Catherine Ryan Howard is the author of 56 DAYS, a brilliant story set during the onset of COVID-19, and THE NOTHING MAN, one of the most unique serial killer novels I have ever read. Now, with the release of RUN TIME, she has produced something completely different that toes the line of horror fiction.

Director Steve Dade and his assistant, Donal, are scoping out locations for their upcoming horror film, Final Draft. They decide on a place deep in the woods outside of West Cork, Ireland. Now they just need to replace the lead actress, who had to bail on them unexpectedly.

"RUN TIME is unlike anything I have read from Catherine Ryan Howard. She has a knack for creating a scenario that draws you in and then quickly grabs you by the throat, threatening to never let go."

Enter Adele Rafferty, who is struggling to make it in Hollywood. When she receives a call from one of the producers of Final Draft, directly on the heels of being turned down for yet another film role, she listens to the offer and promptly accepts. She understands that she must get on a plane to Ireland right away since the shoot is set for a tight two-week time frame, and they plan to begin filming just with her prior to the male lead arriving.

Upon landing, Adele is whisked away to the location of the movie, and Donal walks her through the filming schedule. Not long after, she receives a cryptic text from an anonymous source that asks if she has arrived in Cork yet and then warns her: If you’re not. Don’t go. Not safe. Trust me.

Incorporated throughout the book is the working script of Final Draft, which features Kate, an aspiring writer whom Adele has been hired to play, and Joel, a published writer she falls for. Eventually they head out to a cottage in the Irish countryside. We are then treated to a brutal dream sequence in which Kate is stabbed by an unknown assailant just before waking up in a panic. As more of the script is presented to us, there are some disturbing parallels between Kate’s experiences and what is happening to Adele.

As the only female on the set, Adele initially thinks that the men are just playing pranks on her. However, the situation becomes serious when she wakes up one evening for the start of a night shoot to find everyone gone. No note has been left for her, and there are no messages on her phone. Then, to make matters worse, the power goes out. She receives another strange text that reads: GET OUT OF THERE NOW.

Adele contacts the police, but they merely scoff at her for wasting their time. Eventually, Donal returns by bicycle claiming that the entire crew is stuck due to a bridge washing out and swearing he had texted her about it. At this point, things really start to get interesting.

RUN TIME is unlike anything I have read from Catherine Ryan Howard. She has a knack for creating a scenario that draws you in and then quickly grabs you by the throat, threatening to never let go. The ending is a wild one, with horrors that jump off the pages of both the book's narrative and the screenplay. Each is equally chilling.