Overview

A New York Times Best Thriller of 2021 A Washington Post Best Thriller of 2021 A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year An Amazon Editors' Pick ''Bloody good.'' --The New York Times ''Timely, surprising, emotionally alive, this is about as good as suspense fiction gets.'' --Washington Post No one even knew they were together. Now one of them is dead. 56 DAYS AGO Ciara and Oliver meet in a supermarket queue in Dublin and start dating the same week COVID-19 reaches Irish shores. 35 DAYS AGO When lockdown threatens to keep them apart, Oliver suggests they move in together. Ciara sees a unique opportunity for a relationship to flourish without the scrutiny of family and friends. Oliver sees a chance to hide who--and what--he really is. TODAY Detectives arrive at Oliver's apartment to discover a decomposing body inside. Can they determine what really happened, or has lockdown created an opportunity for someone to commit the perfect crime?

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Reviews

"[Howard] always snags me at the start with a hook and keeps me invested...The mystery element was very much a page-turner that overrode any potential uncomfortable feelings from the pandemic for me. -- ""Book Riot"" 56 Days is pure perfection and a psychological thriller of the highest order. -- ""Bookreporter"" A twisty tale of suspense...Early on, readers realize that Ciara and Oliver aren't going to make it as a pair...Through flashbacks and flash-forwards, Howard reveals how the two met (in the self-service checkout line at a Dublin supermarket), what secrets each is keeping from the other (and from themselves), and how trust in a new partner--especially at a time of intense isolation--can go wrong in the worst possible way. Howard also astutely conveys the vertiginous and abrupt changes that happened all those months ago. The novel is not, however, meant to be some kind of grand commentary on the pandemic, about the millions of lives lost and countries and societies upended. It's a thriller, a bloody good one, that kept me guessing as I turned the pages at a furious clip. -- ""New York Times"" As with Ms. Howard's other thriller, The Nothing Man, this one is filled with a sense of foreboding from the first page. Nothing is as it seems, and yet everything is displayed in plain sight, if misinterpreted. 56 Days is a thriller with a heavy atmosphere of tension, set during a life-and-death time in our own contemporary history. -- ""New York Journal of Books"" I first fell in love with Howard's writing in The Nothing Man and I jumped at the chance to read her latest. Even though I had a rough idea of what was going on with Ciara, I was still able to be surprised by the twist. I enjoyed the timeline jumps and the same story being told from both Ciara and Oliver's perspectives. It gave a really rounded experience and reminds you that you don't always get the whole story from one person. Perfect addition to your reading list! -- ""San Francisco Book Review"" 56 Days is definitely one for thriller lovers that crave suspenseful story lines. Catherine Ryan Howard is a mastermind with this one. -- ""Fresh Fiction"" 56 Days, Catherine's newest crime novel, is without a doubt my favorite book of hers yet--and destined to be one of my top favorite books of the year. This clever and claustrophobic domestic thriller utilizes the pressure cooker of Ireland's strict COVID lockdown policies to amp up the tension between a newly dating couple who decide to move in together rather than be forced to stay apart when COVID lands on Ireland's shores. This book is masterfully plotted, deliciously entertaining, and brimming with the kinds of clever twists and reveals that you really won't see coming. -- ""Crime by the Book"" Timely, surprising, emotionally alive, this is about as good as suspense fiction gets. -- ""Washington Post"" Dark and dazzling, funny, sinister, and oh-so clever. I read 56 Days in a breath held right up until the final, mesmeric pages. Catherine Ryan Howard is ridiculously talented. -- ""Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of We Begin at the End"" Howard has written an eerie, twisty story ripped from current headlines, in which a global pandemic becomes the foreboding hypotenuse of a dangerous love triangle. -- ""Library Journal"" 56 Days is a terrific novel written by an author who is certain to become a distinguished voice in crime fiction. You won't want to stop reading until the very end. -- ""Karin Slaughter, New York Times and internationally bestselling author"" [A] captivating tale from Edgar finalist Howard...As the link between the couple's outwardly simple yet complex romance and the murder becomes clearer through carefully doled out backstories, readers will find themselves rooting for these flawed characters no matter what their past indiscretions or crimes. Howard continues to impress. -- ""Publishers Weekly"" Catherine Ryan Howard brings crime writing to a new level. -- ""Sam Blake, bestselling author of Little Bones, on The Nothing Man"" Catherine Ryan Howard is a gift to crime writing. Her characters are credible, her stories are original, and her plotting is ingenious. Every book is a treat to look forward to. -- ""Liz Nugent, internationally bestselling author, on Rewind"" Each new twist, dispensed with surgical precision, will keep you hooked, nostalgic for the days when COVID-19 was the worst threat. -- ""Kirkus Reviews"" Howard structures her novel as a clever sort of countdown, dishing out slow reveals about each of the characters, until the shattering ending that I might label Tarantino-esque if it weren't so intimate. -- ""CrimeReads"" The queen of high-concept crime fiction. -- ""Jane Casey, author of the Maeve Kerrigan novels, on The Nothing Man"""

