I loved The Nothing Man and was looking forward to reading 56 Days. Wow! I started reading this about four hours ago and have only just looked up from my Kindle. It was unputdownable.

I'm being deliberately vague on the plot to avoid spoilers. The different timelines work well, as do the different viewpoints of Ciara, Oliver and the detective inspector Lee. The viewpoints of Ciara and Oliver repeat themselves in places which gives a different perspective of the same moment. About three quarters in I was surprised by the twist in the plot, and then I thought I'd worked something out, only to be wrong and surprised again. Part of the novel is set in the lockdown of 2020 which gives it a dystopian feel and makes it stark to think we all actually lived through that.

I was completely gripped by this thriller and highly recommend it. An easy five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This book centres around Ciara and Oliver. They both live in Dublin and bump into each other in a Tesco queue and get talking. They find out they have a couple of things in common and arrange to go on a date. Subsequent dates go really, but then covid strikes, and lockdown commences, and the only way they can see their relationship working is by moving in together, as lockdown is only meant to be for two weeks. But it soon transpires that both of them are hiding secrets, and living closely together will ensure the secrets are revealed.

This is the first book I’ve read that fully allows covid to be part of the storyline, and it works brilliantly. I thought I’d hate having to read about the virus and the panic and worry the world had in the very beginning, but it was great, and so well written. The characters were really well written, although I thought they were both manipulating and selfish. We see the story from both perspectives in the respective times, which sometimes confused me, but actually worked quite well once I knew where I was at, and I actually got used to it quicker than I anticipated. The story had humour in it from the two detectives who become part of the story, and I loved that. The book was quite descriptive which helped set the scenes really well. It was an addictive read, and took me less than a day to finish it. Another great book from this great author.

Very enjoyable read - excellent use of contemporary events and great plotting! This must be one of the first books to be set in the time of covid, so I was hoping it would be interesting. I felt it made really good use of the pandemic setting, which was integral to the plot.

56 Days – yes! What a read! I just love Catherine Ryan Howard and she is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. I am going put this one right up there with Distress Signals (which is my favourite book of hers).

Location is Tesco in Dublin City just before the start of Covid-19 in Ireland. Both grabbing their lunch, Oliver notices Ciara’s bag which has a space shuttle on it, comments on it and so it begins – a whirlwind romance. They get on so well that when the first lockdown happens, Oliver asks Ciara to move in with him until it ends, after all he has a huge apartment compared to hers and it will save a lot of hassle as they would not be able to meet during lockdown.

But are they really who they say they are -what are they hiding? Secrets and lies will be exposed. The chapters are told from both characters POVs. Loved the interaction between Detectives Lee and Karl during their investigation.

Unputdownable! Great plot and characters. Cannot wait for this author’s next offering. Five very well deserved stars *****

Thank you to Atlantic Books, NetGalley and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn't put this book down! The plot was great and I liked the way the pandemic was used by the main characters to further their agendas.

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 moves in with him. She sees a unique opportunity for a new relationship to flourish. 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.

We are slowly drip fed information of what had taken place during the 56 days and the present day. This is a beautifully written story of love, secrets, revenge and regrets. The story is told from Ciara and Oliver's perspectives, whose new relationship makes them flatmates after just three weeks of knowing each other. The author tells how the Covid-19 pandemic took hold in Ireland. Filled with twists, this engaging read held my attention throughout.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #AtlanticBooks and the author #CatherineRyanHoward for my ARC of #56Days in exchange for an honest review.

I really didn't want to jump into the covid books, but this one intrigued me too much not to pick it up. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I think the covid aspect was used pretty tastefully here. It wasn't over exaggerated or used too cheesily. I didn't feel like it took away from the main focus of the plot, it was merely used as the setting.

I was actually really surprised at how this turned out! I thought I had some sort of idea, but damn she had me changing my mind at every chapter on who I thought was the suspicious one! It was very cleverly written, and I really enjoyed having the multiple POVS. The chapters switched back and forth between the present day at crime scene, and back at different points in time with the characters. I loved how you were drip fed info from the crime scene that related to a scene you were then shown from before, making you question everything you had previously suspected!

I have to admit, she got me good with both the big twists. I didn't see either of them. After the first one I was a little more cautious, as the author uses your assumptions against you. She is very clever in that she doesn't reveal too many details and before you know it you've fallen into another trap. She got me again with the second one 😂 It was so clever! In the middle-to end however, the action does lull a little, so it took me a little longer than usual to read for a thriller.

