Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone

In Chris Pavone’s latest thriller, Two Nights in Lisbon (2022), a woman wakes up alone in a hotel in Lisbon — her husband is gone. No note, no phone message… and we are off on the rollercoaster journey of Pavone’s fifth exciting novel. I have been a fan of Pavone’s books since his first, The ExPat (2012), and this latest is just as gripping if not more so. Imagine the terror of being in a foreign country you know nothing about and your loved one is simply “gone.” The Police are not helpful, strange new facts emerge about the husband you think you know, and the only one who cares to hunt for him is you. Through a back story we begin to see that there is always more to a story than at first we believe. Ah, the plot does indeed thicken.

International mysteries are always a treat if they include insight into another place — Pavone is wonderful at introducing us to European cities, their culture, people and geography, as his novels unfold. Here we walk the streets of Lisbon and the area around Lisbon with our heroine as she pieces together what is going on. I just returned from my first trip to Lisbon so this novel was a special treat for me. And fortunately, I didn’t lose any of my loved ones!

I love endings that you suspect but are still surprised when they develop. Pavone leads us here and there in Lisbon and in where we think the story is going… only to show us there is more to a place and story than first impressions. I love Lisbon, and I love this book. Take a trip to a wonderful city while enjoying a clever story. My rating 5 of 5 stars.