I found this book very hard going. Maybe it's down to the matter of missing females and lack of attention. I finished the book and was glad I had to get the ending.
Very complex characters that have competing agendas that is true to life.

Catherine Ryan Howard's newest book! I've been a fan for a while, so I was very happy to be approved for an eARC of this book in NetGalley.

Catherine didn't disappoint this time. We follow three different characters: Lucy, whose sister Nicky is one of the victims of a serial killer? kidnapper? and which disappeared after a night out; Angela, who's a civilian that works in the missing persons unit and is training to become a member of the Gardai; and the actual killer/kidnapper.
I ate this book up in two sittings (could have been one, but had to change planes) - it's fast-paced and propulsive, probably more than any of Howard's previous thrillers, and I found the three voices to be distinct and unique, which helped give credibility to the story (which is based on a real series of disappearances).

I particularly liked the reflections on the current society that the author managed to sneak into the book (e.g., what it feels like to be a woman walking alone at night; or how the different victims are appreciated by the general public based on their background and history).

Why not 5 stars? Hard to tell (particularly without spoiling). I think the conclusion might be a bit too rushed, and I would have liked something a bit longer after the main twist of the story.
Still, a very worthy read this summer that I'll recommend to everyone who listens!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Trap is the latest page turning thriller from Catherine Ryan Howard, and once again she proves to be queen of the page turners. Loosely inspired by the so called "vanishing triangle " and the disappearance of several young women in Ireland in the late 1980s and early 1990s this is a tensely plotted cat and mouse game where the reader sees the story unfold from several perspectives, including that of the killer. The most compelling point of view character is Lucy, a young woman who is willing to go to any length to uncover what happened to her sister Nikki, who vanished without trace one night, even to the extent of offering herself as bait to try to lure the killer. The third point of view character is Angela, a civilian who works in the missing persons unit of the Gardai, and dreams of joining the force herself. She is thrilled when a chance discovery leads to her unofficially joining the investigation.
It will be impossible to say too much more about the story without revealing the twists and turns that are designed to shock the reader, so all I will say is that more than once I found myself whispering "what!! as yet another clever surprise was revealed. The characters , particularly Lucy , are well crafted and believable, and I found the chapters from the killer's perspective genuinely disturbing. Without ever being preachy or taking away from the momentum of the story the author was able to incorporate a very valid commentary on how the portrayal of victims in the media etc can colour people's perspectives , and I found this very interesting. The pacing is fast with the constantly shifting perspectives helping to keep things moving . Overall this is another very strong offering from the queen of Irish crime writing.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher ,all opinions are my own.

This thriller had me on the edge of my seat from the outset and never really let go! Lucy is using herself as bait to try to attract a killer... one who has already abducted her sister some 18 months ago. She is desperate to find her. We then find that Nicki is not the only woman abducted, but the only links appear to be that the culprit discards their phones as he grabs them, presumably to avoid any tracking devices.

Angela works in missing persons, and finds herself drawn into the case working alongside the grumpy detective Denise. Lines become blurred as they strive to find out what has happened to at least three women who have been abducted. Then a fourth girl stumbles in front of a car, showing signs that she too has been kept and abused. Suddenly the case is more than a few girls who have disappeared and Denise is determined to find this culprit.

The story around the women's disappearances and how each is treated - implying the pretty, white, young high achiever gains much more publicity than Nicki who left the pub, somewhat drunk, in a short skirt, makes for interesting and perhaps uncomfortable reading. The impact of these crimes on the families is also heartbreaking.

A strong read that I really enjoyed. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first time I have read any Catherine Ryan Howard.
I don't normally like who-dunnits, but find Georges Simenon's psychological thrillers enthralling. This book reminded me of these.
The Trap is an excellent book, with interesting characters and a good setting. There were no red herrings, and very few clues, and the ending was kept open just enough for the story to be complete, or a follow-on book to be written.
My thanks to the author for an excellent read and to the publisher for an advanced copy for honest review.

This is a crime novel set in Dublin and rural Ireland, I was very invested from the description which eluded to a woman trying to 'trap' a serial killer into abducting her in an attempt to discover the whereabouts of her missing sister - yikes!! Original and gripping!

The book is well written told from the perspective of multiple characters including the killer himself.

For fans of the crime genre I would highly recommend this book, while I read it, I think it would really work as an audiobook. I was utterly delighted to discover a quite spectacular plot twist - wow!!

My thanks to Netgalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard
I give this book 4.25 stars

Stranded on a dark road in the middle of the night, a young woman accepts a lift from a passing stranger.
As they drive, she alternates between fear and relief.But when he delivers her safely to her destination, she realizes her fears were unfounded.
And her heart sinks. Because a monster is what she's looking

Inspired by a series of still-unsolved disappearances this is a dark and riveting read. The story is told from varying perspectives including an unknown man which gave the book a chilling vibe.The story weaves together with a tense hunt to find missing girls.There is one part that completely knocked me off my feet I read this book in a day and loved it! Hooked from the start l couldn't put it down.Personally I would have preferred an ending with more closure but I’m sure most readers won’t!!
With thanks to Catherine Ryan Howard ,Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Bantam for my chance to read and review this book.

