Catherine Ryan Howard Books in Order (Updated February 21, 2026)

Catherine Ryan Howard is an Irish thriller writer from Cork, now based in Dublin. Her novels are built as individual, self-contained stories, so “order” is less about continuity and more about choosing the experience you want first.

Choose your entry point by mood

• Locked-room(ish) modern dilemma: start with 56 Days.
• Dark meta-fiction (a book that bites back): start with The Nothing Man.
• Atmospheric, remote-setting suspense: start with Distress Signals.
• Fast, high-concept “one weird situation” thriller: start with Run Time.

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Do any of these connect?

Think of her work as a shelf of standalone thrillers with recurring craft signatures, not a numbered saga.

• No required sequence: you won’t spoil a later novel by starting “out of order.”
• Edition dates can mislead: a few titles have different release years in different markets, so “publication order” can look inconsistent depending on where you’re buying.
• The safest rule: if you want her evolution as a writer, read them in the timeline below.

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The novels in order (one line per book)

1. Distress Signals (2016): A cruise turns into a trap as a small group is forced to watch each other, and wonder who boarded with secrets.
2. The Liar’s Girl (2018): A new killing pulls a woman back toward a past relationship she’s tried to lock away for good.
3. Rewind (2019): A murder caught on camera becomes a nightmare puzzle, told by jumping around the timeline until the full picture clicks into place.
4. The Nothing Man (2020): A serial killer reads a true-crime book about his own crimes, and realizes someone might finally be close to naming him.
5. 56 Days (2021): Two people decide to lock down together after a brief romance, and the decision leaves one of them dead behind a closed door.
6. Run Time (2022): A film shoot goes wrong, and the line between staged danger and real danger dissolves in the worst possible way.
7. The Trap (2023): A missing-women case grips the country, and the story tests how far obsession and grief can push ordinary lives.
8. Burn After Reading (2025): A suspected wife-killer hires a ghostwriter to tell “his truth,” and the job becomes a fight over who controls the narrative.
9. Buyer Beware (publishes July 2026): A new standalone thriller centered on a house purchase and the kind of secrets that don’t stay buried once you move in.

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If you want a simple “best-of” route

1. The Nothing Man (for the most distinctive premise)
2. 56 Days (for the modern, high-pressure setup)
3. Burn After Reading (for the most overt “who’s shaping the story?” tension)
   Then circle back to whatever premise grabs you.

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What’s newest right now

• Most recent novel: Burn After Reading (2025).
• Next release: Buyer Beware (July 2026; published mid-July in the UK/Ireland and late July in North America).
• On-screen note: the 56 Days screen adaptation began streaming on Prime Video on February 18, 2026.

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FAQs

Is there a Catherine Ryan Howard series to follow?
Not in the usual sense. Each novel is meant to stand alone, with no “book 1 → book 2” dependency.

Why do I see a different year for Rewind sometimes?
Because some editions released later in certain markets, listings can show a different “first published” year depending on region and format.

What’s the most straightforward starter if I don’t want anything experimental?
Distress Signals is the cleanest “classic thriller setup” entry point.