56 Days - by Catherine Ryan Howard

About the Book

"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?"--

Book Synopsis

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?

Review Quotes

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"