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Two Nights in Lisbon: A Novel Kindle Edition

by Chris Pavone (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.2 7,486 ratings

Editors' pick Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

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AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND NATIONAL BESTSELLER.
"There’s no such thing as a book you can’t put down, but this one was close." —Stephen King
"Smart suspense at its very best." —John Grisham

Tautly wound and expertly crafted, Two Nights in Lisbon is a riveting thriller about a woman under pressure, and how far she will go when everything is on the line.

You think you know a person . . .

Ariel Pryce wakes up in Lisbon, alone. Her husband is gone—no warning, no note, not answering his phone. Something is wrong.

She starts with hotel security, then the police, then the American embassy, at each confronting questions she can’t fully answer: What exactly is John doing in Lisbon? Why would he drag her along on his business trip? Who would want to harm him? And why does Ariel know so little about her new—much younger—husband?

The clock is ticking. Ariel is increasingly frustrated and desperate, running out of time, and the one person in the world who can help is the one person she least wants to ask.

With sparkling prose and razor-sharp insights, bestselling author Chris Pavone delivers a stunning and sophisticated international thriller that will linger long after the surprising final page.

From the Publisher

Two Nights in Lisbon Chris Pavone John Grisham quote

Two Nights in Lisbon Chris Pavone Lisa Unger quote

Editorial Reviews

Review

A Booklist's 2022 Editor's Choice Pick
An Instant New York Times Bestseller

“Mystifyingly well-constructed . . . a dynamic and wholly original story about privilege, power, and the price women pay so that others can maintain it.” ―The Los Angeles Times

"Clever and sharply written." ―The Wall Street Journal

“This smart, calculating author remains many notches above others in his field” ―The New York Times

“Devilishly clever . . . Wait until you read the ending that Pavone springs on you.” ―St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Nothing is quite as it seems in this energetic thriller that calls into question marriage, loyalty, and truth." ―The Washington Post

“A charged, multi-faceted thriller.” ―Air Mail

“There’s no such thing as a book you can’t put down, but this one was close.”
―Stephen King

“I absolutely loved Chris Pavone’s Two Nights in Lisbon, an unputdownable thriller that’s his best novel yet. It stars a strong and savvy heroine who wakes up one morning to find her husband missing, and the action never lets up. This is a masterly, sleek, and sophisticated novel about love, marriage, and truth. Read it!”
―Lisa Scottoline, author of Eternal

“I defy anyone to read the first twenty pages of this breakneck novel, then try to put it down for five minutes. It can’t be done. The plot is too devious, the pace is too gripping, and the characters are seldom who they are supposed to be. This is smart suspense at its very best.”
―John Grisham, author of A Time for Mercy

“I always relish Chris Pavone’s books, and this just might be my favorite yet, full of the canny asides and observations that set his work apart. The plot grips, the characters breathe, the gorgeous setting entices. Treat yourself!”
―Maggie Shipstead, author of Great Circle

“Two Nights in Lisbon is sensationally good―timely, important, layered with ticking suspense, driven by an ominous drumbeat that accelerates like a panicked heart. My thriller of the year so far.”
―Lee Child, author of The Sentinel

“Chris Pavone’s pacey, well-plotted thrillers are riveting and great fun to read, and Two Nights in Lisbon is his best yet. This one is not to be missed.”
―Karin Slaughter, author of The Silent Wife

“Weaving together hairpin Hitchcockian suspense and true moral heft, Chris Pavone’s Two Nights in Lisbon is his best yet―utterly timely and brimming over with surprise, nuance, cunning, and a palpable weight.”
―Megan Abbott, author of The Turnout

“Two Nights in Lisbon is such a richly satisfying novel in so many different ways: it is a tense, intricately plotted thriller; a nuanced and moving character study; a sharp-eyed social critique; an immersive tour of a fascinating city and culture. I finished this book and immediately wanted to read it again.”
―Lou Berney, author of November Road

