Each chapter is set on a different day during this timeline. It's a genius move from Howard, who can keep readers off-balance thanks to this disparate storytelling, which skillfully reveals and hides key plot twists ... 56 Days is pure perfection and a psychological thriller of the highest order.
It is engrossing, suspenseful, and exciting with interesting and unique characters, but it is so full of twists and turns that there is very little that can be said about the story itself without spoiling something ... Howard crafts the story in a methodical and deliberate manner, giving the reader a scenario through one character’s eyes, then later builds on that with another character’s perspective of the same event, but without getting repetitive or dragging down the action or pacing. As she peels back the lies that hide the half-truths that cover the secrets, the author gives us that perfect book-club discussion opportunity ... highly recommended for any fan of psychological suspense.
The story is told in a way that many sentences, taken initially at face value, may need re-reading after the novel is finished, for they then take on different meanings. Since most of the story is told in flashbacks from Ciara’s view and then the same scene in Oliver’s viewpoint, that may cause the reader some confusion, or seem redundant, but those points of view give the reader the opportunity to catch revelatory nuances in each person’s observations. In spite of the crime he committed, it won’t be difficult to feel sympathy for Oliver, as his inner thoughts again and again replay his self-accusation and agony over what he did and how he’s still paying for it ... filled with a sense of foreboding from the first page. Nothing is as it seems, and yet everything is displayed in plain sight, if misinterpreted ... a thriller with a heavy atmosphere of tension, set during a life-and-death time in our own contemporary history.
It is a very fine work of crime fiction ... it’s not just about the plot—the writing in this novel also deserves to be savored ... Ryan Howard has taken a particular moment in time and preserved it beautifully ... There is humour in the book too, courtesy of a snappily written cop duo, and a cracking sense of pace ... There will be many novels written about 2020 but this is not a lockdown novel, it’s simply one of the best crime novels I’ve read this year.
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!
... probably her best yet ... Howard is brilliant at creating high-concept crime plots with killer twists. At the end of this I wanted to start it again to analyse exactly how the author had entrapped me. The plot is riveting, the writing seamless and the characters very convincing. The timeline jumps can be slightly confusing, flicking from their first meeting (56 days ago) to when they moved in together (35 days ago) to the present so you’ll have to be on your toes to keep up. However, it’s a very minor quibble in the perfect —despite the pandemic setting— escapist novel.
... stunning ... Howard crafts likable characters, witty banter, and clever POV shifts throughout, but readers may need a strong neck to withstand the whiplash of frequent time jumps. This quibble aside, 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.
... [a] captivating tale ... 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.
