Thanks to Netgalley and HQ for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Elevator are plummeting to the ground in Manhattan and no one know why.

This was a 4.5 star for me. Based on the synopsis I didn’t think one would be that great but since Linwood Barclay is a favorite author of mine, I had to give it a shot. This book was much better than I expected. It starts out with 3 different story lines, a journalist that is always seeking dirt in the mayor, the mayor who is fairly crooked like any politician and two cops who are investigating a dead and someone mangled body. I didn’t know how all of this would go together but this one turned out to be a pretty suspenseful page turner with what I thought was a surprising ending.

This is the first Linwood Barclay book that I've read but he is now definitely on my 'find more books from.....' list!! Gripping and fast paced throughout, the book is a tense psychological thriller that keeps you guessing till the very end and would make a great film. I will now be using the stairs more often! 4.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Linwood Barclay is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors. I’ve read a few of his books now and I’ve loved all of them. This one is a fast paced and gripping story, which left me shocked at the end. I thought I had worked everything out but I was wrong. I loved all of the characters in this one and enjoyed reading about them. I have been left with one question, which has disappointed me a little, but not enough to effect my rating. Linwood Barclay really is a master of suspense! I read the last 73% of this book in just a few hours, as I was hooked and couldn’t put it down. It’s definitely made me want to read more of his books and soon! With a storyline I haven’t seen before, this one definitely stands out as a great book. Highly recommend and thoroughly enjoyed!

I am ashamed to admit this is my first ever book by this author and it certainly will not be my last. What a book! What a Story. Well written, clever and fast paced. Amazing xx

I’d like to thank HQ and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Elevator Pitch’ by Linwood Barclay in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Four people get into an elevator in Lansing Building and despite pressing buttons it goes into free-fall until it hits the bottom of the shaft killing all on board. The following day the elevator in the Sycamore Residences apartment tower stops mid-floors and although Professor Fanya Petrov tries to climb out she also dies. The elevators malfunction in another two buildings causing fatalities and it soon becomes clear that these could be acts of terrorism. But is there a connection between these and the fingerless body that Detectives Jerry Bourque and Lois Delgado are investigating?

Wow, what a fantastic thriller! I’ve just reached the end of ‘Elevator Pitch’ and from page one the tension starts building and the suspense increases so I have to keep reading but scared at what’ll happen next. There are several sub-plots going on which add substance to the story including the domestic extremist group ‘Flyovers’ whose leader just happens to be in New York and has an agenda of his own. There are compelling characters, terrifying twists and turns, and red herrings to throw us off the track. By the time I reached the end it was so horrific it’s left me breathless with shock! Linwood Barclay has yet again written a fantastic thriller that’s compulsive reading and I can only recommend it to anybody who enjoys an action-packed thriller.

First book i read by this author and won't surely be the last.
I liked this gripping thriller that made me turn pages as fast as I could.
I liked the style of writing, the fleshed out cast of characters , and the entertaining and engrossing plot.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I really enjoyed this gripping page-turner. I am a fan of Linwood Barclay anyway, and this book certainly didn't disappoint. I was completely hooked from the first page, and would thoroughly recommend this great thriller.

Well, this is my first ever Linwood Barclay book so now I am biting at the reins to get stuck into the others that I have already in my bookcase. Firstly, I loved the play on words with the title as a young man was trying to 'pitch' his book to a would-be publisher while they were in the elevator and then, of course, the elevator 'pitch' as it plummeted toward the ground floor at tremendous speed. What an opening! Well to say I was shocked just wouldn't hack it!
Once can be put down to a fault but when it happens again, then the question becomes whose fault? It isn't long before fear becomes a reality for anyone in the city that uses an elevator. I must admit that I loved the build-up to the actual drop and especially the additional drama with the second elevator, that ok you could see coming but whoa it still got me when it happened.
Now Manhattan is just one sky scrapper of sky scrapper block of buildings with a hundred plus floors. The race is on to find the person responsible for the deaths of, so far influential victims but were they the targets or just a means to an end? Police, newspaper reporters, and the Mayor all have their hopes on finding the person or group responsible.
There are additional storylines taking place too with their own little twists. There were some pretty neat surprises too. Nice touch! I loved Barbara, the persistent reporter, and Detective Bourque and Delgado who were assigned to investigate what the hell was going on! The story dips into the past which explains present-day relationships.
Stunning ending!
I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

An impressive, hair-raising thriller set in the most vertical city in the world which is quickly plunged into chaos when daily and deadly elevator accidents start happening across Manhattan skyscrapers.