“An elegantly twisting, lyrical, rocket-paced international thriller of the first order. With sterling prose, layered characters, searing insights, and gripping suspense, Chris Pavone writes with a deep knowledge of the world we live in―its many injustices, flaws, and the bending, dangerous road we sometimes must take to justice.”
―Lisa Unger, author of Last Girl Ghosted

“Aside from the elegant writing and compelling characters, Two Nights in Lisbon manages to be a total barn burner, with twisty surprises from start to finish. I couldn’t predict a thing, nor could I put it down.”
―Lisa Lutz, author of The Swallows

“Chris Pavone's stylish, sophisticated thrillers are in a class of their own. In Two Nights in Lisbon he once again marries an explosive plot with an intimate and nuanced exploration of a marriage and the secrets we keep from those we love the most. I was rapt from the book’s propulsive beginning to its deeply satisfying conclusion. An exceptional, exciting read.”
―Cristina Alger, author of Girls Like Us

About the Author

January Lavoie has narrated the Sweet Valley Confidential series for Macmillan Audio, as well as The Snow Angel by Glenn Beck and Dreams of the Dead by Perri O’Shaughnessy.

Chris Pavone is the author of The Paris Diversion, The Travelers, The Accident, and The Expats. His novels have appeared on the bestseller lists of The New York Times, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal; have won both the Edgar and Anthony awards; are in development for film and television; and have been translated into two dozen languages. Chris grew up in Brooklyn, graduated from Cornell, and worked as a book editor for nearly two decades. He lives in New York City and on the North Fork of Long Island with his family.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09CNF12Y7
Publisher ‏ : ‎ MCD (May 24, 2022)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 24, 2022
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 9333 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 450 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #51,595 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #394 in Domestic Thrillers (Kindle Store)
- #705 in Domestic Thrillers (Books)
- #1,334 in Murder Thrillers

Customer Reviews:
4.2 7,486 ratings

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Chris Pavone

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CHRIS PAVONE is author of of five international thrillers, beginning with the The Expats in 2012, and most recently Two Nights in Lisbon. Chris's novels have appeared on the bestseller lists of the New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and IndieNext; have won both the Edgar and Anthony awards, and have been shortlisted for the Strand, Macavity, and Los Angeles Times Book Prize; are in development for film and television; and have been translated into two dozen languages.

He has written for outlets including the New York Times Book Review and Magazine, the Telegraph, and Salon; has appeared on Face the Nation, Good Day New York, All Things Considered, and the BBC; and has been profiled on the arts’ front page of the New York Times. He is a member of PEN, the Authors Guild, International Thriller Writers, and Mystery Writers of America, for which he has served as an Edgars judge.

Chris grew up in Brooklyn, graduated from Midwood High School and Cornell University, and worked in publishing for nearly two decades at Dell Magazines, Doubleday, the Lyons Press, Regan/HarperCollins, Clarkson Potter, and Artisan/Workman, in positions ranging from copy editor and managing editor to executive editor and deputy publisher; he also wrote a (mostly blank) book about wine, and ghost-wrote a couple of nonfiction books. Then his wife got a job in Luxembourg, and the family moved abroad, where Chris raised their twin boys and started writing The Expats. They now live again in New York City and on the North Fork of Long Island with an Australian Labradoodle named Wally.

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4.2 out of 5

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J Hodge

what a fun book to read

Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2024

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Fun to read very believable beliefs were talked about and I understood why certain decisions were made and deepness of convictions were said throughout the story that I believed in also and came to understand them as true to life

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Richard B. Schwartz

A Puzzle Novel With A Significant Problem

Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2022

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This is an engaging book, perfect for a transatlantic flight read. Ariel Pryce is accompanying her husband John Wright on a business trip to Lisbon. John disappears, is kidnapped and held for ransom. Ariel must spring into action and somehow acquire an enormous sum (one beyond her means) to save him. Lisbon is, among other things, the site of an 18thc earthquake that rocked the faith of Europe and raised the problem of (physical) evil to front-page headlines. There is also moral evil to account for in our world and it exists aplenty in TWO NIGHTS IN LISBON.