I really enjoyed the writing style and appreciated all the writing devices the author used throughout the book to build suspense and keep the reader engaged.

Overall a fantastic thriller and deffo one to pick up if you've been intrigued!

Ciara has just moved to Dublin when she meets Oliver, also new to the area. They find a connection, have drinks and a fledgling relationship begins. Within days Ireland becomes the latest to be subject to strict lockdown rules and before they have time to think, they move in together for the duration, believing it to be only a couple of weeks. However, they soon realise that it is impossible to really know someone that quickly and as the story is told from various perspectives, but mainly Ciara and Oliver’s, dark and long held secrets are revealed. Who is lying? Who is in danger? We know a huge development early on when the police become involved but there is so much more to tell. The story alternates from past and present and when an enormous twist is revealed, I admit I had to read it twice. I didn’t see that one coming! What a cracking read and a very clever plot from Catherine Ryan Howard that encompasses all that we recognise from a lockdown situation but without it becoming the actual story.

Oliver and Ciara meet in a supermarket queue in Dublin when Oliver offers to let Ciara go in front of him. This is the start of a relationship just as Covid reaches Ireland and we follow their story including the trials and tribulations involved. Both of them are hiding secrets but what are they?

This is the first book I have read that features Covid so heavily, I didn’t find it affected my interest in the story. I found myself invested in the two main characters and enjoyed the humour from the two detectives involved.

My only criticism is that I did feel deflated by the ending, I felt it was too rushed and it didn’t really work for me. On the whole, it’s an enjoyable read but could have had a better ending.

This is a very good book with a bit of everything. The first book I have read that actually embraces the first lockdown in 2020 with the strangeness and misplaced optimisms about the ending of the pandemic.
Although the story has police involvement it is primarily a study of the two principal characters - Ciara and Oliver with the chapters of differing flashback times over the last (not surprising given the title) 56 days mixed with a very slow but humorous police investigation.
I didn't give this 5 stars as I found the book developed in a rather predictable way unless I have got better in my old age at working out who what and why. I was hoping for one of those 'didn't expect that' or 'well that leaves it open' endings but sadly it wasn't to be.
Still a really good read that never slows or prevaricates

This was amazing l. Still thinking about it a few days later. Thrilling and twists and I couldn’t put it down.

I don't usually read thrillers due to being a massive wuss, but as soon as I read the description of this lockdown-set novel I was all in. And I wasn't disappointed. Completely gripping, with characters you'll root for even though you don't it doesn't, couldn't work out for them. And lockdown is rendered so well - although it's a little disorientating to read about covid while it's still happening. Just an excellent idea, brilliantly executed.

This book is seriously brilliant. This book is seriously addictive. It should contain a warning, as once I’d started reading this book there was no going back, I couldn’t put it down. The author’s writing just keeps getting better and better and this one is in my opinion the best one so far. The pandemic in this story is used to perfection as it helps create the perfect atmosphere, a sense of tension and remoteness. The way this story is presented is one of the best I’ve read for a while as you have the current timeline but also the days before countdown told from the both the main characters point of views. What you think you know at the beginning is all thrown out by the end as the real story is gradually revealed. A definite must read for 2021.

This is the third book from the super talented Catherine Ryan Howard that I have read so I knew I was in for a brilliant read but nothing quite prepared me for just how good it turned out to be it was amazing.
Set at the beginning of the covid pandemic with multiple timelines it was a story that I was convinced I knew exactly what was going on but I completely wrong.
The book is a slow burn and you really have to keep your wits about you as the timelines change and bits of information are revealed and it has one hell of a jaw dropping, brilliant ending. So a story filled with secrets in many ways a sad story but with some excellent and unreliable characters it kept me gripped till the end and of course the writing was superb and this is an author who really can spin a fine yarn that goes above and beyond the norm.
No hesitation in giving this 5 stars and looking forward to the next book which I know will be brilliant.
My thanks to NetGalley and Atlantic Books, Corvus for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

After reading and loving The Nothing Man I was really excited to read Catherine Ryan Howards new book. I was a bit sceptical about it with it being set during Covid lockdown but I was wrong. This had me hooked from the first page and I had to finish it before I could go to bed!

