56 Days – Catherine Ryan Howard
Catherine Ryan Howard’s thriller 56 Days, published by Corvus in August 2021, follows strangers Ciara and Oliver as they meet in a Dublin supermarket just as COVID‑19 spreads across Ireland. The novel’s dual‑timeline structure—56 days before and after a body is discovered in Oliver’s flat—creates a claustrophobic, twist‑laden narrative that intertwines lockdown anxiety with a murder mystery. The book has been adapted into a TV series, though the screen version shifts the setting away from Ireland and the pandemic backdrop. Howard’s review earned a four‑star rating, praising the tight plotting and dark humor of the detectives.
The Better Mother – Jennifer Van De Kleut
Jennifer Van De Kleut’s debut thriller, *The Better Mother*, follows 34‑year‑old Savannah Mitchell, who discovers she’s pregnant after a brief fling. When the father’s ex‑girlfriend Madison re‑enters his life, she inserts herself into the pregnancy, escalating from intrusive to dangerous....