A captivating story that flows well, has great character development and good pacing. It's also set in my favourite city in the world (Dublin), so I knew I was going to love this story.

The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard.

I have really enjoyed some of this authors previous books and one or two not so much. When I read that The Trap was inspired by real life events - that of the case of women who disappeared in Ireland in the 1990s. I remember these women's names, I watch the appeals information still when they appear on the news on the anniversary of the dates they disappeared and most Irish women my age , like me, will have thought of them regularly throughout the years, especially when out alone or feeling vulnerable in certain circumstances. So I was a bit conflicted on this at first. One of the authors previous book took inspiration from the murder of a teenage girl in Ireland and it made me uncomfortable reading that . The Trap however was different, it didn't feel salacious and the authors note on her inspiration made sense. Also it got me thinking ;
I have never felt that uncomfortable reading other fiction based on or inspired by true crime so is it a bit hypocritical to have an issue with it because its Irish crime when I willingly consumed details of murdered or missing women in other countries?

Less stream of consciousness , more book review. I really enjoyed this. I liked the structure, the dialogue, the different point of views and the deeply chilling story at its center. A year ago Lucy's sister, Nicki, never came home after a night out in Dublin. She is the third such woman to disappear in as many years and Lucy is frustrated by the efforts to find her sister by authorities so decides to take matters into her own hands.. Lucy sets out to trap the man who has taken these women and bring him out of the shadows and into the light in a desperate attempt to bring her sister home.

The book is told from Lucy's perspective, that of the Garda ( Irish police) investigating and the deeply terrifying man responsible. This book opens strongly and continues building tension and suspense throughout. I had no idea where this story would end up and raced through this one to find out what would happen. Dark , twisty, well written suspense that offers a fictional glimpse into the harrowing reality that several Irish families are still living in today.

4 stars.

Recommend.

The author is usually one of my favourites. However this book started out with great promise but for me it failed to deliver. It sadly became a book that I ploughed through but had no interest in the outcome. Regretfully disappointed but thanks for an ARC from NetGalley.

If it's one thing Catherine Ryan Howard is exceptional at, it's hooking you from an opening page.

The Trap is inspired by a series of still-unsolved abductions of several young women, which rocked the Irish landscape in the 1990s. Catherine brings these cold cases to the forefront of her story, adding her own unique spin on events. It primarily follows the story of Lucy, whose sister, Nicki, disappeared in Dublin the year before. Nicki is one of a number of women who have gone missing, and when the Gardaí have no leads on her sister's whereabouts, Lucy takes things into her own hands. Similar to The Nothing Man, we also get the perspective of the perpetrator, who feeds us details on how he hunts his prey.

This is a gripping and creepy serial crime thriller, with clever twists and turns. It's a page-turner that will keep you up at night, with an insightful handling of abduction and violent crimes against women in Ireland.

This book centers around the sister of a missing woman and her torment in looking for answers which pushes her to more and more desperate measures. It’s told from three points of view including the man responsible. As ever with Catherine Ryan Howard’s books you are second guessing yourself from the off, a story that makes you anxious and makes you think. One for any thriller fans. Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for the ARC. Available now

The Trap is inspired by a series of, still unsolved, disappearances of young women in the 1990s. We follow the story of Lucy, who's sister disappeared a year ago after an evening with friends and who is starting to take things into her own hands. We also meet Angela, who works for the Missing Persons Unit but dreams of joining the Garda; she makes some discoveries and starts to follow the trail. Soon enough, both characters worlds collide and the case is cracked wide open.

I was aware of the Irish disappearances as I had read a book about it previously, but The Trap was my favourite adaptation by far. It is a heartbreaking and harrowing series of events, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

It is told from the point of view of Lucy, Angela and 'him'. I loved the mystery of hearing from the point of view of the unknown and trying to work out how it all fitted together.

The characters were written brilliantly and I could feel the pain of Lucy over the loss and lack of knowing surrounding her sister.

Full of twists and turns, this was genuinely the best book I have read for ages and I will be looking for my by this author.

My thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.

Oooh, this is clever. So incredibly clever.

Several women have gone missing over the last few years, leaving only their broken phones behind. The police investigation into these disappearances isn't turning up any results at all. The people in charge can't even seem to be able to decide if there are any connections, and, as is so often the case, most of their resources seem to go the youngest and prettiest victims.

Lucy's sister, Nicki, went missing after dumping her friends and leaving a bar in the middle of the night, never to be seen again. Since then, Lucy's life has completely come to a stand-still, finding it impossible to move on without any answers as to what has happened to her sister. She feels her sister's disappearance isn't getting the attention it deserves, and is increasingly getting frustrated with how the police is handling things. She will stop at nothing to find her sister.