A fast-paced novel that will keep you on your toes and taking the stairs in the future.

This brilliant psychological thriller plays upon most people's fear of being trapped in an elevator which plunges out of control.

On three consecutive days in New York city, there are 3 elevator incidents resulting in 7 gruesome deaths. The police, Mayor's office and city works departments work alongside each other once they realise that the incidents are actually sabotage rather than tragic accidents. New York is described as a 'vertical city' in which lifts (sorry, elevators) play a huge part in both the working and living environments for much of the population, so when they become something to be feared this effectively brings the city to a grinding halt.

The build up of tension is executed brilliantly, and there are many suspects, red herrings and revelations along the way. There are several sub-plots going on which definitely enhance the story and make this an unforgettable read. My favourite characters were the journalist and the detective - both play a significant role and have well-developed backgrounds. Highly recommended!

This novel will make you second guess yourself each time you think you want to use an elevator. Do you really need to take the elevator, or could you walk up / down? This story is told at a relentless pace and difficult to step away from, there are some particularly gruesome scenes as well as some heart melting ones.

I couldn’t stop reading this book. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I kept telling my mum about another elevator accident that had happened - that is how realistic it was!!

Great style of writing, characters you could easily identify with. I enjoyed getting to know some of the characters - the slight twist With Arla was fairly obvious but didn’t detract from the storyline.

A great book im glad I took the time to read.

What can I say? Linwood Barclay never disappoints!! Fantastic book, great characters, read in 2 days!. Thanks to the author and Netgalley for the advance copy!

Definitely a can’t put it down sort of book. I have always hated elevators, or lifts as we call them in the UK. My mum always told me the story of how her brother died in a lift accident, many, many years ago. This book captures all the claustrophobia and powerlessness that I feel when I have to use a lift. It keeps you guessing until the very end. The characters are very rounded; neither all good nor all bad. They certainly have faults but they also have redeeming features. It features New York police, but is far more than just a police thriller. An excellent read, but better enjoyed on the ground floor of your home rather than in a high rise building.

Linwood Barclay writes an intense, dark and fast paced thriller set in the most vertical city in the world, New York has more skyscrapers than anywhere else, with elevators a critical requirement for almost everyone in their daily lives. In a terrifying premise that has all the hallmarks of realistic possibility, it begins on a Monday in Morris Lansing's building, an elevator goes crazy, leaving four people dead. Elevator accidents happen, they are rare, it is at first assumed that this is just such a tragedy. However, on Tuesday, there is another elevator accident that results in a gruesome death. The ambitious mayor, Richard Wilson Headley and his team are to find themselves under extreme stress and pressure as evidence emerges that these may not be unfortunate tragedies, it seems someone has embarked on the path of creating terror, fear and mayhem. Headley finds himself in the midst of a crisis as he orders all elevators to be shut until essential checks are made, bringing the city to a standstill, whilst more die who rely on elevators.

Barbara Matheson is a journalist who has made life difficult for the mayor, she loses a friend in the first elevator disaster. She wants to know who is behind the attacks, surely there are easier ways to cause death and mayhem? She is shocked when her daughter, Arla, finds herself a job in the mayoral office, and concerned by comments left on her articles by someone calling themselves Going Down. An alt-right group calling themselves, The Flyovers, headed by Eugene Clement, is suspected of explosions in coastal cities like Boston. Clement and his wife have arrived in New York, ostensibly for their wedding anniversary, but clearly there is another agenda. NYPD Detectives Jerry Bourque and his partner, Lois Delgado, find themselves on the scene of a murdered man, near the railtracks. The man's face has been destroyed and his fingertips have been cut off, someone has gone to a great deal of trouble to prevent him being identified. Why?