We all, of course, have heard this song before and it works out in a number of ways. When husbands with secret lives disappear or are killed in foreign cities wives must rise to the occasion. Their quests to right wrongs are usually redemption stories in which the wives discover hidden resources and previously-untapped strengths. Elaine Cassidy’s “Acceptable Risk”—a six-part 2017 mini-series—is a nice example. Sometimes the cops (“warning: don’t involve the cops or your loved one will die!!!”) find the bad guys, save the kidnappee and restore justice and order. Sometimes the kidnapping is a ruse, often set up by a spoiled child trying to extort money from his or her parents. In other words, this is a fairly familiar plot line and we expect a best-seller that’s ‘flying off of the shelves’ to take us down a different path.

Given the subgenre constraints/expectations and the important fact that none of the characters in the novel are especially attractive this is not so much a ‘thriller’ or a ‘suspense’ novel as it is a puzzle. Noir in its language, sexual content, and so on, it does not feel like a cozy, but ultimately it is a narrative in which the reader is challenged to ‘figure out what’s really going on’ and second guess the novelist’s tricks.

The way this plays out in the story is that the author slowly but surely leaks elements from Ariel’s backstory so that ‘what’s really going on’ is revealed drip by drip (with, of course, a final twist at the end). The puzzle is solved. Many will have anticipated the outcome along the way because of the nature of the clues that are dropped and because of their familiarity with the subgenre. The author is fair with the reader, however. There are no real deux ex machina details and the clues are deployed fairly. The conclusion is ‘rounded’ and we do not feel cheated.

I will not spoil the ending, but I will note the existence of a very large problem. A ‘puzzle’ book’s success turns on the ending, because we are not reading for character, setting or theme but to satisfy our curiosity concerning the puzzle and the degree of our success in determining the outcome prior to its full display. The problem (I should say My Problem, to be fair) is that I have read at least 1,000 crime novels, have written a handful of them and have seen the best of the best in films and TV series and believe that the lengths to which the perpetrator(s?) goes/go to achieve his/her/their purposes in the story line is utterly preposterous in comparison with the ease with which these purposes could have been accomplished if one of the characters had simply called upon his or her prior knowledge and expertise to accomplish his or her goals.

Bottom line: an engaging puzzle novel to take on a long flight, but a book that is sorely lacking in the foundational element of crime fiction: realism.

33 people found this helpful

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Ashley Eveleth

Two nights in Lisbon

Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2024

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Wow this book was so good, at first it took a couple chapters to get not the book but once you did, you were hooked on this novel. There is so many twist in turns in the story line but it spurred your attention and makes for a really great read.

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Amazon Customer

Cool storyline but wordy!

Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2024

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A little overly wordy and the story kind developed a little too slow. but, an interesting storyline in the end.

One person found this helpful

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RSW Kindle Customer

4 Stars

Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2022

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I have been a little disappointed with my summer reading so far, several 3 Star books in a row, but then I picked up Two Nights in Lisbon and my luck changed! I’m giving this twisty thriller 4 Stars and I just know the rest of my summer reading is going be nothing short of great from here on.

SUMMARY
Ariel accompanies her new husband, John, on a business trip to Lisbon. After a passion filled night, she wakes up in the morning to find him missing. She waits and waits but he doesn’t return. She eventually goes to the police but they don’t seem to think there is any reason to worry yet. She goes to the American Embassy and doesn’t get much help. Then she receives a call with a ransom demand for $3 Million! Ariel doesn’t have that kind of money. But someone from her past may. The only problem is that she and this person have a very complicated relationship which, 14 years ago, ended with her signing a non disclosure agreement and them agreeing to part ways permanently She HATES to do it but she needs to call him and ask for help.

In the meantime the police, the CIA and a reporter are all following Ariel. The reporter is dying to get the story (which she cannot fully tell per her non disclosure agreement) and the police and CIA are a questioning her story and following her, but now she doesn’t want their attention since she has to keep the source of the ransom money a secret.