Oliver and Ciara meet in a supermarket a few days before the National Covid Lockdown (the first one!). They are loving each other's company so when lockdown is announced they decide to move in with each other so they won't be apart.

The story switches time lines for each character over the 56 days but amazingly, it is so well done it isn't confusing at all. This switching however does mean that some text repeats but I thought this only added to my intrigue.

You know from the start that both Oliver and Ciara are keeping a secret and they slowly begins to unravel as we keep reading. I really don't want to say anymore because I will give something away!

This is a brilliant read that will keep you turning those pages. Another cracker from Catherine Ryan Howard!

Thank you to the publishers, netgalley and the author for the advanced copy

Set during the Covid-19 lockdown, this adds an extra layer of claustrophobia to what is already a tense thriller.

We all know couples who get together really quickly. (In fact, I'm in one of them and have been married for twenty years after a whirlwind romance!) But this novel shows what can happen when you don't take the time to get to know who you're really dating before you take a big step like moving in together.

There's a lot of clever, unexpected touches here and it kept me intrigued right up until the very last page. Strongly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

An intriguing thriller which had me hooked from the very beginning. The characters are totally believable and as it is set during a lockdown due to COVID the whole plot was relatable.

The way the chapters are written made me want to keep on reading as it went from present day to the past and also from both the main characters perspectives, so it sometimes repeated the text, but for me this added more tension.

Ciara and Oliver meet in a supermarket and begin dating, but then lockdown happens so they move in together so they can carry on seeing each other. It soon becomes clear that they are both hiding something.

It starts with a death in present day then ends with an outcome of cause of death. All the chapters in between blend well together for the reader to get an insight into what happened and why.

If you like fast paced thrillers then this isn’t for you as it is a slow build up with a background story. For me this was a 5 star read as I really enjoyed the slow reveal.

Many thanks to netgalley, the publishers and the author for an arc.

It took me a little while to get in to this one but I’m glad I stuck with it because it quickly became a gripping story. Told from both point of view and that of one of the police officers called to Oliver’s apartment, the story unwinds in bit and pieces crossing back and forth across the 56 day timeline.

While we know from the beginning that Oliver is clearly hiding something, it takes a long time for us to find out what exactly that is. The author does a great job at keeping the reader in the dark while not seeing like its deliberately being hidden from you – we find out exactly when we need to and when it fits the narrative best.

Oliver was hard to read as a character and this fitted with his hiding of his true self from Ciara. There were times when I truly felt for him and other where he was quite dark and scary and I wanted Ciara to leave.

Ciara herself was also an unknown quantity – again we were introduced to her both through her narrative and as Oliver saw her, and as Oliver was questioning of her it made her feel untrustworthy at times although she didn’t present that way herself.

The story was very cleverly constructed and I absolutely fell into some of the traps that the author had set – I didn’t manage to work out exactly what had happened until we got to see it. While maybe not the most traditional of crime novel endings it felt like it fitted and I wasn’t left disappointed.

This book is brilliant! It follows Ciara and Oliver who randomly meet one day and seem to click straight away. But then lockdown is announced and they decide to move in together for this period of time so that they can keep seeing each other. This is 56 days ago. In the present day we follow the police as a body has been found in an apartment and it’s the place this new couple were living! I was gripped from the very first pages of this novel and I devoured it as I just didn’t want to put it down. This is a novel that seems like it’s going one way and then the rug is pulled out from under you and I loved that. I was stunned by some of the reveals that come along and it had me unnerved that I hadn’t seen certain things coming. This is my favourite thriller of the year so far and I highly recommend it!

Ciara and Oliver meet in a supermarket before the COVID-19 lockdown in Dublin. When they first meet, Oliver notices the NASA bag she is wearing. That starts a conversation off and realises that they have things I common. When Lockdown begins, they decide to move into together to get to know one better without the convenience of the outside world.
But 56 days later the Police are called to an apartment block where there is a horrid smell and find the decomposing body of Oliver St Ledger.
Thank you, Atlantic books for a copy of 56 days later. I have mixed feelings about this book. I found this book to be really slow until the last third of this book. Don’t get me wrong it was an interesting clever plot, but I only got really interested towards the end. But I did like how the author showed the other point of view of a child killer that we don’t always see. No, I didn’t feel sorry for him. He got what he deserved. 3.5 stars from me.