Barclay ratchets up the tension with skill with his short chapters, providing the reader with a myriad of colourful and interesting characters, and the best possible location to illustrate just how much peoples' reliance on elevators can be exploited to deadly effect, and fan the fears of all who live in one of the most important cities in the US. This is a high octane intense read, full of suspense and tension, and effortlessly gripping. This is for all those who love their crime thrillers, written by an experienced author who can be relied on to provide the necessary thrills and chills. Many thanks to HQ for an ARC.

I have read and enjoyed all of Linwood Barclay’s books and Elevator Pitch did not disappoint.

This is a gripping story which begins when two Police Officers Delgado and Bourque investigate the murder of a man whose face is unrecognisable and whose fingertips have been removed. They soon discover, through brilliant detective work, the name of the murdered man and that his occupation is that of an elevator maintenance man.
Soon the investigation takes another turn when an elevator appears to malfunction plummeting to the bottom of the shaft, killing all four occupants. The next day, a similar fatal elevator incident occurs in a residential high-rise in another part of Manhattan. The day after that, a third falling elevator throws the city into a panic and fear is rife. Added to the fear of New Yorkers a bomb goes off causing more tension. Are these incidents down to terrorists, Russians or a madman acting alone.
The story revolves around the Mayor Richard Headley, his son Glover and his employees. The Mayor must decide whether to shut down all elevators in New York thus bringing the city to a complete standstill. Throw into the mix a female reporter called Barbara with a secret and a dislike of the Mayor and all he stands for. The story is strengthened by a good plot, a cast of characters who are complex and complicated, of loyalty, betrayal and a long held resentment which manifests itself while the suspense builds as it is revealed how the initial murder ties in with the elevator deaths.
This was a gripping read, it did not disappoint and you will never ride in an elevator (lift) without a sense of mild fear.
Many thanks to the Publishers the Author and NetGalley for this ARC in return for my honest review

I'm a great fan of Linwood Barclay's books and have read and enjoyed all his previous work. I was really looking forward to reading Elevator Pitch but unfortunately I was quite disappointed in this novel. I found it quite difficult to get into as it seemed to take ages before anything really happened. It picked up in the middle of the book and the ending was a surprise but I wasn't as engaged with the storyline as I usually am with this author's books.

Elevator Pitch is a very different and clever thriller .This is a story about one Monday in New York when there is a tragic elevator incident when 4 people are killed .The next day it happens again and again and soon New York is paralysed with fear. The Mayor decrees that all elevators are shut down until they can be individually checked for safety and in a city that mainly consists of high rise buildings this causes chaos.The story is fast paced and the characters very believable ,I didn't guess who was behind it all but I really enjoyed the ending .
Many thanks to the Publisher ,the Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review .

Having read many of Linwood Barclay books and thoroughly enjoyed them, I was very excited to be reading his new release, and this latest book of his most certainly didn't disappoint. It is set in the city of New York, the most vertical city in the world, when it becomes apparent that elevators around the city are being sabotaged. You follow the main detectives in their search to find who is behind this, as well as many other stories around some of the main characters, leading to the final revelation - which of course contains various twists in the plot. The book also explores the concept of what would happen in NYC - being a city full of skyscrapers and buildings trying to gain the highest status - when access to the top and bottom of these buildings ceases by mechanical elevators; a concept that would set the city into sheer panic and chaos, and this is exactly what Barclay creates in this novel. Each chapter, in true Barclay style, presents an episode of the story based around certain characters, then leaves you on a cliffhanger wanting to read on and know more. The characters are well portrayed for this story and in the city it is set in, and you find yourself also trying to work out who is responsible for these horrific events alongside the main characters. This book kept me gripped from beginning to end and I would recommend to anyone who likes a good detective fiction novel, or has read any previous Barclay books. My thanks goes out to Harlequin UK and netgalley for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this.

I engaged with this book from the very beginning. It moved at a fast pace and showed no signs of really stopping. The plot lines were well thought out and came together well at the end. What a great way to bring a city to a halt and create pandemonium.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.