The Trap - by Catherine Ryan Howard (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

From award-winning, internationally bestselling crime writer Catherine Ryan Howard comes The Trap: an unsettling mystery inspired by a series of still-unsolved disappearances in Ireland in the nineties, wherein one young woman risks everything to catch a faceless killer.

One year ago, Lucy's sister, Nicki, left to meet friends at a pub in Dublin and never came home. The third Irish woman to vanish inexplicably in as many years, the agony of not knowing what happened that night has turned Lucy's life into a waking nightmare. So, she's going to take matters into her own hands.

Angela works as a civilian paper-pusher in the Missing Persons Unit, but wants nothing more than to be a fully fledged member of An Garda Síochána, the Irish police force. With the official investigation into the missing women stalled, she begins pulling on a thread that could break the case wide open--and destroy her chances of ever joining the force.

A nameless man drives through the night, his latest victim in the back seat. He's going to tell her everything, from the beginning. And soon, she'll realize: what you don't know can hurt you ...

Review Quotes

"Everything a thriller should be: clever, page-tearing, devastating. Catherine Ryan Howard makes you feel for her characters so much, whether you love them or absolutely loathe them. It's impossible to stop reading--or to stop thinking about The Trap, long after you're done."

-- "Abigail Dean, author of Girl A"

"The Trap is an irresistibly suspenseful, heart-pounding read, full of perfectly executed twists. I never wanted to stop turning the pages. It has everything anyone could possibly want in a thriller."

-- "Clémence Michallon, author of The Quiet Tenant"

"The Trap is everything you want in a book--breathless pace, clever plot, addictive characters, and very pertinent social commentary on how victims are judged. Whip smart, utterly absorbing, and unputdownable."

-- "Andrea Mara, author of All Her Fault"

"A breakneck thriller with so many twists and turns that your head will spin. I absolutely tore through The Trap."

-- "Holly Seddon, internationally bestselling author of The Woman on the Bridge"

"A heart-in-your-mouth, punch-you-in-the-gut, gripping thriller. Everything you'd expect from a Ryan Howard read. Chilling, page-turning, and shocking! This book will leave you breathless, terrified, and desperate for more."

-- "L. C. North, author of The Ugly Truth"

"A skillful, compelling read. I absolutely loved it."

-- "Jo Spain, bestselling author of Dirty Little Secrets"

"A taut, gripping page-turner. Catherine Ryan Howard at her dark and disturbing best."

-- "Sam Blake, bestselling author of Remember My Name"

"A white-knuckle ride of a serial-killer thriller."

-- "The Guardian (London)"

"Add it to your must-buy lists, because it is fantastic...Howard's books really stand out as some of the absolute best, with clever plotting, interesting and often funny characters, and excellent twists. A real treat for anyone who loves an atmospheric thriller."

-- "BookBrunch"

"Catherine Ryan Howard always delivers, and The Trap might be her most electrifying thriller yet. Told by a victim, a relative, an investigator, and a killer, The Trap takes a classic crime story and twists it into something vast, emotional, and absolutely terrifying."

-- "Flynn Berry, Edgar Award-winning author of Northern Spy and Under the Harrow"

"Catherine Ryan Howard is a gifted storyteller and The Trap is her best book yet. From the dramatic opening chapter right the way through the twists and turns of this cleverly-plotted novel, the tension never lets up. Sinister, compelling, utterly addictive, this is heart-in-mouth stuff. Crime writing at its very best."

-- "Karen Perry, author of Your Closest Friend"

"Catherine Ryan Howard is an absolute master of suspense and her latest thriller, The Trap, is an utter triumph! Pulse-pounding, heart-wrenching, with razor-sharp commentary and twist after ingenious twist, I raced through this suspense, desperate to find out what was going to happen next. And my mind was blown when I did! A must-read for summer."

-- "May Cobb, author of The Hunting Wives"

"Dark and witty and clever. An original and highly gripping read, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Catherine Ryan Howard has a deliciously dark imagination and always tells a good tale."

-- "Alice Feeney, New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Darker"

"Dark, creepy, and very clever, The Trap will lure you in and keep you captive until the very last page. Catherine Ryan Howard is the Queen of the Unguessable Twist."

-- "C. L. Taylor, Sunday Times bestselling author"

"Dark, gripping, and terrifying with a killer final twist in the blistering, head-spinning final pages. Utterly brilliant!"

-- "Ellery Lloyd, author of The Club"

"Howard, the author of the wonderful 56 Days...has sentences that unspool like silk and a sly gift for misdirection...Again and again, you'll blithely follow her down the wrong path."

-- "New York Times Book Review"

"Howard's propulsive new thriller is inspired by a spate of unsolved disappearances in Ireland in the 1990s...This scary, twisting, and psychologically incisive commentary on the recent increase in missing and murdered women in Ireland will leave readers guessing until the gut-punching reveal."

-- "Library Journal"

"Intelligent, terse, and propulsive, The Trap is a headlock of a book that refuses to let you go until you find out what happened. And when you do, it will blow your socks off. Prepare to be ensnared in Catherine Ryan Howard's very clever (but equally sinister) net."

-- "Amanda Cassidy, author of Breaking"

"It's no surprise Catherine Ryan Howard has done it again. I'm always amazed and flabbergasted by her books, and The Trap is no exception. Howard's creativity knows no bounds, and neither do her twists! I dare you to figure this one out."

-- "Samantha Downing, internationally bestselling author of My Lovely Wife"

"Not only does [Howard] bring the spirit of those cold cases to the forefront of her story, she adds her own unique spin on how it might have happened and who could have been behind these kidnappings."

-- "Bookreporter"

"The clarity of the voices and the perfection of the audio itself make it a pleasure to hear. Alana Kerr Collins's lilting Irish brogue is a treasure...John Keating's performance of the male point of view is just as cold and calculating as the villain he portrays."

-- "AudioFile"

"This one will chill you to the bone! The Trap is a taut police procedural, psychological thriller, and family drama crafted into one brilliant, breathless thrill ride. This might be my favorite Catherine Ryan Howard novel yet!"

-- "Wendy Walker, bestselling author of All Is Not Forgotten "

"Topical, twisty, and with a real heart-stopper of a moment halfway in that'll make you turn the lights back on."

-- "Gillian McAllister, New York Times bestselling author"