56 Days
Fiction
Blackstone Publishing
August 17, 2021
Advance reader copy
305
Free from publisher
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?
There has been lots of discussion in the book world about whether it's too soon for a Covid book? When I read the synopsis for this one, I immediately knew that I was here for it! Be aware that this is not really about the horrific realities of the disease or death toll, but actually focuses more on the lockdown aspect (so more circumstance vs. depressing statistics). I loved the fact that you never really know who to trust in this book. Both of the main characters seem to be normal people who are in the early stage of a relationship when lockdown happens, but you know there are secrets hidden in Ollie's past. You are left wondering what these secrets are, and would they cause him to kill someone? And what about Ciara? She seems like an innocent caught up in the throes of romance, but then her motives start to get sketchy. Meanwhile we know from the get go that someone has been murdered, so we have the detective working the case with not a lot to go on (no one knows who was living in that apartment.......hello, lockdown!). I will admit that the timeline drove me a bit crazy. We have the story told starting from 56 days ago in both Ollie and Ciara's words, as well as the present day with the detective after the body is found. Sometimes it wasn't even in chronological order. I could definitely follow it, but if bouncing timelines are an issue for you, this may effect your enjoyment. There were some major twists in this that I didn't see coming, and the ending was really eery and unsettling.
I flew through this book, and I think the author did an outstanding job of capturing a story based off a lockdown situation! I think thriller aficionados are really going to enjoy this one.
I remember watching an interview with the author last year as she was in the process of writing this one. I can't wait to read it for myself!
I really loved the lockdown being the perfect setting for a murder! Hope you enjoy it.