56 Days: A Thriller

Set in the city of Dublin in Year 2020, when there is a confirmed positive case and lockdown was about to be implemented, Oliver and Ciara met outside his work building, starting with a small talk discovering that they both admire the Intrepid Museum in New York, Ciara even swinging a souvenir bag. They instantly adored each other and when days later, the Prime Minister announced that all citizens shall stay inside their home, except for essential workers, for the next two weeks, they decided to live together temporarily. Since they both just moved to Dublin, they have no friends or family to introduce the other person to, they got to know each other "alone" and without the impressions of anyone. But are they really the person they say they are, 56 days from their first meeting, a dead body is found in Oliver's apartment, apparently, has been deceased for weeks. Had their meeting been a coincidence and fate or is it something planned with a deeper intention?

Catherine Howard writes so engrossingly that I was really curious from the start who is the dead body found in Oliver's apartment. The incorporation of COVID-19 is one thing, and I think it is brave, and for another, she mixed it with murder mystery, thriller and romance that made the book incredibly unputdownable. I am at the edge of my seat, very nervous of what will be revealed next, every chapter is a cliffhanger. There are several moments in this book that I told myself, "Okay, I get it.", but then on the next parts, something gets unraveled, another twist that will make sense of everything. 

Ciara is one hell of a woman, I did not expect it from her character, really. I was actually rooting for them when it was unfolded, I agree with her thinking that they could start fresh, they both lied to each other, yes, but that does not mean what they felt was not real. But Oliver tells her the true truth and it horrified Ciara to her core. The thing that she was made to believe, the lie that ruined her family is all because of this man. It was dark, what she did, creepy, she has a bit of a Kya vibe from "Where the Crawdads Sing".