56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard

Happy book birthday week to Catherine Ryan Howard whose latest, 56 Days, released this week from Blackstone!

56 days ago, Ciara and Oliver struck up a conversation outside of the store. They went to coffee, scheduled a date, then another...

It was the beginning of something. 

But then, thanks to Covid, everything shut down. With rules that would prevent them from seeing one another—and seeing where this new budding relationship might go—they decided to move in together and ride out the lockdown as a pair. 

Not even two months later, though, one of them is dead. 

It was the smell that prompted the call to the police. And now, amidst a global pandemic, the investigators must determine exactly what happened. 

The Covid times have sucked. And I am definitely one of those people who doesn't want any reminder of it all. And yet, this is admittedly the kind of premise that I will make an exception for. Because it is a premise that fits, without question, with those early days. 

What would happen if you met someone you liked just days before the shutdown? Most places had restrictions that limited interaction to those within your household. I, fortunately, have a family of my own. But there are plenty of people who have been alone. And I can absolutely see craving a connection so badly that you would rush into something in order to have that connection during such an awful time. 

But that's not all that's going on here!

Oliver wants a chance to build a relationship with Ciara without outside influence! 

I really loved Ciara and Oliver—and Lee as well. The story plays out in such a way that the reader is almost continuously having to revise their notions about exactly who these characters are and what motivates them (except Lee, she's a detective and her motivations are clear from the beginning). 

Chapters alternate between in timeline, bouncing between Ciara and Oliver's meeting, their moving in together, the investigation, and even prior to their meeting as the plot unfolds. And POVs switch between Ciara, Oliver, and Lee. And it's done in such a way that it doesn't hamper the pacing at all! Which I also LOVE!

56 Days won't be for everyone simply by way of it being set in the early Covid days. But if you're intrigued by the premise, as I was, you'll love this latest from Catherine Ryan Howard. I'm pretty excited to dive into her backlist now that I've met her work :)

Order a copy from your favorite indie via Bookshop!