As the book progresses, we follow Ariel through the frustrating process of trying to save her husband and we find out more about her connection to the person who provided her with the ransom money.

WHAT I LOVED
When I first started reading, I was afraid that it was just going to be another kidnapping story, but I was wrong. There was so much more to it. The book was long-ish, 430-something pages, and was filled with plot and backstory. It provided a lot of background on the characters. I really loved the plot, it kept me guessing until the very end. The twists were GREAT!

WHAT I DIDN’T LOVE
There wasn’t much I didn’t love. There were a couple places where the consistency was lacking but I cannot expand on that without dropping a spoiler.

OVERALL
Loved it! It. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a fast paced twisty thriller.

6 people found this helpful

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Michael G Kauffman MD

Truly Excellent Writing and Plot !

Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2024

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Fairly dense, but relatively fast read, excellent, pretty sophisticated language / insights, main character development, plot was terrific … Tough to put down, but intense so tough to read for too long at a time. Thoroughly enjoyed and strongly recommend.

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Gerald F.

Great book with a caveat

Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2023

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I rarely write reviews, and then only of books that impress me in unusual ways (mostly negatively but occasionally positively). If I am reading a book and something about the writing disrupts the flow for me, it's like turning on the lights during a suspenseful movie. I would have given this book 5 stars for plot construction and cleverness except for the annoying tendency of the author to pad the narrative with WAY too much introspection and pontification on the part of the protagonist, especially in the early and middle parts of the narrative. I have no interest in how often she talks to her dogs or about what, and reading about her negative commentary about wealth, power, conspicuous consumption, ostentation, etc., although important to the story line, feels like being mercilessly bludgeoned. Could have been 50 or 100 pages shorter on these accounts, but nonetheless a good read if you don't get distracted by the above.

2 people found this helpful

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Susan Meyer

Excellent book

Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2024

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Once you start reading you won’t want to put it down!

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Carolyn D.

Who is really behind this????? your thoughts shift as the story unfolds....a great read

Reviewed in Canada on February 3, 2023

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I sat up until midnight 2 nights in a row....easy read and intriguing....I'd recommend it for sure!!

Kurt Rothenari

Kenntnisse der Personen und Orte!

Reviewed in Germany on September 12, 2022

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Die Spannung!

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Lagoon

Dazzling. Relentless in its grip.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 24, 2022

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Ariel wakes up to find her husband missing. Odd. Perhaps he’s gone out for a run? Or to get breakfast? Or perhaps he’s been kidnapped? Nah.

Or perhaps Ariel doesn’t know her husband as well as she thinks she does. Two nights in Lisbon covers the events with breathtaking panache. The scenario laid out, on the one hand, is entirely improbable. Lisbon, after all, is not renowned for its high crime rate. On the other hand, if there is a perfectly innocent explanation for Ariel’s husband’s vanishing act, why hasn’t he been in touch?

The writing keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout and the characterisation is consistently strong; right down to the bit part players. Ariel may not know everything about her husband but is the reverse also true?

Superbly plotted and a thrill to read. Believe the hype. This really is quite something.

4 people found this helpful

Snapdragon

Riveting

Reviewed in Australia on July 28, 2023

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A fast paced story that held me captive. Didn’t see the end coming. A husband is kidnapped in Lisbon and his wife secures the ransom money from an old antagonist who’s on the up. She has leverage - essentially, it’s extortion. The local police and the CIA get involved, along with a journalist. It’s a #MeToo revenge plot which succeeds and fascinatingly, the woman is for once the agent, not the victim. Chris Pavone really knows his stuff as a writer. Those of us who read crime always like to learn things we didn’t know. There was one thing Ariel did that I thought was unwise … see what you think.

Elizabeth Marie

Keeps you interested but was hoping for a little more from the ending

Reviewed in Canada on January 25, 2024

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I wish the ending was a little longer and the beginning maybe a little more condensed. There were also a few things that seemed like they might end up being relevant but really didn’t need to be mentioned. Easy read, entertaining, but left me missing just a little something.

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