The Trap cover art

The Trap

The instant bestseller and Sunday Times Thriller of the Year

 Preview
This Season's Biggest Deal

$0.99/mo for 3 months + $20 Audible bonus voucher

Auto-renews at $8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.
Get this deal
Offer ends on 28 December, 2026.
More purchase options

The Trap

By: Catherine Ryan Howard
Narrated by: Beau Holland, Jessica Regan, Heather O’Sullivan, Barry Fitzgerald
Get this deal

Auto-renews at $8.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends 28 December, 2026. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $19.01

Buy Now for $19.01

This Season's Biggest Deal | $0.99/mo for 3 months + $20 Audible bonus

Auto-renews at $8.99/mo. after 3 months - terms apply.
Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

'You'd think they'd do something about the taxi shortage,' he says. 'Especially with the missing women.'

Stranded on a dark road in the middle of the night, a young woman accepts a lift from a passing stranger. It's the nightmare scenario that every girl is warned about, and she knows the dangers all too well - but what other choice does she have?

As they drive, she alternates between fear and relief - one moment thinking he is just a good man doing a good thing, the next convinced he's a monster. But when he delivers her safely to her destination, she realizes her fears were unfounded.

And her heart sinks. Because a monster is what she's looking for.

She'll try again tomorrow night. But will the man who took her sister take the bait?

©2023 Catherine Ryan Howard (P)2023 Penguin Audio

 Crime Fiction Family Life Friendship Genre Fiction Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense Crime Fiction Exciting Heartfelt
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

Critic Reviews

Topical, twisty, and with a real heart stopper of a moment halfway in that'll make you turn the lights back on.
Everything a thriller should be: clever, page-tearing, devastating. Catherine Ryan Howard makes you feel for her characters so much, whether you love them or absolutely loathe them. It's impossible to stop reading - or to stop thinking about THE TRAP, long after you're done
Dark, creepy and very clever, The Trap will lure you in and keep you captive until the very last page. Catherine Ryan Howard is the Queen of the Unguessable Twist
As brain-teasing as it is gripping . . . [a] psychologically dazzling novel
The Trap is everything you want in a book - breathless pace, clever plot, addictive characters, and very pertinent social commentary on how victims are judged. Whip smart, utterly absorbing, and unputdownable
Elegant and twisty, it lingers in the memory
Dark and witty and clever. An original and highly gripping read, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Catherine Ryan Howard has a deliciously dark imagination and always tells a good tale.
A propulsive thriller about a sister desperately trying to find her missing sibling. Twist after twist - left me simultaneously reeling and wanting more!
Howard has a sly gift for misdirection . . . Again and again, you'll blithely follow her down the wrong path
I was absolutely blown sideways by the twist . . . A white-knuckle ride of a serial killer thriller. A corker of a read.
All stars
Most relevant
This is first book by Catherine Ryan Howard I’ve read but already planning to read more. Great narrations about a very twisty story. Couldn’t stop listening and it finished way too quickly

The trap

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
My first book by Catherine Ryan Howard, will not be my last. I feel a binge coming on!
This story had me gripped from the opening chapter till the final sentence.
Narration was “chefs kiss” superb.
Highly recommend

Outstanding

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Good solid listen with good twists and interesting characters. Amazingly read by full cast. Would recommend.

Worth whole thriller

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Confusing, frustrating ride. The book was more about trapping the readers unfortunately. I couldn't get into this book and the ending was unsatisfying.

Not a fan

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Suspense, character development is strong - enjoyed the detail and felt it was building towards something satisfying -nope
One of the most lame endings -actually pointless and left me thinking why ??? Great story ruined by insipid ending.
I keep hoping … sequel.
Readers want consequence for evil characters.
This does not deliver

Great buildup with terrible ending

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.