I was lucky enough to get this through a wish - that has never happened to me before. As ever, Linwood Barclay doesn't disappoint. A fast pace, gripping thriller. The only thing missing for me was not lying on a beach reading it!

Elevator Pitch is the latest standalone thriller by Linwood Barclay and boy is this a good 'un!  We start with four seemingly random, unconnected people getting into an elevator (lift if you are from the UK) in a busy Manhattan skyscraper.  Within minutes the elevator seems to have a life of it's own - taking these victims to the top floor and then plummeting to the bottom killing them all.

What appears to be a random malfunction of the software controlling the elevator then becomes far more horrific and sinister as more elevators malfunction killing the occupants across New York.

Elevator Pitch tells the story with several main characters points of view.  There is Richard Headley (DickHead) the Mayor of New York trying to control the panic and fear of the citizens and ensure their safety, the two police officers who find a fingerless murder victim on the same night as the first "accident" and a determined reporter Barbara Matheson who despises the mayor and is determined to uncover who is behind the elevator murders.

This really is a thrilling exhilarating ride which keep me turning the pages and one that I highly recommend for fans of fast paced action with great characters and plenty of dead bodies.

Warning:  DON'T read this book if you have a fear of heights or elevators!  DO read this book if you love claustrophobic, atmospheric and scary thrillers - but be warned - next time you press the button waiting for an elevator you might think about taking the stairs.

‘Elevator Pitch’ is the first Linwood Barclay book I’ve read. I’m not sure how it compares do his other work, but it wasn’t really what I was expecting.
It reads like a 70s disaster movie. There’s an attention grabbing central concept (New York is hit by a string of fatal elevator failures), a diverse cast of characters, a tonne a melodrama and a bit of action. It’s all quite readable and fun, but the multiple plot lines got a bit much for me after a while. Some of them don’t really go anywhere and one, which feels like a key one at the start, ends up somewhere weird and unconvincing.
Overall it’s entertaining but it didn’t grip me like I was expecting it to.

When I saw this book on Netgalley I knew I had to have it. It sounded so exciting and thrilling. So, when I got approved for the e-arc (thank you Netgalley for my copy in exchange of an honest review) I was eager to get started.

It starts of with a dead fingerless body, followed by an elevator losing control and plunging 4 people to their deaths. There then follows a few more elevator deaths. Now, given this story is set in New York a heavily populated vertical city where people are dependent on elevators (I'm going to call them lifts from now on because I'm not American) There is a sense of fear as to who is behind all this.

But, the middle of this book just dragged and didn't do it for me, I did consider giving up but I did want to know if I had guessed correctly the culprit. I knew it was definitely down to two characters, I didn't know why with one but I was right.

It did feel that there was just too many characters in this book and not enough development to give us a connection with them. I understand that the Flyovers where put in there as a red herring, or were they because we were told quite early they were only involved in the bombings. Which was very few.

It did have elements of a good thriller. Hated mayor, a son who wanted to impress, a blood thirsty journalist, mysterious men telling families to keep quiet, a cop struggling with past troubles, the Flyover group, another man trying to impress his peer, a blossoming romance, a mother/daughter relationship that was tense. As you can see there was a lot going on, but a bit too much for one story.

So, here lies my problem this story had everything that I want in a book but I wasn't overly thrilled with it. What kept it from being a 2 star for me was the descriptions of the deaths and that very thrilling ending. They were what made the book.

Just an afterthought, a major bug bear for me was the fact that the mayor didn't recognise Barbara, just because she had in her words dyed her hair and put on a bit of weight. He only realised who she was when she mentioned her maiden name. This was very unrealistic, given she was in his life a lot hounding him and the very fact he remembered who Maude was.

My first book by Linwood Barclay, I was really excited when Netgalley have me the opportunity to read this advance copy in return for this review. Firstly the characters were very relatable and human I thought. One of the main characters suffering with panic attacks, myself who does as well was very welcome to read this in a novel. The whole story though was a brilliant idea - and scary idea. There is suddenly a spate of elevator ‘accidents’ that turn out not be to be accidents, and the story has plenty of twists and turns! I love the breadth of characters as well. Really enjoyed it! Well done.