This is something I find Catherine Ryan Howard did really well. Finding that balance between giving the reader a glimpse of the devastating consequences a loved one's disappearance has on those who are left behind, and the ultimate mystery of what happened to these women. How do you move on from something like this? How will knowing everything help? If at all?

But the reader also gets a sneaky look at the dark thoughts of a twisted individual, who's telling his story to one of his victims. These were the chapters that made my heart beat that little bit faster. Little by little, the sordid tale seems to come together, you're beginning to think you may have just figured it out and then ... there goes that rug from under your feet. Did I mention clever? So very clever!

Surprisingly, there are some rather witty moments too. These tend to be provided by Angela, who is working for the Missing Persons Unit and hopes to be a member of the Gardai one day. If only she could pass that pesky performance test. She shows huge promise and potential, and I'd like to put it out there that I would absolutely love to see her again in future books, thank you very much.

'The Trap' seems to take a little while to get going. Yet, slowly but surely, the tension starts to build up, and just when you least expect it, a jaw-dropping moment will leave your head spinning. This is one of those stories that will trap you (see what I did there?) from the very first page and just will not let go until you have all the answers. Catherine Ryan Howard knows how to tell a story and 'The Trap' is definitely a gripping page-turner that will leave you wanting more.

The Trap starts off with a strong premise - a young woman walks along the side of the road in the dead of night. Offered a lift, she gets into a stranger's car. Will she be killed? Or does she want to be found by a killer?

Lucy's sister Nicki went missing a year ago, and is considered a potential victim of a serial killer, alongside some other missing women. Lucy is obsessed with the case, and can't let go. Meanwhile, we also see the perspective of the police (well, someone who is 'with' the police) and the killer/kidnapper themselves...

It's a taut tale that begs you to read it as swiftly as possible. I don't always like a killer's perspective (because I prefer the whodunnit angle), but here it was quite an interesting voice. There are some clever moments that make you consider the book in a new light.

The ending is going to be divisive and while I understood it (given the author's note at the end), it wasn't entirely satisfying for me personally.

Whoa, I loved this book. Having been a huge fan of Catherine Ryan Howard's previous novels I so excited to get approved to read this novel.

This novel is amazing, everything that I personally want in a thriller is in this book.

Women are going missing in Ireland and there is no clue as to what and where they disappeared to. The novel is told through a few people's perspectives.

We meet main character Lucy, her sister Nikki has been missing and Lucy is desperate to know where she is. She lives with Chris, her sisters boyfriend and Lucy really puts her life on the line to find out what has happened.

We also meet Angela, who works in the Missing Persons unit, she wants to be a Garda and she gets invested in this story.

We then meet the man who is taking these women, and we hear his side of the story of how it first happened and why.

When a woman is found, knocked over by a car as she was fleeing The Pink House, she suggests that where she was staying was full of women and this kicks the investigation and the families of the kidnapped women wondering if their loved one is still alive.

The story-telling is amazing, quite a few different characters that are all interesting and weave an immense and thrilling story. I loved it. This is why Catherine Ryan Howard is one of my favourite novelists.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for allowing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to @netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this for an honest review.

Lucy’s sister Nicki vanished without a trace after a night out in Dublin. She is part of 3 women who have vanished in suspicious circumstances in recent times in the same area. Operation Tide was formed to investigate but Lucy is so unhappy with their lack of progress she’ll do anything to find her sister single handed-including bait the killer who’s still on the loose!

The story is told through 3 POVs, including the killer’s which I loved. It is definitely edge of the seat style reading, had me engaged from the beginning and I found myself racing to the end to find out everything.

As with every Catherine Ryan Howard book I’ve read I’ve loved the different places in Ireland being mentioned and trying to picture this whole setting the scene in my head.

I loved the story and loved how it was played out. Loved getting into the head of the killer and how creepy their thoughts set the mood. The plot was original and the ending in some ways really annoyed me but I never saw it coming and it was unique.
Released yesterday Aug 3rd and from the hype and reviews I’ve seen I predict a swift sprint to the top of the charts!

One year ago, Lucy's sister, Nicki, left to meet friends at a pub in Dublin and never came home. The third Irish woman to vanish inexplicably in as many years, the agony of not knowing what happened that night has turned Lucy's life into a walking nightmare. So, she's going to take matters into her own hands.

Angela works as a civilian paper-pusher in the Missing Persons Unit, but wants nothing more than to be a fully-fledged member of An Garda Siochana, the Irish police force. With the official investigation into the missing women stalled, she begins pulling on a thread that could break the case wide open - and destroy her chances of ever joining the force.

