56 DAYS is a thriller set in the beginning of our pandemic written by Catherine Ryan Howard. This novel is intense in parts to the point I found it hard to put down. I needed to know what happened. The story is told in the present, and past in a way that builds up the suspense. It is very easy to follow even when you have several different characters' points of view. Howard did a great job with this.
Two people meet at the beginning of a pandemic in Ireland. Ciara and Oliver hit it off. What are the odds of meeting someone you connect with then you are forced into a lockdown in your own separate homes? They just met and now at the beginning of a relationship neither want to be a part of each other that long. So Ciara agrees to stay with Oliver for the two weeks that they are forced into a lockdown. But is this too soon for both of them? How well do they know each other after just meeting? And what secrets are there that might be hidden?
Detectives are called to an apartment weeks after the lockdown is in place. What they find is a dead body. Who is it, and what happened will not be easy to find out with so much time passed and lots of questions unanswered. Did the pandemic give someone the opportunity to commit murder and to get away with it?
As you read this psychological thriller you cannot help but make guesses that change as you go through the chapters. Of course, for me, the ending is one I would not have guessed. Howard did an awesome job of surprising you at the end. 56 DAYS is definitely one for thriller lovers that crave suspenseful storylines. Catherine Ryan Howard is a mastermind with this one.
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?