A well written, fast paced thriller about missing women and one woman's determination to find her own missing sister. Plenty of clever twists and sub plots which kept me guessing and/or surprised. A good read, would recommend.

Another twisty piece of addictive fiction from this author. I love them because they are eminently readable and always unexpected.

The Trap offers us an intriguing missing person's mystery and a set of characters who are engaging and compelling. The story rocks along in addictive fashion and as ever the changing perspective of what the outcome might be keeps you turning those pages.

Well written well plotted and terrific to read. Recommended.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for approving me for this arc!

I was very invested in this story, I wanted to keep knowing more and I did not see that plot twist coming at all! The ending was a little bit disappointing but overall a good medium to quick paced book!

You could almost feel sorry for the Garda as numerous women go missing but without any single lead as to what happened to them. Did they choose to leave home? Is there a serial killer on the loose? The detectives are unable to find a useful lead. That is the story that keeps the reader involved as it becomes apparent that they didn’t all share the same fate. The title of the book is not a clear summary of what happens and the ending is disappointingly abrupt. One particular character stands out, the not yet detective Angela whose contribution exceeds her status! This is certainly a good read and on a very topical storyline.

I won't be summarising the plot of The Trap because I don't want to give any spoilers. Suffice to say it really messed with my head in the best way!
There were points when I found myself shouting at the page (you'll know exactly what I mean when you there, trust me)
Hugely enjoyable to read and a definite recommendation from me!

I really enjoy the writing style of this author and, as expected, the start of this story is truly gripping. I was hooked during the first half, although in the second half I did get a bit confused sometimes with the plot and the timelines (there are still a few bits that I don’t understand). I loved the bit of humour added by Angela – my favourite character – and the only thing that I didn’t enjoy about the book as a whole was the ending. It just left too many unanswered questions for me and therefore left me feeling slightly disappointed. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the electronic copy.

Lucy lives her life with the sole purpose of catching the man who took her sister. She sets traps, accepting lifts from passing strangers; but will the abductor ever take the bait?
A terrifyingly scary thriller, which speeds up your heart rate and raises the hairs on the back of your neck.
Told from several different perspectives, the plot was original, clever and well written. I absolutely loved it! I just couldn’t stop reading!
With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the chance to read this ARC in return for an honest review.

I've really enjoyed this author's previous books; this one not as much. It felt disjointed and the ending was too open ended for my reading satisfaction.

I have only just discovered this author and regret not discovering her books sooner. I now have the enjoyment of catching up on her past works. I love the writing style which vividly portrays the emotions of grief that Lucy feels following the disappearance of her sister.
This is a true thriller. It's so suspenseful and I just couldn't predict how it was going to unravel with so many twists, turns and surprises. Highly recommended.

Another inventive plot from this accomplished writer. This time it's about a missing woman, told from three viewpoints: her sister, a civilian police employee, and a serial abductor. I particularly liked Angela, the police admin officer who tagged along with Detective Denise. The two had better instincts than the rest of the Irish police force put together - and than at least two of the victims...
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.

I’ve read all of Catherine’s books so I was eager to see what The Trap was like. While it was a decent premise, I found that the further I got into it, the less invested I became. I don’t know was it a case of right book wrong time or what, but I just didn’t connect with it at all. That being said, I think crime fiction lovers will definitely enjoy this one!

The Trap is Catherine Ryan Howard’s seventh psychological thriller, but the first of her books that I’ve read.

The Trap has a great premise and begins in a very tense and suspenseful way: Lucy, whose sister Nicki has disappeared, gets into the car of a man who may or may not be Nicki’s abductor in an attempt to uncover the truth about what happened to her sister.

Inspired by Ireland’s unsolved “Vanishing Triangle” mystery – a number of missing or murdered Irish women in the 80s and 90s, this novel starts off as a page-turner, although the pace definitely slows down in the middle before picking up again in the final part. The lengthy summaries of the documentary episodes about plane crashes, in particular, interrupted the action without, in my opinion, adding anything useful to the plot.

The Trap is told mainly from three points-of-view – those of Lucy, the sister of one of the missing women; Angela, a civilian working for the Garda Missing Persons Unit and the killer himself. The author’s characters are well crafted and I found the character of Angela, in particular, very likeable. I enjoyed the chapters told by the killer, which were chilling and creepy.

Towards the end, there seemed to be a lot of head-hopping in the narration, which I found jarring. Not only does the killer’s voice change from 1st to 3rd person, but a new narrator is introduced – Garda officer Denise Pope, who is a character throughout the book, but whose perspective is needed to bring the book to a somewhat inconclusive end.

Overall, though, I thought the novel was a good read and I would definitely read another of this author’s books.

