What may seem like a very common scenario is given the Ryan Howard twist. I also like references to previous books by this author (although each one is standalone) - fun without being too meta. An excellent look at the effect on families of long-drawn-out missing persons investigations.

The Trap is the latest book from talented writer Catherine Ryan Howard and the first book from the author I have read.
Set in Ireland, several women have disappeared in Ireland’s countryside feared abducted and the Garda are nowhere near finditing of this ng them or who is responsible. Lucy is fed up with waiting to hear about one of the women who is her sister Nikki who went missing after leaving a Dublin Pub. She take matters in her own hands and decides to pretend to be coming home from a night out walking alone. When she is picked up by a guy thinking her might be the attacker, but he lets her out in the nearest service station.
Alice is a civilian working In the Missing persons unit but hopes that some day after passing her test she will come an officer. She gets drawn into Operation Tide with fellow Police Detective Denise Pope who are trying to find the truth to what happened to the missing women.
The rest of the story is told by the abductor himself, revealing how he abducts the women and what he does with them in his care.
Thank you, Random Transworld for a copy of ‘The Trap’. I enjoyed my first outing of this author. I found it to be quite sinister and scary compelling read and will sure look out of other books that she has read. But I felt that the last third of the book was dragging on a bit and disappointed with the ending, as I was expecting more. 4 stars from me

What a roller coaster of a ride this book is very clever .Set in Ireland, girls are missing and Lucy's sister is one of them .The story is told from multiple perspectives including intriguingly the killers .Lucy is determined to find out what has happened to her sister ,she feels the Police are doing nothing ,so she sets a trap which is setting herself up as bait walking late night streets hoping the killer will stop ,very dangerous ! I was just disappointed that the ending was left a bit in the air with no satisfactory conclusion.Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.

I really enjoyed this one and flew through it in pretty much a day.

I have previously enjoyed Catherine Ryan Howard's previous novels but even if I hadn't I knew this book would be a winner from the synopsis. A woman, Lucy, on a night out heading back home potentially being picked up by a serial killer/kidnapper, however we soon come to learn this is her intention given her sister has been missing for a number of months.

The story is told through different perspectives, interestingly one of them being the unnamed baddie. This is different, but actually works really well.

This book will live or die by your feelings on the ending, it won't be for everyone but I thought it worked really well.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Bantam for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

#TheTrap #NetGalley
Good one.
Stranded on a dark road in the middle of the night, a young woman accepts a lift from a passing stranger. It's the nightmare scenario that every girl is warned about, and she knows the dangers all too well - but what other choice does she have? As they drive, she alternates between fear and relief - one moment thinking he is just a good man doing a good thing, the next convinced he's a monster. 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 for. She'll try again tomorrow night. But will the man who took her sister take the bait?
Felt like No Bad Deed. Although it was good but didn't like the ending.
Thanks to NetGalley and Transworld Digital Bantam for giving me an advance copy.

Catherine Ryan Howard's The Trap takes readers on a chilling rollercoaster ride through the intricacies of a kidnapping, skilfully weaving together multiple perspectives to create a tense and suspenseful narrative. In a story where nothing is as it seems, Howard showcases her talent for creating an unsettling atmosphere, leaving readers guessing until the very end.
One of the strengths of The Trap lies in its expertly crafted ending. Without giving away any spoilers, it's safe to say that the conclusion is both unexpected and satisfying. Howard deftly ties up loose ends, delivering a twist that leaves readers reeling and questioning everything they thought they knew. This cleverly executed finale is a testament to the author's ability to create intricate plots that keep readers engaged from start to finish.
The main character, Lucy, presents a complex challenge for readers. While it is undeniable that she has been through a great deal of trauma and has valid reasons for her morose demeanour, I found it difficult to truly connect with her on an emotional level. Despite her struggles, Lucy's character lacked the relatability necessary to evoke a strong sense of compassion. Nevertheless, her role in the story provides a crucial perspective that adds depth to the narrative.
What truly shines in The Trap are the chapters from the kidnapper's point of view. Howard's decision to offer readers a glimpse into the twisted mind of the abductor is both chilling and fascinating. By delving into his thoughts and motivations, the author manages to create an eerie sense of normalcy, blurring the line between horror and the mundane.
While Lucy's character may prove challenging to fully embrace, the cleverly written plot and the inclusion of multiple perspectives, especially those of the kidnapper, compensate for this flaw. "The Trap" is an enthralling read that masterfully explores the dark recesses of the human mind, making it a highly recommended choice for fans of psychological thrillers.

Young women are disappearing in Ireland and after a year the police still have no clues so the sister of one of the women decides to walk alone in the dead of night to try and trap the killer herself.

Fans of Catherine Ryan Howard will be aware of how twisty her novels are, I'm pleased to say The Trap is no different. I frequently say that when I've finished a novel I want to go back and reread because of all the twists. Well, with The Trap I went straight back and reread chapter 1 as soon as I'd finished.

The novel opens with a scary scene of a young woman walking along country roads late at night. We slowly learn that her sister had disappeared a year ago. When a stranger pulls up in a car the tension immediately intensifies; this is the moment she's been waiting for. Everything about the scene makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and your skin crawl.

As the second chapter opens we learn about Lucy and her sister Nicki, Nicki has been missing for a year. Lucy is frustrated that the police and media did not take her sisters disappearance seriously. The police only launched an investigation when a pretty seventeen year old girl disappeared but have not found any of the women or have any clues about their abductor.

I had so much empathy for Lucy, you really got the impression that her life was in limbo. She is desperate to know what has happened to Nicki. She knows it won't bring her peace but it will conclude the endless torture of not knowing if she's alive or dead.

Every so often we get a different narrator. We hear from the abductor as he explains how everything started, a chance encounter that set him on the road to abducting women. Then there is a female narrator, a woman determined to get out of the derelict room she's in but fearful of angering someone. These voices leave you apprehensive about what is going to happen.

The conclusion brings all the various threads together, with a number of twists that turn the whole story on its head, hence my need to go straight back to the beginning and reread the opening chapter. The author also gives some details about the real-life case that inspired the novel, unfortunately that story doesn't have a conclusion.

Oh my goodness!!

This made my blood go cold. inspired by some chilling cases this author has taken some research and give it some seriously good pacing, characters, voices and a man on the hunt.

Recommended!

A great beginning but went downhill for me.
Told from multiple points of view and slow going, just couldn`t gel with any of the characters and a disappointing ending

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC
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The summary of this book and the first chapter really raised my interest in the story and I was looking forward to reading it. However I felt that the story dragged. There were some twists at the end but these were not enough to increase my enjoyment of the book. Not for me I am afraid.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for the advance copy of this book.

I am so happy that I enjoyed The Trap. After the authors last 2 books didn’t quite work for me, finally we have a winner. The Nothing Man is one of my favourite books and ai do love the way the author writes. The Trap was a fast read, with multiple points of view that keep the reader wanting more.

Missing women in Ireland… is there a connection? Missing without a trace, the families just want some news and the Guards are stumped. We hear this story from 3 different angles. First of all there is Lucy, the sister of one of the missing women. She is desperate for news on her sister and will do anything to get it, even putting her own life in danger. Then there is Angela, a civil servant working with the missing persons team and who wants to be a Guard. And then there is the creepy and disturbing voice of the man responsible.

There are plenty of twists and turns in this story, and you will not know who to trust. A dark and unsettling read, but one that I can highly recommend.

Thanks to Random House UK, Transworld Publishing and NetGalley for my advanced copy to read. Out on August 17th.

I’ve read a few Catherine Ryan Howard books now, and she is an excellent writer. A master of suspense, The Trap is as brilliantly written as her previous novels - and I love a psychological thriller.
The multiple POV’s work brilliantly well and there’s great character development throughout the book, making it an absolute page turner that I couldn’t put down, and read within a day.
The ending, however, completely ruined it for me. It was just too unbelievable and the lack of closure for multiple plot points were just too frustrating for me - I think one of the plot points was deliberately open-ended, but the other plot point just seemed to have been forgotten about.
I will absolutely read whatever she writes next because she’s an excellent writer, but the ending of this book ruined it for me.

The Trap is the latest thriller by Catherine Ryan Howard, whose back catalogue includes smash hits like The Nothing Man and Run Time, and it sees the Irish author once again drawing upon real true crime inspiration to create a dramatic and exciting story.

This book follows several points of view, but we start with Lucy, whose sister Nicki went missing a year ago and has never been heard from again. Lucy is out of her mind with grief and guilt about what might have happened to Nicki, so she decides to take matters into her own hands - by walking deserted country lanes at night in a bid to be abducted by the same predator.

We also follow Angela, who is a civil servant trying desperately to get into the Gardai and who thinks Nicki’s case might be connected to the disappearances of two other women at around the same time.

And finally we also have the point of view of the abductor, who is speaking directly to someone throughout the book whose identity is kept under wraps.

This was another exciting, captivating novel from this author, with the addition of a little more police procedural than in her previous work that fitted in really well with the story. I particularly enjoyed Angela’s relationship with Denise, the guard who reluctantly takes her under her wing and allows her to get involved with the investigation, as it added a touch of humour (and if there is ever a film or TV version, I hope to goodness Denise is played by Denise Gough, as that is who I saw in my head throughout).

As I mentioned earlier, this book is inspired by the real-life disappearances of several women in Ireland whose cases have never been solved, and there are some very poignant passages about this (and about violence against women in general) in The Trap which I actually found very moving. Don’t miss the author’s note at the end if this is something you’re interested in.

I think if you enjoyed The Nothing Man in particular you’d really like The Trap - and there is even a cheeky little reference to it that helps to make the books feel as though they’re in the same universe.

