Buyer Beware - by Catherine Ryan Howard (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

From the internationally bestselling author of 56 Days, a page-turning thriller about two women whose shattered lives come crashing together around a house whose secrets could bury them both.

If these walls could talk, they'd scream...

When Ellie moves to 1 Delaney Row, she hopes to find a fresh start--a place where no one knows her name, her history, or her secrets. But what she doesn't know is that her new home is already hiding someone else's secrets--and the people determined to keep them are watching her.

As Ellie starts to unravel the house's disturbing backstory, coming closer to the shocking mystery at its center, she unwittingly puts herself on a deadly collision course not just with her new home's history, but with her own as well.

A puzzle box of a thriller full of mind-boggling twists and turns, Buyer Beware is a chilling exploration of the dark secrets that any house can hold--and of the lengths we'll go to start over.

Review Quotes

"Howard's latest delightfully wicked novel is a mesmerizing thriller filled with love, betrayal, paranoia, and revenge."--Library Journal (starred review)

"Howard's latest is an emotional thriller with multiple points of view and plenty of twists and turns. As Ellie's mental state deteriorates, readers will find themselves questioning everything that happens and being surprised by what ends up being revealed. This is an engrossing story that will appeal to fans of Alex Michaelides and Peter Swanson."--Booklist

"Bestseller Howard delivers a devilish domestic thriller that follows three narrators connected to a notorious house in the suburbs of Dublin...she gets points for delivering surprises and crafting well-rounded characters who are easy to invest in. It's an entertaining ride."--Publishers Weekly

"Sharp, twisty, and full of surprises. Buyer Beware is another knockout from Catherine Ryan Howard, a true force in suspense."--Jeneva Rose, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"Catherine never disappoints and Buyer Beware is no exception. It's the perfect blend of chilling discoveries, red herrings and shocking twists. The payoff was a chef's kiss."--John Marrs, bestselling author of The One

"Chilling and captivating. Catherine Ryan Howard is a master at taking a crime and cracking it open in ways you never see coming."--Flynn Berry, New York Times bestselling author of Northern Spy

"An intricately plotted, intelligent thriller--every page vibrates with emotion. A masterpiece. Catherine Ryan Howard has done it again--her best novel yet."--Andrea Mara, bestselling author of It Should Have Been You and All Her Fault

"Creepy and compulsive, Buyer Beware is another bitingly smart thriller from the extremely talented Catherine Ryan Howard. Pick it up for the nightmarish premise, stay for the outstanding writing, sharp plotting and compelling characters. Just be careful you don't suffer whiplash from the twists."--Gilly Macmillan, bestselling author of What She Knew and The Burning Library

"This book was a wild ride...Masterfully told in two timelines, the occupants of this home have so many skeletons in their closets, and some of them are screaming to get out. Beautifully written, brilliantly entertaining, and brutally terrifying, this is Ryan Howard's best book to date and that is saying something. Highly highly recommended."--Liz Nugent, author of Strange Sally Diamond

"In Buyer Beware, Catherine Ryan Howard proves once again that she is one of the most intelligent voices in contemporary suspense. A sharp, controlled and deeply unsettling novel which constructs its tension brick by brick. A hugely clever premise that evolves into a plotline that you'll never see coming. This is a brilliant, psychologically piercing thriller that I found impossible to put down."--Amanda Cassidy, bestselling author of Beautiful Liars

"Catherine Ryan Howard is an absolute master."--May Cobb, bestselling author of The Hunting Wives

About the Author

Catherine Ryan Howard is an award-winning, #1 bestselling thriller writer from Cork, Ireland. Her work has been shortlisted for the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for Best Novel, the UK Crime Writers Association John Creasey/New Blood and Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Awards, and the An Post Irish Crime Fiction Book of the Year multiple times. Her novels have been included in The New York Times Best Thrillers of the Year, The Washington Post's Best Mysteries and Thrillers of the Year, and The Sunday Times (London)'s Best Thrillers of the Year. She is published in twenty languages, and a number of her titles have been optioned for the screen. Catherine's fifth novel, 56 Days, won the An Post Irish Crime Fiction Book of the Year and was longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award, the world's most valuable annual literary prize. A screen adaptation starring Dove Cameron and Avan Jogia debuted exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in early 2026. Prior to writing full time, Catherine worked for a travel company in the Netherlands and in Walt Disney World, Florida. She lives in Dublin.