Loved The Nothing Man so was really keen to read this. Women have gone missing in Ireland and Lucy's sister Nicki is one of them.
A really good read with well drawn characters. None particularly likeable. The plot is tight and fast paced. The ending was very unexpected and I'm sure I totally liked it. I think I'm a neat and tidy person
Catherine Ryan Howard is definitely a phenomenal writer
Just not keen on American spellings :(

My favourite Catherine Ryan Howard novel yet! The twists and turns, the multiple view points and the cast of quite frankly awful (but real) characters had be completely hooked. Nothing else to say but 5 stars!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review

My second book from this author and I enjoyed it way more than the first book!

What intrigued me was the title and premise and the book delivered!

Tense and dark with well developed characters. Kept turning the pages, keen to discover more. Thanks to publisher and Netgalley for ARC.

I don’t know how she does it but once again Catherine Ryan Howard has me gripped by a completely unique, twisty, edge-of-my-seat thriller. The inspiration for this one - Ireland’s missing women - is something I also grew up hearing about in the news and I’m sure it affected many of us to a crying degrees.
The narrative felt very original and fresh, the dialogue was - as this author always writes - very authentic and engaging. I loved this one, and it’s given me the impetus to pick up her earlier novels that I haven’t gotten to yet.

The knowledge that Catherine’s latest twisty read is inspired by a series of still unsolved disappearances makes the novel all the more creepy. Queen of high concept thrillers, we begin with a young woman walking down a dark road on a dark night. She needs to get home and willing to do whatever she can, including taking a lift from a stranger, to do so. Was it the right thing to do? Does ‘stranger danger’ still apply when you’re a grown-up? Though she is brought home safely, she’s unsatisfied – because she wasn’t looking for a good Samaritan but a monster. In fact, she’ll continue to do this, putting her life in danger, until she finds the man who took her sister. It’s an intense subject matter but Catherine handles it perfectly: the plot is ideally pitched, the characterisation is measured and the overall writing is sensitive but thought provoking.

4+

A young woman accepts a lift in the middle of the night from a stranger and despite the concerning turn of the conversation and some off behaviour she makes it to the safety of a service station. It’s not the monster she’s been searching for, so she’ll try again and again, placing herself in acute danger until she traps and baits the man who took her sister.

Oh my goodness! The start of this has my heart in my mouth, as you feel as if you are actually trapped in that car seat with the threat levels at Defcon one. I can safely say that Catherine Ryan Howard is well and truly back on form in this very well written, compulsive, pacy chiller of a mystery thriller. In some places the scenarios are so scary it raises the hairs on the back of your neck with sky high tension and suspense. The novel is told from several perspectives which I really like. Switching points of view helps to break some of the acute tension and allows you to catch your breath. It also broadens the depth of the book. For instance, we follow Garda staff, very likeable Angela at Missing Persons Unit whose narrative starts with some welcome humour. Through Angela, we meet Detective Denise Pope, a Garda legend, and also very likeable, and she gives us insight into the ineptitude of the operation looking into several missing women. Denise Pope also raises valid points about which missing people are seen as worth pursuing by the authorities and with these judgements speaking volumes. Another narrative is Lucy whose sister is missing and through her you get the despair of those whose family members are missing and that feeling is palpable. We also hear the calm, shockingly calm, voice of the killer which makes your blood run cold. This keeps my focus throughout, in fact, I’m glued to the pages. The plot twists are very good, the final one is a clever jaw dropper and kudos to the author for coming up with that one. The finale is good too, and it feels right to me and although it is slightly ambiguous I do like it.

Overall, if you like psychological mystery thrillers this is well worth your time and it’s also worth reading all the authors notes at the end.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Random House UK, Transworld for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

A standalone mystery novel by bestselling author Catherine Ryan Howard where a young woman who risks everything to catch a killer.

Lucy’s sister Nicki disappeared one year ago after leaving to meet friends at a Dublin pub. The third Irish woman to vanish in as many years, Lucy has been living in agony, not knowing what happened to her sister. In an attempt to take matters into her own hands, Lucy begins investigating the case herself. Meanwhile, Angela, who works for the Missing Persons Unit, begins pulling on a thread that could finally break the case wide open.

The author cleverly weaves together multiple storylines, all of which kept me turning the pages wanting to know more. The nameless man who drives through the night with his latest victim in the back seat is a truly terrifying character. And as he tells his victim everything from the beginning, readers will be left wondering just how far he will go to keep his dark secrets hidden.

“The Trap” is a gripping novel that is full of suspense, the writing is good and her ability to craft a suspenseful plot is unparalleled. I would recommend this novel to anyone who loves a good mystery. It is sure to keep you guessing until the very end.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Random House UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.