I started reading 'The Trap' expecting it to deliver in the way of '56 Days' but what I found was a story that read much more like true crime. Public appeals for information about the whereabouts of missing women and a garda unit conducting searches of the Wicklow mountains provide a serious dose of realism and echoes of high-profile unsolved cases that Irish readers will be familiar with. Yet, for all that, some of plot moments lack credibility and perhaps this is in its rush to solve the mystery and provide closure. And this is my greatest criticism because these stories are often the ones that frustratingly most evade closure. It's still pacy and makes for a very quick read and author Catherine Ryan Howard again plays with telling the story from varying perspectives. On this occasion though that jars at times and this novel just seems less accomplished and more experimental.

Fast paced novel, based on unsolved disappearances of women in Ireland. Realistic dialogues and great characters, gripping and hard to put down!

This book sucked me in and I could not put it down. I'm not sure if it was the characters, the Mystery, the writing style or a combination, but I just found it intoxicating.

I think the final publication may be more polished, there were a few sentences/phrases/descriptions which which were repeated, identically in some instances, and in this ARC version I found it hard to note when new sections were starting/ we were swapping narrator.

It wasn't full of twists or major drama but it was compulsive.

I have read everything this author has written and was so excited to be given the opportunity to read an early copy of The Trap.

Great story with plenty of twists and boy what a thriller!
Bit gutted when i had finished, i cannot recommend enough.

Thankyou to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.
A massive 5 stars from me.

[insert swear word] me… Catherine does it again! She always writes a scarily good book but in all honesty, I didn’t think she could top The Nothing Man - but she only goes and does it with The Trap.

That twist… Oh Em Gee, I was not expecting that. The characters - perfection. The storyline - perfection. The settings - perfection. The novel - perfection. Just [insert swear word] well read it!

While i am a fan of some of the books by the author, i am afraid i had a hard time with The Trap. The premise was fantastic and the pacing of the story was good too. Unfortunately, for me, there were too many narrative voices to keep track of and i struggled to finish this book. The first half of the book i quite enjoyed, but the second half i just wanted to finish and reach the end.

This is an amazing book, just buy it, and sit back and enjoy the ride. A massive five shiny stars from me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I always love it when I see a new Catherine Ryan Howard novel out as her plots are always original and clever. This was definitely no exception. The story involves missing girls in Ireland and the desperation that follows to find them.

I really enjoyed the different character’s points of views and found the writing really engaging. Although I wasn’t sure I was enjoying the story at first, as I found it slightly slow and it was going in an unexpected direction, it really picked up half way a long. The first twist came along followed by plenty more and the ending really surprised me! After reading plenty of thrillers it takes a lot these days for me to not work out the ending but this one totally got me. Overall really clever, well written and one I will be recommending. I am now going to purchase the rest of the authors books that I haven’t read yet. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early copy.

Catherine Ryan Howard is amazing! I’ve read all her fiction and I’m so grateful to have been given the chance to read this, her latest, too! I absolutely LOVED all the Easter eggs (if you’ve read her earlier books you’re in for a treat spotting those!) and once again her structure and character development is just **chef’s kiss**. I have been exclaiming how good this is to my boyfriend while we watch a true crime documentary (what else) and need him to read it so that we can discuss!! I also really appreciated the acknowledgements at the end, which have led me to read further into Irish history.

WOW!!!! What an amazing read once again from Catherine. From the very first page I was gripped & unable to put this book down. I don't want to give away much butI will say I was chilled reading this book. The writing was amazing & flawless. Superb once again

Summary: Absolutely unputdownable! Once I started this novel, I had to keep reading until I finished.
The Trap is a cracker of a novel by Catherine Ryan Howard.
Inspired by a series of tragic, unsolved disappearances in Ireland, this story tells the tale of the fictional Lucy who is willing to do anything, to find out what happened to her sister Nicki, who disappeared a year earlier without a trace.
Nicki is one of several missing women but the Garda operation is failing to gain any traction and Lucy decides to hunt for the suspect by turning herself into "bait".
The pacing is well measured, ensuring that the reader is kept on their toes, with sufficient twists to keep you engaged. There is a sense of urgency built up but the various points of view and the 'explanation' from the kidnapper is particularly well written and chilling.

With many thanks to Netgalley and Random House Uk for this free Arc. I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily
The Nothing Man is one of my best reads ever so I was super excited to read this. This book totally blew me away. Absolutely gripped from a brilliant opening chapter. The dialogue in this book is sublime especially from the pov of the suspect. I so wanted to get to the end to find out what happens but at the same time I never wanted to stop reading this book. This is writing of the very highest calibre. Ingenious plot yet again from this wonderful author. Flawless

Lucy goes out in the dead of the night, dressed like she has been out drinking, hoping to snare the person who took her sister, Nicki a year ago. With a series of girls disappearing, she is desperate to find out what happened to Nicki. Hope is fleeting when one girl escapes her encounter but is knocked down by an oncoming vehicle and dies before she can elaborate more than “the pink house”.
Compelling writing by Catherine Ryan Howard with the fast paced plot, up her the usual high standards. Highly recommended read.

Catherine Ryan Howard is one of my favourite authors in terms of writing style - it's conversational, has the perfect amount of description without becoming too wordy and dialogue is realistic, which I've found is a rare thing to get right in thrillers!

These elements were all here for this book, so it was pleasant to read. It was a great book, I just didn't quite feel the pull of the plot as I did with Rewind and 56 days. I did find the first half a bit slow-going, but the second half really ramped things up for me and I thought the twists were well done and very clever.

Whilst this was not my favourite book by the author, it's still a brilliant piece of writing and I would recommend it. It probably just says more about how good the others are!

Such a great thriller, which kept me hooked with twists and turns right up until the last sentence. I was unable to guess them but they were still plausible plot twists.

I've been a fan of Catherine Ryan Howard since I read 56 Days, then binged on all of her other thrillers.

The blurb for The Trap doesn't give much away so I'm not going to spoil it.

Women have been disappearing off the streets, the sister of one of them sets out to act as bait to lure the abductor out.

Catherine Ryan Howard has written some great thrillers, and expertly plays with structure. In The Trap we three varied perspectives, the sister acting as bait, a member of civilian Police staff drawn in to help the investigation and chillingly, that of the chief suspect.

There's a lot of characters, a lot going on to keep track of. The character writing is very good, there's plenty of threat and tension, but I found the plot a little too indirect.

I read it in one sitting, I enjoyed it, but sorry to say I can't rate it as one of Catherine Ryan Howard's classic thrillers.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK