56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard (Review)

Format: Hardback/Audiobook

Source: Library/BorrowBox

Publisher: Corvus Books

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction

Publication Date: 19th August 2021

Synopsis/Blurb (Taken from Goodreads):

“No one knew they’d moved in together. Now one of them is dead. Could this be the perfect murder?

56 DAYS AGO
Ciara and Oliver meet in a supermarket queue in Dublin the same week Covid-19 reaches Irish shores.

35 DAYS AGO
When lockdown threatens to keep them apart, Oliver suggests that Ciara move in with him. She sees a unique opportunity for a new relationship to flourish without the pressure of scrutiny of family and friends. He sees it as an opportunity to hide who – and what – he really is.

TODAY
Detectives arrive at Oliver’s apartment to discover a decomposing body inside.

Will they be able to determine what really happened, or has lockdown provided someone with the opportunity to commit the perfect crime?”

My Thoughts

Having read The Nothing Man and Rewind and enjoying them both I couldn’t wait to pick 56 Days up. I have to admit I was a little worried that this would turn into a romance novel even though it’s categorised as a thriller, but I didn’t have to worry as it turned out to be a very exciting thriller.

56 Days is set in Dublin just as Ireland is about to go into the first lockdown because of the Covid pandemic.  We follow Ciara and Oliver who have just met and have only been dating a couple of weeks, but due to the circumstances and tough Covid restrictions, they decide it would be a great idea for them to move in together.  However, things don’t quite go to plan when one of them ends up dead!

Although I found the build-up to Oliver and Ciara’s relationship a little slow during the opening chapters, I knew the book was heading towards a darker storyline full of hidden secrets just waiting to be revealed. By the halfway point I couldn’t get enough of this book.

There are moments when things felt a little repetitive but this is all down to the timeline and POV  jumps throughout the book. But at the same time, I they are well done and well appreciated as we learn important clues about both characters backgrounds as well as their possible motives.

The characters are very well done. I found them very interesting and until the point where the truth comes out I found them very likeable. The characters were very sympathetic and likeable right up until the truth came out.

I did alternate between reading the hardback and audiobook, and although I loved the way the narrator, Alana Kerr Collins brought the characters to life I did struggle with her Irish accent and it actually took me a little longer to get through the book when listening to the audiobook as I had to slow down the playback speed so that I could fully understand what she was saying. So, if like me you have trouble with strong accents you may just want to stick with reading the book physically.

Overall I enjoyed this book very much and I know many readers are put off by books set in during the pandemic but the pandemic is only the backdrop for the storyline and doesn’t really go into much details about the whole pandemic side of things. So, if you’re willing to put that aside that aspect of the book and are looking for a well written thriller with twists and turns that you don’t see coming then this is definitely a book to give a go!

My Rating

💙💙💙💙

Have you read this book? What did you think? Leave a comment below and let’s have a chat.

Happy Reading!!!

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