Around two-thirds in (maybe a little more) I thought I wasn’t going to like the direction in which this book was going, but wow, are there some twists as the end approaches - and what an ending it is! It’s so very clever that I was shaking my head with a big grin on my face as I wondered just how CRH pulled it off.

I think this is another winner from this author and it’s clear by now she’s someone whose writing style I really enjoy. I’ll definitely be picking up whatever she publishes next. Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyed this immensely. Several females go missing in Ireland, are they linked? Have they been taken by the same perso ?

As they have not yet been found - one of their sisters takes finding the person that has potentially taken them into their own hands by walking alone at night in the hope they will be stopped by the abducter.

The relationship between the Police Officer and civilian member of the Missing Persons Unit is integral to they way the story unfolds.

Keen to read more novels by Catherine Ryan Howard after reading this!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an ARC of this book.

Catherine Ryan Howard is a genius.....true story, the end!!!!

Ok, I should probably write some more but I don't want to give anything away. Tension builds throughout the story; it is full of twists and turns, gasp/scream out loud moments (helpful to release the tension!) It is quite simply an absolute page turner that you will find incredibly hard to put down.

What is also lovely is that it is full of little treasures for fans of this author and her work......I particularly enjoyed the sarky nod to The Nothing Man and an update on The Liars Girl.

Some poignancy to the novel that I couldn't help reflecting on after I finished. Explained in a note from the author at the end, although entirely fictional, the story is inspired by true events; the disappearance of eight women in Ireland in the 90's, who to this day have never been found. I can only imagine how their loved ones must feel. As Catherine herself says....

"Sometimes  –  tragically, infuriatingly, inexplicably  –  fiction is the only place we have to go for answers"

The Trap is the latest thriller from Catherine Ryan Howard and whilst it was enjoyable in parts and the concept was excellent I felt that it didn’t quite do itself justice with some of the “twists” being fairly obvious and the story being told from numerous points of view not quite working.

So overall an ok read.

Really good, clever and captivating story. This was my first book by this author and I hope I can read another one soon. Unfortunately I did not really connect to the characters which might be a result of the multiple points of view. However I still really enjoyed it and I did find the different perspectives very interesting even though I could not connect with the characters.

Rating: 2.2/5

I thoroughly enjoyed this author's previous offering, "Run Time", so I had no hesitation in coming back to read "The Trap", a story inspired by disappearances that still remain unsolved many years later.

The opening chapter had me gleefully looking forward to the rest of the book, confident that I was going to enjoy this every bit as much as the writer's previous novel: It set the scene, created tension and anticipation - and delivered an early, unexpected little twist into the bargain - what was not to like? I also enjoyed the closing chapters of the book - but, sadly, the body of the story left me feeling decidedly underwhelmed. I commented in my review of "Run Time" that I was already halfway through the book before I even realised - a sure sign that you are happily wrapped up in the reading experience. However, that was not the case with "The Trap". I found the bulk of the story quite tedious and I struggled to be drawn in, let alone intrigued, by the main characters. The chapters written from the perspective of the perpetrator are easily the most engaging and did at least serve to hold my interest sufficiently to allow me to see the story through to the end. I dare say that I will return to read more from Catherine Ryan Howard in future, but I will be hoping for something more like "Run Time" and less like "The Trap".

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

The story opens with a young woman stranded on a dark road in the middle of the night, accepting a lift from a man in a car on his own. We all know not to take lifts from strangers, but she has no other option. As he is driving her towards civilisation she teeters between terror and relief. One moment she thinks he is a man doing a good deed, the other convinced he is a killer, and she has been stupid enough to get right into his car. Another part of her is hopeful, because it is a killer she is looking for.

This story introduces us to Lucy, who is tormented by the disappearance of her sister Nicki, who vanished a year ago with no trace. Nicki is one of several missing women, but the Garda investigation into the cases, named Operation Tide, is making no progress, much to Lucy’s distress. Lucy decides to take matters into her own hands and bait the killer into revealing himself.

This book grabbed me with both hands, sat me down on the couch, and did not let me go until I was finished. I quickly realised it was inspired by a series of unsolved disappearances in Ireland in an area called the Vanishing Triangle, where women went missing, without a trace, in the 1980s-1990s. We hear a few voices in this story, as it is told from a few points of view. Firstly the distressed sister Lucy, then Angela - a civilian working in missing persons, who is training to become a Garda. Next, Denise, a detective working on Operation Tide and then finally, the killer. The voice of the killer is skillfully done, adding to the creep factor of the story. Each perspective gave a lot to the story and kept you wanting more.

This book delivered some of the best plot twists I have read in recent times. I was on the edge of my seat while reading and stayed up well past my bedtime to finish it as I simply could not put it down. You will not regret reading this one - and that ending!? Blown away!!

*I received this book from NetGalley for review, but all opinions are my own.

Brilliant! It’s a real banger of a book and I really couldn’t put it down! The storyline is a masterpiece of thriller writing! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for early access to this book.