56 Days

“56 Days is a terrific novel written by an author who is certain to become a distinguished voice in crime fiction. You won’t want to stop reading until the very end.”

“A twisty tale of suspense…Early on, readers realize that Ciara and Oliver aren’t going to make it as a pair…Through flashbacks and flash-forwards, Howard reveals how the two met (in the self-service checkout line at a Dublin supermarket), what secrets each is keeping from the other (and from themselves), and how trust in a new partner—especially at a time of intense isolation—can go wrong in the worst possible way. Howard also astutely conveys the vertiginous and abrupt changes that happened all those months ago. The novel is not, however, meant to be some kind of grand commentary on the pandemic, about the millions of lives lost and countries and societies upended. It’s a thriller, a bloody good one, that kept me guessing as I turned the pages at a furious clip.”

“Timely, surprising, emotionally alive, this is about as good as suspense fiction gets.”

“The queen of high-concept crime fiction.”

“Catherine Ryan Howard brings crime writing to a new level.”

“Catherine Ryan Howard is a gift to crime writing. Her characters are credible, her stories are original, and her plotting is ingenious. Every book is a treat to look forward to.”

“Dark and dazzling, funny, sinister, and oh-so clever. I read 56 Days in a breath held right up until the final, mesmeric pages. Catherine Ryan Howard is ridiculously talented.”

“[Howard] always snags me at the start with a hook and keeps me invested…The mystery element was very much a page-turner that overrode any potential uncomfortable feelings from the pandemic for me.”

“Each new twist, dispensed with surgical precision, will keep you hooked, nostalgic for the days when COVID-19 was the worst threat.”

“[A] captivating tale from Edgar finalist Howard…As the link between the couple’s outwardly simple yet complex romance and the murder becomes clearer through carefully doled out backstories, readers will find themselves rooting for these flawed characters no matter what their past indiscretions or crimes. Howard continues to impress.”

“Howard has written an eerie, twisty story ripped from current headlines, in which a global pandemic becomes the foreboding hypotenuse of a dangerous love triangle.”

“I first fell in love with Howard’s writing in The Nothing Man and I jumped at the chance to read her latest. Even though I had a rough idea of what was going on with Ciara, I was still able to be surprised by the twist. I enjoyed the timeline jumps and the same story being told from both Ciara and Oliver’s perspectives. It gave a really rounded experience and reminds you that you don’t always get the whole story from one person. Perfect addition to your reading list!”

“As with Ms. Howard’s other thriller, The Nothing Man, this one is filled with a sense of foreboding from the first page. Nothing is as it seems, and yet everything is displayed in plain sight, if misinterpreted. 56 Days is a thriller with a heavy atmosphere of tension, set during a life-and-death time in our own contemporary history.”

“Howard structures her novel as a clever sort of countdown, dishing out slow reveals about each of the characters, until the shattering ending that I might label Tarantino-esque if it weren’t so intimate.”

“56 Days, Catherine’s newest crime novel, is without a doubt my favorite book of hers yet—and destined to be one of my top favorite books of the year. This clever and claustrophobic domestic thriller utilizes the pressure cooker of Ireland’s strict COVID lockdown policies to amp up the tension between a newly dating couple who decide to move in together rather than be forced to stay apart when COVID lands on Ireland’s shores. This book is masterfully plotted, deliciously entertaining, and brimming with the kinds of clever twists and reveals that you really won’t see coming.”

“56 Days is definitely one for thriller lovers that crave suspenseful story lines. Catherine Ryan Howard is a mastermind with this one.”

“56 Days is pure perfection and a psychological thriller of the highest order.”

“Brilliantly creepy.”