This was a slow burner of a read. The premise of the plot was inviting but I found the book didnt deliver. The different plot threads didnt seem to gel and were hard to follow. I liked the bathroom scene. This was unexpected and a heart in the mouth moment but didn't seem to fit with the main theme. It was nevertheless an enjoyable read and I particularly liked the ending. I think this book would deliver better on screen than it did in print. The writing was scary and realistic but needed more elevator moments in the build up.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for this advance review copy in exchange for an honest review.

ELEVATOR PITCH – LINWOOD BARCLAY

I read this novel in advance of publication through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This is the first novel I have read by this author and I would like it not to be the last. This book does everything it says on the cover. It provides a very slick, easy-to-read ensemble story about a series of elevators in New York going berserk and plummeting half a mile to the ground and killing all the occupants. A simple premise cleverly designed to touch the darkest fears of anyone who has been in a lift, especially those in skyscrapers.

There is a boo-hiss mayor struggling to keep control and maintain crumbling ratings, a feisty female journalist with a past, estranged from her equally feisty daughter, a male-female pair of detectives hot on the heels of baddies, and a nutcase and his wife in town to blow things up.

There are thrills and surprises sufficient that the chapters whiz past as swiftly as floor numbers in the aforementioned plummeting elevator. The author’s style is very American, tense, occasionally witty, with just enough backstory to round out the characters between the twists.

This may not be Shakespeare but I’d say this is a novel written by a very skilful author who knows exactly what he’s doing and is well worth a read. Visit to the Shard, anyone?

It is not often that I am completely wrong-footed with a plot line – but in this case it was WOW, I did not see that coming!
As always, Linwood Barclay mixes the jigsaw pieces up and slowly puts them together; sometimes in the wrong order and sometimes with pieces missing or lost until the final chapter.
This is an exhilarating read and well worth 5 stars plus

A very enjoyable read and a real page turner. It won't win any awards as a piece of literature, but as a thriller it was great. The idea was very good and I found myself thinking of it whenever I saw an elevator on the TV and will be wary of travelling in them for a while I am sure. A well rounded plot, tied up well

Thank you for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Wow!! So grateful for the opportunity to read one of my fave authors ARC.
Did not disappoint. I love linwood barclay. This was a great thriller that now makes me a little apprehensive about lifts.
Did not see that twist coming. Absolutely recommend 100%

Have read some earlier books by Linwood Barclay and this one did not disappoint. Fast paced thriller with likeable characters and NYPD heroes. I will think about taking the lift in the future!

2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.
I have read and enjoyed a few of Linwood Barclay's previous books. I admire his strong character development, and the suspense created in his psychological thrillers. Barclay's latest book, Elevator Pitch, left me feeling a little disappointed by the lack of character depth.

In Elevator Pitch, the reader is introduced to several different storylines, which will certainly intersect at some point; however, I felt like these different plot lines took too long to intersect, so I felt myself just wanting the story to go ahead and get on with it. Only a couple of the characters were, in my opinion, fully developed, and that did not really occur until near the end of the book.

The good news is that the ending of Elevator Pitch is spectacular. So, while it is a slow beginning and middle, if you hang on long enough, you will certainly be rewarded by an exciting conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an advance copy of Elevator Pitch in exchange for my honest review.

Fast paced from the start ! A serial killer is in the loose you may never get in a elevator again after reading this gripping book !

One Monday four people board an elevator in Manhattan, New York. They each press a button for their floor but the elevator goes to the top without stopping, it stops for a second or two at the very top then plummets to the bottom. It’s a horrible tragedy but then on Tuesday it happens again and then when something else happens on Wednesday the city is plunged into chaos.
Who is behind this and what do the deadly acts of sabotage have to do with a fingerless dead man found on the high line by two detectives? The detectives and a journalist must race against time to find the answers.

