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Review: Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone

About this book

Review: Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris PavoneBlurb from Jonathan Ball Publishers

You think you know a person…

Ariel Pryce wakes up in Lisbon, alone. Her husband is gone – no warning, no note, not answering his phone. Something is wrong.
She starts with hotel security, then the police, then the US embassy, at each confronting questions she can’t fully answer: What exactly is John doing in Lisbon? Why would he drag her along on his business trip? Who would want to harm him? And why does Ariel know so little about her new husband?

The clock is ticking. Ariel is running out of time. But the one person in the world who can help her is the one person she doesn’t want to ask…
A complex, intelligent, multi-layered thriller, Two Nights in Lisbon is filled with twists, turns, husbands, wives, secrets and lies – and it will linger long after you turn the surprising final page.

My Thoughts

Can you imagine waking up in a country, where you do not speak the local language or/and that you’re not very familiar with and realise that your spouse has simply disappeared? Also, if you have not been married for that long and you don’t know if he simply decided to leave or if something more sinister happened to him?

As an additional roadblock – when initially approaching the police and the embassy you are not taken seriously, seeing that the period of disappearance is not ‘lengthy enough’ and you are simply seen as a paranoid, hysterical female?

“It’s a tone that a man uses when he thinks he’s being a reasonable one. A tone that transcends generations, cultures, and languages. The universal tone of condescension.”

Review: Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone“Two Nights in Lisbon” is a thrilling ride. As the title promises, all the events take place within 48 hours and during that time the twists and turns just keep coming. Filled with tense mystery, the plot thickens with every single chapter. It could have done with a bit more editing, it could easily have been more condensed – and easily 50 – 100 pages shorter.

Although I really wanted to LOVE this book, there were a few issues holding me back. The classic problem of a male author writing from a female perspective, and using the story as an anti-social media soapbox didn’t really work for me.

But, in general, I did enjoy it and was really interested to find out what the story behind Ariel’s missing husband is – is he still alive? Will she be able to raise the preposterous amount of ransom money? Why is this happening to them? Intriguing!

Be aware of the trigger warnings : sexual assault, rape, kidnapping and gaslighting

RRR (Roelia Reads Rating) 3/5

Thanks to Jonathan Ball Publishers for the opportunity to read this book!