A nameless man drives through the night, his latest victim in the back seat. He's going to tell her everything, from the beginning. And soon she'll realise: what you don't know can't hurt you....

This book was inspired by a series of unsolved disappearances in Ireland. Lucy is desperate to find out what happened to her sister Nicki who went missing just over a year ago. Other women are also missing from the Dublin area. The story is told from multiple points of view. I was pulled in after reading the first chapter. The tension builds throughout. I liked that we also got the voice of the abductor which gave the story more depth. I also liked the authors writing style. My only critiisim is that I felt the ending was a bit rushed.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #RandomHouseUK #TransworldPublishers and the author #CatherineRyanHoward for my ARC of #TheTrap in exchange for an honest review.

Happy Publication Day to Catherine on another terrifying thriller!

Inspired by the real-life disappearances of Irish women in the 90’s, Catherine is back with a story that will give you serious goosebumps and chills!

Three women are missing, including Lucy’s sister. She wanders quiet roads at night, accepting lifts from strangers in the hopes that one of them will be the man responsible for taking her sister. But Lucy’s obsession could be her downfall…

The premise of this book immediately grabbed my attention. Growing up in 90s Ireland, I remembered all the media footage of the disappearances and it still makes me wary to walk on my own at night. The way she captures how victims are portrayed in the media is so on point!

Catherine is a master at creating stories that completely captivate her readers, sucking you into the world of the characters and spitting you out at the end!

Many of the characters are unlikeable and the kidnapper’s sections will really give you the creeps!

I did struggle with the idea of voluntarily getting into cars at night with random men in the hopes of finding the actual kidnapper- bit of a stretch for me but sometimes you just have to suspend reality a little bit to enjoy a good thriller.

The ending…. Never saw it coming! I was left a bit confused but when I read back to the first chapter, it all made perfect sense. That’s the mark of a good thriller- leaving you absolutely gobsmacked and having to put the book in the freezer so it won’t give you nightmares!

My favourite book by the author is still The Nothing Man but The Trap is full of Irish-isms and as always Catherine gives us some fantastic witty dialogue!

Unsettling, creepy and now I definitely won’t be walking around my little country roads late at night!

The Trap is out now! Thanks @randomhouse & @transworldbooks for the arc.

The beginning of the book set high expectations but then it was divided into different story lines which were not equally attractive and sketchy. Potentially it could be very good book but really the structure of it and the characters didn't make it special.

This book has some fantastic reviews so I am definitely in the minority here.

This was a story about three missing women and told in different peoples POV, So I expected it be a fast read with maybe a surprise thrown in here and there. However, I found it to be very slow going and very drawn out. I struggled to follow what was happening really (could be me) and the ending was frustrating.

There was a good moment of a mention of The Nothing Man in the story which I thought to be very clever.

I have read other books by this author and have loved them, unfortunately I just didn’t connect with this one. It won’t stop me from reading more though.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an digital. ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The premise of this novel immediately drew me in and I wanted to find more about Lucy the protagonist, who wanders along quiet roads at night and accepts lifts from strangers in the hope she’ll come across the person responsible for her sister’s disappearance. This is only a small part of the story and the point of view alternatives between Lucy trying to get media attention for her missing sister, Angela who is a civilian working in the Missing Persons Unit and finally, the abductor.

I liked the setting and the tone, which is full of Irish-isms and witty dialogue. The story emphasises how some of the missing women received more media attention than others and I think this was an important thing to explore. I found parts of the book a little bit slow and I found some of the things that Lucy chose to do quite frustrating. However, the sections from the point of view of the abductor make up for this. The author does a good job at getting inside the mind of a twisted, flawed villain.

It was interesting to read about the real life case that inspired this novel in the author’s notes. This is a solid thriller that fans of the genre will enjoy.

4.5*

Oooooooh this was clever and very addictive! It was the first book I’ve read by this author – but I did rather love the cheeky nod to another of her books, The Nothing Man, which is mentioned by one of the characters – without even knowing the book, that made me laugh.

So, anyway, The Trap! This was brilliant. We have quite a few different viewpoints telling the story and a real mix of characters. First of all, we have Lucy – her sister, Nicki has been missing for over a year and she has become desperate to know what has happened to her, to the point of putting herself in danger. Nicki has been linked to 2 other women who have gone missing in fairly similar circumstances in Ireland, but, to Lucy’s dismay, has never seemed to have the same level of attention from the media.