I’m so glad I read this after I got back from New York last week or I wouldn’t have gone in any elevators!! I loved reading this book, as II had been to most of the places that were mentioned in the book so I felt like I was back there in the city again.
It was a good storyline, it could be shortened a bit but overall I enjoyed reading it. Another good read by this Author.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher HQ for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I have always been a fan of Linwood Barclay’s books, they are real page turners with human interest and humour intertwined with the suspense of a thriller.
At the beginning of this book I felt a little disappointed as (to me), it was very different to his usual style, but as I read on - I was hooked. Yes, it is different but in a good way.
It was a story that may may you fear getting into a lift ever again, but exciting, absorbing and a definite page turner.
As you can read from the back cover, it concerns lifts (elevators) that behave in a strange manner, then plummet many storeys till they hit the bottom of the shaft, killing those within it. It’s so cleverly plotted by Linwood Barclay, with diverse characters and surprising links between some of them.
If this doesn’t get made into a movie, I will be very surprised - buy this book, then hold onto your hat, you’re in for a hell of a ride..

So I'm biased, I always love Linwood Barclay's writing style and when I heard about this plot premise, I was gripped, what a refreshing twist to the glut of novels that seems to be in the market at the moment about your neighbours being killers.

The opening scene has a budding, down on his luck scriptwriter trying to get his script read by an entertainment exec, by surprising her as she goes to her office in the lift. I was convinced the novel was going to be focuses on these two, but within pages they were both dead!!

From then on, the novel takes you on twists and turns, raising the tension as you get drawn into a world of political intrigue, hard nosed journalists and terrorism. By the time you reach the final pages the tension is at its peak.

Great writing, superb characterisation and a masterclass in keep your plots fresh and riveting your readers!

Only knocked down as the advanced review copy had a number of typos and errors (which I hope get resolved prior to publication in a few weeks).

Thanks to Linwood Barclay, HQ and Net Galley for the ARC of Elevator Pitch.
Yes, of course I enjoyed this. I thought the title was inspired because of the opening and the terrorizing of New York by elevator. Very clever. I hope the copy I read will be thoroughly cleaned up before it's published. I've never come across so many typos, words missed out and what-have-yous going on, and it did interrupt the flow quite a bit. Other than that it's four super stars.

Brilliant book. Got me just from the blurb and didn't disappoint in any way. Clever and exciting end. Barclay at his best.

I have read just about every Linwood Barclay novel, and loved them all. He is the master of the snappy chapter that ends on a hook, which forces you to keep on turning the pages and thus reading far too late into the night. This is the first Linwood Barclay that I’ve read that has failed to hook the end of the chapters in a way that forces the reader to keep reading.

It was an enjoyable book, but the gripping element of his earlier books was missing. And for the first time, instead of reading far too late into the night, unaware of the time, I found myself wondering when the chapter would finally end as I wanted to get to sleep, and didn’t like to do so in the middle of a chapter. This was so unusual that at times, I actually wondered if Linwood Barclay had, indeed, written the book himself.

There are two story lines – determining who is sabotaging elevators in high-rise New York, thereby sending the elevators crashing to the ground with fatal results, and who is responsible for a bomb in a taxi that claimed the lives of two men. There is also the mystery of a murdered man whose fingertips had been cut off, and whose identity was, therefore, difficult to determine.

The less-than-perfect Mayor of New York, Richard Headley, is in the centre of the furore about who could be causing such a loss of life, with reporter Barbara Matheson, who has a secret past, hot on his heels, looking for a story. Barbara herself has a stalker, it seems. We also meet the detectives, Bourque and Delgado, as well as the two men responsible for the bombing, whom the police are trying to catch. There is also Headley’s son, who works for him, and the assistant, Arla, whom the son has taken on.

All in all, there were quite a few characters, many of whom were introduced solely to be killed, and most of whom were something of a cliché, and it became a little confusing as to who was whom.

Despite my criticisms, however, I found the book very readable, with a number of twists, and when the story reaches its climax, the final couple of chapters are really exciting.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for an advance copy of the novel.

I enjoyed this book, it was very entertaining, but expected a bit more. I have read some other books by Linwood Barclay and enjoyed them more.