Book: 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard

Summary:

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?

Verdict:

56 Days situates itself in the jittery, almost otherworldly setting of Dublin just as the virus begins to seep ashore in Ireland. We meet a young couple—Ciara and Oliver—who decide to enter lockdown together, even though they've been on only a couple of dates and each secretly feels a bit wary of the other.

Catherine has mastered plot twists in this novel that create a thrilling page turner. We are taken on a journey with both characters who have baggage we discover along the way. People might be apprehensive with the topic Covid ,as it has been so much of our lives for the past 20 months plus and still continues, but this novel is true escapism in a modern day , and a scene that any of us could actually fully picture happening, which can make it so realistic for fiction.

56 Days had twists and turns that I did not see coming, There is much debate regarding rating of this book, mainly due to the fact that it moves back & forward in time from chapter to chapter. Personally I liked this form of narrative, but it may not be everyone's taste. But if you’re up for a stroll down COVID lane, I highly recommend this book

Rating 5*****