Run Time

I haven’t read anything by Catherine Ryan Howard before, although she has been on my reading radar for ages, with so many big titles that made a splash and so I was keen to read her latest novel. Adele Rafferty is a former actress, who first found fame on an Irish soap opera. However, her career has gone into downfall, and she has relocated to the home of Hollywood. Working in a motel in L.A., she attends endless auditions and is still hopeful of success. As such, when she receives a call asking her to replace an actress for a low-budget horror movie, back home in Ireland, she jumps at the chance. The author makes us aware that the main character is not stupid in any way, she attempts to find out who, where and why, but she is also desperate for a chance and that makes her a little reckless. This is a cleverly constructed mystery. It involves a film, a script, a book and the story itself, all wrapped up in this novel, which is a thriller which flirts with horror. I loved the setting, so remote and hemmed in with endless trees. I liked the character of Adele and the discomfort she feels as things begin to go wrong and as she doubts herself. An unusual structure, which works well. I am glad I finally got around to trying Catherine Ryan Howard.

‘Movie-making can be murder . . . ‘ cover tag line, ‘Run Time’ by Catherine Ryan Howard. The author has made her name with high concept thrillers and as I had read and enjoyed a number of her previous novels, I was happy to read this ‘cold’ with little prior plot information. So just a few details for context. Former soap-opera star, Adele Rafferty, is just getting by after an incident on set caused her to leave Ireland and relocate to Los Angeles. Then she is offered the lead in a psychological horror film after the original actor dropped out at the last minute. ‘Final Draft’ is being filmed at a house deep in a forest, miles from anywhere in the wilds of West Cork. While Adele is rather concerned about returning to Ireland, she knows that this could be her big break. Yet as soon as she arrives on set, she feels something isn’t right about Final Draft, especially when elements of the script begin to happen when the cameras have stopped rolling. No further details to avoid spoilers. The nature of this premise did call for a close reading, especially as at times sections of script are inserted into the narrative. I enjoyed the backdrop of the film and entertainment industry and the various movie references. Overall, I did found ‘Run Time’ engaging and certainly different from the usual psychological thriller. Once started it proved impossible to put down and read it in a single day.

The psychological horror movie being made deep in the woods of West Cork is called “Final Draft” and its tagline is :” Based on a terrifying true story-that hasn’t happened…YET.” Former “These Are The Days” soap opera star, Adele Rafferty has stepped in at the last minute to replace the original Actress who had been cast-so there wasn’t a lot of time to ask questions. She was once a rising star but something happened on the set of the first movie she was hired for-“We Were Kings” and she hasn’t worked in the industry since. She is hoping that this role will reopen the door that had been closed on her-and revive what was once a promising career. But things seem “off” about this production right from the start. You can FEEL the tension as life on the set begins to mimic the screenplay “First Draft”, that this film is based on. Was this film meant to be a found -footage style horror movie-like “The Blair Witch Project”-ten years too late to be relevant?? Is the Director trying to produce authentic fear? Sounds creepy enough, right? So what went wrong? Why just three stars? Well, like last year’s offering “Survive the Night” by Riley Sager, this book contains the screenplay within the story, with scenes depicted by the camera location INT (Interior or Inside) or EXT (exterior, outside of), and it is used to show the reader that what is happening on location is mirroring the screenplay for the movie. Because of this, the story is a bit predictable. And, at 520 pages, you need more “unexpected”and “surprising”!! Many readers didn’t enjoy it Sager’s “screenplay” approach, and early reviews for this book are proving that readers aren’t any more enamored with this style, with Catherine Ryan Howard using it either. For me, it wasn’t the format that bothered me…. I was initially entertained but the story is just TOO long and lost momentum. The ending didn’t have the “wow” factor of the author’s other books either. While not my favorite by the author, I am still a fan-and will always auto-request her books when I see a new one is being published!

3.5 stars, rounded up Although the ending of this one is way over the top and not very believable, I really enjoyed the lead up to it and the overall atmosphere of the book. It sounds confusing. It's about a book inside a screenplay being filmed as a movie. Although the premise is a tad convoluted, I listened to this as an audiobook and the full cast makes the entire thing come to life and flow better than I did when I switched to reading it on the page. This is a prime example of an audiobook being a superior medium to experience this book, as it helps the reader to visualize much better rather than sorting through whether you're in the script or the movie filming. It is told from the first person POV of Adele Rafferty, an Irish actor who made a name for herself growing up in a soap opera, but whose meltdown on the set of her last movie made her persona non grata in the industry. She moved to the US in order to pursue acting away from the scandal. However, just as she's about to give up on her acting dreams, she gets a call to star in a very hush hush project in remote Ireland, so she returns to take the role. Remote is an understatement, and she gets a text right before losing all connection that warns her to turn around because she's in danger. As things progress, it appears that the text message might be right--or is it? I'll say that the journey was better than the resolution in this case. I really enjoyed my listening experience, but the explanation and motivation for what was happening was lackluster. I can forgive that because the overall plot was original and kept me glued to listening even when I had other things to do. I also really liked Adele and was rooting for her success throughout. There are some good twists throughout, some of which I had figured out and others I didn't. Despite its over the top climax, this novel is fast paced and gripping. I'm a huge fan of Catherine Ryan Howard and I look forward to her next book! I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

This book pulled me in from page one. Kept me till the end. Will definitely read more of her books.