A review by katreads2022
Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
I forgot to save my rant-like review from earlier, so here’s the abbreviated version: it’s bad. I’m sure the author felt quite satisfied with himself after finishing this novel, thinking it to be some progressive and refreshingly woke take on female protagonists. Ariel, a man’s idea of a woman, is the main character. She’s astonishingly beautiful- surprise- and middle-aged! Ariel’s age is portrayed through her technological ineptness in the social media era in which, - Pavone repeatedly laments- privacy is increasingly elusive and identities are easily concealed. Much of the mystery of the novel derives from the prospect of suspicion, a sort of artificial suspense that is drawn out through an overly-long jaunt across  Lisbon. One of the book’s only distinguishable assets is its setting, which itself is only cursorily described and lacking any atmospheric tint.

Two Nights in Lisbon is a typical crime novel, complete with satisfactory writing and a page-turning quality. What I find notably upsetting about this generic piece of pop literature is its portrayal of women. Its depiction of Ariel as being an outrageously attractive woman who’s identity is nearly exclusively defined by her appearance- and consequently her interactions with men- harmfully fabricates lived experiences the author clearly does not understand. 
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