Some books are just harder to review than others. Sometimes they are so cleverly plotted that a reviewer almost has to walk on metaphorical eggshells to not give away any spoilers. Catherine Ryan Howard’s newest thriller, 56 Days, is definitely in this category! It is engrossing, suspenseful, and exciting with interesting and unique characters, but it is so full of twists and turns that there is very little that can be said about the story itself without spoiling something.
This is, however, a perfect book club choice or “buddy read” as there are so many things to discuss as the story plays out. Personally, I was very few pages in when I called my best friend and told her she had to read this book next because I needed to talk about it!
56 Days is set in Ireland, where Oliver and Ciara have just met and started dating at the same time COVID-19 appears in their country. When a national lockdown is scheduled to begin only a short time later, they take the plunge and decide to move in together during the lockdown to give the relationship a chance to develop, as the alternative would be total isolation from each other at such an early stage of their budding relationship.
The book opens though, with police detectives arriving at Oliver’s apartment “today” and finding a decomposing body.
Told through flashbacks of different times (both before and during the lockdown), and from multiple perspectives, 56 Days gives the reader an almost 360-degree view of Oliver and Ciara, their young relationship, their individual motivations, and their secrets.
Howard crafts the story in a methodical and deliberate manner, giving the reader a scenario through one character’s eyes, then later builds on that with another character’s perspective of the same event, but without getting repetitive or dragging down the action or pacing. As she peels back the lies that hide the half-truths that cover the secrets, the author gives us that perfect book-club discussion opportunity: “When did you know —?”, or “Well, when did you figure out —-?”
Other than those readers who simply refuse to read books that include the COVID-19 pandemic (I get it, sometimes we read to escape reality—not to read more about it) 56 Days is highly recommended for any fan of psychological suspense.
56 Days is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
Will you be picking up 56 Days? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
No one knew they’d moved in together. Now one of them is dead. Could this be the perfect murder?
56 DAYS AGO
Ciara and Oliver meet in a supermarket queue in Dublin the same week Covid-19 reaches Irish shores.
35 DAYS AGO
When lockdown threatens to keep them apart, Oliver suggests that Ciara move in with him. She sees a unique opportunity for a new relationship to flourish without the pressure of scrutiny of family and friends. He sees it as an opportunity to hide who – and what – he really is.
TODAY
Detectives arrive at Oliver’s apartment to discover a decomposing body inside.
Will they be able to determine what really happened, or has lockdown provided someone with the opportunity to commit the perfect crime?
This sounds good!