[Howard] always snags me at the start with a hook and keeps me invested...The mystery element was very much a page-turner that overrode any potential uncomfortable feelings from the pandemic for me. -- Book Riot 56 Days is pure perfection and a psychological thriller of the highest order. -- Bookreporter A twisty tale of suspense...Early on, readers realize that Ciara and Oliver aren't going to make it as a pair...Through flashbacks and flash-forwards, Howard reveals how the two met (in the self-service checkout line at a Dublin supermarket), what secrets each is keeping from the other (and from themselves), and how trust in a new partner--especially at a time of intense isolation--can go wrong in the worst possible way. Howard also astutely conveys the vertiginous and abrupt changes that happened all those months ago. The novel is not, however, meant to be some kind of grand commentary on the pandemic, about the millions of lives lost and countries and societies upended. It's a thriller, a bloody good one, that kept me guessing as I turned the pages at a furious clip. -- New York Times As with Ms. Howard's other thriller, The Nothing Man, this one is filled with a sense of foreboding from the first page. Nothing is as it seems, and yet everything is displayed in plain sight, if misinterpreted. 56 Days is a thriller with a heavy atmosphere of tension, set during a life-and-death time in our own contemporary history. -- New York Journal of Books I first fell in love with Howard's writing in The Nothing Man and I jumped at the chance to read her latest. Even though I had a rough idea of what was going on with Ciara, I was still able to be surprised by the twist. I enjoyed the timeline jumps and the same story being told from both Ciara and Oliver's perspectives. It gave a really rounded experience and reminds you that you don't always get the whole story from one person. Perfect addition to your reading list! -- San Francisco Book Review 56 Days is definitely one for thriller lovers that crave suspenseful story lines. Catherine Ryan Howard is a mastermind with this one. -- Fresh Fiction 56 Days, Catherine's newest crime novel, is without a doubt my favorite book of hers yet--and destined to be one of my top favorite books of the year. This clever and claustrophobic domestic thriller utilizes the pressure cooker of Ireland's strict COVID lockdown policies to amp up the tension between a newly dating couple who decide to move in together rather than be forced to stay apart when COVID lands on Ireland's shores. This book is masterfully plotted, deliciously entertaining, and brimming with the kinds of clever twists and reveals that you really won't see coming. -- Crime by the Book Timely, surprising, emotionally alive, this is about as good as suspense fiction gets. -- Washington Post Dark and dazzling, funny, sinister, and oh-so clever. I read 56 Days in a breath held right up until the final, mesmeric pages. Catherine Ryan Howard is ridiculously talented. -- Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of We Begin at the End Howard has written an eerie, twisty story ripped from current headlines, in which a global pandemic becomes the foreboding hypotenuse of a dangerous love triangle. -- Library Journal 56 Days is a terrific novel written by an author who is certain to become a distinguished voice in crime fiction. You won't want to stop reading until the very end. -- Karin Slaughter, New York Times and internationally bestselling author [A] captivating tale from Edgar finalist Howard...As the link between the couple's outwardly simple yet complex romance and the murder becomes clearer through carefully doled out backstories, readers will find themselves rooting for these flawed characters no matter what their past indiscretions or crimes. Howard continues to impress. -- Publishers Weekly Catherine Ryan Howard brings crime writing to a new level. -- Sam Blake, bestselling author of Little Bones, on The Nothing Man Catherine Ryan Howard is a gift to crime writing. Her characters are credible, her stories are original, and her plotting is ingenious. Every book is a treat to look forward to. -- Liz Nugent, internationally bestselling author, on Rewind Each new twist, dispensed with surgical precision, will keep you hooked, nostalgic for the days when COVID-19 was the worst threat. -- Kirkus Reviews Howard structures her novel as a clever sort of countdown, dishing out slow reveals about each of the characters, until the shattering ending that I might label Tarantino-esque if it weren't so intimate. -- CrimeReads The queen of high-concept crime fiction. -- Jane Casey, author of the Maeve Kerrigan novels, on The Nothing Man

Author Information

Catherine Ryan Howard is an internationally bestselling crime writer from Cork, Ireland. Her most recent novel, 56 Days, was named a best thriller of 2021 by the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Irish Times; was an Irish number one bestseller; and won Crime Fiction Novel of the Year at the Irish Book Awards. Her previous work has been shortlisted for the Edgar Award for Best Novel and CWA's John Creasey New Blood and Ian Fleming Steel Daggers, and she's been shortlisted for the Irish Crime Novel of the Year multiple times. She lives in Dublin.

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