴋs ᴏғ ɢʀɪᴇғ”. ɪ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ᴛʜɪs ᴡᴀs sᴜᴄʜ ᴀɴ ᴀᴍᴀᴢɪɴɢ ᴡᴀʏ ᴛᴏ ᴇɴᴄᴀᴘsᴜʟᴀᴛᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀᴜᴇ ᴍᴇᴀɴɪɴɢ ᴏғ ɢʀɪᴇғ!!!


📖 ʜᴜɢᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ @ʙʟᴀᴄᴋsᴛᴏɴᴇᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ @ɴᴇᴛɢᴀʟʟᴇʏ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜɪs ᴀʀᴄ ᴄᴏᴘʏ ɪɴ ᴇxᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ ғᴏʀ ᴀɴ ʜᴏɴᴇsᴛ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ 📖

Thank you to Netgalley and the author to allow me to read this gem. Let’s just start out with the cover of the book, it reminded me of “Christine” by Stephen King so I was SO excited to read it.

There were quite a few twist and moments where my heart actually stopped! I LOVED IT! This is my first book of hers that I’ve ever read so I’m definitely going to read some more of her books. 👏🏻

• Synopsis
A year ago, Lucy's sister, Nicki, left to meet friends at a pub in Dublin & never came home. She's 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. The Trap is an unsettling mystery inspired by a series of still unsolved disappearances from the 90s in Ireland, wherein one young woman risks everything to catch a faceless killer.

• My Thoughts
Catherine Ryan Howard writes a layered story of 3 missing women, their heartbroken families, meddling & manipulating reporters, & a flailing police force. I was glued to this book from the very first pulse-racing chapter. It was so suspenseful, with twists that downright shocked me.

I've seen several reviews that say the end flat for them, & don't get me wrong, I could see how. But for me, it left me thinking of how the families of unsolved or missing persons cases must feel. These people don't get a satisfying ending. There is no closure for them. I think that the author accurately (and I believe purposefully) left us as readers feeling the same way - frustrated, with questions unanswered, wondering what actually happened & how the story ends.

After listening to the authors note, I totally understand the choice. It was bold & interesting. Hats off to Catherine Ryan Howard for this one, I can't wait to dig into more of her books.

The audiobook narrated by Alana Kerr Collins & John Keating made this story even more compelling. The Irish atmosphere was brought to life through their voices! I loved it.

• Read if you like:
- multiple POVs, including the killer
- true crime podcasts or documentaries
- heart racing suspense
- absolutely unguessable plot twists
- atmospheric Irish setting
- fiction based on a real unsolved case

Thank you to Catherine Ryan Howard, Netgalley & Blackstone publishing for the opportunity to read/listen to this ARC!

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.

The narration was fantastic.

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

Several women have gone missing and the police and families are searching for answers. Told from multiple perspectives, including that of the perpetrator, this masterfully narrated tale of psychological suspense will have fans of the genre on the edge of their seat.

The narration was great! The story was pretty good as well. This small town has a bunch of women going missing but like the cops don't care until a rich pretty girl goes missing.
It gets crazy and I enjoyed the craziness.

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.