Next we get the point-of-view of Angela. I LOVED Angela – and Denise, her sort-of police detective partner. Angela works for the Gardai but hasn’t yet made it to be a Garda as she failed the physical exam. She is hard on herself and doesn’t realise how sharp she is and what brilliant detective instincts she has. Meanwhile, Detective Denise, mainly described through the eyes of Angela, is absolutely brilliant and hilarious. These sections of the book were hands-down my favourite, because these two women were so clever and witty and brilliantly brought to life.

Denise’s observation about Jurassic Park and not over-counting the dinosaurs had me in stitches – but boy did that turn out to be an important metaphor!

Our third most important narrator – the kidnapper. A very intriguing, sometimes quite regular-sounding, sometimes extremely scary character. In his sections, he is talking to someone he has just taken hostage, but we don’t know who it is. He is explaining his story – of how he started, why, and how he thinks he’s been getting away with it for so long.

From the very first chapter, I was both scared and hooked on The Trap – the second half, I read in one day. I had to get to the end. The way the plot panned out was not what I expected AT ALL – it led me in one direction that had me feeling quite safe and then quickly to some of the most unsettling scenes of the whole book. And that ending! I loved that it didn’t all wrap up neatly with Scooby Doo levels of explanations like some books do. But it was just enough to keep the chills going right into the final sentence.

Very dark, and very clever.

When this book first started i had high hopes but come 60% in and I really couldn't of told you if anything that had happen bar the sister going missing.

I got to the end and wondered what i had read ad nothing had happened. Shame as her other ones have had twists and turns

The trap kept me in the edge of my seat, I found it to be an emotional read and I absolutely tore through the book.
It was an unsettling, creepy read, especially because it is inspired by some unsolved disappearances. I would wholly recommend this book.

I’d like to thank Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Trap’ by Catherine Ryan Howard in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Lucy’s sister Nicki has been missing for over a year and in an attempt to trap the abductor she goes out at night hoping he’ll stop and offer her a lift. Until she finds the monster who’s taken Nicki and the other women who were walking along quiet roads in rural Ireland she’ll put her life on hold and continue searching. When a new lead opens up Angela Fitzgerald, a civilian employee in the Missing Persons Unit, is invited to join the investigation run by Detective Garda Denise Pope.

After reading the introductory blurb of ‘The Trap’ I was keen to get reading and the first chapters had my heart racing with anticipation, but then it slowed down and lost its spark and I found it difficult to keep my enthusiasm going. I thought the characters lacked colour and verve and I didn’t enjoy reading the chapters narrated by the abductor as he sat with his wife watching true crime programmes on television. This novel has been well-written with an interesting plot and I’m sorry I didn’t enjoy it but I’m sure I’ll be in the minority and I’ll look forward to reading the next one by this author.

A young woman, stranded on the side of the road in the middle of the night receives an offer of help from a passing driver. It’s the thing you are told never to do – never get into a stranger’s car. But she gets in anyway, and her worst fears quickly come to fruition – the driver is a perfectly normal person trying to do someone in need a favour. But Lucy wasn’t looking for a good man.
She was looking for a monster.
And she’ll try again tomorrow…
Well, that was the wrong book to finish just before going to bed. Took a good while to get to sleep…
If there was an award for “Never Writes The Same Book Twice”, it should definitely go to Catherine Ryan Howard. She’s written twisty thrillers of all shapes and sizes – Distress Signals, The Liar’s Girl, Rewind, The Nothing Man and 56 Days – all of them extremely satisfying tales and all completely different structurally. And once again, with The Trap, she has produced an excellent thriller that will completely get under your skin.
Told from multiple points-of-view – Lucy, the sister of one of the missing women, Angela, a would-be member of the Gardai and the villain of the piece as well – the tension builds nicely while tackling some of the rather depressing realities of such crimes, such as the press only really taking notice when a photogenic and sympathetic victim is taken. Inspired by a number of unsolved crimes – although a work of original fiction – there are many bits and pieces here that made me think, while coming to some fairly depressing conclusions (in a good way).
The premise and title only give an inkling of the direction that the story takes. I should say for my readers that this isn’t a mystery novel – it’s a thriller that verges on non-supernatural horror in places – but it twists and turns all of the place with a number of genuine surprises.
I should mention one thing – the killer’s voice. Normally, I absolutely hate that stuff. I forget (thankfully) what the book was that I read a while back where the killer’s voice slowly revealed every unpleasant predilection under the sun that he suffered from. Here, the voice is chilling – absolutely chilling – without resorting to any detail whatsoever. It’s masterfully done.
So another recommendation for Catherine’s book. No surprise, really – if you haven’t tried her books yet, I strongly recommend that you do.
The Trap is published by Transworld in ebook on August 3rd and in hardcover on August 17th. Many thanks to the publisher for the review e-copy via NetGalley.