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Last week, I reviewed the first episode of Around the World in 80 Days, a series currently being shown on PBS Masterpiece. Tina reviewed the book Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney, another thriller like the one I’m reviewing today — but this one is set in Scotland.

Book: 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Publication date: 2021

Source: Audio ebook, borrowed from library

Summary: In the early days of the pandemic, two strangers meet and are attracted to each other. When the first lockdown is imposed on Ireland, they decide to rush their relationship through the usual stages and move in together, temporarily, rather than isolate alone.

You can already spot opportunities for a thriller in this short summary. But what you’re thinking probably isn’t as thrilling as what’s going on in this story.

Thoughts: I picked up 56 Days after Tina reviewed it. I was fascinated that there was already a published novel that included our current global pandemic.

The pandemic added an entire other level of thrill on top of this story. I enjoyed how it triggered memories of things that happened in the spring of 2020 that I’d nearly forgotten. And I liked feeling like I knew more than the characters about where this pandemic was headed.

I listened to the audio version and really enjoyed hearing a story set in Dublin told by an Irish reader.

Appeal: I’m not usually attracted to thrillers and I liked this one, anyway. So give it a chance, if the setting of Dublin interests you or if you’re intrigued by a novel that uses the pandemic as a major plot point.

Have you read this book? What did you think?