I really enjoyed this book with its drama, tension and twists. Girls have been going missing from various places near Dublin. The only similarities apart from being young and female are that their phones are found smashed near to where they were last seen. Lucy, the sister of Nicki who went missing over a year ago, cannot have anything approaching a normal life until she has answers. She attempts to trap the perpetrator by foolishly walking around remote places late at night hoping that HE will stop and give himself away. The story is cleverly told from various perspectives, Lucy; Denise and Angela from the police and the perpetrator himself. With a huge dramatic twist towards the end the book plays out to a conclusion that leaves a few unanswered questions although I suppose the answers are obvious, I personally would have preferred them to have been written into the story in a clear way. However, this minor criticism should not deter anyone from reading this excellent book.

This book has suspense and twists a plenty.

A well written mystery with a great main character but it was such a slow burn but the ending is so worth it.

I really enjoyed this book, especially the twist towards the end which totally threw me - I thought it was very clever. It was well written and I was thoroughly engrossed in it. Recommended.

Unfortunately I wasn’t a fan of this book. I found it to be quite slow paced and just didn’t really hold my interest. I couldn’t warm to any of the characters and found it didn’t love up to the synopsis. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and the author for the chance to review.

This is my 5th book by Catherine Ryan Howard and once more I am left gobsmacked at just how clever and addictive this book was, I loved it.
The story is centred round missing women and about the sister of one of them who is desperately seeking to find out if her sister is dead or alive, but actually the story is about much more than that and full of twists and turns that never failed to surprise me. Told in a unique way this was a read that really did have me fooled more than once and although there is humour in the book it’s also full of suspense and at times you can almost taste the feeling of menace created by a very nasty psychopath. The chapters are relatively short and this made me race through the story I just couldn’t put the damn book down!
The ending is superb and very satisfying and I can’t say more than pick this one up , close all the doors and turn the phone off and settle down to one hell of a terrific ride!!
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Bantam for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I LOVED the nothing man and gave it 5 stars. This I would round up to a 4. It did have a twist ending which I thought was really good and shocking but aside from that I was a bit bored. I didn’t have that pull to reading it every chance I get. The main character just wasn’t particularly likeable and it just felt a bit mundane. Maybe I’m comparing it to the Nothing Man?

I found this to be quite slow going. The promise was good but it just failed to deliver for me. I failed to empathise with any of the characters. The pacing was good but the whole book just dragged a little after the promising start. I would read more from the author though as the plotting was good. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Another great book from Catherine Ryan Howard. I really enjoyed THE NOTHING MAN so was cautious of going in knowing THE TRAP might not live up to expectations. But it did :)

Lucy is trying to find her missing sister, by going out at night and trying to be abducted by the same man who took her. Obviously this is a ridiculous plan, but Lucy is desperate.

I thought the pace of this book was perfect, the characters true to life and the crimes pretty heinous. All the things I look for in my thrillers.

A perfectly twisty tale for fans of the author and fans of thrillers in general.

I was really intrigued by the premise of this one and I had enjoyed “56 Days” when I read it last year so I was excited to get the opportunity to read “The Trap” early.

Howard did not disappoint me. Her writing is so well suited to this genre and she kept the twists coming!

As with a lot of these types of book, it’s a difficult review to write as I don’t want to spoil anything at all. I did figure out some of the twists along the way but not all of them.

I would have loved to have seen a little more of Angela, a civilian staff member from the Missing Persons Unit, and Denise, the Family Liasion Officer. The relationship between the two of them was fab, I’d definitely read a sequel featuring them.

Howard splits the focus of the chapters of the book between different characters and I found this worked really well. It was always clear where I was in the story and it meant I got a really well rounded picture. I particularly liked the chapters told from the point of view of the “unsub”. They were really effective.

There were a few bits that felt a little off to me but not so far that they took me completely out of the story.

There was a bit of commentary about the way female victims of crime are portrayed in the media; particularly cases like this with missing or murdered women. It was well handled and Howard made her point quite clear without being preachy or in your face.

The ending definitely wasn’t what I was expecting but I kind of liked that about it.

If you’re looking for a thriller with a twist this is definitely for you.

Always lots of twists and turns with this author and this one is no exception. Really liked the police officer and assistant but felt some ends went to nothing and I wasn’t convinced that anyone would get in a stranger’s car when they already thought they may be a madman . But it is a cracking story nonetheless.

I struggled with this book as I found the characters unbelievable at time. It's set in fairly rural Ireland and starts with a girl getting into a strange man's car in the middle of the night as she's supposedly stranded as the her phone has died. There is then a tense car ride where she thinks he's a serial murderer who's been operating in the area. We then discover that she is going out deliberately and putting herself in this position to find out what has happened to her sister who disappeared over a year ago.

The book is told from a few POVs, including the killer's. I found the main characters' behaviours quite unbelievable and unlikeable too. I was also frustrated by the ending as I am not entirely certain if the main female character at that point got the closure she was seeking. The ending was disappointing and unclear to me.

With thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve read books by this author before and was looking forward to this , I’m glad to say it didn’t disappoint. Fantastic, eerie and captivating. I immensely enjoyed it . Would definitely recommend.

First book I have read by this author after reading about it as a selection of What We Are Reading This Week on Books Brunch.

Well paced pyschological thriller which switches between the abuducter, police and the Lucy, the missing woman's sister.

Ending was different, leaving the reader with many a 'what next?' scenarios.

Highly recommended.