56 Days
A Thriller
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3.9 • 451 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
SOON TO BE STREAMING ON PRIME VIDEO, STARRING DOVE CAMERON AND AVAN JOGIA
“Bloody good.” —The New York Times
“Timely, surprising, emotionally alive, this is about as good as suspense fiction gets.” —Washington Post
No one knew they were together. Now one of them is dead.
56 DAYS AGO
Ciara and Oliver meet in a Dublin supermarket queue, just as COVID-19 begins creeping across Ireland. A spark. A chance. A distraction—from everything they’re trying to outrun.
35 DAYS AGO
With lockdown looming, Oliver suggests they move in together. For Ciara, it feels like a rare opportunity to let a relationship bloom in total privacy. For Oliver, it’s the perfect way to keep his past—and his true nature—hidden.
TODAY
Detectives force their way into Oliver’s apartment and find a body decomposing inside.
As they untangle a relationship built on secrets and half-truths, they face the ultimate question: Did lockdown give birth to love—or the perfect murder?
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Dark secrets are uncovered in this nail-biting pandemic thriller. Ciara and Oliver meet just before COVID hits Ireland, and, afraid of facing the unknown alone, they decide to weather lockdown in his apartment together. But it’s hard getting to know each other under such extreme circumstances—especially since one of them might be trapped in quarantine with a murderer. Catherine Ryan Howard does an amazing job playing on our fears about vulnerability, new relationships, and the claustrophobia of the post-pandemic world. Every character feels real and lived in, and we especially enjoyed the banter between Garda detective Leah Riordan and her investigative partner Karl Connolly, who are called after the fact to figure out what really happened in that apartment. Mask up for a mystery about who we can trust when the world turns upside down.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set just before and during the first weeks of the Covid-19 lockdown in Dublin, Ireland, this captivating tale from Edgar finalist Howard opens with something amiss in an apartment complex. Flash back 56 days. Oliver and Ciara, two shy people in their 20s, meet in a supermarket. Both have recently moved to Dublin and are alone, so lockdown seems like the perfect time to start a relationship. But as their courtship unfolds, so do their secrets, and Oliver becomes increasingly paranoid about the outside world—in particular about an older woman Ciara meets who gives her cryptic warnings about falling in love with him. Meanwhile, back in the present, police investigating a foul odor coming from an apartment discover a putrefying body in the shower. No fingerprints and no identification are found anywhere. 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.
Customer Reviews
Italics Overload
I get we need to emphasize some things. But this was excessive.
Amazing
This author has such a creative and fascinating mind for writing. This makes my second book of hers I’ve read. I can’t wait to read more.
First COVID-19 story
I enjoyed this one! Lots of turns and twists. Ending leaves you thinking.