An Amazon Rising Star Best Debut Novel 2016 (UK edition) and Shortlisted for the IBA Crime Novel of the Year Award 2016A debut thriller that channels Gone Girl, from a new writer to watch … 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 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 …
“An exhilarating debut thriller from a hugely talented author. Distress Signals is fast-paced, twisty, and an absolute joy to read.”—Mark Edwards, bestselling author of The Magpies
“Pacey, suspenseful, and intriguing…[A] top-class, page-turning read. Catherine Ryan Howard is an astonishing new voice in thriller writing.”—Liz Nugent, author of Unraveling Oliver
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Catherine Ryan Howard has written a unique maritime thriller. I was hooked from the opening chapter. The story is told through the eyes of Adam Dunne whose girlfriend Sarah goes missing on board the cruise ship “Celebrate.” The stories of Romain and Corinne are added to the mix…
There are a few twists and turns, and an ending that comes as a surprise.
Wow- really makes you stop & think!
After 10 years of rejection, Irish film writer Adam Dunne has sold a script to Hollywood, but his celebrations are short lived because his girlfriend, Sarah, disappears on a work trip to Barcelona. The Gardaí don’t take Adam’s concerns seriously so he has to abandon script rewrites and head to Spain. His investigations lead him to Peter, a grieving British man whose wife disappeared in similar circumstances the previous year. They join forces and take a cruise on the ironically named Celebrate. Sightings suggest both women booked the same cruise, albeit a year apart.
Adam’s L.A. agent says his predicament would interest the moviemakers. He’s not wrong. Distress Signals would make a good film.
The implementation of law on the high seas is quite unique-I found that the most compelling part of this story. It does make one wonder how often scenarios go unreported or uninvestigated. It is a very intriguing locale to get away with murder – -so many distractions and varied agendas – Corporate and personal-
Truthfully -I can’t say I liked the protagonist of the story -Adam- who was searching for his long lost girlfriend-who unbeknownst to him had run off for an adventure with another man . I wanted to shake Adam-for his wimpish-ness-He bored me to tears. And can’t say as I blame Sara for leaving him high and dry- The second sub plot within the novel -the story of a psychopathic child -seemed at odds with the book-Fodder for filling pages -And then we have the ending which I assume was supposed to be a classic twist -Well surprise -It wasn’t –
However, a good read for a rainy day -will try another of hers/interesting
This page-turning thriller takes us along as Adam’s search for his missing girlfriend leads to a Mediterranean cruise ship where nothing—and no one—is what they seem to be. Several threads eventually dovetail together into a satsifying conclusion. This may be the very best way to go on a cruise!
This was an interesting book, but I found it to be confusing at times. The story is told in multiple parts, and followed different characters, and I was trying to determine if the timeframe was the same in each instance. Most of it was the same except for the story of Romain, which primarily takes place when he was a young boy.
The premise is that Adam, a writer, is dating Sarah. Sarah goes on a business trip, but Adam can’t reach her. Her parents also are unable to reach her. So, Adam begins getting concerned, and finds out that Sarah actually hadn’t gone on a business trip at all.
Adam tries to unravel the mystery of Sarah’s disappearance, and by doing so, Adam meets Peter. Peter’s wife went missing about a year earlier, and together they take matters in their own hands. This becomes a dangerous idea, with very bad outcomes.
This book highlights the possible downfalls that come with taking a cruise, keeping secrets, and trusting people you should not!
#DistressSignals #CatherineRyanHoward
This wasn’t a typical thriller. I looked up other books by this author because I enjoyed this one so much.
This book begins with a traditional mystery: what happened to Sarah? As each question is answered, more spring up. Interwoven with the mystery is a dark psychological thriller, the threads of which are pulled tighter and tighter as the stories progress ultimately leading to a diabolical conclusion. Mwa ha ha ha ha!
Good mystery.
Adam’s girlfriend of ten years failed to return from a business trip to Barcelona. Adam is totally lost without her and decides to do whatever it takes to find Sarah.
Adam meets a man online whose wife disappeared a year ago in Barcelona, also. Same circumstances, same cruise ship. Adam can’t understand why she was even on a cruise, she told him she was on a business trip. She told her boss she was sick. Sarah didn’t tell her parents anything and they are frantic.
Sarah was meeting another man for the cruise, she changed her mind about having a fling with him and he never saw her again. Adam is convinced this guy killed Sarah, but figures out he didn’t. What did happen to Sarah? Why didn’t she return home after she changed her mind about the fling? Why won’t the cruise line tell Adam what is going on? Another woman disappears. Is it a serial killer?
Adam finds himself doing things he didn’t believe he possibly could do. How could this have happened to him and Sarah?
This is a pretty good story. But, I don’t think I’ll be taking anymore cruises in the near future.