56 Days starts with the discovery of a body and flips back and forward over time in the run-up to that discovery. The story is told from various characters viewpoints, including Lee (Detective Inspector Leah Riordan), Ciara and Oliver. The narrative jumps about between today, and e.g. 56 days ago, 32 days ago etc. and the narrator occasionally changes during a chapter, so you have to keep your wits about you.
The book is set during Covid times - with the first lockdown in Ireland occurring within the timespan - indeed the announcement of the lockdown is the catalyst for Ciara and Oliver deciding to move in together, despite having just met three weeks prior.
It is actually difficult to write too much more about the story without giving away spoilers, but Catherine Ryan Howard has written another page turner, in which she even manages to reference her previous book as though it is part of the reality she has woven. There are many things in this book that a couple of years ago would have seemed unrealistic but, after Covid and the many lockdowns, they are a reality that we can all identity with - the empty streets, lack of traffic noise, queuing for shopping…
The book is set during Covid times - with the first lockdown in Ireland occurring within the timespan - indeed the announcement of the lockdown is the catalyst for Ciara and Oliver deciding to move in together, despite having just met three weeks prior.
It is actually difficult to write too much more about the story without giving away spoilers, but Catherine Ryan Howard has written another page turner, in which she even manages to reference her previous book as though it is part of the reality she has woven. There are many things in this book that a couple of years ago would have seemed unrealistic but, after Covid and the many lockdowns, they are a reality that we can all identity with - the empty streets, lack of traffic noise, queuing for shopping…