Thursday 4 August 2016

Distress Signals by Catherine Ryan Howard

Distress Signals
By Catherine Ryan Howard
Published by Corvus (5 May 2016)
ISBN: 978-1782398387





Publisher's description
Did she leave, or was she taken? The day Adam Dunne's girlfriend, Sarah, fails to return from a Barcelona business trip, his perfect life begins to fall apart. Days later, the arrival of her passport and a note that reads 'I'm sorry - S' sets off real alarm bells. He vows to do whatever it takes to find her. Adam is puzzled when he connects Sarah to a cruise ship called the Celebrate - and to a woman, Estelle, who disappeared from the same ship in eerily similar circumstances almost exactly a year before. To get the answers, Adam must confront some difficult truths about his relationship with Sarah. He must do things of which he never thought himself capable. And he must try to outwit a predator who seems to have found the perfect hunting ground...

My verdict
Distress Signals is a fantastic debut psychological thriller that hooked me in straight away. It also has elements of an investigation, a mystery to solve and an insight into maritime laws.

Adam Dunne's girlfriend goes missing, failing to arrive back from a business trip abroad. When her passport arrives in the post with an intriguing note, it's clear that all isn't as it seems. Adam's search for Sarah leads to a cruise ship called Celebrate and to the disappearance of another woman exactly a year earlier.

Distress Signals is a very twisty tale, with many layers and threads, and kept me guessing all the way through. The cruise ship setting provided an interesting slant to the missing person plot. This was a fast-paced rollercoaster ride, with believable and likeable characters, very readable narrative and a carefully constructed plot. I had NO idea what the ending was going to reveal and it was fascinating to see all of the jigsaw pieces slot carefully into place.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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