This book was just ok, nothing special. It kept me entertained but nothing extraordinary happened to make the book stand out. I did Enjoy the audio.

Twists and turns abound in The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard! This was my first Howard book, but has certainly moved others by her up on my TBR pile! I will admit...I didn't see the final twist...which, for me, is a sign of a great thriller! Chapters are short and captivating. This is a smart psychological thriller that will have you listening "just a few more minutes" before you get back to daily life tasks. I really enjoyed the various POVs: this was a well-executed and twisty tale!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an advanced digital reviewer copy in exchange for honest feedback.

This book follows an operation to find a serial killer/kidnapper who has kidnapped several missing women. Lucky thinks her sister, Nikki was one of his victims.
This story has a lot of different view points and I found it a little difficult to keep up at times. However, I did like the synopsis and the direction the book went. Some people like an open ending to a story, but I would have rather had closure.

Lucy's sister, Nikki, disappeared a year ago and she will do anything in her power to find out what happened. "Anything" includes walking side roads in the hopes that the person, who has been making women disappear, picks her up too.
Believing the disappearing women are all connected, Missing Persons Unit employee, Angela, is working to figure out where they are and who is doing all of this.
Told in 3 perspectives: Lucy, Angela, and the kidnapper, in the Irish countryside, and present day. This story will bring you in and keep you wanting more.
Who did it? Where are the missing women? Are the alive? Who is next?...

Full review on Pages n' Pages podcast (episode post date 9/19/23- Chapter 117).

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I LOVED THIS BOOK! This was the first book that I read by Catherine Ryan Howard, and I am excited to check out more by this author. This book tells the story of Lucy, whose sister went missing over a year ago. Lucy becomes part of an unfortunate group of people, who are all looking for a missing family member, all women who went missing under somewhat similar circumstances. Lucy works with the detectives as well as with the other friends and relatives, to try to figure out what might be happening, and Lucy even tries to take things into her own hands. This was such a fantastic book, I loved how it kept me guessing until the very end. I also feel like even the ending kept me asking questions of the story, which I think is a good sign. Finally, I appreciated the note from the author in the end of the book, currently checking out a movie she recommended loving growing up, Victim of Beauty about Shari Faye Smith.

I enjoyed this book. While a novel it has all the parts a true crime enthusiast will enjoy. The family’s story, the police involvement and investigation, podcast/media attention, and an unexpected ending. I very much enjoyed Alana Kerr Collins narration. Thank you to netgalley and Blackstone for the opportunity to read this one.

What a wild ride! The last 15% just kept getting crazier and crazier, I loved the twist. It’s hard to find one I haven’t come across before, but this one did the trick! I am excited to see what is next from this author!

Also, the narrators were fantastic! The male narrator gave the perfect creep vibe lol

"The Trap" starts off with an intriguing idea—a mystery inspired by real disappearances that had me hooked from the beginning. I was hoping for a real page-turner, but things didn't quite pan out that way by the end.

The story takes us through different viewpoints, which I thought would be exciting, but honestly, it didn't really grab me. I was often confused on who's perspective I was reading from, especially in the beginning of the story.

The main characters, didn't come across as real as I hoped they would. Lucy's hunt for her missing sister felt weak, and Nicki's character just left me puzzled.

At first, I was curious to see where everything was headed, but the excitement sort of fell off during the first half - the story just didn't come to life. The potential I saw at the start seemed just fizzled out.

I'm stuck on the big twist at the end; I could see it being a good ending but I think just with the rest of the story being so slow and boring, the ending didn't really impact me. The journey to get there was a bit of a letdown - it felt like the twist was tossed in without much connection to the slow build-up.

"The Trap" had potential but sadly it stumbled when it came to putting it all together in a way that worked. While I give props to the author for trying something ambitious, I was really hoping for a more exciting and well-crafted story. This one could've been a real rollercoaster, but instead, it left me wanting more.

This is a mystery set in Ireland in the 90s. Girls go missing and they are still unsolved.
This is a twisty thrill ride you won't want to put down. This one needs to be on the top of your tbr pile.

CRH does it again! Loved this serial killer story. So good! Another Catherine Ryan Howard page turner!

Ahh thank you so much Blackstone Publishing, netgalley and Catherine Ryan Howard for the audio ARC of this book


Wow when I say I was hooked on this one - I mean I binged this audiobook all day until it finished. I literally couldn't stop.

It had the perfect recipe for a book that gripped me in - it was twisty, unpredictable and the perfect pace. The ending was my least favourite part - despite being unpredictable - however it was still such a great read!

Catherine Ryan Howard has become an autobuy for me and this book was yet another hit.

This audiobook was excellently narrated and the storyline grabbed me from the first chapter. I will say the twist shocked me, but the ending left me pretty confused and not sure what happened. If that ambiguity is ok with you then you’ll love this.

Lucy’s sister, Nicki, went to meet friends at a pub and never came home. Angela, who works in the Missing Persons Unit, helps find a clue that may help with the case. The killer shares his insight on why he does what he does. All three stories are woven together in this book.

Two different points of view—those of Lucy and the murderer—are used to tell this terrifying fictitious true crime tale.
The year's best crime book! Alana Kerr Collins and John Keating deliver a stunning Irish narrative.

#netgalley #audiobook

I was really intrigued throughout but the ending kinda fell flat for me unfortunately. I wish it had been more complex

The Trap is the first Catherine Ryan Howard book I've read and I'm wondering why it took me so long! I was hooked from the first page and managed to read the entire book in a day, which is rare for me. I thought I knew where the story was going but ended up being absolutely wrong. I'll definitely be reading more of her work soon.

Howard is the gold standard for thrillers. Her newest was inspired by real disappearances that took place in Ireland in the 1990s. In this story, Lucy’s sister has disappeared and she’s only one of three women to disappear in as many years. At the same time, Angela is working a civilian desk job with the Missing Persons Unit all the while aspiring to be a garda herself; she begins looking into the disappearances and finds something that may blow the case wide open. As always, Howard’s book is impossible to put down or stop listening to