Title: 56 Days
Author: Catherine Ryan Howard
Publisher: Corvus
Synopsis:
No one knew they’d moved in together. Now one of them is dead. Could this be the perfect murder?
56 DAYS AGO
Ciara and Oliver meet in a supermarket queue in Dublin the same week Covid-19 reaches Irish shores.
35 DAYS AGO
When lockdown threatens to keep them apart, Oliver suggests that Ciara move in with him. She sees a unique opportunity for a new relationship to flourish without the pressure of scrutiny of family and friends. He sees it as an opportunity to hide who – and what – he really is.
TODAY
Detectives arrive at Oliver’s apartment to discover a decomposing body inside.
Will they be able to determine what really happened, or has lockdown provided someone with the opportunity to commit the perfect crime?
My review:
So, you either enjoy books that address COVID-19 in them or you don’t. But whichever camp you’re in, who cares because this book not only includes mention of COVID, but a lot of the plot centres around it – and it’s brilliant!
The story follows Ciara, who has recently moved to Dublin, as she meets the incredibly handsome Oliver and though she can’t believe it, starts a relationship with him, with lockdown looming around the corner… However, we soon discover that either Ciara or Oliver – or both! – have some secrets of their own…
The timing of this book is really interesting. It took me back to those days right before we went into the first lockdown, and really reflects and picks up on the way so many of us were feeling at that time. We move between Ciara and Oliver’s perspectives, but the story mainly focuses on Ciara as she gets to know Oliver – and then we also jump to the perspective of the police, as we find out someone in Oliver’s apartment has been murdered!
The plot also jumps between different timeframes, from present-day narratives focusing on the police investigation to the lead up, as we find out that not everything is as we thought!
One of the many things I love about this book is the way you don’t see certain parts coming – at all. I really like the twistiness of the plot and the way we slowly uncover more and more. It’s so tantalising!
I don’t want to give too much away so I’ll just say, this is gripping, atmospheric and very very readable. I absolutely raced through it and would have happily read much more!
Rating: 5/5
Many thanks to Corvus for providing a copy of this novel on which I chose to write an honest review.