Book Review: Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone

 My Rating: 

3.5⭐️

Ariel Pryce, a newly married woman in her mid-forties, wakes up in her hotel room in Lisbon only to find her husband, John Wright missing with no note or clue as to where he might have gone. John was on a work trip to Lisbon and Ariel had accompanied him with plans to spend some quality time together. They’ve known each other for barely a year and we assume that this is their first trip together. Ariel approaches the hotel staff who have no information on her husband’s whereabouts.

When she contacts local law enforcement they are skeptical since her husband has been missing for a only a few hours, which isn't long enough to warrant police intervention. Frustrated by the lack of interest shown by the police, Ariel approaches the US Embassy who are not of much help either. As the story progresses, we see the police and the Embassy getting involved in the investigation with an ambitious reporter and the CIA also entering the mix. It appears to everyone that either Ariel truly does not know much about her husband’s work, background or the details of his trip to Lisbon or that she is hiding something and knows more than she is letting on. When Ariel receives a ransom demand for an exorbitant sum of money, she is compelled to turn to a person from her past - a person who is powerful and potentially dangerous.

Ariel, for her part, is not without secrets of her own. In flashbacks, we get to know Ariel’s backstory – the events leading to her divorcing her ex-husband and leaving behind a glamorous and affluent lifestyle in New York City only to move to a farm in a quiet part of the state with her son. Is John’s disappearance somehow linked to Ariel’s past? Is there more to John than meets the eye? Who can Ariel trust to help her in her efforts to bring her husband back safe and sound? Should Ariel fear for her life?

The story begins well and Ariel’s frustration and desperation to find her missing husband is well portrayed. As we get to know more about her, you cannot help sympathize with what she has gone through in the past. The increasing interest and involvement of the police, Consular Services and CIA is left mostly unexplained in the first half of the novel so much so that it seems unrealistic. The “political” element of the thriller is introduced in the latter half of the story and adds significantly to the suspense and overall atmosphere of the novel.

Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone is stretched over 400+ pages. While I enjoyed the plot and structure of the novel, the sheer length of the book tested my patience. The pace slows down considerably after an amazing start and I found myself losing interest long before the story finally picks up again. I struggled to push through. This is a well-written thriller that has enough twists and turns to keep you engaged and guessing till the end but only if you don’t give up before the first half. While I eventually did enjoy the story and was surprised by the ending, I feel it should have been more compact and less repetitive.

Thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the digital review copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.